compuetr science syllabus - zimsec · 2019-03-09 · computer scirnce syllabus forms 5 - 6 1 1.0...
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ZIMBABWE
MINISTRY OF PRIMARY AND SECONDARY EDUCATION
COMPUETR SCIENCE SYLLABUS
FORMS 5 - 6
2015 - 2022
Curriculum Development and Technical ServicesP. O. Box MP 133Mount Pleasant
Harare
© All Rrights Reserved2015
Computer Scirnce Syllabus Forms 5 - 6
3
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTSThe Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education wishes to acknowledge the following for their valued contributions in the development of this syllabus:
• TheNationalComputerSciencePanelcomprisingofrepresentativesfrom:- Computer Science Teachers- Zimbabwe School Examinations Council(ZIMSEC)- Teachers’ and Technical Colleges- Universities- Computer Society of Zimbabwe (CSZ)
• UnitedNationsChildren’sEducationFund(UNICEF)• UnitedNationsEducational,ScientificandCulturalOrganization(UNESCO)
ii
Computer Scirnce Syllabus Forms 5 - 6
CONTENTS
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ...................................................................................................................i
CONTENTS .........................................................................................................................................ii
1.0 PREAMBLE ..................................................................................................................................1
2.0 PRESENTATION OF SYLLABUS ................................................................................................1
3.0 AIMS ..............................................................................................................................................1
4.0 SYLLABUS OBJECTIVES ...........................................................................................................1
5.0 METHODOLOGY ..........................................................................................................................2
6.0 TOPICS .........................................................................................................................................2
7.0 SCOPE AND SEQUENCE CHART ..............................................................................................3
8.0 COMPETENCY MATRIX ...............................................................................................................5
FORM 5 ...............................................................................................................................................5
FORM 6 ...............................................................................................................................................13
9.0 ASSESSMENT ..............................................................................................................................15
10.0 GLOSSARY/APPENDICES ........................................................................................................19
Computer Scirnce Syllabus Forms 5 - 6
1
1.0 PREAMBLE
1.1 Introduction
TheComputerSciencesyllabusfollowstheScience,Technology,EngineeringandMathematics(STEM)do-main and is designed to cover forms 5 and 6 of second-ary education. This learning area focuses on foundation-alprinciples,practicesofcomputationandcomputationalthinking including their application in design and devel-opment of computer systems. This syllabus is designed for learners with a background in computer science and mathematics who want to pursue careers in computer scienceandothertechnologyrelatedfields.
1.2 Rationale
The increased importance of computer-based solutions provides an important economic opportunity for the society. Computer Science enables learners to acquire knowledge and attitudes to enhance usage of computer technologies for all areas of human activities. The syllabus facilitates the promotion and preservation ofindigenousknowledgesystems,heritageandcul-ture through the design and development of computer systems. The syllabus empowers learners to pursue a career in Computer Science or related disciplines. The course empowers learners to innovatively develop solu-tions that can be applied to real life situations. It equips learnerswithproblemsolvingskills,criticalthinking,collaboration,innovation,selfsustenance,professionaldevelopment and lifelong learning.
1.3 Summary of Content
This Computer Science syllabus covers theory and prac-tical activities for learners in forms 5 and 6. It focuses on systemdevelopment,networking,datarepresentation,computerarchitecture,algorithmdesign,programmingand databases as major learning areas.
1.4 Assumptions
It is assumed that learners:
• havepassedmathematics,puresciencesandcomputer science
• aremotivatedtolearnComputerScience• areconversantwithatleastoneprogramming
language• caninterpretuserrequirementstoproduceeco-
nomically viable solutions
1.5 Cross-Cutting themes
The teaching and learning of Computer Science should integrate the following cross cutting themes:
• Lifeskills• Enterpriseskills• financialliteracy• HeritageStudies• Environmentalissues• DisasterRiskmanagement• Collaboration
2.0 PRESENTATION OF SYLLABUS
The Computer Science syllabus is presented as one document for Forms 5 and 6.
3.0 AIMSThe syllabus aims to enable learners to:
3.1 develop critical thinking skills and strategies required to carry out research in computer science
3.2 appreciatethebenefitofcomputerscienceinsolving real problems
3.3 develop an understanding of the relationship between different components of computer systems.
3.4 acquire knowledge on the range of computer applications,theirsocialandeconomicimpli-cations
3.5 apply moral and ethical approaches to the use of ICTs (Unhu/Ubuntu/Vumunhu)
3.6 appreciatedevelopmenttrendsinthefieldofcomputing
3.7 appreciate the role of security in computer systems
4.0 SYLLABUS OBJECTIVES
Learnersshouldbeableto:
4.1 apply programming concepts to solve real life problems
4.2 design computer systems based on user
Com
pute
r Sci
rnce
Syl
labu
s Fo
rms
5 - 6
2
requirementsspecifications4.3 demonstrate an understanding of data representation in computer systems4.4 apply the fundamental principles and concepts of computer science in algorithm
design4.5 demonstrate an understanding of computer
architecture 4.6 apply ethical principles and standards in thefieldofcomputing4.7 apply security measures to protect computer systems4.8 show awareness of the data protection legislation and intellectual property rights4.9 analyzetechnologicalchangesandmake
informed decisions
5.0 METHODOLOGYThe teaching and learning of Computer Science is based on an inclusive learner centred approach. The following methods are recommended:
• Problemsolving• e-Learning• Multi-media• Simulationandmodeling• Discovery• Experimentation• Designbasedlearning• Project-basedlearning• Questionandanswer• Demonstrations• Discussion• EducationalTours• ResearchandPresentations
Time Allocation
The subject should be allocated at least 12 periods of 40minutesperweek,4theoryperiodsand8practicalperiods.Learnersshouldbeengagedinatleastone:Ed-ucationalTour,Exhibition,Seminarperyearand;aweekof practical orientation.
6.0 TOPICS
The syllabus consists of 9 topics as follows:
5.1DataRepresentation 5.2Networking 5.3 Computer Architecture
5.4 Security and Ethics 5.5SystemDevelopmentLifeCycle(SDLC) 5.6AlgorithmDesignandDataStructures 5.7 Programming 5.8Databases 5.9 Enterprising
Computer Scirnce Syllabus Forms 5 - 6
Com
pute
r Sci
rnce
Syl
labu
s Fo
rms
5 - 6
2
3
7.0
SCO
PE A
ND
SEQ
UEN
CE
CH
AR
T
7.0
SCO
PE A
ND
SEQ
UEN
CE
CH
ART
TOPI
C
FORM
5
FORM
6
7.1
Dat
a R
epre
sent
atio
n
Num
ber b
ases
Floa
ting
poin
t arit
hmet
ic
C
ompu
ter a
rithm
etic
erro
rs
D
ata
repr
esen
tatio
n
7.2
Com
pute
r Arc
hite
ctur
e
Hardw
areArchitecture
So
ftwar
e Ar
chite
ctur
e
7.3
Net
wor
king
Ope
n Sy
stem
s Interconnection(OSI) M
odel
Tran
smis
sion
Con
trol P
roto
col (
TCP)
/Inte
rnet
Pro
toco
l(IP)
M
odel
IP A
ddre
ssin
g
Dom
ainNam
eSystem
s
Rou
ting
Prot
ocol
s
C
loud
Ser
vice
s M
odel
s
Clo
ud T
ypes
7.4
Syst
ems
Dev
elop
men
t Life
Cyc
le
(SD
LC)
Sy
stem
s D
evel
opmentLifeCycle(S
DLC
- Wat
erfa
ll M
odel
)
ObjectO
rientedMethodology
Prot
otyp
ing
Com
pute
r Sci
rnce
Syl
labu
s Fo
rms
5 - 6
Com
pute
r Sci
rnce
Syl
labu
s Fo
rms
5 - 6
4
TOPI
C
FORM
5
FORM
6
7.5
Secu
rity
and
Ethi
cs
DataprivacyandIntegrity
C
omm
on th
reat
s an
d so
ftwar
e vu
lner
abilit
ies
to c
ompu
ter
syst
ems
Protection,accesscontrol,and
auth
entic
atio
n
Legislationoncom
putersecurityandcrim
es
DisasterR
ecoverymethods
Ris
k M
anag
emen
t tec
hniq
ues
Cod
e of
eth
ics
at th
e w
orkp
lace
Busi
ness
eth
ics
Im
pact
of s
ocia
l med
ia
Se
curit
y Po
licie
s
LawsandCom
puterC
rime
En
viro
nmen
tal l
aws
and
issu
es
Im
pact
of s
ocia
l med
ia
Et
hica
l prin
cipl
es
7.6
Algo
rithm
Des
ign
and
Dat
a St
ruct
ures
Pseu
doco
de s
truct
ures
Stan
dard
alg
orith
ms
Datastructures
Bi
nary
tree
s an
d ar
ray
oper
atio
ns
Pr
imiti
ve d
ata
type
s
Rec
ursi
on
7.7
Prog
ram
min
g
Pr
ogra
mm
ing
lang
uage
feat
ures
Stru
ctur
ed p
rogr
amm
ing
Fu
nctio
ns a
nd p
roce
dure
s
Arra
ys
Fi
le h
andl
ing
In
terfa
ce d
esig
n
ObjectO
rientedProgram
ming
Ad
vanc
ed P
rogr
amm
ing
7.8
Dat
abas
es
Fi
le b
ased
dat
abas
e sy
stem
s
DatabaseManagem
entS
ystems(DBM
S)
RelationalD
atabasemodeling
Databasemanag
emen
t
o
7.9
Ente
rpris
ing
E-Bu
sine
ss
In
telle
ctua
l Pro
perty
Rig
hts
Ap
plic
atio
n ar
eas
of C
ompu
ter S
cien
ce
Bu
sinessProposalD
evelopment
E-
Com
mer
ce
Te
leco
mm
unic
atio
ns
Bu
sine
ss a
nd e
nter
pris
e
Com
pute
r Sci
rnce
Syl
labu
s Fo
rms
5 - 6
4
5
8.0
CO
MPE
TEN
CY
MAT
RIX
FOR
M 5
8.0
CO
MPE
TEN
CY
MAT
RIX
FORM
5
SKIL
L/TO
PIC
O
BJE
CTI
VE
Lear
ners
sho
uld
be a
ble
to:
CO
NTE
NT
(K
NO
WLE
DG
E, S
KIL
LS, A
TTIT
UD
ES)
SUG
GES
TED
LEA
RN
ING
AC
TIVI
TIES
AN
D N
OTE
S SU
GG
ESTE
D
LEAR
NIN
G
RES
OU
RC
ES
8.1
Dat
a R
epre
sent
atio
n
co
nver
t num
ber b
ases
mul
tiply
and
div
ide
bina
ry
num
bers
norm
alize
float
ing
poin
t bin
ary
num
bers
repr
esen
t dat
a an
d ch
arac
ter
sets
dist
ingu
ish
arith
met
ic e
rrors
in
terp
ret a
rithm
etic
erro
rs
N
umbe
r bas
es
- bi
nary
-
octa
l -
dena
ry
- he
xade
cim
al
- 2s
Com
plim
ent
F
loat
ing
poin
t arit
hmet
ic
- norm
alization
of fl
oatin
g po
int
num
bers
C
ompu
ter a
rithm
etic
erro
rs
- ov
erflo
w
-
unde
rflow
Datarepresentation
- C
hara
cter
set
s -
ASC
II
- UNICODE
- BC
D
- EB
CDIC
C
hang
ing
one
num
ber b
ase
to
anot
her
C
alcu
latin
g nu
mbe
r ba
ses
C
onve
rting
floa
ting
poin
t num
bers
Cha
ngin
g nu
mbe
rs to
bi
nary
usi
ng c
hara
cter
se
ts
Id
entif
ying
arit
hmet
ic
erro
rs
C
ompa
ring
arith
met
ic
erro
rs
C
alcu
lato
rs
P
rint a
nd e
lect
roni
c m
edia
Datasettables
IC
T to
ols
In
tern
et
8.2
Net
wor
king
com
pareOSIandTCP/IP
mod
els
e
xpla
in th
e fo
rmat
of a
n IP
ad
dres
s
d
istin
guis
h be
twee
n pu
blic
and
pr
ivat
e IP
add
ress
es
explaintheroleofD
NS
d
escr
ibe
Rou
ting
Info
rmat
ion
Prot
ocol
(RIP
) andO
pen
Shor
test
Pat
h First(OSP
F)
rout
ing
prot
ocol
s
OSIModel
TC
P/IP
Mod
el
IP
Add
ress
ing
Dom
ainNam
eSystem
s
Rou
ting
Prot
ocol
-
RIP
-
OSP
F
MappingOSIto
TCP/
IP m
odel
DiscussingtheIP
addr
ess
form
at
Com
parin
g pu
blic
and
pr
ivat
e IP
add
ress
es
Discussingtheroleof
DNS
Discussingthe
func
tions
of R
IP a
nd
OSP
F
In
tern
et
Networksimulators
Com
pute
r Sci
rnce
Syl
labu
s Fo
rms
5 - 6
Com
pute
r Sci
rnce
Syl
labu
s Fo
rms
5 - 6
6
FORM
5 C
ontin
ued…
SK
ILL/
TOPI
C
OB
JEC
TIVE
Le
arne
rs s
houl
d be
abl
e to
: C
ON
TEN
T
(KN
OW
LED
GE,
SK
ILLS
, ATT
ITU
DES
) SU
GG
ESTE
D
LEAR
NIN
G
ACTI
VITI
ES A
ND
NO
TES
SUG
GES
TED
LE
ARN
ING
R
ESO
UR
CES
8.
3 C
ompu
ter
Arch
itect
ure
e
xpla
in th
e pr
inci
ple
of
oper
atio
n of
pas
sive
and
ac
tive
elec
troni
c co
mpo
nent
s
describetheVo
nNeumann
andHarvardArchitecture
exp
lain
the
use
of b
uses
d
emon
stra
te th
e us
e of
logi
c ga
tes
des
crib
e th
e fu
nctio
ns o
f pr
oces
sor c
ompo
nent
s
id
entif
y fa
ctor
s af
fect
ing
proc
esso
r spe
eds
expl
ain
the
impo
rtanc
e of
pi
pelin
ing
des
crib
e th
e fe
tch-
deco
de-
exec
ute
cycl
e
iden
tify
type
s of
inte
rrupt
s
ju
stify
why
com
pute
rs u
se
Hardw
areArchitecture
- Ba
sic
Elec
troni
cs (P
assi
ve
and
Activ
e C
ompo
nent
s)
- Vo
n NeumannArchitecture
- HarvardArchitecture
- Bu
ses
o co
ntro
l o
addr
ess
o da
ta
- LogicGates
o NAN
D
o NOR
o
XOR
o XN
OR
-
Proc
esso
r Com
pone
nts
o C
U
o AL
U
o R
egisters(P
rogram
Counter,
Mem
oryDataRegister,
Mem
oryAd
dressRegister,
IndexRegister,Current
InstructionRegister,Status
regi
ster
acc
umul
ator
) -
Pipe
linin
g
- Fe
tch-Decode-
Exec
ute
cycl
e -
Inte
rrupt
s o
Inte
rnal
o
Exte
rnal
o
Softw
are
- Ad
dres
sing
Mod
es
o Direct,I
ndire
ct,I
mm
edia
te,
T
estin
g an
d re
plac
ing
elec
troni
c co
mpo
nent
s
DrawingtheVo
nNeumann
andHarvardArchitectural
mod
els
Distinguishingbetweenthe
VonNeumannandHarvard
Arch
itect
ure
Discussingtheuseofbuses
Drawingandinte
grat
e bu
ses
Designinglogiccircuits
Con
stru
ctin
g tru
th ta
bles
of
up to
thre
e in
puts
Cal
cula
ting
the
outc
ome
from
a lo
gic
circ
uit g
iven
the
inpu
ts
Discussingthefunctionsof
proc
esso
r com
pone
nts
Drawingprocessor
com
pone
nts
Discussingfactorsaffect
ing
proc
esso
r spe
eds
Dem
onstratingwaysof
impr
ovin
g pr
oces
sor
perfo
rman
ce
Discussingtheconceptof
pipe
linin
g
Illu
stra
ting
the
fetc
h-de
code
-ex
ecut
e cy
cle
Distinguishingtypesof
com
pute
r int
erru
pts
M
ultim
edia
Prin
t med
ia
In
tern
et
E
lect
roni
c co
mpo
nent
s
Tes
t in
stru
men
ts
B
read
boar
d /C
ircui
t boa
rd
Com
pute
r Sci
rnce
Syl
labu
s Fo
rms
5 - 6
6
7
inte
rrupt
s
exp
lain
add
ress
ing
mod
es
Inde
xed
and
Rel
ativ
e
Discussingcomputer
inte
rrupt
s
Distinguishinga
ddre
ssin
g m
odes
FORM
5 C
ontin
ued…
SK
ILL/
TOPI
C
OB
JEC
TIVE
Le
arne
rs s
houl
d be
abl
e to
: C
ON
TEN
T
(KN
OW
LED
GE,
SK
ILLS
, AT
TITU
DES
)
SUG
GES
TED
LEA
RN
ING
AC
TIVI
TIES
AN
D N
OTE
S SU
GG
ESTE
D
LEAR
NIN
G
RES
OU
RC
ES
8.4
Secu
rity
and
Ethi
cs
e
xpla
in th
e di
ffere
nce
betw
een
data
priv
acy
and
inte
grity
analyzecom
monthreats
and
vuln
erab
ilitie
s on
co
mpu
ter s
yste
ms
id
entif
y so
urce
s of
vu
lner
abilit
y
d
escr
ibe
how
dat
a is
kep
t sa
fe d
urin
g st
orag
e an
d tra
nsm
issi
on
e
valu
ate
tool
s us
ed to
el
imin
ate
vuln
erab
ilitie
s
id
entif
y re
leva
nt IC
T le
gisl
ativ
e an
d re
gula
tory
fra
mew
orks
iden
tify
risks
to C
ompu
ter
Syst
ems
exp
lore
tech
niqu
es a
nd
prac
tices
of r
isk
man
agem
ent
o
utlin
e th
e im
porta
nce
of
secu
ring
data
at o
ff-si
te
loca
tions
(clo
ud c
ompu
ting)
iden
tify
code
of e
thic
s an
d pr
ofes
sion
al p
ract
ices
in th
e C
ompu
ting
field
DataprivacyandIntegrity
C
omm
on th
reat
s an
d so
ftwar
e vu
lner
abilit
ies
to c
ompu
ter s
yste
ms
Protection,accesscontrol,and
auth
entic
atio
n of
dat
a
Legislationoncom
putersecurity
and
crim
es
DisasterR
ecoverymethods
R
isk
Man
agem
ent t
echn
ique
s
C
ode
of e
thic
s at
the
wor
kpla
ce
Bus
ines
s et
hics
suc
h as
: -
Fairn
ess
- Fi
rmne
ss
- Honesty
-
Self-
mot
ivat
ion
C
ondu
ctin
g ca
se s
tudi
es o
n di
ffere
nt a
ttack
sce
nario
s
Eva
luat
ing
maj
or c
ount
er
mea
sure
s to
sof
twar
e an
d sy
stem
atta
cks
L
istin
g to
ols
used
to
elim
inat
e vu
lner
abilit
ies
in
com
pute
r sys
tem
s
Car
ryin
g ou
t sys
tem
se
curit
y ad
min
istra
tion
task
s suchascreatingaccounts,
setti
ng p
erm
issi
ons
DescribingrelevantIC
Tle
gisl
ativ
e an
d re
gula
tory
fra
mew
orks
Con
duct
ing
case
stu
dies
on
Ris
k an
alys
is a
nd
man
agem
ent
F
orm
ulat
ing
a di
sast
er
reco
very
pla
n in
cas
e of
sy
stem
failu
re:
App
lyin
g co
de o
f eth
ics
and
prof
essi
onal
pra
ctic
es in
the
Com
putin
g fie
ld
IC
T to
ols
A
ntiv
irus
softw
are
F
irew
alls
Ant
i-spy
war
e
DataProtectionAct
P
rint a
nd E
lect
roni
c M
edia
Enc
rypt
ion
tool
s
Sec
ond
Scie
nce
Tech
nolo
gy a
nd
Inno
vatio
n Po
licy
of
Zim
babw
e (2
012)
Com
pute
r Sci
rnce
Syl
labu
s Fo
rms
5 - 6
Com
pute
r Sci
rnce
Syl
labu
s Fo
rms
5 - 6
8
inte
rrupt
s
exp
lain
add
ress
ing
mod
es
Inde
xed
and
Rel
ativ
e
Discussingcomputer
inte
rrupt
s
Distinguishinga
ddre
ssin
g m
odes
FORM
5 C
ontin
ued…
SK
ILL/
TOPI
C
OB
JEC
TIVE
Le
arne
rs s
houl
d be
abl
e to
: C
ON
TEN
T
(KN
OW
LED
GE,
SK
ILLS
, AT
TITU
DES
)
SUG
GES
TED
LEA
RN
ING
AC
TIVI
TIES
AN
D N
OTE
S SU
GG
ESTE
D
LEAR
NIN
G
RES
OU
RC
ES
8.4
Secu
rity
and
Ethi
cs
e
xpla
in th
e di
ffere
nce
betw
een
data
priv
acy
and
inte
grity
analyzecom
monthreats
and
vuln
erab
ilitie
s on
co
mpu
ter s
yste
ms
id
entif
y so
urce
s of
vu
lner
abilit
y
d
escr
ibe
how
dat
a is
kep
t sa
fe d
urin
g st
orag
e an
d tra
nsm
issi
on
e
valu
ate
tool
s us
ed to
el
imin
ate
vuln
erab
ilitie
s
id
entif
y re
leva
nt IC
T le
gisl
ativ
e an
d re
gula
tory
fra
mew
orks
iden
tify
risks
to C
ompu
ter
Syst
ems
exp
lore
tech
niqu
es a
nd
prac
tices
of r
isk
man
agem
ent
o
utlin
e th
e im
porta
nce
of
secu
ring
data
at o
ff-si
te
loca
tions
(clo
ud c
ompu
ting)
iden
tify
code
of e
thic
s an
d pr
ofes
sion
al p
ract
ices
in th
e C
ompu
ting
field
DataprivacyandIntegrity
C
omm
on th
reat
s an
d so
ftwar
e vu
lner
abilit
ies
to c
ompu
ter s
yste
ms
Protection,accesscontrol,and
auth
entic
atio
n of
dat
a
Legislationoncom
putersecurity
and
crim
es
DisasterR
ecoverymethods
R
isk
Man
agem
ent t
echn
ique
s
C
ode
of e
thic
s at
the
wor
kpla
ce
Bus
ines
s et
hics
suc
h as
: -
Fairn
ess
- Fi
rmne
ss
- Honesty
-
Self-
mot
ivat
ion
C
ondu
ctin
g ca
se s
tudi
es o
n di
ffere
nt a
ttack
sce
nario
s
Eva
luat
ing
maj
or c
ount
er
mea
sure
s to
sof
twar
e an
d sy
stem
atta
cks
L
istin
g to
ols
used
to
elim
inat
e vu
lner
abilit
ies
in
com
pute
r sys
tem
s
Car
ryin
g ou
t sys
tem
se
curit
y ad
min
istra
tion
task
s suchascreatingaccounts,
setti
ng p
erm
issi
ons
DescribingrelevantIC
Tle
gisl
ativ
e an
d re
gula
tory
fra
mew
orks
Con
duct
ing
case
stu
dies
on
Ris
k an
alys
is a
nd
man
agem
ent
F
orm
ulat
ing
a di
sast
er
reco
very
pla
n in
cas
e of
sy
stem
failu
re:
App
lyin
g co
de o
f eth
ics
and
prof
essi
onal
pra
ctic
es in
the
Com
putin
g fie
ld
IC
T to
ols
A
ntiv
irus
softw
are
F
irew
alls
Ant
i-spy
war
e
DataProtectionAct
P
rint a
nd E
lect
roni
c M
edia
Enc
rypt
ion
tool
s
Sec
ond
Scie
nce
Tech
nolo
gy a
nd
Inno
vatio
n Po
licy
of
Zim
babw
e (2
012)
Com
pute
r Sci
rnce
Syl
labu
s Fo
rms
5 - 6
8
9
dem
onst
rate
eth
ical
pr
actic
es in
Com
pute
r Sc
ienc
e
- In
tegr
ity
(unh
u/ub
untu
/Vum
unhu
)
Impa
ct o
f soc
ial m
edia
Discussingthedangers
and
ills fr
om m
isus
e of
so
cial
med
ia
Discussingtheattributesof
busi
ness
eth
ics
in c
ompu
ter
scie
nce
8.5
Softw
are
Dev
elop
me
nt
id
entif
y th
e op
portu
nity
for
softw
are
deve
lopm
ent
o
utlin
e fa
ct fi
ndin
g te
chni
ques
applySDLC
stagesin
softw
are
deve
lopm
ent
p
rodu
ce d
ocum
enta
tion
for
each
sta
ge
SDLC
(WaterfallModel)
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elim
inar
y in
vest
igat
ion
- Fe
asib
ility
stud
y -
Syst
em A
naly
sis
- Sy
stem
des
ign
- Sy
stem
dev
elop
men
t -
Test
ing
- Im
plem
enta
tion
- M
aint
enan
ce a
nd
Eval
uatio
n
S
elec
ting
proj
ect a
reas
in
grou
ps
Discussingfactfinding
tech
niqu
es
ApplyingSD
LCstagesina
grou
p pr
ojec
t
Cre
atin
g do
cum
enta
tion
for
each
sta
ge
P
rese
ntin
g th
eir g
roup
pr
ojec
ts
IC
T to
ols
NationalICTPo
licy
8.6
Algo
rithm
D
esig
n an
d D
ata
Stru
ctur
es
a
naly
se a
lgor
ithm
s fo
r a
give
n si
tuat
ion
des
ign
algo
rithm
s fo
r a
give
n si
tuat
ion
dem
onst
rate
fam
iliarit
y w
ith
stan
dard
alg
orith
ms
d
istin
guis
h be
twee
n dy
nam
ic a
nd s
tatic
dat
a st
ruct
ures
P
seud
ocod
e st
ruct
ures
-
Sele
ctio
n
- R
epet
ition
/Ite
ratio
n
S
tand
ard
algo
rithm
s
Sor
ting
algo
rithm
s
- Bu
bble
sor
t -
Qui
ck s
ort
S
earc
hing
alg
orith
ms
-
Line
ar
- Bi
nary
sea
rch
Datastructures
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Dynam
ic (b
inar
y tre
e)
- St
atic
(arra
y)
F
orm
ulat
ing
trace
tabl
es fo
r gi
ven
algo
rithm
s
Developingalgorithm
s
R
esea
rchi
ng o
n st
anda
rd
algo
rithm
s
Usi
ng s
tand
ard
algo
rithm
s to
sol
ve p
robl
ems
IC
T to
ols
NationalICTPo
licy
Com
pute
r Sci
rnce
Syl
labu
s Fo
rms
5 - 6
Com
pute
r Sci
rnce
Syl
labu
s Fo
rms
5 - 6
10
FORM
5 C
ontin
ued…
SK
ILL/
TOPI
C
OB
JEC
TIVE
Le
arne
rs s
houl
d be
abl
e to
: C
ON
TEN
T
(KN
OW
LED
GE,
SK
ILLS
, ATT
ITU
DES
) SU
GG
ESTE
D
LEAR
NIN
G
ACTI
VITI
ES A
ND
NO
TES
SUG
GES
TED
LE
ARN
ING
R
ESO
UR
CES
8.
7 Pr
ogra
mm
ing
des
crib
e th
e fe
atur
es o
f hig
h le
vel l
angu
ages
u
se th
e fe
atur
es o
f pr
ogra
mm
ing
lang
uage
s
u
se p
rogr
amm
ing
cons
truct
s in
st
ruct
ured
pro
gram
min
g
m
anip
ulat
e an
arra
y
read
/writ
e to
a fi
le
des
ign
inpu
t and
out
put
inte
rface
Ty
pes
of h
igh
leve
l lan
guag
es
- Im
pera
tive/
proc
edur
al
- D
ecla
rativ
e -
Gen
eral
pur
pose
-
Spec
ial p
urpo
se
- ObjectO
riented
Programming(OOP)
Pro
gram
min
g la
ngua
ges
feat
ures
-
Con
stan
ts
- Va
riabl
es
- Ex
pres
sion
s -
Stat
emen
ts
- C
ontro
l stru
ctur
e -
Bloc
k st
ruct
ure
- Va
riabl
es (l
ocal
and
glo
bal)
S
truct
ured
pro
gram
min
g -
Nestedloops
(up
to 3
) -
Itera
tion
-
Mul
tiple
Sel
ectio
n
Fun
ctio
ns a
nd p
roce
dure
s -
Para
met
er p
assi
ng
o by
val
ue
o by
refe
renc
e
A
rrays
-
1-Dimensional
- 2-Dimensional
File
han
dlin
g
Inte
rface
des
ign
- U
ser p
rofil
ing
- In
put a
nd o
utpu
t des
ign
Describing
char
acte
ristic
s an
d fe
atur
es o
f hig
h le
vel
lang
uage
s
Usi
ng th
e fe
atur
es o
f pr
ogra
mm
ing
lang
uage
s
A
pply
ing
prog
ram
min
g co
nstru
cts
in s
truct
ured
pr
ogra
mm
ing
Developingprograms
usin
g fu
nctio
ns
U
sing
arra
ys in
a
prog
ram
R
eadi
ng fr
om a
nd
writ
ing
to a
file
Con
stru
ctin
g in
put a
nd
outp
ut d
esig
ns
Pr
ogra
mm
ing
tool
s su
ch a
s VB
.Net,Java,
Pyth
on
M
ultim
edia
Tut
oria
ls
Ex
pertGuest
8.8
Dat
abas
es
d
escr
ibe
the
file
base
d ap
proa
ch d
atab
ase
syst
ems
out
line featuresofaDBM
S
F
ile b
ased
dat
abas
e sy
stem
s
DatabaseManagem
entS
ystems
(DBM
S)
- DataDefinition
Dis
cuss
ing
the
char
acte
ristic
s of
a fi
le
base
d ap
proa
ch
data
base
sys
tem
s
Databasesoftw
are
such
as MySQL
Designtoolssuch
asMsVisio,
Com
pute
r Sci
rnce
Syl
labu
s Fo
rms
5 - 6
10
11
d
escr
ibe
feat
ures
of r
elat
iona
l da
taba
se w
hich
add
ress
lim
itatio
ns o
f a fi
le b
ased
ap
proa
ch
writeSQ
Lco
mm
ands
d
evel
op in
terfa
ces
and
queriesusingDBM
Stools
acc
ess
data
in a
dat
abas
e th
roug
h a
high
leve
l lan
guag
e
d
esig
n da
taba
se a
pplic
atio
ns
usin
g En
tity
rela
tions
hip
diagrams(ERDs)
convertER
Dstore
lational
data
base
s sc
hem
a in
sta
ndar
d no
rmal
form
n
orm
alis
e da
taba
se ta
bles
up
to s
econ
d no
rmal
form
Language(DDL)
-
StructuredQuery
Language(SQL)
-
DataManipulation
Language(D
ML)
Rel
atio
nal d
atab
ase
mod
elin
g -
Anal
ysis
-
Normalis
atio
n
Databaseman
agem
ent
Describing
the
feat
ures
ofaDBM
S
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cuss
ing
the
feat
ures
of
rela
tiona
l dat
abas
es
UsingSQLcommands
to c
reat
e a
data
base
ta
ble
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L co
de to
qu
ery
or m
odify
dat
a in
da
taba
se ta
bles
Dev
elop
ing
inte
rface
s usingDBM
Stools
L
inki
ng h
igh
leve
l la
ngua
ges
with
da
taba
ses
ConstructingER
Dsfor
data
base
app
licat
ions
ConvertingERDsto
rela
tiona
l dat
abas
es
sche
ma
in s
tand
ard
norm
al fo
rm
Normalising
data
base
ta
bles
up
to s
econ
d no
rmal
form
Smartdraw,E
-dra
w
DBM
Ssoftw
are
tool
s
Com
pute
r Sci
rnce
Syl
labu
s Fo
rms
5 - 6
Com
pute
r Sci
rnce
Syl
labu
s Fo
rms
5 - 6
12
FORM
5 C
ontin
ued…
SK
ILL/
TOPI
C
OB
JEC
TIVE
Le
arne
rs s
houl
d be
abl
e to
: C
ON
TEN
T
(KN
OW
LED
GE,
SK
ILLS
, ATT
ITU
DES
) SU
GG
ESTE
D
LEAR
NIN
G
ACTI
VITI
ES A
ND
NO
TES
SUG
GES
TED
LE
ARN
ING
R
ESO
UR
CES
8.
9 En
terp
risin
g
iden
tify
area
s w
here
com
pute
r sc
ienc
e is
app
lied
eva
luat
e th
e im
porta
nce
of e
-Bu
sine
ss
e
xpla
in th
e el
emen
ts o
f m
arke
ting
des
ign
an IC
T re
late
d bu
sine
ss
prop
osal
des
crib
e th
e ro
le o
f Int
elle
ctua
l Pr
oper
ty R
ight
s
a
naly
se g
loba
l tre
nds
in th
e fie
ld o
f com
putin
g
Ap
plic
atio
n ar
eas
of C
ompu
ter S
cien
ce
such
as:
- En
gine
erin
g -
ResearchandD
evel
opm
ent
- Ag
ricul
tura
l Mec
hani
satio
n -
E- le
arni
ng
- Te
leco
mm
unic
atio
ns
BusinessProposalDevelop
men
t
E-B
usin
ess
-
Fina
ncia
l lite
racy
-
Mar
ketin
g an
d bu
sine
ss
strategies, s
kills
and
te
chni
ques
In
telle
ctua
l Pro
perty
Rig
ht
- Pa
tent
s an
d Tr
adem
arks
-
Plag
iaris
m a
nd C
opyr
ight
s is
sues
Globaltrendanalysis
A
ppre
ciat
ing
the
role
of
com
pute
r sci
ence
in
vario
us s
ecto
rs
Per
form
ing
basi
c ac
coun
ting
proc
edur
es
for t
he b
usin
ess
oper
atio
n
DesigningaviableICT
busi
ness
pla
n
Discussingthe
4P’s
m
arke
ting
Discussing
how
to
safe
guar
d in
nova
tions
Con
duct
ing
rese
arch
on
glo
bal t
rend
s in
the
field
of c
ompu
ting
C
ondu
ctin
g ed
ucat
iona
l tou
rs to
lo
cal i
ndus
tries
and
bu
sine
ss c
entre
s
IC
T to
ols
ExpertG
uest
Sec
ond
Scie
nce
Tech
nolo
gy a
nd
Inno
vatio
n Po
licy
of
Zim
babw
e (2
012)
Mar
ketin
g pl
an
tem
plat
es
B
usin
ess
plan
te
mpl
ates
Sta
tistic
al to
ols
Com
pute
r Sci
rnce
Syl
labu
s Fo
rms
5 - 6
12
13
FOR
M 6
FORM
6
SKIL
L/TO
PIC
O
BJE
CTI
VE
Lear
ners
sho
uld
be a
ble
to:
CO
NTE
NT
(K
NO
WLE
DG
E, S
KIL
LS, A
TTIT
UD
ES)
SUG
GES
TED
LE
ARN
ING
AC
TIVI
TIES
AN
D N
OTE
S
SUG
GES
TED
LE
ARN
ING
R
ESO
UR
CES
8.
10
Net
wor
king
diff
eren
tiate
clo
ud s
ervi
ce
mod
els
des
crib
e cl
oud
type
s
C
loud
Ser
vice
Mod
els
- So
ftwar
e as
a S
ervi
ce (S
aaS)
-
Plat
form
as
a Se
rvic
e (P
aaS
Clo
ud T
ypes
-
Publ
ic
- Pr
ivat
e
Discussingcloud
se
rvic
e m
odel
s
Usi
ng c
loud
ser
vice
s su
ch a
s Googleand
Mic
roso
ft se
rvic
es
C
ompa
ring
clou
d ty
pes
Googledrive
Dropbox
M
icro
soft
365
8.11
Al
gorit
hm
Des
ign
and
Dat
a St
ruct
ures
p
erfo
rm o
pera
tions
on
bina
ry tr
ees
and
arra
ys
out
line
prim
itive
dat
a ty
pes
use
exa
mpl
e to
de
mon
stra
te re
curs
ion
B
inar
y tre
es a
nd a
rray
oper
atio
ns
- So
rting
-
Del
etio
n -
Inse
rtion
-
Sear
chin
g
P
rimiti
ve d
ata
type
s
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tege
r -
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ting
poin
t -
Cha
ract
er
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olea
n
Rec
ursi
on
P
erfo
rmin
g bi
nary
op
erat
ion
on a
rrays
an
d bi
nary
tree
s
Discuss
ing
prim
itive
da
ta ty
pes
Writ
ing
algo
rithm
s fo
r re
curs
ive
func
tions
IC
T to
ols
SmartD
raw
Inte
rnet
Mul
timed
ia
Tuto
rials
8.12
Pr
ogra
mm
ing
o
utlinefeaturesofO
OP
des
ign
gam
es a
nd m
obile
ap
plic
atio
ns
ObjectO
rientedProgram
ming
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lass
es
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caps
ulat
ion
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lym
orph
ism
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herit
ance
Adv
ance
d Pr
ogra
mm
ing
-
Mob
ile a
pplic
atio
ns
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ming
Im
plem
entin
g cl
asse
s
D
emon
stra
ting
the
use
of a
sin
glet
on
Des
igni
ng g
ames
w
ith in
dige
nous
or
ient
atio
n an
d m
obile
dev
ice
appl
icat
ions
P
rogr
amm
ing
Tool
s su
ch a
s Java,P
ython,
VB.Net,P
HP
Ani
mat
ion
softw
are
such
as
Adob
e C
reat
ive
Softw
are
Com
pute
r Sci
rnce
Syl
labu
s Fo
rms
5 - 6
14
FORM
6 C
ontin
ued…
SK
ILL/
TOPI
C
OB
JEC
TIVE
Le
arne
rs s
houl
d be
abl
e to
: C
ON
TEN
T
(KN
OW
LED
GE,
SK
ILLS
, ATT
ITU
DES
) SU
GG
ESTE
D
LEAR
NIN
G
ACTI
VITI
ES
AND
NO
TES
SUG
GES
TED
LE
ARN
ING
R
ESO
UR
CES
8.
13
Com
pute
r Ar
chite
ctur
e
con
stru
ct a
n ar
chite
ctur
al
desi
gn fo
r a g
iven
sce
nario
S
oftw
are
Arch
itect
ure
- Ar
chite
ctur
al d
esig
n
Dra
win
g an
ar
chite
ctur
al d
esig
n fro
m u
ser r
equi
rem
ents
In
tern
et
Designtools
such
as
Ms
Visio,
Smartdraw,E
-dr
aw
8.14
So
ftwar
e de
velo
pmen
t
exp
lain
the
conc
ept o
f so
ftwar
e pr
oces
s m
odel
s
d
evel
op a
pro
ject
usi
ng
proc
ess
mod
els
ObjectO
rient
ed M
etho
dolo
gy
(OOM)
P
roto
typi
ng
Discussing
softw
are
proc
ess
mod
els
A
pply
ing
softw
are
proc
ess
mod
els
to a
pr
ojec
t
IC
T To
ols
8.15
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9.0 ASSESSMENTInordertohaveaholisticassessmentofthelearnerfromform5to6,learnerswillbeassessedintheaspectsofcon-tinuousandsummativeassessmentwitheachcontributingtothelearner’sfinalgrade.
9.1 Assessment Objectives
Learnerswillbeassessedinthefollowingareas:
(i) Knowledge and Understanding
Learnersshouldbeableto:• describetheuseofcomputerscienceinarangeofinformationprocessingsystems• outlinethefunctionsofthehardwareandsoftwarecomponentsinacomputersystem• explaintheuseofSDLCinsoftwaredevelopment• explainthesocial,economic,ethicalandlegaleffectsofcomputeruseonindividuals,organizationandsociety
(ii) Problem Solving
Learnersshouldbeableto:
• applyprogrammingconceptstosolvereallifeproblems• designcomputersystemsbasedonuserrequirementsspecifications• designanappropriatealgorithmforagivenscenario
(iii) Communication Skills
Learnersshouldbeableto:
• developanunderstandingofthecomponentpartsofcomputersystemsandhowtheyinter-relateincludingsoft-ware,data,hardware,communicationsandpeople
• interpretandpresentinformationinavarietyofforms• clarifysourcecodethroughcomments
(iv) Practical Skills
Learnersshouldbeableto:
• design,developanddocumentcomputersystemstosolveproblems• demonstrateproficiencyinthecreation,designandimplementationofcomputersolutionsusingprescribedpro-
gramming packages• designlogiccircuitforagiventask
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Assessment of learner performance in 100%
Continuous assessment 30%
Continuous assessment mark = 30%
FINAL MARKS 100 %
Summative Assessment 70%
Summative Assessment mark= 70%
Profiling
Profile
ExitProfile
Paper 3 Course-
work 10%
Paper 4 Projects
20%
Paper 130%
Paper 240%
9.2 Scheme of Assessment
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The Scheme of Assessment is intended to encourage positive achievement by all learners. The subject will be examined in 4 papers as shown in the table below. Paper Form of
Assessment Type of Paper Duration Total
marks Weighting (%)
1 Summative Assessment
Free Response 3Hours 100 30 2 Practical 3Hours 100 40 3 Continuous
assessment Coursework 5 terms 100 10
4 Project 4 terms 100 20 TOTAL 400 100
9.3 Specification Grid
(a) Content distribution
PAPER 1 TOPIC WEIGHTING (30%) DataRepresentation 15 Networking 20 Computer Architecture 20 Security and Ethics 10 AlgorithmDesignandDataStructures 15 Databases 10 Enterprising 10 TOTAL 100 PAPER 2 SECTION WEIGHTING (40%) Computer Architecture 30 Programming, Algorithm design and Databases
40
Networking 30 TOTAL 100 (b) Skills distribution
All internal and external tests on cognitive skills (theory) shall be 40% knowledge and understanding and 60% problem solving. All internal and external practical tests shall be 100% practical skills. Thus theweightingofquestionsbasedontheskillsforthesubject,willbeasfollows:
(b) Skills distribution
All internal and external tests on cognitive skills (theory) shall be 40% knowledge and understanding and 60% prob-lem solving. All internal and external practical tests shall be 100% practical skills. Thus the weighting of questions basedontheskillsforthesubject,willbeasfollows:
SKILL Paper 1(%) PAPER 2(%) Knowledge and Understanding 30 10 Problem Solving 50 40 Practical Skills 20 50 TOTAL 100 100
9.4 Paper Descriptions Paper 1: Theory (100 Marks) The paper consists of 10 to 12 compulsory questions. Paper 2: Practical (100 Marks) The paper consists of 3 sections with 6 practical questions where candidates answer 1 question from each section. Paper 3: Continuous Assessment (Coursework) {100 marks} Coursework is made up of 7 items which comprises of five practicalassignmentsandtwotheorytests.Practicalassignmentsandtestsareset,markedandrecorded internally by teachers. Each of these assignments and tests should match the skills distribution table given above. The internal practical assignments are spaced equitably from the beginning of term one in Form 5 up to the end of term two in Form 6. The internal theory coursework tests should be written one in Form 5 and one in Form 6 however the tests should be within the range term two in Form 5 and end of term two in Form 6. All marked practical and theory scripts including the compiled mark schedule will be submitted to ZIMSEC. Paper 4: Project (100 marks) Examination Centres are advised to encourage their candidates to identify real life problems within their environment and develop solutions in line with the project guide lines. This will require candidates to have practical computer science skills withabiastowardsdesigning,electronic,programmingornetworkingbased projects. Knowledge of programming language syntax will be examined in this project report. The higher ability candidates are to be encouraged to extend their practical programming beyond the scope of these tasks. The project work should be carried out from term two in Form 5 to end of term two in Form 6.The marked project reports including the compiled mark schedule will be submitted to ZIMSEC. 10.0 GLOSSARY/APPENDICES
APPENDIX I: GLOSSARY OF TERMS USED IN QUESTION PAPERS It is hoped that the glossary will be helpful to learners as a guide. The glossary has been deliberately kept brief not only with respect to the number of terms included but also to the descriptions of their meanings.Learnersshouldappreciatethatthemeaningofatermmustdependinpartonitscontext. 1 Define isintendedliterally,onlyaformalstatementorequivalentparaphrasesbeingrequired. 2 State implies a concise answer with little or no supporting argument e.g. numerical answer that can readily be obtained by inspection
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9.4 Paper Descriptions
Paper 1: Theory (100 Marks)The paper consists of 10 to 12 compulsory questions.
Paper 2: Practical (100 Marks)The paper consists of 3 sections with 6 practical questions where candidates answer 1 question from each section.
Paper 3: Continuous Assessment (Coursework) {100 marks}Courseworkismadeupof7itemswhichcomprisesoffivepracticalassignmentsandtwotheorytests.Practicalassignmentsandtestsareset,markedandrecordedinternallybyteachers.Eachoftheseassignmentsandtestsshould match the skills distribution table given above. The internal practical assignments are spaced equitably from the beginning of term one in Form 5 up to the end of term two in Form 6. The internal theory coursework tests should be written one in Form 5 and one in Form 6 however the tests should be within the range term two in Form 5 and end of term two in Form 6. All marked practical and theory scripts including the compiled mark schedule will be submitted to ZIMSEC. Paper 4: Project (100 marks)Examination Centres are advised to encourage their candidates to identify real life problems within their environment and develop solutions in line with the project guide lines. This will require candidates to have practical computer scienceskillswithabiastowardsdesigning,electronic,programmingornetworkingbasedprojects.Knowledgeofpro-gramming language syntax will be examined in this project report. The higher ability candidates are to be encouraged to extend their practical programming beyond the scope of these tasks. The project work should be carried out from term two in Form 5 to end of term two in Form 6.The marked project reports including the compiled mark schedule will be submitted to ZIMSEC.
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1 Define isintendedliterally,onlyaformalstatementorequivalentparaphrasesbeingrequired.2 State implies a concise answer with little or no supporting argument e.g. numerical answer
that can readily be obtained by inspection
3 List requiresanumberofpointsgenerallyeachofonewordwithnoelaboration,whereanumberofpointsisspecifiedthisshouldnotbeexceeded.
4 Explain may imply reasoning or some reference to theory depending on the context5 Describe requires the candidate to state in words (using diagrams where appropriate) the main
points of the concept
6 Outline implies brevity that is restricting the answer to given essentials7 Predict/deduce the candidate is expected to produce the expected answer by making a logical connec-
tion between other pieces of information8 Suggest it is used in two main contexts that is either to imply that there is no unique answer or to
imply that learners are expected to apply their general knowledge9 Find isageneraltermthatmayvariouslybeinterpretedascalculate,measure,determineetc10 Determine often implies that the quantity concerned cannot be measured directly but is obtained
by calculation
10.0 GLOSSARY/APPENDICES
APPENDIX I: GLOSSARY OF TERMS USED IN QUESTION PAPERS
APPENDIX II: ACRONYMS ASCII- American Standard Code for Information Interchange.
BCD Binary-CodedDecimal.
DBMS DatabaseManagementSystems
DNS DomainNameSystem
EBCDIC Extended BinaryCodedDecimalInterchangeCode
ICT Information and Communications Technology - or Technologies
IP Internet Protocol
OOM ObjectOrientedMethodology
OOP ObjectOrientedProgramming
OSI OpenSystemsInterconnection
OSPF OpenShortestPathFirst
PaaS Platform as a Service
RIP Routing Information Protocol
SaaS Software as a Service
SDLC SystemDevelopmentLifeCycle
UNICODE Universal trunk - out-of-serviceCODE
EMA Environmental Management Agent
APPENDIX III: PRACTICAL ASSESSMENT GUIDELINES Computer Science is a practical subject and a range of practical exercises should complement the study of the practical parts of the syllabus. It is recommended that learners should be exposed to eight practical lessons per week. It is also recommended that the computer-learner ratio be 1:1. Where possible,machinesshouldbeloadedwithintegratedpackagestofacilitateeasyimportingandexportingofdocuments. Practical Examination The practical examination session should be invigilated by the any teacher from any department and Computer Science teacher(s) should be available for technical support. Project Guide (ZIMSEC to consider separate guidelines for candidates doing hardware related projects)
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APPENDIX III: PRACTICAL ASSESSMENT GUIDELINES
Computer Science is a practical subject and a range of practical exercises should complement the study of the practi-cal parts of the syllabus. It is recommended that learners should be exposed to eight practical lessons per week. It is alsorecommendedthatthecomputer-learnerratiobe1:1.Wherepossible,machinesshouldbeloadedwithintegratedpackages to facilitate easy importing and exporting of documents.
Practical ExaminationThe practical examination session should be invigilated by the any teacher from any department and Computer Sci-ence teacher(s) should be available for technical support.
ProjectGuide(ZIMSECtoconsiderseparateguidelinesforcandidatesdoinghardwarerelatedprojects)The project must not exceed 50 pages excluding appendices. The project must include the following layout1. Cover Page2. Table of Contents3. AppendicesThe Appendices include any two of the following• Sampleofcompletedquestionnaires• Sampleofinterviewquestionswithrespondentanswers• SampledocumentsNBtheprojectmustbespiralbound
SECTIONA(25marks)
Selection,InvestigationandAnalysis
• Defineaproblem- Choice of problem area and background analysis.[3]
• Investigationofthecurrentsystem- DataanalysisusingDFDs,flowchartsandERDs- Researchinstrumentse.g.questionnaire,recordinspection,interviewsandobservation.- Identify problems with the current system.[5]
• Feasibilitystudy [5]• Requirementsspecification
- User- Software- Hardware.[4]
• Aimsandobjectives.[5]• Evidencethattheresearchhasbeencarriedout[3]
- Examplesarefilledinquestionnaires,interviewswithrespondentanswers,sampledocumentsandwriteuponobservation.
SECTIONB(25marks)
Design• Considerationofalternativemethod.[3]
- Justificationofproposedsolution[2]• Inputdesign
- Appropriate data capture forms and screen layouts [4]• DataStructures/Filedesign[5]OR• ObjectOrientedDesign
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- Class diagrams- Use Case diagrams- Sequence diagrams
• OverallPlan[3]• OutputDesign
- Specificationanddesignoftherequiredoutput- Interface design (on screen commands) [5]
• TestStrategy/TestPlan- Select test plan and justify [3]
SECTIONC(25marks)
SoftwareDevelopment
• Techniquesthatimprovethestructure,appearanceandclarityofthecodethatis:- Procedures- Functions- Scope of variables (local and global)- Use of comments- Blank lines- Indentation [10]
• Technicaldocumentation- Algorithms pseudocodes flowchartsformodules
- codes/program listings [7]
• Userdocumentation- Installation- Starting the systems- Navigationofthesystem- Exiting the system [8]
SECTIOND(15marks)
Testing and Evaluation • UserTesting
- Designandselecttestdata- Testforstandard,extremeandabnormal/invaliddata- Evidence of testing to be shown through sample runs and error message [5]
• SystemTesting- Ease of use clarityofinstructiontotheuser
- Reliability producereliableresults,thereshouldbenobugs
- Effectiveness Thesystemshouldworkefficiently
- Produce results with minimum delay [5]
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• EvaluationLimitationsofthesystem- Extentofsuccessinmeetingthesystemobjectivesasstatedinthesystemrequirementspecification- Achievements- Limitations- Evaluate results against the system objectives – achievements and limitations- Opportunitiesforfuturedevelopment[5]
SECTIONE(10marks)
GeneralExpectations
• DepthofKnowledgeandUnderstanding- Reflectsthedegreeofcomputingintheproject- Is the code fairly standard?- Differenttechniquesimplemented[2]
• DegreeofOriginality- Imagination and innovation- Hasanattemptbeenmadetodosomethingdifferent/unique?[2]
• Overallconductoftheproject- Istheworkcarefullyorganized?Thedegreeofhelptobereflected[1]
• Qualityofthecompletedreport- Written report should be easy to follow- Definedsections,pagenumbersandanindex.[5]
APPENDIX IV: RESOURCES AND EQUIPMENT
Infrastructure and Equipment
ForaschooltoruntheComputerScienceSyllabusforexaminationpurposes,theunderlistedinfrastructureandequipment need to be in place
ComputerLaboratory
Personal Computers to accommodate 1 learner per computer and a printerComputerDesksandChairstoaccommodatethenumberoflearnersDustlessDisplaysfortheTeacher(securely-mountedWhiteboard,LCDprojector)
Theory Classroom
Classroom furniture to accommodate the learners WritingSurfacefortheTeacher(e.g.securely-mountedWhiteboard,LCDprojector)
Inboththeabovecases,thereshouldbeadequatelightingandventilation.Elementofinclusivityshouldbetakenintoaccount.
APPENDIX V: SUGGESTED REFERENCE BOOKS
Itshouldbenotedthatspecifyingalimitedlistoftextbooksisdifficultasnewtitlesarebeingavailedallthetime.Teachersarethereforeencouragedtoconsultotherbooksinordertoadequatelycoverthewholesyllabus.However,below is a suggested book list which serves the purpose of being a reference guide.
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• Langfield.S&Heathcote,‘A’LevelComputing,5thEdition,Payne-GallwayPublishers,2004.• RayBradley,UnderstandingComputerScience.• SylviaLangfield&DaveDuddell,CambridgeInternationalASandALevelComputerScienceCoursebook,2015.• BritishComputerSociety(2005),TheBCSGlossaryICTandComputerTerms,McMillan,UK• KevinBond,A‘LevelComputerScience.
Computer Scirnce Syllabus Forms 5 - 6