Computer Science
Cambridge AS/A Level
This is the published topic structure for Cambridge Cambridge AS/A Level Computer Science 9618, 2026. Topics map to the papers below, so a student entered for only some components never sees progress counted against papers they do not sit.
Papers in this syllabus
Every component Cambridge lists for 9618. Which ones a candidate sits depends on the route chosen.
Syllabus topics
The topics a teacher works through, in syllabus order.
1 Information representation
Data Representation · Multimedia · Compression
2 Communication
Networks including the internet
3 Hardware
Computers and their components · Logic Gates and Logic Circuits
4 Processor Fundamentals
Central Processing Unit (CPU) Architecture · Assembly Language · Bit manipulation
5 System Software
Operating Systems · Language Translators
6 Security, privacy and data integrity
Data Security · Data Integrity
7 Ethics and Ownership
Ethics and Ownership
8 Databases
Database Concepts · Database Management Systems (DBMS) · Data Definition Language (DDL) and Data Manipulation Language (DML)
9 Algorithm Design and Problem-solving
Computational Thinking Skills · Algorithms
10 Data Types and Structures
Data Types and Records · Arrays · Files · Introduction to Abstract Data Types (ADT)
11 Programming
Programming Basics · Constructs · Structured Programming
12 Software Development
Program Development Life cycle · Program Design · Program Testing and Maintenance
13 Data Representation
User-defined data types · File organisation and access · Floating-point numbers, representation and manipulation
14 Communication and internet technologies
Protocols · Circuit switching, packet switching
15 Hardware and Virtual Machines
Processors, Parallel Processing and Virtual Machines · Boolean Algebra and Logic Circuits
16 System Software
Purposes of an Operating System (OS) · Translation Software
17 Security
Encryption, Encryption Protocols and Digital Certificates
18 Artificial Intelligence (AI)
Artificial Intelligence (AI)
19 Computational thinking and Problem-solving
Algorithms · Recursion
20 Further Programming
Programming Paradigms · File Processing and Exception Handling
Source: Cambridge International Computer Science 9618 syllabus, 2026. Extracted and checked against the published structure. Cambridge International is not affiliated with Fect and does not endorse it. All Cambridge courses.