A comprehensive guide and scaffold for completing the OCR A Level Computer Science Non-Exam Assessment (NEA).
The NEA is worth 20% of your A Level grade and requires you to:
- Identify and analyze a problem
- Design a computational solution
- Develop and test your solution
- Evaluate the success of your project
It also serves as revision for the whole software development process.
This guide provides structure, checklists, and timelines to help you successfully complete your NEA over a 12-month period.
| Month | Phase | Focus Areas |
|---|---|---|
| Preperation | What to do | Brainstorm personal interests with technical solutions |
| Month 1-2 | Analysis | Problem identification, stakeholder interviews, research |
| Month 3-4 | Design | System architecture, algorithms, UI design, data structures |
| Month 5-9 | Development | Iterative development with logging all changes |
| Month 8-10 | Testing | Unit tests, integration tests, user testing |
| Month 10-11 | Evaluation | Success criteria review, improvements, maintenance |
| Month 11-12 | Submission | Final documentation review, compilation, submission |
Note: Some phases overlap intentionally. Testing should begin early, and development continues during testing phase.
Follow these sections in order to complete your NEA:
- Analysis - Understanding the problem and requirements
- Design - Planning your solution architecture
- Development Log - Building and documenting your solution
- Testing - Validating your solution works correctly
- Evaluation - Reflecting on success and improvements
- Submission - Preparing final documentation
ocr-nea-guide/
├── README.md # This file - overview and timeline
├── 01_Analysis.md # Analysis phase guidance
├── 02_Design.md # Design phase guidance
├── 03_DevLog.md # Development log guidance
├── 04_Testing.md # Testing phase guidance
├── 05_Evaluation.md # Evaluation phase guidance
├── 06_Submission.md # Submission checklist
├── templates/ # Template files for students
└── student_work/ # Your work goes here
- Read through each section to understand the full NEA process
- Start with 01_Analysis.md
- Use the checklists to track your progress
- Keep all your work organized in the
student_work/folder - Refer back to this timeline regularly to stay on track
- Start early - Don't underestimate the time required
- Document everything - Your development log is crucial
- Test regularly - Don't leave testing until the end
- Ask for help - Consult your teacher when stuck
- Backup your work - Use version control (Git) religiously
Next Step: Begin with 01_Analysis.md