Content overview

AS Level Content

1. Information representation

1.1 Data Representation

1.2 Multimedia – Graphics, Sound
1.3 Compression
2. Communication

2.1 Networks including the internet
3. Hardware

3.1 Computers and their components
3.2 Logic Gates and Logic Circuits
4. Processor Fundamentals

4.1 Central Processing Unit (CPU) Architecture
4.2 Assembly Language
4.3 Bit manipulation
5. System Software

5.1 Operating System
5.2 Language Translators
6. Security, privacy and data integrity ‘

6.1 Data Security
6.2 Data Integrity
7. Ethics and Ownership

7.1 Ethics and Ownership
8. Databases

8.1 Database Concepts
8.2 Database Management System (DBMS)
8.3 Data Definition Language (DDL) and Data Manipulation
Language (DML)
9. Algorithm Design and Problem-Solving

9.1 Computational Thinking Skills
9.2 Algorithms
Cambridge International AS & A Level Computer Science 9618 syllabus for 2021, 2022 and 2023.
Syllabus overview
Back to contents page www.cambridgeinternational.org/alevel 7
10. Data Types and structures

10.1 Data Types and Records
10.2 Arrays
10.3 Files
10.4 Introduction to Abstract Data Types (ADT)
11. Programming

11.1 Programming Basics
11.2 Constructs
11.3 Structured Programming
12. Software Development

12.1 Program Development Lifecycle
12.2 Program Design
12.3 Program Testing and maintenance

A Level Content

13. Data Representation

13.1 User-defined data types
13.2 File organisation and access
13.3 Floating-point numbers, representation and
manipulation
14. Communication and internet technologies

14.1 Protocols
14.2 Circuit switching, packet switching
15. Hardware and Virtual Machines

15.1 Processers, Parallel Processing and Virtual Machines
15.2 Boolean Algebra and Logic Circuits
16. System Software

16.1 Purposes of an Operating System (OS)
16.2 Translation Software
17. Security

17.1 Encryption, Encryption Protocols and Digital certificates
18. Artificial Intelligence (AI)

18.1 Artificial Intelligence
19. Computational thinking and problem solving

19.1 Algorithms
19.2 Recursion
20. Further Programming

20.1 Programming Paradigms
20.2 File Processing and Exception Handling