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AQA · A Level

AQA A Level Computer Science

Computer Science for AQA A Level (syllabus 7517) — what the qualification covers, and the study material Marlbridge publishes for it.

Syllabus
7517
Board
AQA
Qualification
A Level

At a glance

Qualification
AQA A Level Computer Science
Spec code
7517
Does Marlbridge teach it?
Yes
Are resources available?
Yes — 6 published
Is enrolment open?
Enquire to join — no online enrolment yet
Where was this verified?
2026-08-19, official AQA specification

Compiled and maintained by the Marlbridge Academic Team, checked against the official AQA specification on 2026-08-19.

Spotted something wrong on this page? Report an error — see the corrections policy.

The qualification

AQA A-level Computer Science (7517)

AQA A-level Computer Science develops learners' capacity for computational thinking, and their ability to design, program and evaluate computer systems to solve problems, supporting further study or employment in computing. — AQA, official syllabus page

Confirmed live and current: first teaching 2015, 13 named subject-content sections (4.1-4.13) plus a non-exam-assessment computing practical project. Supports C#, Java, Python and VB.Net as programming languages.

Specifications change between examination series. Always confirm the current syllabus and assessment structure on the AQA syllabus page for your examination year.

Assessment structure

Linear qualification

Assessment components for AQA Computer Science 7517
Component Duration Marks Weighting Type
7517/1: Paper 1 2h 30m 100 40% Written exam
7517/2: Paper 2 2h 30m 100 40% Written exam
7517/NEA: Non-exam assessment: the computing practical project — 75 20% Non-exam assessment

Source: official AQA specification, verified 2026-08-28. Directly confirmed against the official AQA specification-at-a-glance and scheme-of-assessment pages: linear, not tiered. Paper 1 (on-screen exam testing programming ability and theoretical knowledge from content 10-13 plus systematic problem-solving skills from content 22): 2h30, raw 100 marks, 40% of A-level. Paper 2 (written exam testing content 14-21): 2h30, raw 100 marks, 40% of A-level. Non-exam assessment (the computing practical project, assessing ability to solve/investigate a practical problem using a systematic approach): raw 75 marks, 20% of A-level, internally assessed and externally moderated by AQA. Raw Paper 1/2 marks are scaled x1.5 (to 150 each) for the final total of 375 scaled marks -- this record uses the RAW marks the board publishes per component, consistent with how every other record in this file records marks. First teaching September 2015, first A-level assessment June 2017.

Assessment FAQs

How is AQA Computer Science (7517) assessed?

AQA Computer Science (7517) is assessed through: 7517/1 (Paper 1) — 2h 30m, 100 marks, 40% of the qualification; 7517/2 (Paper 2) — 2h 30m, 100 marks, 40% of the qualification; 7517/NEA (Non-exam assessment: the computing practical project) — no fixed duration, 75 marks, 20% of the qualification. It is a linear qualification. Source: official AQA specification, verified 2026-08-28.

The subject

Computer Science teaching and study resources, organised by level and topic.

All Computer Science at Marlbridge

Syllabus topics

The 13 topics below are the official subject content of AQA A-level Computer Science (7517), for the 2015-onwards examination series, reproduced from the AQA syllabus document.

A topic listed here is part of the syllabus. It does not mean Marlbridge has published material for it — topics with resources are marked. Marlbridge currently has resources for 2 of 13 topics.

  1. 1 Fundamentals of programming

    3 Marlbridge resources

    Programming · Procedural-oriented programming

  2. 2 Fundamentals of data structures

    3 Marlbridge resources

    Data structures · Single- and multi-dimensional arrays (or equivalent) · Fields, records and files

  3. 3 Fundamentals of algorithms

    Syllabus topic · no resource yet

  4. 4 Theory of computation

    Syllabus topic · no resource yet

  5. 5 Fundamentals of data representation

    Syllabus topic · no resource yet

  6. 6 Fundamentals of computer systems

    Syllabus topic · no resource yet

  7. 7 Fundamentals of computer organisation and architecture

    Syllabus topic · no resource yet

  8. 8 Consequences of uses of computing

    Syllabus topic · no resource yet

  9. 9 Fundamentals of communication and networking

    Syllabus topic · no resource yet

  10. 10 Fundamentals of databases

    Syllabus topic · no resource yet

  11. 11 Big Data

    Syllabus topic · no resource yet

  12. 12 Fundamentals of functional programming

    Syllabus topic · no resource yet

  13. 13 Systematic approach to problem solving

    Syllabus topic · no resource yet

Source: AQA — official subject content pages at aqa.org.uk/subjects/computer-science/a-level/computer-science-7517/specification/subject-content — 2015-onwards series. Verified 2026-08-19. Always check the current syllabus for your examination year.

Study resources

Revision material

Exam preparation

Computer Science at other qualifications

These are separate qualifications with different syllabuses and assessments — not different names for the same course. Check which one your school enters you for.

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