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63 C OM P U T I N G ABOUT THE AUTHOR Ceredig Cattanach-Chell is Subject Advisor – Computer Science and IT at OCR; for more information, visit ocr.org.uk teachwire.net/secondary networks to help us explore a series of key topics. The networks confirmed to us that teachers wanted stability after several years of change and upheaval, and that general interest in CBT remained strong. At the same time, however, the challenges surrounding the implementation of CBT were thought to be wide-ranging. Other areas explored by the networks included the importance of students' mental health, and the need for programming to remain an important part of the course – though the teachers we heard fromwere clear that they wanted more flexibility to deliver programming in the ways they wanted. It was also widely felt that the number of computer science exams should remain at two, as students already have busy exam timetables at GCSE. Teachers wanted us to maintain the same level of support that teachers encountered with our 2016 GCSE computer science specification. Stabilityand familiarity Based on this combined feedback, we took a number of decisions with the aim of maintaining stability and familiarity for teachers, and decided on the following: • A simple assessment model • The continued use of two 90-minute exams • Opting to keep the familiarity of a paper- based exam • Keeping in place a choice of programming languages If candidates are able to program using a text-based, high-level programming language, teachers are able to exercise free reign over delivery, thus giving greater stability within the classroom. As a result, teachers already feeling confident in their current delivery methods would have no need to change how they deliver programming skills. That said, of course, teachers are able to call upon many different approaches. Do you want to program using a Raspberry Pi or a Micro:bit? Add in some physical computing? Make use of an online training course? Should your class learn about robotics and machine learning with some programming tasks? Our specification for programming skills delivery caters for these many different approaches by being focused around two core principles: 1 Does it cover specification content? 2 Are you using a text-based high-level language? Our flexibility with respect to programming also means that candidates can develop extended projects over the course of one, two or more years. Valuable input It’s entirely possible for programming to be taught in 'realistic' environments. Students can be tasked with working in pairs, making use of online resources and collaborating with others, thus experiencing how program development actually works and becoming familiar with the working approaches used within industry. At the same time, there are many opportunities for working across other curriculum subjects – using programX to measure Y in a science experiment, for instance. Programming ‘real’ projects can also map to other, perhaps unexpected forms of content. You could, for example, program a machine learning algorithm, and subsequently discuss the ethical considerations that these present, such as bias. Last Autumn, we introduced our updated GCSE computer science specification to teachers via our regionalised network meetings and wider communications. The response has been overwhelmingly positive and supports the decisions we’ve made. This is a testament to our teacher community, who continue to provide us with valuable input into our computing suite of qualifications. We are an awarding organisation that listens to our customers, responds to them and proceeds to deliver. Over 2,000 schools and colleges have chosen OCR for GCSE computer science, and entered nearly 55,000 candidates with us in 2019. Why not join our computer science family and find out why? TEACHER VOICE – WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON J277? I was fearing the requirement for a separate extra exam or a computer based test – fear averted.” “Consistency in the current examined assessment will help teachers the most to plan and build confidence in what they are delivering.” “Minimal change, and the changes made are sensible. Logical and sound decision- making from OCR.