OCR AS & A Level Computing June 2017 Exam Papers & Mark Schemes (F451, F452 & F453)

As Salamu Alaykum Wa Rahmatullahi Wa Barakatuh World!

Just a quick post before the first A level paper (great timing right) sharing the latest old spec papers which I recently acquired through a friend. These are very useful by the way so be sure to try them out:

• F451 Computer Fundamentals QP
• F452 Programming Techniques & Logical Methods QP
• F453 Advanced Computing Theory QP
• F451 Computer Fundamentals MS
• F452 Programming Techniques & Logical Methods MS
• F453 Advanced Computing Theory MS

Hope this helps!

My Top 3 Tips For The OCR A Level Computer Science H046/H446 Exams!

As Salamu Alaykum Wa Rahmatullahi Wa Barakatuh World!

Wow, it's been some time hasn't it? Just thought for my final post before exams I'd share a few pointers on how to approach the AS and A level papers.

Tip #1: PACE YOURSELF

It seems the most obvious thing to do yet a lot of people forget to do it. The AS exams are an hour and 15 minutes each whilst the A level exams are double that (that's 2 hours and 30 minutes for the uninitiated). The marks ratio is also the same; 70 for each AS paper and 140 for each A level paper. 

That means you have just over a minute to try and get each mark on average. However, as the styles of questions vary, so should the time you spend working on each one i.e. don't spend 1 minute answering 1 markers!

For extended writing questions, you should be spending a bit more time than the marks allocated since they require lengthy answers with lots of application involved but for questions that simply ask to identify, state, describe etc. you should definitely answer them in less time than the marks available for that question. 

The same goes for the technical side of things, quicken the pace on the simple stuff e.g. binary calculations/conversions and spend a bit more time on harder questions e.g. writing algorithms.

Ideally, you should finish your paper at least 10 minutes (or 20 for A level) before the exam ends so you can check your answers.

Tip #2: ALWAYS LINK BACK TO THE QUESTION

Another fairly obvious yet forgettable thing. The main difference between the new spec papers vs the old spec ones is not the content (well, technically the content has changed a bit) but the way the questions are asked.

In the old spec, you'd get asked the exact same questions year on year with no application whatsoever e.g. describe X or explain Y. With the new spec however, OCR decided to make things a bit harder and always "dress up" old spec questions with some context. 

Basically, at it's core the question is essentially the same but you'll always have to relate to the context by applying your knowledge. So remember, always display your knowledge by answering the question but then link to the context as well even if it means writing parts of the question in your answer.

Tip #3: DON'T PANIC WHEN YOU ENCOUNTER AN UNFAMILIAR QUESTION

At the rate OCR are writing questions not related to the spec, chances are they'll put something completely out of the blue in the upcoming AS and A level exams as well. So if you do find yourself stuck, don't waste time on the question, just write what you know and move on. 

This applies especially for technical questions e.g. writing code in HTML, CSS, JavaScript, LMC, SQL, OOP or even pseudocode for that matter. Sometimes you can be completely dumbfounded by the poor wording of the question (which is extremely common with OCR) or by thinking you don't know what's necessary to answer it in the first place.

If that's the case then simply move on to more achievable marks and if you have time at the end, try that question again.

I didn't expect this post to turn out so long but hey, hopefully these tips made sense and will be of some benefit so until after exams I bid you adieu and as always...

Hope this helps!