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AQA GCSE Computer Science 8525 — exams from 2027

Explore algorithms, programming and computing concepts for the AQA 8525 specification assessed from 2027. Topic pages identify the AQA requirements and label useful extensions separately.

Start with a topic you find difficult. Follow what changes in each worked example, explain the mechanism in your own words, then practise using the notation and command words expected by your exam board.

37 core topic introductions and 3 clearly labelled extensions. Read the official AQA 8525 (2027+) specification.

Use the right specification and response format

This guide follows the AQA edition assessed from 2027. Its topics include relational databases and SQL as well as the four-layer TCP/IP model. When a question supplies AQA pseudocode, interpret the symbols as given; do not substitute OCR assignment and comparison notation.

Shared topics can still have different depth or wording on the two boards. Each explanation displays its board references and scope. Check your school’s specification and exam year before planning revision.

Official specificationCompare the other board

Systems architecture

Processor components, CPU registers, performance factors, embedded systems and the fetch-decode-execute cycle.

  • The Fetch Cycle

    How the CPU collects the next instruction

    Specification · AQA 8525 (2027+) 3.4.5
  • Decode and Execute

    How an instruction becomes an action

    Specification · AQA 8525 (2027+) 3.4.5
  • CPU Performance

    Clock speed, cores and cache

    Specification · AQA 8525 (2027+) 3.4.5
  • Embedded Systems

    Identify the dedicated computer inside a larger device and explain how its inputs, memory, processor and outputs serve that task.

    Specification · AQA 8525 3.4.5

Memory and storage

Primary memory, secondary storage, capacity, units, compression and selecting suitable storage technologies.

  • Computer Memory

    RAM, ROM and cache inside the computer

    Specification · AQA 8525 (2027+) 3.4.5
  • Secondary Storage

    How computers keep data without power

    Specification · AQA 8525 (2027+) 3.4.5

Data representation

Binary and hexadecimal numbers, text, images, sound, arithmetic and the representation limits of finite data.

  • Data Units

    From bits and bytes to real storage hardware

    Specification · AQA 8525 3.3.3
  • Number Systems and Conversions

    Use place value to move accurately between denary, eight-bit binary and hexadecimal without changing the quantity.

    Specification · AQA 8525 3.3.1–3.3.2
  • Character Encoding

    How characters become binary

    Specification · AQA 8525 3.3.5
  • Binary Arithmetic and Shifts

    Follow carries and fixed-width bit movement, then check the result using place value and the selected board's requirements.

    Specification · AQA 8525 3.3.4
  • Bitmap Image Representation

    Read a pixel grid and colour codes, distinguish dimensions from colour depth, and calculate uncompressed image data.

    Specification · AQA 8525 3.3.6
  • Digital Sound Representation

    See how measurements of a wave become binary samples and how rate, resolution and duration determine uncompressed size.

    Specification · AQA 8525 3.3.7
  • Data Compression

    Decide what information must survive compression, then apply the methods and calculations required by your exam board.

    Specification · AQA 8525 3.3.8

Networks and protocols

Network types, hardware, topologies, layers, addressing and the protocols that coordinate communication.

Cyber security

Threats, vulnerabilities, social engineering, malicious software and proportionate prevention and detection methods.

Algorithms

Decomposition, abstraction, searching, sorting, trace tables and evaluating alternative computational solutions.

Programming fundamentals

Variables, selection, iteration, data structures, subprograms, validation, testing and robust program construction.

Boolean logic

Logic gates, truth tables, Boolean expressions and reasoning about combinations of digital conditions.

Software and languages

Operating systems, utilities, translators, language levels and the development tools used to build programs.

  • Operating Systems

    How software manages the whole computer

    Specification · AQA 8525 (2027+) 3.4.3
  • Utility Software

    Tools that protect, maintain and optimise

    Specification · AQA 8525 (2027+) 3.4.3
  • Programming Language Levels

    Distinguish high-level source from machine-specific instructions and justify language characteristics without a coding course.

    Specification · AQA 8525 3.4.4
  • Program Translators

    Follow source through compilation or interpretation, keep build time separate from running time and understand each tool's limits.

    Specification · AQA 8525 3.4.4

Impacts of digital technology

Ethical, legal, cultural, environmental and privacy consequences of developing and using digital systems.

Choose the support you need

Start with an explanation when the mechanism is unclear. Use topic practice to apply it to exam questions, then an original mock to check what you can do independently. The full activities and your saved progress are available in your learner account.

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Build your practical programming

Use the theory explanations alongside practical programming. Python courses provide a structured route from first programs to GCSE problems, and the books offer a separate way to study the same skills.

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