AQA A-Level Computer Science Past Papers & Mark Schemes

AQA A-Level Computer Science (specification code 7517) is unusual among A-Level subjects in requiring students to write code by hand in an examination — without an IDE, syntax highlighting, a compiler, or the ability to run and test what they've written. This single fact shapes how the entire qualification should be studied. Paper 1 (2 hours 30 minutes, 100 marks, 40%) is the programming and problem-solving paper. Questions require students to read, trace, write, and modify code in a high-level language of their choice (Python is most common, though Java and C# are also permitted). Topics include: algorithm design and analysis (including Big-O complexity and worst/best/average cases); fundamental data structures (stacks, queues, linked lists, binary trees, hash tables, and graphs); searching algorithms (linear, binary, and hash table lookup); sorting algorithms (bubble, insertion, merge, and quick sort); recursion; computer systems (processors, assembly language, Boolean logic, and digital circuits); and aspects of object-oriented programming. Paper 2 (2 hours 30 minutes, 100 marks, 40%) focuses on the theoretical underpinning of computer science. Topics include: communication and networking (protocols, TCP/IP stack, HTTP, DNS, packet switching, and cybersecurity threats and countermeasures); databases (relational model, SQL queries, normalisation); big data characteristics and processing approaches; functional programming paradigms (first-class functions, map/filter/reduce, lambda expressions, closures); ethical, legal, and cultural issues in computing; and the theoretical foundations of computation — finite state machines (FSM), regular languages, Backus-Naur Form, context-free grammars, Turing machines, and the Church-Turing thesis. The NEA programming project (20%) is a substantial independent piece of software development estimated at 45–70 hours of student work. Students define a real computational problem, produce a programmatic solution, and write a detailed report covering analysis, design, technical solution, testing, and evaluation. The project must demonstrate genuine programming competency — not a simple script but a structured, well-documented solution.