Cambridge · Syllabus guide
Cambridge Computer Science: what the papers actually assess
Every component, its duration, its mark total and its weighting: taken from the current published specification rather than summarised from memory.
- Syllabus 0478
- Syllabus 0984
- Syllabus 9618
The programming-and-theory route: how machines represent and move data, plus writing and tracing algorithms by hand and at a keyboard. The exam tests a narrower, more precise skill than the one most keen programmers have been practising.
Cambridge International runs the IGCSE, O Level and AS & A Level qualifications taken by most British-curriculum schools in the Gulf. Its Computer Science and IT syllabuses are revised on a three-year cycle, and each revision changes what the papers ask for. That cycle is the reason this page states which version it describes: material written for an older specification can be actively misleading, and a student preparing for the wrong paper structure is preparing badly.
Cambridge IGCSE Computer Science (0478)
Two written papers of equal weight. One covers how computer systems represent, move and process data; the other covers algorithm design, programming, databases and Boolean logic, and closes with a scenario-based question.
How it is assessed
All candidates take two components, both externally assessed, both compulsory in full. Each paper is 1 hour 45 minutes and carries 75 marks, so each is worth exactly half the qualification. No calculators are permitted in either paper.
| Component | Duration | Marks | Weight | What it covers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paper 1 Computer Systems |
1 hour 45 minutes | 75 | 50% | Topics 1-6 of the subject content Short-answer and structured questions. All questions compulsory, externally assessed. |
| Paper 2 Algorithms, Programming and Logic |
1 hour 45 minutes | 75 | 50% | Topics 7-10 of the subject content Short-answer and structured questions plus a scenario-based question. All questions compulsory, externally assessed. |
Where marks are usually lost
Paper 2 is where the grade is usually decided. Students who can produce working code at a keyboard often cannot write the same algorithm on paper in pseudocode, and the scenario question rewards a structured approach (identify the inputs, name the variables, write the loop) over improvisation.
Subject content
- 1. Data representation
- 2. Data transmission
- 3. Hardware
- 4. Software
- 5. The internet and its uses
- 6. Automated and emerging technologies
- 7. Algorithm design and problem-solving
- 8. Programming
- 9. Databases
- 10. Boolean logic
Assessment details above are taken from the Cambridge International syllabus for 2026, 2027 and 2028. Official syllabus page · specification PDF. If anything here disagrees with the official document, the official document is right; tell us and we will correct it.
Cambridge IGCSE (9-1) Computer Science (0984)
The same subject content and the same two papers as 0478, reported on the 9-1 grade scale instead of A*-G. Which code a school enters is an administrative decision, not a difference in what is taught.
How it is assessed
Identical in structure to 0478: two externally assessed written papers, each 1 hour 45 minutes and 75 marks, each worth 50% of the qualification, with no calculators permitted. Results are reported on the 9-1 scale.
| Component | Duration | Marks | Weight | What it covers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paper 1 Computer Systems |
1 hour 45 minutes | 75 | 50% | Topics 1-6 of the subject content Short-answer and structured questions. All questions compulsory, externally assessed. |
| Paper 2 Algorithms, Programming and Logic |
1 hour 45 minutes | 75 | 50% | Topics 7-10 of the subject content Short-answer and structured questions plus a scenario-based question. All questions compulsory, externally assessed. |
Where marks are usually lost
Because the content is shared with 0478, past papers and mark schemes from either code are equally useful for practice. The only thing to watch is grade-boundary conversion, which is published separately for each code after every series.
Subject content
- 1. Data representation
- 2. Data transmission
- 3. Hardware
- 4. Software
- 5. The internet and its uses
- 6. Automated and emerging technologies
- 7. Algorithm design and problem-solving
- 8. Programming
- 9. Databases
- 10. Boolean logic
Assessment details above are taken from the Cambridge International syllabus for 2026, 2027 and 2028. Official syllabus page. If anything here disagrees with the official document, the official document is right; tell us and we will correct it.
Cambridge International AS & A Level Computer Science (9618)
Four papers. AS Level is Papers 1 and 2; the full A Level adds Papers 3 and 4, including a practical paper sat at a computer in which complete program code and evidence of testing are submitted.
How it is assessed
At AS Level candidates take Papers 1 and 2, each worth 50% of the AS. At A Level candidates take all four papers, each worth 25%. Every paper is externally assessed and every question is compulsory. Calculators must not be used in any paper.
| Component | Duration | Marks | Weight | What it covers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paper 1 Theory Fundamentals |
1 hour 30 minutes | 75 | 50% of AS Level · 25% of A Level | Sections 1-8 of the syllabus content Written paper, externally assessed. All questions compulsory. |
| Paper 2 Fundamental Problem-solving and Programming Skills |
2 hours | 75 | 50% of AS Level · 25% of A Level | Sections 9-12 of the syllabus content Written paper, externally assessed. Answers are written in pseudocode. |
| Paper 3 Advanced Theory |
1 hour 30 minutes | 75 | 25% of A Level | Sections 13-20 of the syllabus content Written paper, externally assessed. All questions compulsory. |
| Paper 4 Practical |
2 hours 30 minutes | 75 | 25% of A Level | Sections 19-20, excluding low-level and declarative programming Sat at a computer without internet or email. Candidates submit complete program code and evidence of testing, in Java, Visual Basic (.NET) or Python, console mode. |
Where marks are usually lost
Paper 2 catches students who have only ever written code in an IDE: it is answered in pseudocode, by hand, with no interpreter to catch a mistake. Paper 4 catches the opposite habit: code that runs but arrives without the structured test evidence the mark scheme requires. Both are trainable, and both need to be trained deliberately rather than picked up.
Subject content
- 1. Information representation
- 2. Communication
- 3. Hardware
- 4. Processor fundamentals
- 5. System software
- 6. Security, privacy and data integrity
- 7. Ethics and ownership
- 8. Databases
- 9. Algorithm design and problem-solving
- 10. Data types and structures
- 11. Programming
- 12. Software development
- 13. Data representation
- 14. Communication and internet technologies
- 15. Hardware and virtual machines
- 16. System software
- 17. Security
- 18. Artificial intelligence (AI)
- 19. Computational thinking and problem-solving
- 20. Further programming
Assessment details above are taken from the Cambridge International syllabus for 2027, 2028 and 2029. Official syllabus page · specification PDF. If anything here disagrees with the official document, the official document is right; tell us and we will correct it.
Getting past papers
From Cambridge International directly, through your school, or via the School Support Hub if your school has access. We deliberately do not host past papers here: they are Cambridge’s copyright, and the official versions are the ones you want in any case, because they come with the matching mark schemes and examiner reports.
The examiner reports are the underused resource. They say, in plain language and for that specific series, exactly what candidates got wrong. Reading two of them is worth more than a month of general revision.
Questions about Cambridge Computer Science
How often does Cambridge change these syllabuses?
On a rolling three-year cycle, with each new version published well ahead of first teaching. Changes are not cosmetic, recent revisions have altered paper structure and removed components, so material written for an older version can actively mislead. Every syllabus page here states which version it describes and links to the source.
Where can I get past papers?
From Cambridge International directly, through the school, or from the School Support Hub if your school has access. We do not host past papers on this site; they are Cambridge's copyright and the official versions are the ones you want anyway.
What is the difference between 0478 and 0984?
The subject content and the papers are the same. 0478 reports on the A*-G scale and 0984 on the 9-1 scale. Which one a school enters is an administrative decision, and past papers from either are equally good practice.
Can a student take AS Level Computer Science without continuing to A Level?
Yes. Papers 1 and 2 are a complete AS Level qualification in their own right, and candidates can sit them in a single series. Continuing to the full A Level adds Papers 3 and 4.
My child is good at coding but their grade is poor. Why?
Because the exam does not test coding the way they practise it. It asks for algorithms written by hand in pseudocode, traced through a table, and explained in the vocabulary of the mark scheme. A student who builds things all weekend can still lose half the programming paper.
Computer Science or ICT, which should we choose?
Computer Science if the student is comfortable with abstraction and wants a technical degree route; ICT if they prefer applied, precision-driven work assessed largely at a computer. Neither is the easy option: they are difficult in different directions.
Which programming language will be taught?
Usually Python, because it is what most schools use and it maps cleanly onto exam pseudocode. For A Level practical papers we work in whichever language the student will actually sit the paper in.