Track theory, programming and the pre-release / practical skills required for your papers. Confirm the latest syllabus for your exam session.
| Topic | Sub-Topic | Confidence (1–5) | Last Reviewed | Next Review |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Information representation | Number systems: binary, hexadecimal, denary | |||
| Information representation | Binary addition and two’s complement | |||
| Information representation | Character, image and sound encoding | |||
| Information representation | Data compression and encryption basics | |||
| Information representation | Logical operations and truth tables | |||
| Communication and internet technologies | Network topologies and hardware | |||
| Communication and internet technologies | TCP/IP, protocols and packet switching | |||
| Communication and internet technologies | Client–server and peer-to-peer models | |||
| Communication and internet technologies | Cloud computing and virtualisation concepts | |||
| Communication and internet technologies | Security: authentication, firewalls, threats | |||
| Hardware and virtual machines | CPU architecture: fetch–decode–execute | |||
| Hardware and virtual machines | Processor components and performance | |||
| Hardware and virtual machines | Memory: RAM, ROM, cache, secondary storage | |||
| Hardware and virtual machines | I/O devices and interfaces | |||
| Hardware and virtual machines | Operating system functions and scheduling | |||
| Logic circuits and logic gates | Boolean algebra and simplification | |||
| Logic circuits and logic gates | Combinational logic: half and full adders | |||
| Logic circuits and logic gates | Flip-flops and sequential circuits | |||
| Logic circuits and logic gates | Karnaugh maps (where required) | |||
| Logic circuits and logic gates | Linking logic to processor components | |||
| Processor architecture and assembly | Instruction sets and addressing modes | |||
| Processor architecture and assembly | Assembly language programming | |||
| Processor architecture and assembly | Subroutines, stacks and interrupts | |||
| Processor architecture and assembly | Comparing low-level and high-level code | |||
| Processor architecture and assembly | Tracing program execution | |||
| High-level language programming | Data types, variables and constants | |||
| High-level language programming | Selection and iteration | |||
| High-level language programming | Modularity: procedures and functions | |||
| High-level language programming | File handling and exception handling | |||
| High-level language programming | Abstract data types: lists, trees, graphs | |||
| Databases (theory) | Relational model: keys and normalisation | |||
| Databases (theory) | SQL: SELECT, JOIN, aggregate functions | |||
| Databases (theory) | Data integrity and security | |||
| Databases (theory) | Indexing and query optimisation concepts | |||
| Databases (theory) | Comparing database models | |||
| Artificial intelligence | Search algorithms: breadth-first, depth-first, A* | |||
| Artificial intelligence | Knowledge representation and rules | |||
| Artificial intelligence | Machine learning concepts: supervised vs unsupervised | |||
| Artificial intelligence | Ethical and social implications of AI | |||
| Artificial intelligence | Limitations of AI systems |
Use with our Past Paper Finder for Computer Science past papers.
Quick answers about this free revision checklist, how to use it for exam prep, and how it relates to the official syllabus.
This revision checklist mirrors the official Cambridge A Level Computer Science 9618 syllabus for the 2026 examination series. Every topic and sub-topic on the page is taken from the published syllabus document, so working through the list in order gives you full coverage of what your exam can assess. It is aligned to the A Level tier expectations. For the authoritative version, always cross-check with the latest syllabus PDF on your exam board's website before your final revision push.
The number of top-level topic groups varies by subject, but you can see the exact count on this page — each major heading in the checklist corresponds to one syllabus topic group, and each row below it is a syllabus-level sub-topic. Use the confidence column (1–5) to flag which sub-topics need more work, and re-score yourself weekly to track real progress instead of guessing.
12–16 weeks of focused revision, working through one topic group per week with weekly past-paper practice, is a realistic target for most A Level students. Use this checklist to plan your weeks: filter by topics you have rated 1–3 and spend your first revision block there. Subjects with heavy practical or extended-writing components (e.g. sciences, English) need more past-paper time in the final block than the topic-by-topic phase.
Revise in roughly the order the syllabus lists the topics — exam boards build later topics on earlier ones, so taking them in syllabus order avoids gaps. Once you have rated every topic, switch to weakest-first: filter the checklist by confidence ≤ 2 and prioritise those topics in your next study block. This is more effective than re-revising topics you already score 4–5 on.
You can find past papers and mark schemes via Tutopiya's Past Paper Finder and on your exam board's official site. Once you have rated each sub-topic on this checklist, attempt past-paper questions on your weakest topics first — practising under timed conditions is the single best predictor of exam performance, more so than re-reading notes.
Use the Download CSV or Print PDF button at the bottom of the checklist. CSV opens in Excel, Numbers or Google Sheets so you can sort by confidence and re-arrange revision order. The PDF is print-ready for offline use. A free Tutopiya account is required for download — this also unlocks the matching topic resources, notes and worked examples on the Learning Portal.
Yes, the checklist itself is free — you can view, score and re-score every topic on this page without an account. The CSV / PDF downloads and access to matching Tutopiya Learning Portal resources require a free account. There is no payment required at any point; teachers and parents can also use this checklist freely with their students.
Yes. The topics and sub-topics on this page are drawn from the current 2026 Cambridge A Level Computer Science 9618 specification published by Cambridge. Exam boards occasionally tweak weighting or assessment structure mid-cycle, so do a quick sanity-check against the official syllabus PDF when you start your revision and again 4 weeks before the exam.