CIE A Level 2020 (9608) Computing Teaching Resources & Revision Material

CIE A Level 2020 (9608) Computer Science mapping file. Download our comprehensive teaching resources and use the mapping table to align to the CIE examination board.

IGCSE specification

A Level Document Reference

Additional content

1

Theory Fundamentals

1.1

Information representation

Cell

1.1.1.

Number representation

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1.1.2

Images


1.1.3

Sound

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1.1.4

1.1.5

Video

Compression techniques

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1.2

Communication and Internet technologies

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Cell

1.2.1

1.2.2

Networks

IP Addressing

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1.2.3

Client- and server-side scripting

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1.3

Hardware

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Cell

1.3.1

Input, output and storage devices

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1.3.2

Main memory

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1.3.3

Logic gates and circuits

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1.4

Processor fundamentals

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Cell

1.4.1

1.4.2

CPU architecture

The fetch-execute cycle

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1.4.3

1.4.4

The processor’s instruction set

Assembly language

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1.5

System software

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Cell

1.5.1

Operating system

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1.5.2

Utility programs

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1.5.3

1.5.4

Library programs

Language translators

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1.6

Security, privacy and data integrity

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Cell

1.6.1

Data security

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1.6.2

Data integrity

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1.7

Ethics and ownership

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1.7.1

Ethics and the computing professional

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1.7.2

Ownership

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1.8

Database and data modelling

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1.8.1

Database Management Systems (DBMS)

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1.8.2

Relational database modelling

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1.8.3

Data Definition Language (DDL) and Data Manipulation Language (DML)

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2

Fundamental Problem-solving and Programming

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2.1

Algorithm design and problem-solving

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2.1.1

Algorithms

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2.1.2

Structure chart

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2.1.3

2.1.4

Corrective maintenance

Adaptive maintenance

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2.2

Data representation

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2.2.1

Data types

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2.2.2

Arrays

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2.2.3

Files

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2.3

Programming

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Cell

2.3.1

2.3.2

2.3.3

2.3.4

2.3.5

2.3.6

Programming basics

Transferable skills

Selection

Iteration

Built-in functions

Structured programming

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2.4

Software development

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2.4.1

2.4.2

2.4.3

Programming

Program testing

Testing strategies

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3.

Advanced Theory

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3.1

Data representation

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3.1.1

User-defined data types

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3.1.2

File organisation and access

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3.1.3

Real numbers and normalised floating-point representation

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3.2

Communication and Internet technologies

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3.2.1

3.2.2

3.2.3

Protocols

Circuit switching, packet switching and routers

LAN

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3.3

Hardware

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3.3.1

Logic gates and circuit design

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3.3.2

Boolean algebra

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3.3.3

K-Maps

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3.3.4

Flip-flops

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3.3.5

3.3.6

RISC processors

Parallel processing

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3.4

System software

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Cell

3.4.1

3.4.2

Purposes of an operating system (OS)

Virtual machine

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3.4.3

Translation software

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3.5

Security

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Cell

3.5.1

3.5.2

3.5.3

Asymmetric keys and encryption methods

Digital signatures and digital certificates

Encryption protocols

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3.5.4

Malware

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3.6

Monitoring and control systems

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3.6.1


3.6.2

Overview of monitoring and control systems

Bit manipulation to monitor and control devices

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4

Further Problem-solving and Programming Skills

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4.1

Computational thinking and problem-solving

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4.1.1

4.1.2

Abstraction

Algorithms

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4.1.3

Abstract Data Types (ADT)

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4.1.4

Recursion

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4.2

Algorithm design methods

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4.2.1

4.2.2

Decision tables

Jackson Structured Programming (JSP)

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4.2.3

State-transition diagrams

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4.3

Further programming

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4.3.1

Programming paradigms

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4.3.2

4.3.3

File processing

Exception handling

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4.3.4

Use of development tools / programming environments

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4.4

Software development

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Cell

4.4.1

4.4.2

4.4.3

Software development resources

Testing

Project management

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