My Personal Statement

As Salamu Alaykum Wa Rahmatullahi Wa Barakatuhu World!

You can guess by the title what this post's about so hear it is:

Artificial intelligence, robotics, virtual reality: captivating areas that have interested me ever since I

was introduced to the fast moving discipline of computer science. Having initially idealised physics,

my fascination of computing began whilst attending a computing open day. Ever since then I have

marvelled at the exponential rate at which new programs and systems can be designed to transform

the industries of science, business and every other aspect of life. What is revolutionary today will be

ordinary tomorrow. Computers have provided these incredible possibilities ever since Alan Turing,

the father of modern computing, conceptualised algorithms and invented the Turing machine.

Being a member of the Royal Institution, I attend lectures on a regular basis exploring the

developments in computing, as well as a variety of areas in the natural sciences. I have also attended

computing lectures at UCL on an array of subjects, most notably a lecture on quantum computing

which I particularly enjoyed as it gave me an insight into the limits of computers at a deeper level

and how quantum computers can extend such restrictions.

I recently read a thought-provoking book called "Algorithmic Puzzles" by Anany and Maria Leviten. Not only has it been entertaining to read but it has also allowed me to develop new puzzle-solving skills. From comparatively small puzzles such as how to get from A to B in the fewest moves to more challenging problems such as constructing a proof that a puzzle may not even have a solution, Algorithmic Puzzles has enhanced my ability to think more logically and algorithmically.

Moreover, articles regarding future technological innovations truly encapsulate me as they

demonstrate the endless potential of computers. I often blog about them as it allows me to take an

active interest in the subject I relish and give my personal opinions on the latest technological

advancements in this digital age.

Despite my school not offering me AS Further Maths, my determination to study computing at

university drove me to take it upon myself to independently self-teach Further Maths in order to not

be at a disadvantage in my studies of computing at university. For my A2 studies, I moved to a school

where Further Maths was offered however, I have had to independently self-teach A2 Computer

Science due to exam board complications. Having individually studied 2 different yet challenging

disciplines myself has enabled me to develop a resolute independent work ethic and enhance my

time management skills, these are instrumental skills to have in order to succeed at university and

beyond.

In addition to teaching myself, I also tutor Year 11 maths students during my free periods and run

morning intervention sessions to aid them in gaining their GCSE Maths qualification. Moreover, I

convinced the new Head of ICT to run GCSE and A level Computing, a subject that was previously

unavailable at my school. I tutored GCSE Computing students, assisting them to learn how to code

and understand the theoretical side of computing not only consolidated my own knowledge, but

gave me an insight into the profession of teaching computing.

Having never done any programming prior to studying A level Computing, I started developing small

projects to improve my coding skills. From simple projects such as developing a calculator in Visual

Basic to more stimulating ones such as creating a Battleship game in Python. I frequently find myself

getting stuck into different tutorials and building my own programs. To supplement my

understanding concerning the world of programming in industry I shadowed a colleague's father at

IBM, this gave me a realistic insight in the field of the software engineering.

Having an unwavering desire to study computing at university ever since I went to a computer

science open day, I now genuinely believe I possess both the aptitude and zeal necessary to

flourish at your prestigious institution.

Hope this helps!

All The OCR A Level Computer Science Questions By Topic Resources So Far

As Salamu Alaykum Wa Rahmatullahi Wa Barakatuh World!

As previously stated, my posting schedule is going to be a bit irregular during exam season so despite it being a weekday, I've decided to just share a quick post with all the questions by topic resources I've made so far:

1. Little Man Computer Instruction Set
2. Boolean Algebra
3. HTML
4. CSS
5. JavaScript
6. Structured Query Language
7. Entity Relationship Diagrams

Hope this helps!

OCR A Level Computer Science Questions By Topic: ERD

As Salamu Alaykum Wa Rahmatullahi Wa Barakatuh World!

This is the 7th resource in this series if memory serves and it's got all the exam questions for entity relationship diagrams or as I like to abbreviated them, ERDs. Anyway, there's quite a few questions from the old spec exams which are relevant so I included those as well.

As far as the technical topics remaining in this series, there's only pseudocode, OOP and the binary stuff left. Not sure how i'm going to go about making those since there's loads of questions from the old spec so finding the right ones for the new spec might prove to be a bit tedious.

Here's the link: ERD

Hope this helps!

OCR A Level Computer Science Questions By Topic: SQL

As Salamu Alaykum Wa Rahmatullahi Wa Barakatuh World!

Here's the questions by topic resource for SQL. I decided to use the old H047/H447 spec exam questions as well for this since the syllabus is practically the same bar a few new structures used in the old spec.

Anyway, these questions are all really good practice especially since there's not that many in the new spec so far so you've got to work with the bare minimum really. I've done the same for the ERD resource which I'll post tomorrow InShaAllah.

Here's the link: SQL

Hope this helps!

OCR A Level Computer Science Questions By Topic: HTML

As Salamu Alaykum Wa Rahmatullahi Wa Barakatuh World!

This is the 5th resource in this series which means it's reached the halfway point (at least for the technical side of things). I've noticed how some topics which I think of as more technical than theoretical have quite a bit of theory in them so I've basically included everything related to said topics.

Also, for the last 5 I've decided to include exam questions from the old spec papers as well. Just a reminder of those topics that appear in both the old and new spec: Pseudocode, Object-Oriented, SQL, Entity Relationship Diagrams and of course number representation and bases.

Anyway that can all wait for next week InShaAllah but tomorrow i'm going to be sharing something really big InShaAllah so stay tuned!

Here's the link: HTML

Hope this helps!

OCR A Level Computer Science Questions By Topic: CSS

As Salamu Alaykum Wa Rahmatullahi Wa Barakatuh World!

I was initally going to post something else today but decided to save it as a surprise for Sunday's post InShaAllah. Anyway, here's the questions by topic for CSS and tomorrow's post will be the one for HTML InShaAllah which will conclude the web technologies section of the spec. Enjoy!

Here's the link: CSS

Hope this helps!

OCR A Level Computer Science Questions By Topic: JavaScript

As Salamu Alaykum Wa Rahmatullahi Wa Barakatuh World!

I was originally going to group all the web technologies questions all into one resource but then realised there are quite a few questions for each of them. JavaScript for example so far has mostly theoretical questions whereas HTML has mostly technical ones and CSS is a bit of both.

Anyway, today i'll be sharing the JavaScript questions by topic and do CSS and HTML for next week InShaAllah. 

Here's the link: JS

Hope this helps! 

OCR A Level Computer Science Questions By Topic: Boolean Algebra

As Salamu Alaykum Wa Rahmatullahi Wa Barakatuh World!

Here's the second resource of my new series which covers all the exam questions on Boolean algebra in one document. There's quite a few of these questions scattered across all the new spec papers so this resource is quite worthwhile to practice your skills. 

Anyway, as far as the technical side of the spec is concerned, that's 2 down and only 8 to go.

Here's the link: Boolean Algebra

Hope this helps!

OCR A Level Computer Science Questions By Topic: Little Man Computer Instruction Set

As Salamu Alaykum Wa Rahmatullahi Wa Barakatuh World!

I'm starting a new series of resources which as you can probably figure out by the title, is grouping all exam questions by topic from all the sample/specimen/practice/past papers of the new and legacy specifications. 

I also intend to make a model answers series for all the technical topics which will work through each question step by step. Anyway, before I get ahead of myself here's the first of many resources to come InShaAllah. 

I was initially going to do this in specification order but then thought to get the 10 technical topics out of the way. The first 10 topics (not in any particular order) I'll be covering in this series InShaAllah are:

1. Pseudocode
2. Object-Oriented
3. HTML
4. CSS
5. JavaScript
6. Little Man Computer Instruction Set
7. SQL
8. Boolean Algebra
9. Entity Relationship Diagrams
10. Number Representation & Bases

Here's the link: LMC

Hope this helps!

OCR A Level Computer Science Grade Boundaries

As Salamu Alaykum Wa Rahmatullahi Wa Barakatuh World!

I made this resource a few days ago (no idea why I didn't share it earlier but anyways) which basically has all the grade boundaries for both the new and legacy spec papers. Some papers such as the sample, practice and specimen papers don't have grade boundaries so I put some suggested boundaries.

I was going to make this into 2 separate PDFs (one for the new spec papers and the other for the legacy ones) but then decided to just make separate tables all in one document. I'll keep this updated as each year passes InShaAllah. 

Here's the link: Grade Boundaries

Hope this helps!

My New (And Final) Logo

As Salamu Alaykum Wa Rahmatullahi Wa Barakatuh World!

I know I already made and revealed my logo last week but to be completely honest, I thought it was a bit too complex so I decided to make something simpler. My new logo has no references whatsoever to programming or computer science.

As you can see below; it starts of by simply stating "The Muslim CompSci" and below that are the initials of that (TMC) which you can work out if you look closely enough. At the bottom is my name in Arabic and that's it. Plain and simple.

I think I'll still hang on to my old one since I did take quite a bit of time to make it. In regards to my posting schedule, I've been posting very irregularly lately because I've been really busy quite frankly. I can't guarantee any posts or resources for a while but rest assured I still plan on making resources as soon as I get some time.

Hope this helps!

My Logo...

As Salamu Alaykum Wa Rahmatullahi Wa Barakatuh World!

As promised, today I reveal my brand new logo. Feel free to comment your thoughts on any aspect of it and I guess that's it really. Not much more to say so here it is and i'll see you next week InShaAllah!

Hope this helps!

The Big List Of OCR A Level Computer Science Resources Created By The Muslim CompSci Version 5.0

As Salamu Alaykum Wa Rahmatullahi Wa Barakatuh World!

This is a sticky post with all my resources. Because I'm nice like that 😎

The Ultimate OCR A Level Computer Science Dictionary

• Version 1.0
• Version 2.0
• Version 3.0
• Version 4.0
• Version 5.0

The Ultimate OCR A Level Computer Science Glossary

• Version 1.0

(Almost) All The Algorithms You Need To Know For OCR A Level Computer Science

• Version 1.0
• Version 2.0
• Version 3.0

(Almost) Everything You Need To Know For OCR A Level Computer Science

• Version 0.0
• Version 1.0

The Most Detailed Yet Concise Summary Of OCR A Level Computer Science

• Version 0.0
• 1.1.1 Structure and function of the processor
• 1.1.2 Types of processor
• 1.1.3 Input, output and storage
• 1.2.1 Systems Software
• 1.2.2 Applications Generation
• 1.2.3 Software Development
• 1.2.4 Types of Programming Language
• 1.3.1 Compression, Encryption & Hashing
• 1.3.2 Databases
• 1.3.3 Networks
• 1.3.4 Web Technologies
• 1.4.1 Data Types
• 1.4.2 Data Structures
• 1.4.3 Boolean Algebra
• 1.5.1 Computing Related Legislation
• 1.5.2 Moral & Ethical Issues
• 2.1 Elements of Computational Thinking
• 2.2.1 Programming Techniques
• 2.2.2 Computational Methods
• 2.3 Algorithms
• Component 3 Programming Project

An OCR A Level Computer Science Guide That Might Just Save Your Life

• Pseudocode
• Object Oriented
• Hypertext Markup Language
• Cascading Style Sheets
• JavaScript
• Little Man Computer Instruction Set
• Structured Query Language
• Boolean Algebra
• Entity Relationship Diagrams

Hope this helps!

(Almost) All The Algorithms You Need To Know For OCR A Level Computer Science Version 3.0

As Salamu Alaykum Wa Rahmatullahi Wa Barakatuh World!

WOW, it has been a long time hasn't it? First off, allow me to apologise for my unannounced absence for nearly 2 weeks. I guess I was taking a break from blogging (and pretty much everything else since I didn't develop any resources in that time) but anyways, the important thing is i'm back. 

Secondly, let me apologise again for version 2.0 and 1.0 of this resource. Being a student, it's easy to make mistakes when you aren't exactly erm... a teacher? If you don't know what i'm rambling on about then let me explain. The first 2 iterations of this resource had a few errors in the algorithms, both logical and syntactical.

I didn't really notice them until I looked back on this resource for my own revision (yes, I use the resources I make since the one's made by the "experts" are no good at all). Anyway, I worked really hard on version 3.0 AND made sure there are no errors whatsoever in all the required algorithms you need to know.

With that said, I guess that really shows how poor the resources are for this specification. I mean literally, I had to scour countless websites to find reliable algorithms. From the Algorithmist to Rosetta Code to even Wikipedia! I honestly can't believe how some of these textbooks get endorsed by OCR since they don't even cover the whole spec! 

Anyway, before I let my emotions get the better of me and start a rant, here's version 3.0 of (Almost) All The Algorithms You Need To Know For OCR A Level Computer Science:

• Version 3.0

By the way, I had already shared this resource in my previous post 2 weeks ago in the 5th iteration of the big list in case you didn't notice. I should also mention I have been recently working on a logo which I intent to "brand" all my resources with (don't worry, they'll still be free).

Don't have much more to say except that I honestly can't wait to write my textbook InShaAllah because frankly, the textbooks out there for this specification are rip-offs.

Hope this helps! 

All 9 OCR A Level Computer Science Guides That Might Just Save Your Life

As Salamu Alaykum Wa Rahmatullahi Wa Barakatuh World!

As with every revision series I complete, it's basically a formality to write a post with links to all of them together so they're easy to find. I also intend on creating another "Big List" since there's quite a few new resources that need to be added. Anyway, without further ado, here's all the resources for this revision series (in specification order of course): 

1. Pseudocode
2. Object Oriented
3. Hypertext Markup Language
4. Cascading Style Sheets
5. JavaScript
6. Little Man Computer Instruction Set
7. Structured Query Language
8. Boolean Algebra
9. Entity Relationship Diagrams

Almost forgot to mention; remember to download these before viewing since they aren't rendered correctly on Google Drive.

Hope this helps!

An OCR A Level Computer Science Guide That Might Just Save Your Life 1.2.3(c), 2.3.1(a) Pseudocode

As Salamu Alaykum Wa Rahmatullahi Wa Barakatuh World!

The 9th and final resource to conclude this revision series is the longest one despite not having any examples in this version. There's a lot of stuff to know since you need pseudocode for both exams, but if you go through it step by step it's actually not that hard.

The key, as with all the topics in this revision series, is to practice, practice, practice. There's loads of questions in the exam papers available in not only this spec, but the old H047/H447 one as well. 

Here's the link: Pseudocode

Hope this helps!

An OCR A Level Computer Science Guide That Might Just Save Your Life 1.2.4(e), 2.2.1(f) OOP

As Salamu Alaykum Wa Rahmatullahi Wa Barakatuh World!

Here's resource # 8 of my new revision series (not really sure it merits the word "new" anymore but anyways). Despite there being loads of past paper questions on this topic, I decided against including adapted versions of them as examples in this iteration.

The same goes for the pseudocode resource which I will share tomorrow InShaAllah. Remember to download these for the best viewing experience on PowerPoint. That's all for now.

Here's the link: OOP

Hope this helps!

An OCR A Level Computer Science Guide That Might Just Save Your Life 1.3.4(a) JS

As Salamu Alaykum Wa Rahmatullahi Wa Barakatuh World!

The 7th resource of my new revision series covers JavaScript and unlike the other ones, this doesn't have any examples (at least until the next iteration) since there are no past paper questions on JavaScript yet.

Anyway, learning the content itself should be pretty straightforward and should help you tackle any questions that come up. Just think of it as pseudocode with a bit of difference in syntax to remember.

Here's the link: JavaScript

Hope this helps!

An OCR A Level Computer Science Guide That Might Just Save Your Life 1.3.4(a) CSS

As Salamu Alaykum Wa Rahmatullahi Wa Barakatuh World!

Here's resource #6 if my memory serves of my new revision series which covers CSS. As a said before in one of my other posts regarding these resources, as more past papers become available i'll update these to include more worked examples.

Anyways, remember to download and view these (and pretty much all my other resources that are presentations) on PowerPoint since they're not formatted correctly on Drive and some other apps.

Here's the link: CSS

Hope this helps!

An OCR A Level Computer Science Guide That Might Just Save Your Life 1.3.4(a) HTML

As Salamu Alaykum Wa Rahmatullahi Wa Barakatuh World!

I was initially tempted to do all the guides on the web technologies (HTML, CSS and JavaScript) section as one resource since they're all mapping to spec point 1.3.4(a), but then I decided to just alter the names for each of my resources in this series to include the names of topics they cover alongside the point of the specification.

Anyway, I've finished all 3 guides for the web technologies section so it's just a matter of posting them now. There's only the last 2 resources left to make on Pseudocode and OOP which coincidentally, are going to be the longest ones because there's a bit more technical stuff to them than with the other guides.  

Here's the link: HTML

Hope this helps!