Computer Science revision

21 topics. Pick any one to be tested on it, taught it, or to talk it through. This is the course list Zen IQ works from: its tutor, papers and marking all follow it.

Topics

AlgorithmsFlowcharts, pseudocode and written descriptions; linear and binary search; bubble and merge sort; tracing and trace tables; comparing efficiency
Decomposition and abstractionBreaking a problem into sub-problems and removing unnecessary detail
Developing codeWriting, testing and debugging programs; syntax, logic and runtime errors; normal, boundary and erroneous test data; readable code
ConstructsSequence, selection and iteration, count controlled and condition controlled
Data types and structuresInteger, real, Boolean, character and string; one and two dimensional arrays; records
Input/outputUser input, validation (range, length, presence, type) and reading and writing text files
OperatorsArithmetic, relational and logical operators, integer division and modulus
SubprogramsProcedures and functions, parameters, return values, local and global variables, library routines
BinaryConverting between denary, binary and hexadecimal; binary addition and overflow; two's complement; logical and arithmetic shifts
Data representationASCII and Unicode; bitmap images, resolution and colour depth; sound, sample rate and bit depth
Data storage and compressionUnits from bits to tebibytes; calculating file sizes; lossless compression including run length encoding, and lossy compression
EncryptionThe purpose of encryption, the Caesar cipher and other simple ciphers
Machines and computational modellingThe input, process, output model and computational models
HardwareVon Neumann architecture, the CPU and its components, the fetch-decode-execute cycle, RAM, ROM and cache, magnetic, optical and solid state storage, embedded systems
LogicAND, OR and NOT, truth tables and logic statements
SoftwareOperating system functions, utility software, simulation and modelling software
Programming languagesHigh and low level languages, compilers, interpreters and assemblers
NetworksLANs and WANs, wired and wireless, topologies, protocols including the TCP/IP stack, HTTP, HTTPS, FTP and email protocols, bandwidth
Network securityThreats such as malware, phishing, hacking and denial of service; protection including firewalls, encryption, authentication, access control and backups
The internet and the world wide webHow the internet works, IP addressing, DNS, web servers and clients
Emerging trends, issues and impactEnvironmental, ethical, legal and cultural issues, data protection, copyright, computer misuse, artificial intelligence and new technologies

How Zen IQ helps with Computer Science

Exam papers, marked like an examiner

Papers written in the Edexcel style for Computer Science, with a mark scheme, marked part by part, crediting an error carried forward the way a real examiner does.

Your weak spot map

Every topic below turns strong, shaky or weak from your marks and flashcards, so you can see where marks are going. A target test aims straight at the weakest.

Call a tutor

Talk a topic through out loud with Zehan or Maya. They answer in a second, you can cut in, and they write it on a board as they explain.

Video lessons and mind maps

Any topic taught in about four minutes as an animated lesson, or drawn as a mind map where every idea leads to a lesson, a quiz or a call.

Flashcards and study guides

Cards that come back just before you would forget them, and study guides in three lengths, ready to print or download for Word.

Revise Computer Science in Zen IQFree to try, no download: it runs in your browser and installs like an app.

Open Zen IQ

Other subjects: Physics · Chemistry · Biology · Maths · Geography · Psychology · ICT · Human Biology · History · French · Business · Accounting · English Literature · English Language