computer science a level coursework ocr

More results...

• View all quizzes
• GCSE Concepts & Quizzes
• A Level Concepts & Quizzes
• Little Man Computer (LMC)
• Computer Networks
• Database Concepts
• Cryptography
• Python Challenges – Beginner
• Python Challenges – Intermediate
• Python Challenges – Advanced
• HTML, CSS & JavaScript
• BBC micro:bit
• OCR J277/01 – 1.1 System Architecture
• OCR J277/01 – 1.2 Memory and Storage
• OCR J277/01 – 1.3 Computer networks
• OCR J277/01 – 1.4 Network security
• OCR J277/01 – 1.5 – Systems software
• OCR J277/01 – 1.6 – Ethical, legal, cultural and environmental impacts of digital technology
• OCR J277/02 – 2.1 – Algorithms
• OCR J277/02 – 2.2 – Programming fundamentals
• OCR J277/02 – 2.3 – Producing robust programs
• OCR J277/02 – 2.4 – Boolean logic
• OCR J277/02 – 2.5 – Programming languages and Integrated Development Environments
• OCR H446/01 – 1.1 The characteristics of contemporary processors, input, output and storage devices
• OCR H446/01 – 1.2 Software and software development
• OCR H446/01 – 1.3 Exchanging data
• OCR H446/01 – 1.4 Data types, data structures and algorithms
• OCR H446/01 – 1.5 Legal, moral, cultural and ethical issues
• OCR H446/02 – 2.1 Elements of computational thinking
• OCR H446/01 – 2.2 Problem solving and programming
• OCR H446/02 – 2.3 Algorithms
• 101 Extra Python Challenges
• 101 Python Challenges
• 101 Computing Challenges
• Become a member!
• Your Account
• Solved Challenges
• Membership FAQ

OCR – H446 – Computer Science A-Level

• Computer Science A-Level – H446

OCR Computer Science A Level (H446)

• H446/01 – Computer Systems
• 1.1 – The characteristics of contemporary processors, input, output and storage devices
• 1.2 – Software and software development
• 1.3 – Exchanging data
• 1.4 – Data types, data structures and algorithms
• 1.5 – Legal, moral, cultural and ethical issues
• H446/02 – Algorithms and programming
• 2.1 – Elements of computational thinking
• 2.2 – Problem solving and programming
• 2.3 – Algorithms to solve problems and standard algorithms

OCR H446/01 – 1.1 The characteristics of contemporary processors, input, output and storage devices

OCR H446/01 – 1.2 Software and software development

OCR H446/01 – 1.3 Exchanging data

OCR H446/01 – 1.4 Data types, data structures and algorithms

OCR H446/01 – 1.5 Legal, moral, cultural and ethical issues

OCR H446/02 – 2.1 Elements of computational thinking

OCR H446/01 – 2.2 Problem solving and programming

OCR H446/02 – 2.3 Algorithms

Extra Revision Resources…

Did you like this challenge?

Click on a star to rate it!

Average rating 4.2 / 5. Vote count: 15

No votes so far! Be the first to rate this post.

As you found this challenge interesting...

Follow us on social media!

Other challenges you may enjoy...

Recent Posts

• Cryptic Puzzles – Computer Networks
• Computer Science – Cryptic Crossword #02
• Ice Cream Price Calculator
• Revision Progress Tracker Algorithm
• Search Engine Indexing… In your own words…
• Average Lap Time Calculator
• Return On Investment Calculator
• Storage Units Conversions – Quiz
• Flappy Bird Animation using Pygame
• Adding a Timer using Python
• View more recent posts...
• View all our challenges...
• Take a Quiz...

Our Latest Book

• Computing Concepts
• Python Challenges
• Privacy Policy

Linkers, Loaders & Libraries

When programming, we often use libraries built into programming languages to make coding solutions quicker and easier. These are linked in, by linkers, and loaded by loaders when your code runs.

• Libraries exist in most programming languages and offer shorthand ways to achieve a task.
• These libraries are pre-written, compiled, tested and checked pieces of code that developers can rely on to help shorten code.
• For example, the print function in python.

• Libraries can be statically linked or dynamically linked.
• Statically linked libraries are included in the object or machine code when it is compiled.
• This increases the binary footprint of the code, but the library becomes built into the code meaning an end user doesn’t need it to be installed.

Dynamically linked libraries

• Dynamically linked libraries are not built into the code.
• These libraries are loaded in when the object or machine code is passed to the CPU to run, just when it needs it.
• Dynamically linked libraries mean your binary footprint is smaller, but the library needs to be installed on the computer.

• Loaders are a type of program that loads the program you're trying to run.
• Loaders are a part of the operating system that find a good place for object or machine code to sit in memory.
• For statically linked libraries all of the code and the library are loaded into memory, which takes up more room.
• For dynamically linked libraries, the loader will load the library into memory when the program needs it.

1 Components of a Computer

1.1 Structure & Function of the Processor

1.1.1 Structure of the CPU

1.1.2 Fetch, Decode, Execute Cycle

1.1.3 Factors Affecting CPU Performance

1.1.4 CPU Architecture

1.2 Types of Processors

1.2.1 CISC & RISC

1.2.2 Multicore & Parallel Cores

1.3 Input, Output & Storage

1.3.1 Computer Systems

1.3.2 Magnetic Storage

1.3.3 Optical Storage

1.3.4 Types of Optical Storage

1.3.5 Types of Memory

1.3.6 Flash Memory

1.3.7 Virtual Memory

2 Software & Software Development

2.1 Systems Software

2.1.1 Operating Systems

2.1.2 Managing Memory

2.1.3 Paging, Segmentation & Virtual Memory

2.1.4 Device Management & Drivers

2.1.5 Interrupts

2.1.6 Scheduling

2.1.7 Types of Operating System

2.2 Applications Generation

2.2.1 Applications Software & Utilities

2.2.2 Encryption & Defragmentation

2.2.3 Data Compression & Backup

2.2.4 Open Source vs Proprietary Software

2.2.5 Translators

2.2.6 Compiling a Program

2.2.7 Linkers, Loaders & Libraries

2.3 Software Development

2.3.1 Algorithmic Thinking

2.3.2 Waterfall Lifecycle

2.3.3 Agile Methodology

2.3.4 Extreme Programming

2.3.5 Spiral Methodology

2.3.6 Rapid Application Development

2.4 Types of Programming Language

2.4.1 Types of Programming Languages

2.4.2 Programming Paradigms

2.4.3 Assembly & Machine Code

2.4.4 Modes of Addressing Memory

2.4.5 Object-Oriented Languages

2.4.6 Encapsulation & Polymorphism

3 Exchanging Data

3.1 Compression, Encryption & Hashing

3.1.1 Compression

3.1.2 Encryption

3.2 Databases

3.2.1 Databases

3.2.2 Managing Databases

3.2.4 Principles of Data Storage

3.3 Networks

3.3.1 Networks Introduction

3.3.2 Types of Networks

3.3.3 Network Protocols

3.3.4 The Internet

3.3.5 DNS & Web Hosting

3.3.6 Layers

3.3.7 Packet Switching

3.3.8 Network Hardware

3.3.9 Firewalls

3.3.10 Proxies

3.3.11 Client-Server Model

3.3.12 Peer-to-Peer Model

3.4 Web Technologies

3.4.2 CSS & JavaScript

3.4.3 Search Engine Indexing

3.4.4 Server & Client-Side Processing

4 Data Types, Data Structures & Algorithms

4.1 Data Types

4.1.1 Data Types

4.1.2 Arrays & Strings

4.1.3 Representing Numbers

4.1.4 Binary Arithmetic

4.1.5 Hexadecimal

4.1.6 Converting Binary Numbers

4.1.7 Floating Points in Binary

4.1.8 Floating Point Arithmetic

4.1.9 Bitwise Manipulation

4.1.10 Character Sets

4.2 Data Structures

4.2.1 Arrays, Linked Lists & Queues

4.2.2 Graphs, Hash Tables & Stacks

4.2.3 Trees

4.3 Boolean Algebra

4.3.1 Computational Logic

4.3.2 Boolean Logic

4.3.3 Karnaugh Maps

4.3.4 Boolean Identities

4.3.5 Flip Flops & Adder Circuits

5 Legal, Moral, Cultural & Ethical Issues

5.1 Computing Related Legislation

5.1.1 Data Protection Act (1998)

5.1.2 Computer Misuse Act (1990)

5.1.3 Copyright Designs and Patents Act (1988)

5.1.4 Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act (2000)

5.2 Moral & Ethical Issues

5.2.1 Online Activity Tracking

5.2.2 Censorship

5.2.3 Cultural Issues

5.2.4 Environmental Issues

5.2.5 Layout, Colour Paradigms & Character Sets

6 Elements of Computational Thinking

6.1 Thinking Abstractly

6.1.1 Abstraction

6.2 Thinking Procedurally

6.2.1 Decomposition

6.3 Thinking Logically

6.3.1 Pseudocode & Flow Diagrams

7 Problem Solving & Programming

7.1 Programming Techniques

7.1.1 Programming Fundamentals

7.1.2 Modularity

7.2 Programming Construction

7.2.1 Integrated Development Environments

7.2.2 Testing

8 Algorithms

8.1 Algorithms

8.1.1 Interpreting, Correcting & Completing Algorithm

8.1.2 Sort Algorithms

8.1.3 Insertion & Merge Sort

8.1.4 Search Algorithms

Jump to other topics

Unlock your full potential with GoStudent tutoring

Affordable 1:1 tutoring from the comfort of your home

Tutors are matched to your specific learning needs

30+ school subjects covered

Compiling a Program

Algorithmic Thinking

We will keep fighting for all libraries - stand with us!

Internet Archive Audio

• This Just In
• Grateful Dead
• Old Time Radio
• 78 RPMs and Cylinder Recordings
• Audio Books & Poetry
• Computers, Technology and Science
• Music, Arts & Culture
• News & Public Affairs
• Spirituality & Religion
• Radio News Archive

• Flickr Commons
• Occupy Wall Street Flickr
• NASA Images
• Solar System Collection
• Ames Research Center

• All Software
• Old School Emulation
• MS-DOS Games
• Historical Software
• Classic PC Games
• Software Library
• Kodi Archive and Support File
• Vintage Software
• CD-ROM Software
• CD-ROM Software Library
• Software Sites
• Tucows Software Library
• Shareware CD-ROMs
• Software Capsules Compilation
• CD-ROM Images
• ZX Spectrum
• DOOM Level CD

• Smithsonian Libraries
• FEDLINK (US)
• Lincoln Collection
• American Libraries
• Canadian Libraries
• Universal Library
• Project Gutenberg
• Children's Library
• Biodiversity Heritage Library
• Books by Language
• Additional Collections

• Prelinger Archives
• Democracy Now!
• Occupy Wall Street
• TV NSA Clip Library
• Animation & Cartoons
• Arts & Music
• Computers & Technology
• Cultural & Academic Films
• Ephemeral Films
• Sports Videos
• Videogame Videos
• Youth Media

Search the history of over 866 billion web pages on the Internet.

Mobile Apps

• Wayback Machine (iOS)
• Wayback Machine (Android)

Browser Extensions

Archive-it subscription.

• Explore the Collections
• Build Collections

Save Page Now

Capture a web page as it appears now for use as a trusted citation in the future.

Please enter a valid web address

• Donate Donate icon An illustration of a heart shape

OCR AS And A Level Computer Science

Bookreader item preview, share or embed this item, flag this item for.

• Graphic Violence
• Explicit Sexual Content
• Hate Speech
• Misinformation/Disinformation
• Marketing/Phishing/Advertising
• Misleading/Inaccurate/Missing Metadata

The aim of this book is to provide detailed coverage of the topics in the new OCR AS and A Level Computer Science specifications H046 / H446.

plus-circle Add Review comment Reviews

Download options, in collections.

Uploaded by skull_is_dull on November 11, 2022

SIMILAR ITEMS (based on metadata)

• Student Login
• Staff Login
• Make a Payment
• Applicant Login

Computer Science - A Level (OCR)

ABOUT THE COURSE

A Level Computer Science is an exciting but demanding subject that will help you develop an analytical, problem-solving approach, which is sometimes called 'computational thinking’.

The course will equip you with the fundamentals of problem-solving, which you will put into practice by developing computer programs using Python.

From the start of the course, you will learn the fundamentals of problem solving which you will put into practice by developing computer programs. Programming is creative and satisfying but demanding, especially when you are learning it for the first time.

This course is available for international students, if you are applying as an international student please click here .

WHAT WILL I STUDY?

Networks and internet technologies such as encryption are important areas of Computer Science. You will learn both the underlying theory and recent developments in this fast-changing area.

You will learn about the computer as an electronic device and some of the core fundamentals of computing such as:

• Logic gates
• Boolean algebra
• Number bases

It is crucial that you spend time every week developing your programming skills outside lessons.

In the second year of the course, you will undertake a significant programming project which you will choose yourself. It is strongly recommended that you do some computer programming to help you decide if the subject is right for you, as programming is a very large component of the course. Any language will do, for example, Python, Visual Basic, Java or C#. (Although HTML is useful and fun, it is not strictly a programming language).

WHAT WILL I NEED?

You will need:

• Grade 5 or above in GCSE English Language
• Grade 6 or above in GCSE Maths
• Grade 6 or above in GCSE Computer Science - if you did not achieve a grade 6, you will need to pass an aptitude test before enrolment. If you did not study GCSE Computer Science, you must also enrol in either: Maths, Science, Psychology or Economics alongside Computer Science.
• Two further GCSEs at grade 4 or above

If you wish to study 4 A Levels, you will need 7 GCSEs at grade 7 or above, including two at grade 8.

All applicants must have an interview to confirm that A Levels are suitable for them.

We recommend that you do some computer programming in Python, Visual Basic, Java or C# to help you decide if the subject is right for you, as programming is a very large component of the course.

When applying for an A Level programme at City and Islington, please refer to the general entry requirements on our A Level Courses page as well as the subject-specific details listed above.

HOW WILL I BE ASSESSED?

Assessment is by final exam and coursework, and will test both your underlying knowledge of computing and your problem-solving skills.

WHAT WILL IT COST?

If you will be aged 16, 17 or 18 on 31st August prior to the start date of your course and you have the legal right to remain in the UK for the duration of your programme then your study with us will be free. Please see here for the documents you will need to show us.

Some courses will have other associated costs, such as for specialist materials and trips. Many of our students are eligible for financial support, see here for details.

WHAT CAN I DO AFTER?

A Levels are widely regarded as the standard entry qualification for top universities in the UK, and the rest of the world. Many of our students go onto study for a degree at the university of their choice, with some choosing to progress into apprenticeships or other employment.

MEET SOME OF THE TEACHERS

Click here to see some of the teachers that teach A Levels at the college

Computer Science A Level

Computer Science is an exciting, modern subject relevant to many disciplines and careers.

Almost every aspect of modern life involves computing; from cloud and internet use, through mobile devices and home appliances, to complex programs that help businesses and public services run smoothly. Vast networked systems of computers control global communication, trade, finance and transportation. Experience of Computer Science is relevant to all.

A good computer scientist wants to learn more about how computers work, to learn the language of code (C#) and to find ways to solve puzzles using logical thinking and mathematics. Our course offers a blend of practical coding and development experience with theory and discussion of how computers work and their impact on society. Computer Science is a creative subject that combines invention and excitement, that can look at the natural world through a digital prism.

Entry requirements

A minimum of 4 subjects at grade 5 or above at GCSE with a grade 5 in GCSE English Language and a grade 6 in Maths. GCSE Computer Science is not a prerequisite but is an advantage.

What will I study?

You will gain an understanding of different levels and types of programming languages and scripting. Strategies for problem-solving are studied, together with information management techniques. You will gain an understanding of computer hardware and software functionality as well as a detailed appreciation of how computer architectures operate. The course addresses all stages of the life cycle of computer software.

Units studied include:

Computer Systems

• Characteristics of processors, input, output and storage devices
• Software types and software development
• Networks and exchanging data (web, encryption and security)
• Data types, data structures and algorithms
• Legal, moral, cultural and ethical issues

Algorithms and Programming

• Elements of computational thinking (designing and coding in C#)
• Problem solving and programming (coding in C# and using LMC)
• Algorithms to solve problems and standard algorithms (e.g. sorting, traversal)

Method of delivery

You will be taught in well-equipped computer rooms for every session. Individual computers are available both in session and during study times to enable you to use online learning and resources effectively. Our A Level Computing team all bring experience from industry as well as years of teaching experience. Each member has experience of examination marking and/or external verification.

How will I be assessed?

OCR Computer Science A Level: Two x 150 minute exams plus 20% coursework (NEA).

Programming Project: The NEA (Non-Exam Assessment) coursework is a student-led experience of problem analysis, system design, software development and testing and evaluating. Your project will be of your own choice, assessed internally and moderated by an external examiner.

In the past students have produced exciting games, simulations, web applications and robot programs. Students will need to do autonomous research to develop more complex projects.

Good course combinations

This course combines well with most other A Levels and is particularly complemented by Maths, and sciences or Engineering. Other successful students have a strong background in creative or humanities subjects such as Design Technology and Media.

Your next steps

Computer Science is an extremely useful A Level, leading into a wide variety of computer-based disciplines, plus technologically rich subjects such as engineering or science. Computer Science skills and an understanding of technology are relevant to a wide range of careers and courses.

Students can progress into industry or apprenticeships to gain experience and qualifications as a Software Engineer, Software Developer, and a host of related roles. There is a significant shortage in Computer Science skills so your knowledge will be in demand! Students typically go on to study degree courses in:

• Computer Science
• Artificial Intelligence
• Computer Games Programming
• Cybersecurity
• Business Computing
• Engineering
• Mathematics
• Aeronautics

• School Leavers
• Apprenticeships
• University Centre
• Courses for Adults
• Distance Learning
• International
• Student Life & Support
• Events & News
• Vocational & T Level
• Your Experience - Pastoral & Academic
• How to Apply?
• How to find the right course for you
• Entry Requirement Information
• Success and Progression
• Extended Project Qualification (EPQ)
• Starting in September?
• Apprenticeship Courses

Employer Information for Apprenticeships

• Apprenticeship Vacancies
• Undergraduate Qualifications Explained
• Funding Your Studies
• Supporting You
• Mature Students
• Access and Participation
• Institute of Technology
• Teacher Training
• Transport/Getting Here
• How to Apply
• Our Partners
• HE Policies and Procedures
• Accommodation
• Access to Higher Education
• Essential Skills
• Adult Enrolment
• Distance Learning - what you need to know
• Life in York
• How to apply
• Student Accommodation
• Frequently Asked Questions
• International A Level Programme
• International Vocational Courses
• Become a Homestay Host
• View Courses
• Curriculum Areas
• Courses for Adults 19+
• Careers Service
• Your Student Support
• Your Student Life
• Development Centres
• Exams at York College
• Travel & Transport
• Academic Calendar
• Our Campus & Facilities
• Sustainability and our environment
• Maps and Directions
• Online Shop
• Strategic Leadership Team & Strategic Plan
• Governance and Reports
• Job Vacancies
• News and Blogs
• Box Office & Online Shop
• Business & Professional Training
• Apprenticeship guidance for employers
• Work Placement Guidance for Employers
• Sponsorship Opportunities
• Advice for employers about students' health and safety
• How we communicate with parents
• Prevent, British Values, Behaviours and Attitudes Guidance for Employers and their Apprentice
• Your Progress
• Your Learning Support
• Your Well-being Service
• Your Future
• Safeguarding
• Student Charter
• Looked after Children and Young Adults Leaving Care
• Student Union
• Learning & Research Centre
• Alan Ayckbourn Theatre
• Ashfields Restaurant
• Inspired Salon
• Construction & Skills Centre
• Online Student Shop
• Charities of the Year
• Important Documents
• Equality and Diversity
• Meet our Governors
• Policies and Procedures
• Staff Profiles
• Business and Professional Short Courses

75+ A-Level Computer Science NEA Ideas (and why they’re good)

In A-Level by Think Student Editor March 9, 2019 6 Comments

Computer Science at A-Level is sometimes misunderstood as being a subject where all you do is sit in front of a screen, coding away in Python, trying to build the next Google. While a lot of your time is spent staring at a computer screen, it’s not just about coding.

There is a theory side to Computer Science which plays a big role in determining what grade you get at the end of your two years. Your NEA will take a lot of analysis, planning and trial and error which many students do not expect. That’s why below I’ve provided a long list (in no particular order) of project ideas so at least one step is taken out of the equation. You can combine some of these ideas and create a Frankenstein-type project or maybe just take one and make it your own.

Remember, refer to the mark scheme to ensure you hit as many A-Level Computer Science skills as possible. It’s always worth taking a look at your relevant specification to see which skills you want to showcase, you can find specifications for OCR and AQA here. Without further ado, let’s get to it.

1. Maze Generation Software

There are many different algorithms that you could implement when programming a maze generator (like a lot). So, if you want a list on the different algorithms you could possibly implement, check out this article.

2. Rubik’s Cube Solver

This is probably the hardest project idea on this entire list – in terms of the actual implementation. Creating AI that can actually learn how to solve the Rubik’s cube is very, very difficult.

The good news however, is that I don’t think examiners will expect you to create AI that learns how to solve the Rubik’s cube entirely by itself. Therefore, if you do choose this idea, I highly recommend that you program your AI around one of the many pre-existing algorithms that have been created to solve Rubik’s cubes.

In my opinion, this is the best algorithm for you to base your AI around.

3. Bird Migration Pattern Predictor

If you actually pull this one off, I would eat my foot if you didn’t get top marks (an A*).

For this project, you will need to analyse how birds have migrated across the globe in the past. Then you will need to try and find correlations between migration patterns and geographic weather conditions. From this data, your program could predict future migration patterns depending on different climate changes.

I think a great start for this idea is to read into what web-scraping is and how to do it.

4. Nuclear Power Plant Meltdown Simulation

While programming this project, you would have simulate real world conditions. After you have created this Earth-like environment, you can model the effects that a nuclear power plant meltdown would have on said environment.

You could even add cities to see the affects that radiation would have on them too.

5. Supermarket Stock Management System

Supermarket’s not only need to manage stock, but also staff – both of which, they have lots of. This means that there is most definitely an opportunity for you to make a complex system that could aide a supermarket.

If you do choose this, make sure you read up on how a supermarket actually operates, so the system is suitable. There’s a great document here that should tell you all you need to know about managing a supermarket (and a lot more).

6. Restaurant Point Of Sale (POS) System

A point of sale system is very different to a stock management system (as you would find in a supermarket). The difference is that a point of sale system is used (guess what) at the “point of sale”, meaning staff will use the system at restaurant tables when taking food orders.

Therefore, you must make sure your POS system has an extremely friendly user interface, as customers don’t like waiting around!

7. Chess Playing AI

I don’t think I need to tell you that this is going to be challenging… Therefore, if done right, this could lead to a well earned A* for your NEA.

There are so many resources to help you develop this particular project idea online. So, whenever you get stuck, you will never be far away from help.

8. Image Recognition AI

I reckon this is probably equally as difficult as the Rubik’s cube one – AKA very, very hard.

This idea should be screaming at you: “machine learning and neural networks”. If it’s not, there might be something wrong with you…

Neural Networks + Machine Learning = High Marks

There are loads of free online resources that will help you a ton. However, I highly recommend that you get this book off Amazon.co.uk , it is the best book on getting started with neural networks that I have ever read – just going to have to trust me on this one.

9. Evolution Simulator

This project has the potential to be seriously complicated, however, you could also make it quite simple. It all depends on what’s evolving.

If you are going to simulate how animated stick figures get better at running over many generations, your program is going to be very complex. However, if you are going to simulate how a single-muscled slug can get better traveling between points as quickly as possible then it could be quite simple.

If you’re even considering this project, then you should definitely check out this YouTube playlist (it’s strangely satisfying watching his imaginary creatures evolve).

10. Voice Recognition AI

This project is (obviously) very similar to the image recognition project that was aforementioned. Therefore, this project too, should be screaming “machine learning and neural networks” at you.

I’ve never really programmed a voice recognition AI before, therefore, I can’t really recommend any specific books for you to get (as I can’t be certain of their quality). However, I have done a quick google search and within 5 minutes I can tell that there is shed loads of information on this topic, so on that front – don’t worry.

11. Sales Order Processing System (SOP)

An SOP system should, as the name suggests, manage sales. This means it should control the majority of communications between the warehouse, sales team and the client.

Below are things that a typical SOP system could do:

• Store Order History
• Generate Invoices
• Generate Reports
• Generate Delivery Notes
• Send Reminder Emails

You are tied down a bit with this project, as you do have to make sure a factory could actually use this software. However, there are still many different avenue’s for you take with the types of functionality you decide to implement.

12. Poker Game

For you to do this project, you would have to be fairly confident with networking. This game would allow multiple devices to join a “table” and start playing poker with each other.

Depending on how complex you want your program to be, you could add so many extra features. I think a great extra feature for this project would be to calculate the odds of someone winning per hand. Furthermore, you could also add a computer poker player (where you could definitely implement some AI).

13. DJ Software (Can Mix Music)

This one is definitely a fun project for those of you who have an affection for music. This project would clearly require you to learn a shed load about manipulating audio files, however, if you can pull it off I think you could really make a project that is A* worthy.

You could also build a control system which could implement the software. This might cost a bit of money, but once again, it’s going to make you like you really know what you’re doing.

14. Interactive Circuit Builder

If you want to know what I’m on about, get the free trial of Logicly or just go on YouTube and look at a video of someone else using Logicly.

Assuming you have done that, you will know what I mean by an “interactive circuit builder”. I would say that the most important aspect of this project would have to be the UI. Without a good user interface, the software would not be fit for purpose and you would definitely lose marks.

15. Quiz App

You could either make an offline quiz app or you make a much more complex client-server quiz style app. There is definitely much more opportunity to get an A* with the latter of those options.

If you decide to do a client-server model, I think a real time quiz app would work great – something (even remotely) similar to Kahoot would really stand out.

16. Software for Calculating The Big O of an Algorithm

Examiners will absolutely love this one, but why?

Because in doing this project, you would be making a computer science theory topic actually come to life. Therefore, if you do this project, you are showing to the examiner that you can get a concept off paper and actually make use of it in a real situation.

Besides that, this project is amazingly complex and will certainly provide you with plenty of opportunity’s for you to incorporate A* level concepts into your program.

If you have forgotten what Big O is, don’t worry (you should worry a bit actually) and just go give this a read.

17. Tracking And Monitoring Global Shipping Routes

This project is going to require you to get comfortable with web-scraping and API’s. You will need to be able to gather information about the global whereabouts of cargo ships frequently.

Once you have mastered the back-end tracking, you will need to think of a nice way to present the data. Maybe you could use certain programming libraries to make route representations on a global map?

18. Implementation of Machine Learning To Maximize Profits At An Airport

This could be my favorite project idea on here.

The lengths that airport companies go to when designing the layout of a particular airport is crazy. Everything is where it is for a reason: the route you take to board a plane, where you wait to board and the even where the security is. If you want more information about how airports maximize profits, check this out.

If you choose this project, I think you should do a simulation where people are represented by a particular sprite, shape or whatever you choose, and then they you follow them through the airport. After each day you could track the profits that the airport made.

Now this is where machine learning comes in… you could implement an algorithm that changes the layout of the airport each day and see if profits increase or decrease. Then the program would learn accordingly.

19. 3D First Person Shooter Game

Although many people choose to program a 2D game for their NEA, I think that programming a 3D game is just… better. Programming in 3D makes it so much easier for you to implement A* level programming techniques.

20. Implementation of AI To Model The Effects of Global Warming

Global warming is becoming an ever increasing issue in today’s world – so this project certainly checks the box “assists with a real world problem”.

Anyway, designing a program (using AI) that can attempt to predict what the effects of climate change are going to be on the planet is a great idea. It’s complicated enough, time-consuming enough and definitely “real worldy” enough.

A great place to start with this project is to check out the currently predicted effects of climate change, which you can find here.

21. Encrypted Instant Messaging App

An instant messaging app is one thing, but an encrypted instant messaging app is a whole different thing. This project is great because it just ticks so many boxes. You will be covering encryption and client-server networking in the same project!

Before you start this project, make sure you take out the different types of encryption methods (you can find some here).

22. E-Commerce Web App

Almost every single large company out there now has an online e-commerce website. Therefore, there is going to be plenty of helpful resources out there for you to learn from.

This project will also require some encryption as you will be dealing with payment methods such as debit and credit cards, which are VERY much confidential information.

23. Fitness Monitoring App

Programming a fitness app will allow you to actually interact with the hardware that is on the phone. For example, you could have a fitness app that tracks footsteps, in which case you would need to directly communicate with the phones pedometer.

24. Virtual Flashcard App

This can be a great project, if done right.

You’re going to have to get very good at databases if you do this project as a virtual flashcard app would require crap loads of them. A great example of a virtual flashcard app is Quizlet (I’m sure you have head of it already).

A simple virtual flashcard app should allow a user to:

• Create Folders For Different Subjects
• Create Flashcards Sets For Particular Modules
• Revise Flashcard Sets Effectively.

25. Public Transport Timetable App

Now, I don’t mean just display a PDF image of a pre-existing bus timetable and say “finished!”…

This app should be able to perform web-scraping on live bus and train timetables and display the information is a user friendly way.

Your program could even take two postal codes and calculate the quickest way to get there using a mixture of public transport and walking. It could also return the current price for that specific journey. An example of how this can be implemented is on the Stagecoaches “Plan A Journey” page.

26. Social Networking Platform

You all know what a social networking platform is. I don’t think I need to explain this one to you…

27. Physics Projectile Modelling Tool

If you are a fan of mechanics, this is your project. One of the many reasons this project is so good is because when programming it, you are forced to simulate a real world environment – in the sense that you program in gravity, terrain, air resistance etc.

Furthermore, if you were so inclined, you could very easily transform this project into a game, where you try to hit particular objects using a projectile. Angry birds is a great example of what I mean.

28. Nuclear Power Plant Management System

There’s more to managing a nuclear power plant than you think. Therefore, a nuclear power plant management system can either be super simple or extremely complex depending on what you choose to implement into the system.

I highly recommend you check out this link , it tells you all about the parts of a nuclear power station and you will get a feel for what your system will be managing very quickly.

29. Weather Forecasting Software

There are many paths you could take with this particular project, so it’s really down to what you decide. However, the fundamental core of this project is that you need to at least make an attempt at predicting what the weather will be like tomorrow, the day after or perhaps even a week from now.

You could implement some kind of machine learning algorithm that could compare what your weather prediction was and what the weather actually turned out to be like. From here, the algorithm could adjust the factors that went into making the prediction accordingly.

30. Air Traffic Controller AI

Air traffic controllers are essential to ensure that planes aren’t going to collide when coming in or going out of an airport. However, humans tend to make mistakes – fairly regularly. Maybe an AI would always get it right?

For this project, you would have to create a model of an airport and simulate planes coming in and leaving. Your, AI would ensure that no planes crash… hopefully.

31. Interpreter For Chosen Programming Language

Interpreters convert high level language code into machine code that can be directly processed by the CPU. Furthermore, interpreters normally translate code per line, not all at once.

Although this programming project is challenging, you might struggle to incorporate some of the A* level programming concepts in your code. All I’m saying is that make sure you keep an eye on the marking criteria and don’t forget why you’re doing this project – to get the grades!

32. Internet Speed Tester

There’s more that goes into getting an accurate assessment of your internet bandwidth than you think. Therefore, making an internet speed test is definitely complex enough.

For this project, you will need to add feature to bulk it up. You could maybe try different methods of testing internet speed then compare how accurate each of them are.

33. Secure FTP Server

FTP stands for File Transfer Protocol. So this project would basically be making software that allows devices to easily transfer files between each other. I know I’ve said this a lot, but, once again, this project is going to be as complex as you make it.

If you choose this project, make sure you don’t just use an FTP library that does everything for you! Try and do as much as possible by yourself.

34. Software To Find The Best Online Deals

For this project, you’re going to need to “scrape” all of the current prices for a particular product off their respective websites. That’s the hard part. Next, you will have to present all of your various comparisons to the user in an easy-to-understand way (and give a conclusion containing where they can find the cheapest price).

A great example of this type of software is the website Trivago.

35. AI Chat Bot

This project would entail you creating a program that can talk to humans as if it was a human too. If there was such thing as a perfect AI chat bot, you shouldn’t be able to distinguish it from a human.

When programming this, you are going to need to be able to program in some sort of artificial intelligence that can learn from previous conversations it had with real people.

Two examples of chat bots that I have seen before are CleverBot,   Eviee, and more recently ChatGPT.

36. Search Engine

Examples of search engines are: Google, Bing and Yahoo. There role is to receive a query from a user and index webpages in accordance with how relevant they are to the particular query. So if you googled “what is a pineapple?”, the idea is that a webpage containing information about pineapples would come up first before information about bananas.

There are many factors to consider when ranking webpages. Possible ranking factors for your SE could be:

• Keyword Frequency
• Image ALT Tags
• How Users Have Interacted With Page Previously.

37. AI Spam Filter

If you’ve ever been directly (or even indirectly) involved in front-end website development or survey development, you will know how big of a problem spam is. Spam messages can take many forms and with each passing year, it is getting more and more difficult to decypher what messages are genuine and which are spam.

This means that for your A-Level Computer Science NEA project, an idea could be to build a spam filter that could be run on an email server, implementing AI and Machine Learning. There is huge potential with this project idea and it is certainly not an easy one to develop!

38. Music Suggestion Tool

We’ve all used and heard of the famous YouTube recommendation service… Every time you go on YouTube, they have an algorithm running that recommends videos based on what they think you’ll like. Why not make your own version but just for music?

You could even tailor the recommendations to what mood the person is in by analysing music videos for particular themes e.g. sad, happy or exiting. If you did decide to go down this route with your NEA project, there is huge potential with this idea for machine learning implantation which would be designed around user feedback (user specifies whether or not the recommendation was good).

There is a great video on how the YouTube recommendation algorithm works here.

39. Graph Plotting Software

If you’re currently studying A-Level Maths or A-Level Further Maths, you will know the importance of graph plotting software is very high. So, there’s demand, why not provide the supply in the form of an NEA computer science project?

Your project could receive a polynomial expression as an input, and output (plot) a visual graphic of that graph… There are many examples of these types of software out there, one that you should check out is GeoGebra .

40. Foreign Language Teacher

This project idea could be made extremely basic, or extremely advanced. However, the fundamental building blocks of this project idea will always be the same; it will assist users in learning a foreign language. I don’t think I need to say too much about this idea, but I would recommend you checkout examples of this type of software such as Babbel or Duolingo.

41. Sat Nav

This NEA project could potentially consist of both web-scrapping and Dijkstra’s algorithm. That is a seriously nice combination!

What is not immediately obvious about this project idea is how much graphical work there is to it – there’s a lot. All I’m saying is that if you do decide to choose a project idea similar to this one, be sure that your graphical skills are very strong!

The most obvious example of software similar to what’s mentioned above is Google Maps, go check it out , if you’re interested.

42. Make Your Own IDE

Now this might seem intimidating at first but hear me out. There’s lots of resources out there to help you out on this project and it allows you to be as creative as you want since you’re the designer. You should be able to run, debug and compile the code.

You can use this video and this article to get you off to a good starting point.

43. 2D Platformer Game

This A-Level NEA project allows you to be as creative and go into as much detail as you want. You could include enemies, randomly generated levels, level editors where the player could make their own levels, multiplayer capabilities etc. One of the more challenging things you could do is include the ability to save your position and access it later.

This project will really get your creative juices flowing as, even if someone has the same idea as you, your games could come out wildly different. You can find many game making tutorials, particularly in Python. You may have heard of the popular library pygame which most games in Python are based on. You can click here to find a tutorial on the basics of pygame.

44. 3D Platformer Game

This will certainly push you into the top marks as it requires a deeper understanding of how to render vector graphics and some maths. Remember, the examiners aren’t worried about how good the game looks, they want to know about the complexity of your code and the skills you showcase within it. Some of the most popular libraries include OpenGL (in C/C++) and Panda 3D (Python).

One of the advantages of doing a 3D game is that the game itself doesn’t actually need to be very complicated. If all goes well, the complexity should come from the 3D rendering, meaning your game could be relatively simple.

45. Revision Aid

This idea is very popular amongst students as they likely already use one, or are taking this opportunity to build their own. This can be anywhere from a flashcards application to a quiz or a game where you have to dodge the wrong answers. See Quizlet or Anki for inspiration.

As with the platformer, the scalability of this project is up to you and how complex you want to make it. Maybe you want to have a competition element where users get a score for how many questions they get right. This project will require a knowledge of databases (e.g. SQL) so if that’s something you’re not good with then there’s still a few more to go.

46. Circuit Simulator

This project is heavily centred around a good-looking GUI, so you will need to have an immense amount of self-control to ensure you don’t throw away hours and hours into a part of the code that barely gets you any marks.

The idea is based around an interactive, online version of a circuit builder, allowing users to connect resistors, lamps and other electrical things I don’t know the names of using wires. You may want to make use of TKinter , a python library, to help with your GUI.

47. Live Chat Forum/Room

This one is pretty self-explanatory but requires a deep knowledge of networking and client-server communications. There are many tutorials you can find online on how to create chat software which is where your creativity will need to come in.

You could think about allowing users to send pictures, create their own group chats, send videos etc. You could even create an AI moderator which censors inappropriate language or detects inappropriate pictures and takes them down.

48. Robotics

This seems quite vague but what I mean is using code to control and communicate with a robot that serves a certain purpose. For example, you could code a robot vacuum to detect walls or the size of the room, where dirt is etc. You can do this through image recognition which by itself is very complex and high level, securing you those marks.

The biggest thing with this is that it requires you to have access to the required hardware so you can check if it works correctly. With the robot vacuum idea, you’re going to need to have a robot vacuum on hand.

49. Business Rota Application

Some of you might have part-time jobs, in which case you will have a better idea of what this is. In order to make sure too many people aren’t working the same shift at once, businesses often have a rota which keeps track of who goes where and at what time.

You could create a database with a simple GUI which considers new employees and their shifts and orders them accordingly. This ensures shifts aren’t clashing or overlapping. You could make this as customisable as you want to where it could apply to any business who have any number of employees working at one time or several related times.

You may need to get into contact with a real business and analyse their current system. That way, you can find anything wrong with it and improve upon it. It also means you have a bit less work to do because you aren’t starting from scratch.

50. Recreate a Classic / Retro Game

This takes away the element of coming up with brand new game logic. Instead, you have the rules laid out for you and you just have to follow them. However, there is a definite danger of copying and pasting premade code as the game already exists. Try to add your own twist to the game.

For example, you could remake Pacman but instead of having the ghosts controlled by AI, you could have them be controlled by other users. Not only is this complex, but it also ensures your code isn’t identical to the original game. There’s a whole library dedicated to retro game making in Python which you can find here .

51. Weather Forecaster

As boring as it sounds, it has the potential to get you into that high grade band. It may require some web-scraping and you might want to build your own site to display this info. You could show the predictions for the weather on this site and you could allow the user to enter their email to be sent alerts or notifications if extreme weather is to occur.

52. GPS App

Here’s your chance to implement all those path-finding algorithms your teacher might have been telling you about (I’m looking at you Dijkstra ). You can implement this in different ways, whether it’s the “Google Maps” approach where the user defines a destination or the “Find My iPhone” approach where the destination is unknown by the user until the app is activated. Maybe they want to put a GPS on their kid’s device or their own device.

53. Meteor Trajectory Simulator

If you like space or physics, this one is for you. You can really go wild with this in terms of the GUI and the back-end code. It will need a lot of complex mathematical formulae in order to function correctly, but it will be worth it when you get that top A-Level grade. That’s why having at least some interest in mathematics will benefit you in this project. You’ll be working with a lot of numbers whether that’s calculating velocity or determining the angle of a meteor.

54. 2D Shooter

This is similar to the platformer except the focus will be on the shooting aspect. You could use AI to control the enemies and maybe include different levels of guns that do different damage. You could even do a boss battle. Refer to NEA idea two to find a pygame tutorial which should give you a good base on making the game.

55. Street Fighter Remake

If you’ve ever played or heard of street fighter, you know what you need to know. However, for the three people at the back who have never heard of it, it’s a 2D fighter game. You can customise this however you want and include power ups, boss fights etc. You may need to look at the code of several other similar games to combine them and make your own.

56. Finding the Shortest Route on the London Underground

This project will allow you to use the path finding algorithms and maybe a website. You can calculate the shortest distance between two stations and calculate the time taken to get there. You will probably need to do some research on JavaScript in order to get the backend of your website working. I’ll link a website tutorial here to get you started.

57. Workshop / Club Booking Timetable

Similar to the rota system, this project will ensure that two people are not booked at the same time on the same day. This will require a knowledge on relational databases, namely SQL which, at this point in your A Level, you should know a bit about. If not, there’s a quick project you can do to get yourself familiar with queries, primary keys, foreign keys etc.

58. Visualising the Spread of a Disease

You could web-scrape here and show on a map of the world and the associated deaths from a certain disease. In other words, you could for example show hot spots for the disease in reds or oranges and leave the others as white. Web scraping is a relatively easy thing to learn and can be extremely powerful, even outside of your A-Level. Here’s a quick tutorial to get you started. The complexity will come from how you present the data you’ve scraped.

59. Plane Seat Booking System

This will be like the workshop booking system in that you need databases to store the customer’s information. You would ensure that one seat is not offered to two people at once. You could even keep track of the details of loyal customers and offer them first class tickets or other deals.

60. Stock Management System

This would be a database which stores the amount of stock a business has. You could produce sales reports for the most popular items or see which items are low in stock. There are many combinations of ways you could output this information (e.g. a report, website, email). Just ensure it is more complex than placing the output in the terminal.

61. Traffic Light Controller

This project entails coding an AI to ensure that cars don’t collide. You could possibly set it up where, if there’s an ambulance, you give it all green lights. You might even want to use image recognition based on a satellite image of a city and gather the locations of the traffic lights on that image. That would really push your grade up as, instead of using a built in library, you can “teach” your AI what traffic lights look like. Find a video tutorial on machine learning in Python here .

62. Coupon Collector

If you’ve ever heard of “Honey”, you’ll know the gist of this project. You will have to scrape the internet for coupons for a certain website specified by the user. The code could automatically test these coupons and output the cheapest one. See number 17 for a website scraping tutorial.

63. Facial Recognition Software

This project seems complex but that’s a good thing if you want the highest grade. This has a variety of purposes as many of you are likely familiar with the face recognition on many phones. Read this article o n how the basics of how to do it in Python and find out more.

Make sure you aren’t just relying on built in libraries to handle the complex algorithms because all those marks will disappear. You have to write the code yourself and typing “import facialRecognition” doesn’t count, as sad as that is.

64. Chess Over Two Computers

Here you can include networking and client-server communication (both of which are references in the A-Level Computer Science specification). There is a possibility to include AI which detects automatically if there is a check or checkmate. This would require you to keep track of the ending positions of each piece and know what constitutes as a check for example. Most turn-based games rely on a sort of algorithm which you can find out more about here .

65. Sudoku Solver

This requires intense programming and AI but will totally be worth it by the end. You could give the user the opportunity to try and solve it themselves at first then, afterwards, give them the answer. You could also set a time limit, you could have a scoreboard, there’s lots of things you could do with it. Also, you may want to have the unsolved puzzle be randomly generated which adds a whole new layer of complexity. Computerphile has a great video on this exact subject in Python.

66. Social Media Specifically for Students in the Same College or University

A social media idea has already been suggested but you may want to make one specifically for your college. The students could input their timetables and the code could suggest other students with the same timetable. That way, they can meet during their mutual break time. You could also include group chats for specific subjects at your college.

67. Fantasy Football Team

Web scraping is going to be a major concept in this project unless you want to hard code in every footballer on every team. You could set up a network where fantasy teams can “play” against each other and winners get more points. The user can customise their own team and earn points. You can then display it in a website or another GUI like TKinter.

68. Planet Orbit Simulator

This one goes out to the physics and maths students again. Allow the user to change the size, direction and colour (why not?) of planets and calculate the trajectory of their new orbit. This would entail many mathematical calculations so, if you like this sort of thing, this is for you. It also gives you the chance to use and render 3D graphics in order to visualise the planets for the user.

Take a look at the game Kerbal Space Program for an advanced implementation of this idea!

69. Pathfinding Comparer

Here, you would test and visualise the efficiency of certain pathfinders in different situations. For example, the user could place certain obstacles between two points and then employ the Dijkstra and A star path finders. You can find what I mean in a tutorial here . There are many, many, many pathfinders you can compare so you can really pick whichever ones you would like. I won’t list them all here, but you can find a some of them through this link .

70. Finding Shortest Path on a College / University Campus

With this project, you would need to create a graph with each node corresponding to the buildings or departments on the map. This would make more sense if you choose a college or university that has a big campus that spans over a large geographical area. It may end up being very useful for those students who have 5 minutes to speed walk all the way across their campus. The heuristic or weight of each edge could be determined by many things (e.g. whether you have to cross a road, if you have to go through a certain building with stairs etc).

71. Solitaire

This popular card game might be simple to code but to add that layer of complexity, you can include the option for an AI to complete the game for the user. It needs to be able to recognise if the game is completable though.

72. Password Manager

Think “LastPass” or “DashLane”. You securely store and encrypt your user’s passwords and, if you wanted to, you could include a password suggestion element where the application offers a potential strong password to the user. This takes away the need for the user to memorise their passwords and think of a way to make it stronger. You can find an example here and extra info here .

73. Simple Board Game

You might want to come up with your own board game or copy another anywhere from Scrabble to Monopoly. This will take a lot of time and consideration into how you would like it to work. You may want to set up a tutorial or make it multiplayer against other humans (this might be your chance to include AI)

74. Cash register

A cash register would be great as you can base it off pre-existing cash registers in terms of the functionality. It offers a web version of a cash register that would be used by small businesses. This means you could contact small businesses in your area and cater to their needs. It may track sales, inventory and checkout credit cards. The options for what you want the cash register to do are completely up to you and your client’s needs.

This kind of goes under the retro games column however, there is the potential for AI to be implemented. You could program the AI to play the most efficient move and get the most points. The best way to go about this is to code the game by itself first the add the AI afterwards. You can even apply a competitive element by having a score system via relational database or multiplayer functionality.

76. Pacman Recreation

You can use AI to control the ghosts and, to really push yourself, you can add difficulty levels to these ghosts. Maybe the longer/more a user plays, the harder the ghosts get. You can increase their difficulty by making them faster or making them “smarter”. This would require path-finders to find the shortest path from the ghost to the player.

The Importance of Mark Schemes and Specifications

The mark schemes and specifications for A-Level Computer Science will be your best friends throughout your whole coursework experience. Though they can sometimes be vague, you should be working closely with them to ensure your project hits all the points you need so you can collect those marks. Good luck!

• AQA Computer Science Mark Scheme
• OCR Computer Science Mark Scheme

nice project

the exemplar is motion control and thats bares hard

bruh what do i put as stakeholders for the rubiks ai

Your idea is brilliant and many puzzle solvers are going to really benefit from your programme, and for that reason, I’m out.

Hi i was just wondering how i could make the (“visualizing the spread of a disease”) program to show a large amount of skill as I worry that there wont be enough coding involved to showcase a lot of skill.

Notice Regarding Political Advertisements on Our Website

A-level Computer Science Papers

University of St Andrews - BCS Psychology

I have 5 years of tutoring experience and a first class Psychology degree from St Andrews University.

Here you will find past exam papers and mark schemes for each of the modules below.

AS & A-Levels

International a-levels (ial), connect with pmt education.

• Revision Courses
• Past Papers
• Solution Banks
• University Admissions
• Numerical Reasoning
• Legal Notices

CS50's Introduction to Artificial Intelligence with Python

Learn to use machine learning in Python in this introductory course on artificial intelligence.

Associated Schools

Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences

What you'll learn.

Graph search algorithms

Reinforcement learning

Machine learning

Artificial intelligence principles

How to design intelligent systems

How to use AI in Python programs

Course description

AI is transforming how we live, work, and play. By enabling new technologies like self-driving cars and recommendation systems or improving old ones like medical diagnostics and search engines, the demand for expertise in AI and machine learning is growing rapidly. This course will enable you to take the first step toward solving important real-world problems and future-proofing your career.

CS50’s Introduction to Artificial Intelligence with Python explores the concepts and algorithms at the foundation of modern artificial intelligence, diving into the ideas that give rise to technologies like game-playing engines, handwriting recognition, and machine translation. Through hands-on projects, students gain exposure to the theory behind graph search algorithms, classification, optimization, reinforcement learning, and other topics in artificial intelligence and machine learning as they incorporate them into their own Python programs. By course’s end, students emerge with experience in libraries for machine learning as well as knowledge of artificial intelligence principles that enable them to design intelligent systems of their own.

Enroll now to gain expertise in one of the fastest-growing domains of computer science from the creators of one of the most popular computer science courses ever, CS50. You’ll learn the theoretical frameworks that enable these new technologies while gaining practical experience in how to apply these powerful techniques in your work.

Instructors

David J. Malan

You may also like

Using Python for Research

Take your introductory knowledge of Python programming to the next level and learn how to use Python 3 for your research.

CS50: Introduction to Computer Science

An introduction to the intellectual enterprises of computer science and the art of programming.

CS50's Understanding Technology

This is CS50’s introduction to technology for students who don’t (yet!) consider themselves computer persons.

More From Forbes

How a classroom experiment sparked an app that’s catching on quickly with neurodivergent learners.

• Share to Facebook
• Share to Twitter
• Share to Linkedin

Hinrik Jósafat Atlason wasn’t expecting to start a new company when he began teaching computer science and business courses at Reykjavik University. But when he saw that many students were looking for better ways to learn the course material—and to find more opportunities to study on the go—he decided to do something about it.

The management consultant, who specializes in business analytics, began tinkering with Amazon Alexa to create a solution, and, with his team, developed an AI-powered audio assistant to make classroom material more accessible to students in 2019. That product, Atlas Primer , lets users upload documents and turn them into audio form, similar to an interactive podcast. The tool also provides short summaries of the learning material, a brainstorming feature designed to foster creative thinking and problem-solving, and audio quizzes. Users can also use the app to transcribe notes on the go.

"When we saw the reaction of students, we saw there was something profound here," he says. "They could now learn while they were exercising, commuting, or cooking at home."

Hinrik Atlason, founder of Atlas Primer

Atlas Primer began catching on, and Atlason turned it into a startup that made it onto Time Magazine's list of the world's top 250 ed-tech companies of 2024. Today, the app is seeing up to 500 new users a day, he says. It is available in a free version, a subscription-based offering providing additional downloads for $20 per month, and an enterprise version with usage-based pricing.

Along the way, Atlason based in New York City and Iceland, has raised $700,000 in grant funding from the Icelandic Technology Development Fund and $300,000 in venture funding from the Entrepreneurs Roundtable Accelerator in New York City and Iceland Venture Studio. The company has also attracted sponsorships from Microsoft and AWS.

As he developed the app, Atlason began sharing it with other professors at the school and two other universities, who were able to test it further. Initially, his idea was that the educators would upload the course material but, finding they were too busy to do that, Atlason and his small team transformed it into an interface for students.

The Best Beers In Canada According To The Canadian Brewing Awards

Iphone 16 pro max: key new upgrades leaked in latest report, nyt strands 84 hints spangram and answers for sunday may 26th.

For students who have dyslexia, ADHD and autism, in particular, the app proved to be a game-changer, he found. "People with dyslexia are exposed to an often- insurmountable wall of reading material," Atlason says. "They can upload all of their learning materials, no matter what the teacher throws at them. These can be documents, websites, slides and even just pictures that students take from physical articles or books. They put all of this into Atlas Primer, and it turns it into an interactive audio learning environment that they can take with them wherever they go."

The lack of systemic change in the education system to support neurodivergent learners has an impact not only on these students but also on their families and the economy, Atlason points out. One study by Boston Consulting Group found that dyslexia and its consequences cost the state of California alone about $12 billion in 2020. Families spend approximately $15,000 extra per year on average on added support for children with dyslexia, that study found.

Using the app provided help that was otherwise hard to come by. "They were finding themselves in a learning environment that supported the way that they learn best, which is often through conversation and different modalities," Atlason says.

Atlas Primer recently formed a partnership with American Student Assistance (ASA), a nonprofit focused on helping students get to know themselves better and make informed career decisions earlier in life. The organization now offers Atlas Primer, through its EvolveMe platform, which helps students learn critical life skills to prepare them for life after high school.

"At ASA, we believe that technology, particularly mobile phones, can be used as a great equalizer in terms of reaching kids from all backgrounds with tools they need to plan their futures, said Clay Colarusso, CMO and SVP of Digital Strategy at ASA, in a statement.

Atlason's next step: Exploring applications for small business and corporate learning. One feature allows users to transform written material instantly into a course. "Having a more formal way of learning doesn't just help in school, it helps in life," he says.

• Editorial Standards
• Reprints & Permissions

Join The Conversation

One Community. Many Voices. Create a free account to share your thoughts. 

Forbes Community Guidelines

Our community is about connecting people through open and thoughtful conversations. We want our readers to share their views and exchange ideas and facts in a safe space.

In order to do so, please follow the posting rules in our site's  Terms of Service.   We've summarized some of those key rules below. Simply put, keep it civil.

Your post will be rejected if we notice that it seems to contain:

• False or intentionally out-of-context or misleading information
• Insults, profanity, incoherent, obscene or inflammatory language or threats of any kind
• Attacks on the identity of other commenters or the article's author
• Content that otherwise violates our site's  terms.

User accounts will be blocked if we notice or believe that users are engaged in:

• Continuous attempts to re-post comments that have been previously moderated/rejected
• Racist, sexist, homophobic or other discriminatory comments
• Attempts or tactics that put the site security at risk
• Actions that otherwise violate our site's  terms.

So, how can you be a power user?

• Stay on topic and share your insights
• Feel free to be clear and thoughtful to get your point across
• ‘Like’ or ‘Dislike’ to show your point of view.
• Protect your community.
• Use the report tool to alert us when someone breaks the rules.

Thanks for reading our community guidelines. Please read the full list of posting rules found in our site's  Terms of Service.

OCR homepage

Administration

• Active Results
• Interchange
• Submit for Assessment
• Teach Cambridge
• ExamBuilder
• Online Support Centre

Main navigation

Non-exam assessment, general qualifications, choose your qualification.

• General qualifications AS and A Level, Core Maths, Entry Level Certificate, Extended Project, FSMQ and GCSE
• Cambridge Nationals
• Cambridge Technicals
• Other vocational qualifications

What’s on this page

Moderated assessment arrangements for general qualifications include non-exam arrangements, coursework and portfolios, which are all referred to as candidate work.

Read this section together with the following documents:

• JCQ Instructions for conducting coursework
• JCQ Instructions for conducting non-exam assessments

If you are working with other centres to deliver the assessment, you need to apply to become a consortium.

• Consortium arrangements

Marking the assessments

Centres should mark each piece of work according to the instructions and criteria provided in the specification for each unit.

Forms to help you mark and administer candidate work – many of them interactive – are provided.

These may be called a cover sheet, a unit recording sheet, or centre assessment form, depending on the specification.

You can download all the forms from our handy Forms finder (they are also available on each qualification page).

Complete one per candidate and attach it to the front of their work.

Candidate authentication

Each candidate must sign a declaration before submitting their work to their teacher to confirm the work is their own and any assistance given and/or sources used have been acknowledged. A sample can be downloaded below.

It is the responsibility of centres to ensure every candidate does this.

These statements should be retained within the centre until all reviews of results, malpractice and appeals issues have been resolved.

• Candidate authentication statement DOCX, 45KB  

A mark of zero must be recorded if a candidate cannot confirm the authenticity of their work.

For some qualifications, specific candidate authentication forms must be submitted with the centre sample :

• GCSE Design and Technology J310
• AS and A Level Design and Technology H004–H006 and H404–H406
• A Level Geography H481

You can download these forms from our Forms finder .

Centre authentication

Teachers are required to declare the work submitted for internal assessment is the candidate's own work by completing a centre authentication form (CCS160) for each unit. These should be kept within the centre until all reviews of results, malpractice and appeals have been resolved. This is also a requirement for private candidates.

• Centre authentication form DOCX, 43KB  

NEA centre declaration form 

For the following qualifications, your head of centre needs to confirm your centre has followed the regulatory requirements involving non-exam assessment (NEA), by returning the NEA centre declaration form to us by 15 May.

• A Level Sciences (Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Geology)
• GCSE Sciences (Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Combined Science) (not required for summer 2022)
• GCSE (9-1) English Language

This form is in addition to the Head of Centre declaration .

GCSE Computer Science programming skills statement

For GCSE Computer Science, you must complete a practical programming statement for all examination series in which candidates are entered. See the Computer Science page for more information.

Carrying out internal standardisation

Centres must carry out internal standardisation to ensure marks awarded by different teachers are accurate and consistent across all candidates entered for the unit from that centre.

If centres are working together in a consortium , you must carry out internal standardisation of marking across the consortium.

You must ensure marks for all candidates, not just those in the sample, are checked for both addition and transcription errors before submission.

Informing students of their marks

Before you submit your centre marks to us, you need to inform students of their centre-assessed marks (and endorsement grades) and provide enough time for them to appeal these marks. 

You must also allow sufficient time for the review to be carried out, to make any necessary changes to marks and to inform the candidate of the outcome before the mark submission deadline. 

There's more information on the JCQ website , including a suggested template to use.

Submitting marks and grades

All marking and internal standardisation must be completed in good time and before the marks are submitted to OCR and the moderator.

Deadlines for submitting marks, grades and authentication are available in the key dates document.

Marks should be submitted electronically to OCR by one of the following methods:

• Interchange – see our step-by-step instructions for submitting marks and grades
• EDI files sent via A2C – follow the instructions in your own management information system for inputting marks for the relevant components. The common format for submitting marks is outlined in the JCQ Formats document.
• JCQ Formats for the Exchange of Examination Related Data

Moderation cannot begin until we have received all the marks. Make sure you keep a copy of the marks for your records.

You don't need to send a copy of the marks to your moderator.

If a candidate did not produce work, the candidate should be submitted as absent.

If we do not receive your marks we will contact you.

View our step-by-step instructions on using Interchange to submit marks/grades.

As part of our work to increase our security arrangements, we’ve added two-factor authentication (2FA) to our secure website, Interchange. This means we’ve changed the way you log into Interchange. For more information, see our Interchange page.

Submitting mark or grade amendments

If you discover an error with a previously submitted candidate mark, you will need to complete the Amendment to centre marks or Amendment to endorsement grades form:

• Log in to Interchange , click on ‘Resources and materials’ and then ‘Forms and documents’ and download the form.
• Complete the form, providing the original total and amended total mark/grade for the component.
• Email the form to [email protected] from a centre email address.
• Send a copy of the Amendment to centre marks form to the moderator (you do not need to send the Amendment to endorsement grades form).

If you amend a mark after moderation has started, we may require the work relating to the relevant candidate.

If this is the case, we will let you know and tell you where to send the work.

Moderator address information

You will be sent address labels to send the marks and forms to the moderator. (You will also be sent enough copies of the labels to send candidate work to the moderator.)

If you have still not received your labels three days before the mark submission deadline, you can request emergency moderator address information from Interchange .

To do this, log in to Interchange , hover over ‘Resources and materials’ in the left menu, click on ‘Emergency exam labels’ and follow the on-screen instructions. 

Requests should be processed within 12 hours.

Before posting the sample of work to the moderator, make sure the address on the moderator label matches the address on the sample request. 

If it doesn't, please contact our Customer Support Centre .

Sample requests

Once you have submitted your marks to OCR, you will receive a moderation sample request.

For most specifications you will receive a sample request via email from [email protected] (see Exceptions below).

Once we start to send sample requests (usually at the beginning of the month in which the mark submission deadline falls), you will normally receive a sample request within one or two days of submitting your marks.

If you are part of a consortium we will wait until we have received marks from each centre before sending a sample request.

Samples will include work from across the range of attainment of the candidates’ work.

The size of the sample we request depends on the number of candidates for the relevant unit/component:

As we send sample requests via email, it’s essential the email address we hold for your exams officer is correct.

This is the address that is held on the JCQ National Centre Number Register.

If you need to change this email address and, therefore, your exams officer contact details, please send the updated details on centre-headed paper to the JCQ National Centre Number Register as an email attachment to [email protected] .

We can only hold one email address per centre so please do not change this address unless you wish all exams office communications to be sent to a different address.

You will not receive a sample request for the GCSE (9-1) English Language Spoken Language endorsement. Instead, you should select the sample as described on the endorsements page and submit by the mark submission deadline.

You will not receive a sample request for the Entry Level Physical Education (R463). Once you've submitted marks (by 15 May), a moderator will contact your centre to request moderation samples.

Submitting a sample of candidate work

Depending on the final entry option, candidate samples can be submitted via digital upload using Submit for Assessment, post or via a moderation visit. 

• When making your final entries, the entry option specifies how to submit the sample of work for each unit/component.
• For each of these units/components, all candidate marks and work must be submitted to the moderator using the same entry option. 
• It is not possible for centres to offer both options for a unit within the same series, but you can choose different options for different units.

Submitting work via Submit for Assessment

Submit for Assessment enables centres to submit candidate work electronically for moderation and is an option for most specifications. (You can check this in the entry codes booklet .) 

You should select this option when you make your entries. Once you receive your sample request, you should upload the work to Submit for Assessment within three working days of receiving the request. 

June 2024 series : For non-exam assessment which is not moderated you will still need to use the OCR Repository if you want to use the upload option. This applies to the following components:

• AS Level Music H143/01/02 and A Level Music H543/01/02/03/04 – examined
• A Level Drama and Theatre H459/21/22 and GCSE Drama J316/03 – visiting examiner
• GCSE English Language J351/03 – spoken language endorsement

Submitting work via post

The sample of candidate work must be posted to the moderator within three working days of receiving the request.

Please ensure the address on the moderator label matches the address provided on the sample request. If they do not match, please use the address provided on the sample request and make sure to use labels for the correct series (not leftover labels from previous series). 

On rare occasions, work can get lost in the postal system. We strongly advise you to keep evidence of work submitted to the moderator, e.g. copies of annotated versions of written work or photographs of practical work.

You should obtain a certificate of posting for all work posted to the moderator.  

Please ensure you include a return address on the packaging, just in case there is a problem with the delivery. We recommend you do not use courier services or other specialist postage methods, as moderators may experience difficulty receiving deliveries, which can delay moderation.

Sending removable data

If you’re sending removable media such as USBs, DVDs, etc, we recommend you send unencrypted data wherever possible. If you have no other option than to use encrypted data:

• Save the work as usual.
• Clearly label the removable data with your centre number and component number and send it to the OCR assessor.
• Print the password out together with your centre name, number and component details and send it to the assessor in a separate package.
• Email OCR at [email protected] with your centre number, the component number and the password.

Arranging visiting moderation

For some units/components (see the entry codes booklet ), rather than posting or uploading the sample, the sample will be viewed by a visiting moderator. 

The moderator arranges a visit at a date and time convenient to both parties. 

For GCSE, AS and A Level Art and Design, the moderator will contact centres once the marks are received to arrange a visit. 

Instructions for arranging Physical Education internally assessed performance can be found on the Physical Education visits and filmed evidence page.

Instructions for arranging externally examined performances can be found on the Drama and Theatre performances page.

Visiting moderator identification

Due to internal safeguarding policies we appreciate centres may need to see identification from visiting moderators before they are allowed access to the site. We do not issue visiting moderators with any form of identification, and we have advised moderators they should bring the following with them to any visit:

• A valid form of photo identification (e.g. passport, driver’s licence)
• A copy of their OCR invitation to moderate
• A valid DBS certificate if they have one (we do not require visiting moderators to hold a valid DBS certificate in order to fulfil the role).

We also suggest visiting moderators arrange to meet their named contact on arrival at the centre, as they will have the moderator’s details and can verify these with their identification.

If your safeguarding policy requires some form of supervision for visitors whilst on site, this requirement should be discussed with the moderator before the visit so there is no impact on the moderation process.

We have advised visiting moderators of what identification they should take with them on visits; however, if you have any concerns then please contact our Customer Support Centre.

Lost, missing, damaged or incomplete work

In the case of a candidate for whom the internally assessed work has been lost or is missing, or where the work is damaged or is incomplete, then you must apply for special consideration . 

In addition, if the candidate concerned forms part of the requested sample, you must substitute an equivalent candidate’s work on, or as near as possible to, the same mark point. 

In certain circumstances we may request to see incomplete portfolio evidence where an application has been made.

External moderation

Usually, internally assessed units are externally moderated. 

Moderation is designed to bring the marking of internally assessed units in all participating centres to an agreed standard by checking a sample of the marking of candidate work. 

At this stage, centres may be required to resolve any issues the moderator discovers during the external moderation. 

Centres may receive one of the following requests, usually by email.

• Additional sample request – If the moderator needs you to provide additional work for moderation, please respond as quickly as possible so your candidates’ results are not delayed.
• Notification of clerical errors – We have amended the internally assessed marks you provided, usually following an incorrect transcription or incorrect addition of the marks. You must follow the instructions on the form and make sure the remaining work, which was not part of the sample, is checked. If you disagree with the changed mark(s) indicated on the clerical error notification form, please email  [email protected] within 5 days of receipt. 
• Notification of inconsistent marking – Where a consistent pattern of inaccurate marking can be established, marks will be adjusted in line with the JCQ guidelines. Where no consistent pattern can be established, the work may be returned to you with feedback, to mark again. You will need to submit the new marks to OCR and return the sample to the moderator before moderation can continue. In exceptional circumstances work may need to be remarked a second time. In such cases, the moderator will arrange to call the teacher to support them in reaching a resolution.

Outcomes of moderation

Centres will usually receive the outcome of moderation when the provisional results are issued. 

The following reports will be issued via Interchange .

• Moderation adjustments report – This lists any scaling that has been applied to internally assessed units or components. This report is updated twice – once after results are released and once after the post‐results period.
• Moderator report to centres – This is a brief report by the moderator on the internal assessment of candidates’ work. (PE reports are issued in hard copy rather than via Interchange.)

Use of candidate work

If work was posted to OCR for moderation or selected during visiting moderation, it will normally be returned to centres. 

However, we may be required to retain some items as exemplar material for awarding, regulation, archive, teacher training and educational purposes. 

We will inform you if work is required. In some circumstances, we may need to request work from a centre. 

In such cases, your co-operation in supplying material is much appreciated. 

Candidate work should be retained by centres under secure conditions until after the deadline for review of results or until any appeal, malpractice or other results enquiry has been completed, whichever is later. This applies to all work – whether or not it was part of the moderation sample.