By H1 Student - 11 minute readThis guide, written by Aoife, aims to help you achieve a H1 in your Leaving Certificate Computer Science exam.
Studying computer science for the Leaving Cert has a huge range of benefits: it will broaden your knowledge of technology and will boost your skills as a computer programmer.
Computer science is one of the few subjects which is not studied at Junior Cycle so it's an entirely new experience for all students who choose it. This course is accessible to people with all capabilities and levels in coding. The main languages taught throughout this course are:
HyperText Markup Language is a language used for web development.
This is used for many different coding tasks, including analytics.
This can be used to create interactive elements in web development.
Technology is constantly evolving and this subject provides the opportunity to delve into current topics and research real-life examples. This subject is also a great basis for anyone who would like to pursue a career in the technology sector and not only that but the skills you learn in computer science are relevant in various careers.
Keep in mind the following dates for Leaving Cert Computer Science:
The coursework project is to be completed over a ten-week period (usually between January and March of 6th year).
The Leaving Cert Computer Science exam takes place around three weeks before all other subjects (this is based on the 2021 exam which took place on the 22nd of May).
The coursework project is to be completed over a ten-week period (usually between January and March of 6th year).
The computer science exam can be broken down into 3 distinct sections with a total of 300 marks available:
The written paper (sections A and B) is worth 43% or 130 marks.
The programming component (section C) is worth 27% or 80 marks.
The coursework component (project) is worth 30% or 90 marks and is completed in 6th year.
This section of the paper is worth 60 marks and is made up of 12 short-answer questions. Bear the following in mind when preparing for Section A:
Many of the questions in this section will require you to demonstrate your knowledge by giving a definition or explaining the role of a particular computer component, protocol or system.
Remember that these are short answer questions so you will not need to give a paragraph for every answer. A concise answer will get you better marks than a long answer in which the facts are not made clear.
Do not rush the short questions as you may miss important parts of the code, resulting in an incorrect answer.
Sometimes you will be given a piece of code (in Python, JavaScript or HTML) and you will be asked questions based on it. In these questions, it is important that you are familiar with simple operators and operations in different languages.
If there is a calculation involved, carefully go through the code on some rough work paper and work out the output first before doing the question.
Note the full meanings for any common abbreviations that you come across as they may be asked in Section A. See below for some examples of abbreviations.
Flashcards are a great way of studying for these types of questions.
| Abbreviation | Meaning | Abbreviation | Meaning |
| AI | Artificial Intelligence | LAN | Local Area Network |
| ALU | Arithmetic Logic Unit | LED | Light Emitting Diode |
| ASCII | American Standard Code for Information Interchange | MB | Megabyte |
| BIOS | Basic Input Output System | OS | Operating System |
| CPU | Central Processing Unit | PC | Personal Computer |
| CSS | Cascading Style Sheets | PNG | Portable Network Graphics |
| GB | Gigabyte | RAM | Random Access Memory |
| GUI | Graphical User Interface | ROM | Read Only Memory |
| HTML | HyperText Markup Language | TCP | Transmission Control Protocol |
| HTTP | HyperText Transfer Protocol | UI | User Interface |
| HTTPS | HyperText Transfer Protocol Secure | URL | Uniform Resource Locator |
| IP | Internet Protocol | USB | Universal Serial Bus |
| KB | Kilobyte | WAN | Wide Area Network |
Section B is worth 70 marks in total and consists of 3 long-answer questions. Bear the following in mind when approaching Section B:
Don't be thrown off by the fact that these are 'long questions' as there will be multiple parts to each question, with some only requiring one-word answers.
In the case of an essay-style question, a helpful approach is that of Point. Example. Explain.
This section will often contain questions which will require your own opinion as part of the answer. This allows you to interpret the question yourself and draw your own conclusions based on what you have learned.
In this section of the paper, you may be required to do calculations of your own such as the Turing machine/sorting algorithm. Practice examples of these calculations so that you are prepared on the day of the exam.
There are no topics that are guaranteed to come up in this section, however, the core practices and concepts outlined in the curriculum are a good place to start.
Here are some of the key topics which tend to appear on the paper:
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Computational thinking |
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| Computers and society |
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Software development and design |
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| Computer systems |
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| Data |
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The programming component of the exam will consist of one question (which may be split into multiple parts). This question may be rooted in any of the three main languages (Python, JavaScript or HTML). However, as of 2021, Python is the only language to have been examined in this section so far.
You will open a prepared file on the device you are using to complete the exam and this is what you will edit in line with the question you are given. You will receive a Python reference guide (which can be found on examinations.ie) containing some of the basic commands and operators which you may need to use during the exam.
Even if exam nerves throw you off, you can always comment out the code that you tried (using the # symbol in Python). The examiner will look at this during their corrections and you may pick up some marks. Similarly, if there is a part of the question that you are struggling with, move on and answer what you can and then return to the parts you didn't complete.
Ask your teacher which application you will be using on the day of the exam to complete the programming task. You can then download the specified platform and become familiar with how it works and use it while practicing. Doing this will prevent any extra stress on the day of the exam as you will be comfortable with using the software in front of you and you can focus all of your attention on the questions being asked.
Practice using lists in your programming and make sure you are comfortable with appending values to a list, ordering lists, inserting items in lists and working with index values.
In a list, the first value always has the index value of 0, not 1.
Be familiar with all basic commands and operators in the language. Below are a few examples (in Python).
|
Abbreviation |
Meaning |
|
* |
Multiplication |
|
/ |
Division |
| ** | Exponentiation |
| % |
Modulus |
| // |
Floor division |
| == | Equal to |
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!= |
Not equal to |
If, elif and else will be used often in most Python programs you create in computer science. Be sure to know how to use them correctly (including when to use elif rather than else and how to use the correct syntax).
x = 22
y = 13
if x > y:
print(x,"is greater than",y)
elif x == y:
print(x,"is equal to",y)
else:
print(x,"is less than",y)
In terms of timing for the computer science exam, there are a few important things to remember. The written component (Sections A and B) is 1 hour and 30 minutes long. As the amount of marks for both sections is similar, the easiest method of timing would be to dedicate 45 minutes to each section. However, giving an extra 5-10 minutes to the long questions might be necessary as they are worth an extra 10 marks (but you can see how you are for time in the exam).
Make sure to take your time with reading the questions and don’t jump straight into answering without understanding what you are being asked.
The computer element (programming) is 1 hour long. While this section does not have any specific timing to follow, I recommend keeping an eye on the clock so that you are not spending too long on any one question. It is better to attempt all parts (and risk not completing the code for them all), rather than leaving any question completely blank.
The coursework component of the Leaving Certificate Computer Science exam is worth 30% of your overall grade (90 marks). You will complete this project in 6th year, usually during a 10-week period from January to March. Within the timeframe, you must complete:
The practical element.
A comprehensive report of the project.
A short video explaining your work.
It is beneficial to take a deeper look into the 4 ALTs (Applied Learning Tasks) which are a part of the computer science course. Each year, the brief will outline a problem that you must attempt to solve using your background in computer science (examples of previous coursework briefs include climate change and COVID-19).
The project you complete may be based on one or more of the ALTs (e.g. the 2022 brief was focused on ALT 1 and ALT 4). Here is an outline of the 4 different ALTS:
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ALT 1: interactive information systems
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ALT 2: analytics |
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ALT 3: modelling and simulation |
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ALT 4: embedded systems |
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Make sure that you hit the brief and create something that satisfies the specified requirements.
Use some form of documenting system (something simple like a spreadsheet/Word doc. or a notebook). This will be vital when you start writing up documents for the brief as you can see when everything was done and how long it took you to deal with certain aspects.
This is important because you can show the examiner that you were learning during the process. Every time you come up against an obstacle (particularly in the coding process), screenshot it and make a note. Similarly, when the issue is fixed, make a note of what you did to fix the issue and take a screenshot of the new and improved code.
You may think 10 weeks is plenty of time to complete the entire project but time flies and you will have to balance work on the project with all other subjects and homework/assignments. Therefore, make plans and dedicate time to the project every week. By dedicating enough time to the project from the beginning, it will allow you to make further adjustments and improvements to your work later. These changes will boost your grade and impress the examiner.
Keep all your files in one place (on your computer itself or on the cloud). This will prevent panic when trying to find or use files for the project.
Keep a Word document with links to any websites or resources you use while creating your project or researching. These can thenbe copied into the references section of your report.
Get into the habit of practicing programming. The earlier you start to do this, the better.
In this subject, it can be easy to fall into the trap of dedicating more time to your project and coding. However, remember that the theory is worth over 40% of the marks so it is essential for getting a top grade.
If you are looking for a high grade in computer science, you need to know the simple stuff. Data types, binary, hexadecimal, CPU, RAM vs ROM and logic gates are all great places to start. Once you are confident with these, you can move onto more challenging concepts such as modelling, artificial intelligence and ethics.
Do your best with your coursework and try to keep organised and on schedule. This way, you already have 30% before sitting the exam.
You can access past papers as well as topic quizzes on Studyclix which can help you revise and practice for the programming and written components of the exam.
for Leaving Certificate Computer Science.
Get into the habit of practicing programming. The earlier you start to do this, the better.
In this subject, it can be easy to fall into the trap of dedicating more time to your project and coding. However, remember that the theory is worth over 40% of the marks so it is essential for getting a top grade.
If you are looking for a high grade in computer science, you need to know the simple stuff. Data types, binary, hexadecimal, CPU, RAM vs ROM and logic gates are all great places to start. Once you are confident with these, you can move onto more challenging concepts such as modelling, artificial intelligence and ethics.
Do your best with your coursework and try to keep organised and on schedule. This way, you already have 30% before sitting the exam.
You can access past papers as well as topic quizzes on Studyclix which can help you revise and practice for the programming and written components of the exam.
Best of luck in the exam! You will be great.
This student got an H1 in this subject.