What does the Curriculum and Assessment Review mean for GQ Computer Science?
19 January 2026
Ceredig Cattanach-Chell, Computing Subject Advisor
Now that the Curriculum and Assessment Review (CAR) and the Department for Education’s (DfE) response to the review have been published, I’d like to take a closer look at some of the specific ways in which computing subjects are to be affected.
Pre-16 proposals
Reduction of GCSE content
The government supports a reduction of content at GCSE, including aims to reduce the amount of high-stakes assessment students experience.
Most teachers would support a reduction in the current GCSE Computer Science content. To counter that, the CAR report does mention that the GCSE Computing should reflect the full breadth of the computing curriculum. This is likely to mean that we look at more topics, but at less depth than current specifications have.
However, to cover the ‘full breadth’ of computing will be challenging in a qualification with only 120GLH and so it will be interesting to see what is brought in, what makes room for it, and just how deep into each topic the curriculum will go.
Updating GCSE Computer Science content for GCSE Computing
The computing curriculum is being rebalanced to: “...ensure pupils develop essential digital literacy whilst retaining important computer science content. As a result GCSE Computing will replace the current GCSE Computer Science.
Exposing more students to computing principles and digital technologies has clear benefits.
also hints that KS3 curriculum will also teach: “… how computers can be trained using data and [pupils] will learn essential digital skills such as AI literacy.”
This will have impact on qualifications which precede GCSE Computing and therefore it is natural that this should eventually align with the updated KS4 curriculum.
The main drivers for this change are (taken from the CAR report):
- to increase the number of girls studying computing
- to prepare young people for both specialist careers in computing and for applying digital technology and data across a wide range of fields
- to address the challenges of outcomes, where both boys (-0.72) and girls (-1.11) achieve lower grades than in other GCSE subjects.
Teaching for all
The CAR final report recommends that computing must be taught to all students following the national curriculum. The review of teaching states that around 12-13% of students currently take GCSE Computer Science, and take-up in Technical Awards is limited.
There is a very pointed quote in the CAR report:
“Computing is taught at Key Stage 4 only to students taking GCSE Computer Science, while only around 10% of them say that Computing is taught to all Key Stage 4 students. This suggests a significant gap between policy and practice.”
This would imply that some sort of checking would take place, although nothing has been said to suggest how they may enforce current policy.
Digital literacy and skills
The CAR report mentioned the need for stronger integration of digital literacy into the curriculum. However, the government response is less specific on how this is to be achieved, bar a generalised statement of “… rebalance(ing) the computing curriculum as the Review suggests.”
Balancing computer science and digital skills/literacy in the new Computing GCSE creates some tension with the aim of reducing content within the curriculum.
At Cambridge OCR we support the inclusion of digital literacy in the curriculum, particularly as delivery challenges from KS2 to KS3 persist. Too often students arrive at KS3 without the skills they need to access computing courses. We feel it is important that digital literacy is embedded from KS3 onwards and will look to support this agenda where we can.
AI
The CAR report highlights the absence of AI in the curriculum as a discrete topic. The CAR report says that ‘GCSE Computing specifications should also include AI where they do not already’. The government response mentions that curriculum reform will encourage AI literacy. Therefore we would expect some level of AI curriculum to be introduced at KS4, which ties in with the proposal for a specialist qualification in Data Science and AI proposed at L3 (see below).
Post-16 proposals
There is a lot less said about changes at KS5.
Impact on A Level Computer Science
Neither the CAR review nor the government response really address A Level. The impact of a more general GCSE on A Level Computer Science is unclear. Currently, students can take A Level Computer Science without a GCSE in Computer Science, just as universities don’t require A Level Computer Science for entry into take degree level computing courses.
However, it is logical to presume that A Level Computer Science will be refreshed so that it aligns with the GCSE. There is mention that the reformed GCSE must still prepare students for progress to further study in A Level.
The existing A Level subject content is over 10 years old – and is likely to be approaching 15 years old by the time we reach the reform points. There is definitely an opportunity to update and refresh the spec, to ensure it reflects the current world and is aligned with the KS4 curriculum.
Level 3 data science and AI
The government is committed to exploring a new Level 3 qualification in data science and AI. This is a significant proposal.
There’s a clear need for data science and AI to be studied. It’s a massive, growing market and certainly one where we will need skilled practitioners in the future. However, there are concerns around whether we could deliver this curriculum at this stage in education. Given teacher shortages, creating a standalone Level 3 course on these new and emerging topics would be challenging. It’s an important subject, but integrating it into existing Level 3 vocational or general qualifications seems a more realistic way forward.
That said, research is ongoing and we are looking to engage positively with teachers, academics and industry to assess both interest and the practicality of delivering this in the current educational landscape.
General proposals
Digital skills
There is a clear steer that the computing curriculum will be rebalanced to focus on essential digital literacy while retaining computer science content. The main CAR report also wants to look at digital skills across other subjects, and where appropriate, aligning with the computing curriculum to avoid duplication.
A fully digital and machine-readable national curriculum will be created to visually represent links within and between subject areas. This will help teachers to contextualise learning across subjects; work which I believe OAK National Academy is working on currently. This approach should help raise awareness and embed digital skills across the curriculum, reducing reliance on computing teachers.
However, there is no mention of discrete digital skills/literacy qualifications. The current direction suggests that between the GCSE Computing and the cross-curricular review, that digital skills should be taught and integrated without the need for a standalone qualification.
Digital examinations
Ofqual has recently announced that digital exams are unlikely before 2030 and is currently consulting on the regulation of digital exams (correct as of January 2026).
Meanwhile, we’re still working towards a digital exam in GCSE Computer Science. Although the curriculum may change, the assessment and delivery platform is fixed, allowing us to build a platform that should be able to cater for a wide range of assessment models and styles.
Regulation of digital exams will be key. We need to control digital exams to ensure that they are fair, accessible and commonplace, and to maintain public perception of quality and credibility. This will be a significant area of work.
What won’t change is our commitment to engage with teachers and schools to ensure that digital exams are deliverable in a sensible, meaningful and well supported way. We will keep you updated on our progress following the CAR and the outcomes of further discussions.
Overview
We want the teaching community to have a strong and active engagement in shaping computing qualifications – at Key Stage 4 but also more importantly at Key Stage 3. The main reason for lack of digital skills and competences of students at Key Stage 4 is down to the significant reduction of quality teaching time at Key Stage 3.
Reforming both Key Stages 4 and 5 is laudable. However, we must also ensure that the foundations for this are both embedded and ambitious to support future growth in our subject.
Without significant investment both in ICT infrastructure, internet capability and teaching capacity in schools, I believe we could still struggle to see a significant increase in the uptake of computing in schools.
Change is always a challenge, and there are a number of issues to address:
- Expertise within the classroom
- Updating resources
- New curriculum plans
- Costs of resourcing the new curriculum
- Addressing the speed of change in our subject vs stability of teaching
- Ensuring qualifications are current and will feed into future job markets.
For me, it is important that this move is an evolution, and not a revolution. It is therefore vital that we engage fully with teachers, industry, colleges and universities regarding future content and how best to assess it. This will help us ensure that the voices of all our stakeholders are heard clearly when we talk to the DfE and Ofqual. We’ve already published two surveys:
We’d love your input if you haven’t already completed these surveys.
We’ll also be running a series of networks and webinars to open up discussions to as many people as possible, so please join us – see links below.
Join our CAR briefing webinar
We’ll be running a free CAR briefing webinar on 29 January to discuss the impact of the Curriculum and Assessment Review on computer science.
There’ll also be the opportunity to ask our subject advisors your questions and share your thoughts about the proposed changes.
You can also sign up for briefings from our teacher networks page; just look for your subject.
Stay connected
At Cambridge OCR we’re committed to making assessment straightforward and are here to support teachers and students at every step of the way. Contact us if you have any specific questions about the CAR, or what it means for you and your students.
You can always join our teacher panels to help us shape the development of these qualifications as we go through reform.
To stay up to date with subject news from us, make sure you sign up to receive our email updates. You can also follow @OCR_ICT on X (formerly Twitter).
About the author
Before he joined Cambridge OCR in 2015, Ceredig had eight years teaching experience across a wide range of schools, including primary, secondary, academies and SEN sectors. At Cambridge OCR he supported the development of the new GCSE (9-1) Computer Science and Entry Level R354, and led on the delivery of teacher delivery packs, a key element of the new GCSE’s success with teachers. Ceredig has a degree in Computer Science from Liverpool University and post-grads from Liverpool Hope and Cambridge Universities. Outside work, Ceredig is a keen modeller/painter, gamer and all-around geek.