Topic outline

  • General

    • The Read-Only Version

      This is the slimmed down, read-only version of exa.foundation's online course for GCSE Computer Science (9-1). This course contains a copy of the same learning content as the original course, but no assessment and grading content. This course has been created to facilitate easier access to each of the topics meaning that no login is required to view content.

      Please note this version of the course will be available until at least the end of Summer Term 2021. It was originally designed to match OCR's J276 GCSE specification.

      The GCSE CS courses may be used in different ways, but have been designed to support a flipped-learning approach so that students can deepen their understanding of the theory for GCSE Computer Science outside of lessons, no matter which Computer Science GCSE they are following. This should allow more time in lessons for learning programming, algorithms and Computational Thinking." Alan O'Donohoe, exa.foundation

      TEACHERS: All the teacher information and guidance as well as the forums can be found on the full version of the course here which requires a login.

  • Helpful files and documents

  • Systems Architecture (Topics 1-5)

    • Topic 1 - Systems architecture (1)

    • Topic 2 - Systems architecture (2)

    • Topic 3 - Systems architecture (3)

    • Topic 4 - Systems architecture (4)

    • Topic 5 - Systems architecture (5)

  • Memory (Topics 6-8)

    • Topic 6 - Memory (1)

    • Topic 7 - Memory (2)

    • Topic 8 - Memory (3)

  • Storage (Topic 9)


    • Topic 9 - Storage

  • Wired and wireless networks (Topics 10-13)


    • Topic 10 - Wired and wireless networks (1)

    • Topic 11 - Wired and wireless networks (2)

    • Topic 12 - Wired and wireless networks (3)

    • Topic 13 - Wired and wireless networks (4)

  • Network topologies, protocols & layers (Topics 14-18)


    • Topic 14 - Network topologies, protocols and layers (1)

    • Topic 15 - Network topologies, protocols and layers (2)

    • Topic 16 - Network topologies, protocols and layers (3)

    • Topic 17 - Network topologies, protocols and layers (4)

    • Topic 18 - Network topologies, protocols and layers (5)

  • System security (Topics 19-20)

    • Prior Assessment

      This is used to measure how much you already understand before studying the topics below.

    • Topic 19 - System security (1)

    • Topic 20 - System security (2)

  • Systems software (Topics 21-22)

    • Topic 21 - Systems software (1)

    • Topic 22 - Systems software (2)

  • Ethical, legal, cultural and environmental concerns (Topics 23-25)


    • Topic 23 - Ethical, legal, cultural and environmental concerns (1)

    • Topic 24 - Ethical, legal, cultural and environmental concerns (2)

    • Topic 25 - Ethical, legal, cultural and environmental concerns (3)

  • Computational logic (Topics 26-28)

    • Topic 26 - Computational Logic (1)

    • Topic 27 - Computational Logic (2)

    • Topic 28 - Computational Logic (3)

  • Translators and facilities of languages (Topics 29-31)


    • Topic 29 - Translators and facilities of languages (1)

    • Topic 30 - Translators and facilities of languages (2)

    • Topic 31 - Translators and facilities of languages (3)

  • Data representation (Topics 32-40)


    • Topic 32 - Data representation (1)

    • Topic 33 - Data representation (2)

    • Topic 34 - Data representation (3)

    • Topic 35 - Data representation (4)

    • Topic 36 - Data representation (5)

    • Topic 37 - Data representation (6)

    • Topic 38 - Data representation (7)

    • Topic 39 - Data representation (8)

    • Topic 40 - Data representation (9)