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3 Draft Leaving Certificate specifications consultations

3 Draft Leaving Certificate specifications consultations

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Expectations for Students/Learning outcomes

Students learn about Students should be able to
1 my digital world:

The importance of computers in modern society and my life

  1. 1.1

    present and share examples of what computers are used for and discuss their importance in modern society and in their lives.

  2. 1.2

    describe the main components of a computer system (CPU, memory, main storage, I/O devices, buses)

  3. 1.3

    explain how computers are devices for executing programs via the use of programming languages

    • Examples of Student Work


    • Transferable Skills


    • Key Skills


    • Context Examples


Students learn about Students should be able to
2 being a coder - step by step:

How to start programming and develop basic algorithms

  1. 1.4

    develop appropriate algorithms using pseudo-code and/or flow charts

  2. 1.5

    write code to implement algorithms

  3. 1.6

    discuss and implement core features of structured programming languages, such as variables, operators, loops, decisions, assignment and modules

  4. 1.7

    test the code

  5. 1.8

    evaluate the results in groups of two or three.

Students learn about Students should be able to
1 making connections:

Computers are  communication devices

  1. 2.1

    discuss the basic concepts underlying the internet

  2. 2.2

    describe how data is transported on the Internet and how computers communicate and cooperate through protocols

    • Examples of Student Work


    • Transferable Skills


    • Key Skills


    • Context Examples


  3. 2.3

    explain how search engines deliver results

  4. 2.4

    build a website using HTML and CSS to showcase their learning.

Students learn about Students should be able to
2 bits and bytes:

How computers store data

  1. 2.5

    explain how computers represent data using 1’s and 0’s

  2. 2.6

    investigate how drawings and photos are represented in computing devices

Students learn about Students should be able to
3 Real world problems:

Computer science inspiring me

  1. 2.7

    identify a topic or a challenge in computer science that inspires them

  2. 2.8

    conduct research on the topic/challenge

  3. 2.9

    present a proposal for discussion and reflect on feedback

  4. 2.10

    convince their peers that an idea is worthwhile

Students learn about Students should be able to
1 Being a coder:

More advanced concepts in programming and computational thinking

  1. 3.1

    creatively design and write code for short programming tasks to demonstrate the use of operators for assignment, arithmetic, comparison, and Boolean combinations.

  2. 3.2

    complete short programming tasks using basic linear data structures (e.g. array or list).

  3. 3.3

    demonstrate how functions and/or procedures (definition and call) capture abstractions

  4. 3.4

    describe program flow control e.g. parallel or sequential flow of control – language dependent

Students learn about Students should be able to
2 Documenting the code:

Documentation and code analysis

  1. 3.5

    document programs to explain how they work

  2. 3.6

    present the documented code to each other in small groups

  3. 3.7

    analyse code to determine its function and identify errors or potential errors

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