AQA · A Level · 7517
AQA A Level Computer Science past papers (7517)
Free guide to AQA A Level Computer Science 7517 past papers. Paper 1 (on-screen), Paper 2 (theory) and how to prepare for the toughest topics.
Go to official AQA past papers →Paper structure
Paper 1 — On-screen exam
2h 30m on-screen paper. Programming problems on a pre-supplied Skeleton Program.
Paper 2 — Written paper
2h 30m written paper covering theory across the whole specification.
NEA — Non-examined assessment
Independent programming project. Not covered in past papers.
Topics that come up most
- Fundamentals of programming (procedural + object-oriented)
- Data structures (lists, stacks, queues, trees, hash tables, graphs)
- Algorithms (search, sort, path-finding, complexity, Big-O)
- Theory of computation (finite state machines, Turing machines)
- Fundamentals of data representation
- Computer systems, architecture and machine-level operations
- Networks, communication and the internet
- Databases and SQL
- Functional programming
- Ethical, moral and legal issues
Tutor's revision tips
- 1
Paper 1 rewards fluent Python — practise writing complete programs in a plain editor without autocomplete.
- 2
For Big-O questions, always show the reasoning (loops within loops, halving each pass) before writing the final complexity.
- 3
Recursion appears every year — implement factorial, Fibonacci, and a binary tree traversal from scratch until you can do them without notes.
Where to download the papers
All past papers, mark schemes and examiner reports for this specification are published free of charge by AQA on their official assessment page. Always download the latest version — older papers may reference retired content.
Official AQA assessment resources →Other A Level boards
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