Read School switch to Pearson Edexcel GCSE Computer Science - Head of Computing interview

Oct 20, 2026

Uploaded by James

Read School shares an internal transition experience from the AQA Computer Science GCSE to Pearson Edexcel GCSE Computer Science, explained by Chris Sharples, Head of Computing. The narrative covers the decision process, mapping differences from local NCCE Hub sessions, reassurance through teacher and resource research, and the impact on Year 10 and Year 11 students. It highlights Paper 2’s on-screen six-task Python assessment, IDE support, programming confidence, and how reduced theory content shapes student preparation and outcomes.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryExam

FormatPDF

Pages4

Reading Time10 min

AccessFree to download

Background

Students develop a better understanding of programming with Pearson Edexcel

Paper 2 on-screen assessment and Python tasks

IDE support and coding approach

Qualification structure and theory differences

Reduced theory compared with AQA

Added topics in Pearson Edexcel

© Juice Verve/Shutterstock Read School switch to Pearson Edexcel GCSE Computer Science | School name: | Read School | Region: | Selby, North Yorkshire | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Number of pupils: | 242 | Age range: | 4 to 18 | We talk to Chris Sharples, Head of Computing, at Read School who explains why he chose to switch to Pearson Edexcel GCSE Computer Science. Chris explains the school’s transition journey with links to all the resources and a schedule to help others make their own transition as easy and as effective as possible. Find out why he and the students are so pleased that they made the switch. Background When I started as Head of Computing just over two years ago, I inherited the AQA Computer Science GCSE as well as the AQA A-level. I stuck with both during lockdown, but in 2021-22 I had a Year 10 group with some excellent programmers who wanted to progress to university courses in Computing. I had concerns about AQA Paper 1: Computational thinking and programming skills, most fundamentally about it being a written paper for assessing coding. © Shutterstock We knew moving to Pearson Edexcel was in the best interest of our students I attended a Debriefing the Exam session run by my local NCCE Hub. Paul Long gave the introduction and offered a detailed mapping of the differences between the content of the GCSE courses. We also heard about the experiences of 15 or so Pearson Edexcel teachers. Every single one was positive about the exam that summer, including the practicalities of carrying out the Paper 2 onscreen assessment. I reached out to a friend who taught Pearson Edexcel, to ask more questions. I also looked at transfer documents available on the Pearson Edexcel site, especially their own Getting Started Guide. I contacted PG Online and had avery fair costing to move from AQA to Pearson Edexcel resources. Reassured, and convinced it was in the best interests of my students, I contacted my Head Teacher. We agreed to change courses, swapping from AQA to Pearson Edexcel in September. This meant my Year 11s would change course with only nine months left until their exams. When I told the students of the change, and explained the differences in the next two sections, universal cheering broke out and my Year 11s were delighted. My Y11 students have just completed their second mock paper, a full live exam of the practical 2022 Paper 2 from last year. All my students managed to complete between four and the full six tasks, working strategically to grab as many marks as they could. On average they are more than a grade above target. © Photo: Chris Sharples Students develop a better understanding of programming with Pearson Edexcel because the level required is greater The most important reason for changing exam boards is the Paper 2 on-screen assessment which means that each student works on a computer to attempt to complete six tasks using Python. These six tasks get increasingly harder. They progress from instructions to add code to complete a half-written programme, through rearranging lines of a complete programme, to writing a programme to use a given 2-D array or csv text file. You get the idea! Students can choose which IDE to use as long as it is off-line. We have IDLE and Thonny. The students take each . py file from the student’s folder, annotate their code, then save it in the Completed Coding folder. For students who are good at programming, the greatest frustration is when they have to make changes to other’s code when they would prefer to start again and do it their way. I remind them of the advantages that they are using Python, not Pseudocode, and they are coding, not thinking about code and syntax without being able to try out their code. Lower ability students benefit from the IDE at least showing them syntax and logical errors so they can show their skills of getting a programme working rather than their knowledge of syntax. GCSE Comput

FAQs

Why did Read School decide to switch GCSE Computer Science exam boards to Pearson Edexcel?

The shift was driven mainly by the Paper 2 on-screen assessment, where students complete six increasingly difficult Python tasks on a computer, aligning better with developing real coding capability.

How does the Paper 2 assessment work in Pearson Edexcel?

Students work through six tasks using Python, progressing from adding code to completing half-written programs, rearranging lines of a full program, and writing code using a given 2-D array or CSV text file.

What preparation and support do students get during the on-screen programming tasks?

Students choose an off-line IDE such as IDLE or Thonny, annotate .py files, save work in the Completed Coding folder, and receive IDE assistance that helps even lower-ability students understand syntax and logical errors.

Oct 20, 2026

Uploaded by James