Algorithms
3 subtopics
Paper 2 opens with how you think about a problem before you write any code. Computational thinking means abstraction, decomposition and algorithmic thinking, and you need to be able to say what each one does for you.
Then come the standard algorithms: binary search, linear search, bubble sort, merge sort and insertion sort. You need to be able to trace them step by step on given data, which is a different skill from describing them.
You also have to read, write and refine algorithms as pseudocode, flowcharts and program code, and find and correct errors in someone else's. Tracing by hand is the single most useful thing to practise here.
Revise with flashcards
All of Algorithms in one deck, for active recall.
Computational thinking
Abstraction, decomposition and algorithmic thinking and how they help solve problems.
Designing, creating and refining algorithms
Inputs, processes and outputs plus pseudocode, flowcharts, trace tables and common errors.
Searching and sorting algorithms
Steps of binary and linear search plus bubble, merge and insertion sort.