CIE Computer Science IGCSE 0478 will first be examined in 2015.

It is available to private
candidates (syllabus p7), and is assessed by written exam only. There are two papers and "pre-
release material" is made available to centres around 6 months before the exams.
The dedicated textbook for the new syllabus - [Cambridge IGCSE Computer Science by David
Watson and Helen Williams was published late, in spring 2015, and contained various typos. The
content of the CD-ROM which was supposed to come with the book can be downloaded from
Hodder Education.
If you purchased the original textbook for CIE Computer Science (aka Comptuer Science, from the
typo on the spine), you may be able to get the new, updated version sent to you free of charge
from: Joan Cooke, Customer Service Advisor , Childrens and Education Departments, Hachette
UK Distribution. Tel: 01235 827827 Email: joan.cooke@bookpoint.co.uk
The change to the content of the course is fairly minor - the main change is in the structure of
the exam, which has become all written exam-only, so ideal for private candidates. This means that
textbooks for CIE Computer Studies should cover most of the material.
There appear to be only minor changes to content according to the newsletter update (below), but
do check this yourself on the syllabus.
The Cambridge GCSE Computing MOOC has a section on Ethical, Environmental and Legal
considerations, which would probably be helpful for the Computer Ethics section. It also has a big
section on hexadecimal numbers, in the module on "Representation of data in computer systems",
and a whole section on Arrays under the Programming module. The syllabus is very specific about
what you need to know.
Previously named ‘0420 Computer Studies’, this syllabus has been reviewed to bring it up to date
and to allow learners to begin the development of their computational thinking and programming
skills. Teachers are advised to read the whole syllabus before planning their teaching programme.
As ‘Computer Science’, this syllabus now shares the same name as the AS/AL syllabus (formerly
AS/AL Computing), indicating the firm links and progression between these syllabuses.
Changes to syllabus content
• One new practical topic introducing the concept of arrays and so enabling
learners to develop programming solutions for real world problems.
• Two new theory topics: ‘Computer ethics’ and ‘Hexadecimal numbers’.
• One topic removed: ‘Systems life cycle’.
Changes to assessment
• All components are externally assessed.
• Both papers contain short answers and structured questions. There is no
choice of questions. No calculators are permitted on either paper.
• New Paper 2 ‘Problem-solving and Programming’:This paper replaces
Paper 2 ‘Coursework’ and Paper 3 ‘Alternative to Coursework’. There are
pre-release materials for Paper 2 ‘Problem-solving and Programming’ for
candidates to complete practical tasks. 20 of the marks for this paper are
from questions set on the pre-release material. Teachers are expected to
incorporate the pre-release material tasks into their lessons and give
support in finding methods and reaching solutions.
 Hexadecimal Numbers - From the syllabus p10:
• represent integers as hexadecimal numbers
• show understanding of the reasons for choosing hexadecimal to represent
numbers
• convert positive hexadecimal integers to and from denary
• convert positive hexadecimal integers to and from binary
• represent numbers stored in registers and main memory as hexadecimal
• identify current uses of hexadecimal numbers in computing, such as
defining colours in Hypertext Markup Language (HTML), Media Access
Control (MAC) addresses, assembly languages and machine code,
debugging

Computer Ethics - From the syllabus p14, s1.5:

• show understanding of computer ethics, including copyright issues and
plagiarism
• distinguish between free software, freeware and shareware
• show understanding of the ethical issues raised by the spread of electronic
communication and computer systems, including hacking, cracking and
production of malware
Arrays From the syllabus p16, s2.2:
• declare the size of one-dimensional arrays, for example: A[1:n]
• show understanding of the use of a variable as an index in an array
• read values into an array using a FOR … TO … NEXT loop

Resources for CIE Computer Science IGCSE

Cambridge GCSE Computing MOOC- free online course
CIE Computer Studies IGCSE Blog- established by the author of the textbook for the old
specification, this blog has some additional material and the author responds to questions via the
comments facility.

https://wolseyhalloxford.org.uk/igcse-homeschooling/igcse-computer-science/ → £451

http://www.cambridgeinternational.org/images/203951-2017-2019-syllabus.pdf
Cambridge IGCSE Computer Science (Watson, Williams) – 23.99, 2015
Cambridge IGCSE Computer Science: Coursebook (Lawrey, Scott) – 20.97, 2015
Cambridge IGCSE Computer Science: Programming Book for Python (C Roffey) – 11.50, 2017
Cambridge IGCSE Computer Science: Revision Guide (Watson, Williams) – 14.44, 2015