Being a Teacher of GCSE Computer Science
Preparing students for GCSE Computer Science introduces particular tensions between exploratory computing and the demands of formal assessment. Teachers describe how they navigate these pressures while attempting to sustain curiosity, conceptual understanding, and confidence in their students. Physical computing sometimes becomes a bridge between abstract concepts and lived experience, helping students connect examination knowledge with meaningful engagement.
Laura
At the end of KS3, I drill into the children that GCSE Computer Science is not an easy option, and I talk about paper two. Most of paper one is common sense, but my students struggle with the computational thinking, algorithms, and programming required for the second exam. It's so abstract for them.
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The pandemic has disadvantaged my current Y11s by taking away opportunities for further learning in physical computing, so their understanding is behind where I would expect it to be.
The advantages of physically doing something and programming an object, rather than just being on the computer, include embedding gateway knowledge and developing computational thinking.
As my year elevens say, ‘I find it much better when I'm away from the computer screen. I know that sounds silly, Miss, but it's better. I learn better that way’.
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As we continue to embed physical computing in Y7 and Y8, the GCSE CS (Computer Science) paper two should be easier than it is for our students now because there is not enough progress across the key stages at the moment.
Tom
I bring micro:bits into KS4 lessons when reteaching sequence, selection, and iteration because it is always nice to link previous learning.
Learning journeys are the bane of my life, but I have links to previous work for my KS4 groups and include everything they will do in KS5. Whenever we teach anything in KS4, we try to remind them of the practical things they did in KS3, where these things were linked, and we try to do the same from four to five.
When we start KS4, we often get students who either didn't come to us for KS3, moved schools or need help remembering the coding they did, so we always start with sequence, selection, and iteration. We do this with the LEDs and sensors on the micro:bits, so we cover some KS3 lessons. Instead of block-based programming, we go straight into Python.
We are still using this physical device to do a ‘for loop’ so that they flash the LED onto the micro:bit and have it in front of them to see it happening physically.
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It's more interesting than just having a number go 12345 on screen.
Once I have used this physical nature to grasp the concept of ‘I can now write a for loop without any problems,’ they do not have to use physical devices as much because it's been embedded with the micro:bit.
They can remember these core skills from when they used a physical device.
Laura
Problem-solving with physical computing helps students develop algorithmic thinking, abstraction, and decomposition, so we set a challenge with Lego in the spring term for our Y11 students as part of their revision.
We give them four hours of physical activity with a Lego challenge and see how they get on without online resources.
First, they work independently, and then we see them interacting naturally and saying things like, ‘Well, what have you done? What are you trying? Will we try this?’
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They go from nothing to testing their programming and using abstraction to debug and solve problems in three hours.
I hear comments like, ‘Miss, this has been so hard,’ but I remind them of problem-solving and how it will help them with paper two.
I remember conversing with a few students who found it difficult, even though one is good at programming.
They said, ‘We still don't have it working, but we'll figure it out.’
Jenny
We have two written papers for GCSE Computer Science, and it is a shame for a subject so beautiful that students can build things to hear computer science teachers say, ‘Oh, well, there are no programming tasks, so they don't have to program.’
Doing something from planning, creating, and testing is the essence of their exams, especially paper two.
How do you get students to answer these questions confidently and understand what they are doing if they haven’t been through the process?
I talked to my trainee about the non-exam assessment (NEA) and how we don't have to do it, but I'll set it up as a task for my computer science group next year.
I am lucky because we have a three-year KS4 curriculum, allowing me to do the NEA with GCSE Computer Science students.
Testing something fun, exciting, and different doesn't hurt them.
That should be what teaching should be, and when students are interested in what I am trying to do, they get higher grades