Higher Computing Science Revision Checklist & Tracker

Know exactly what is in Higher Computing Science, see your gaps at a glance, and close them one by one before the prelim and the final exam.

This printable checklist turns the whole course into 90 clear “I can…” statements, based on the current Higher Computing Science course specification. Tick your option (Database or Web), colour a traffic light for each statement, tick it off every time you revise, and watch the reds turn green.

UP TO DATE FOR 2026-27
The course and exam are unchanged for 2026-27: one 80-mark question paper (2 hours) with software design and development and computer systems (55 marks) plus your choice of database or web design and development (25 marks), and a 40-mark assignment done in class over 6 hours. Everything in this checklist follows that structure.

WHAT’S INSIDE (19 A4 pages)

• Cover with name, school, target grade (A / B / C / D) and exam date
• How to use: tick your options, see what is in the pack, the command words to know
• The exam at a glance: the question paper (80 marks, 2 hours), the assignment (40 marks, 6 hours), where the 120 marks come from, and the mark range for each skill
• 6 checklist pages covering all four areas: software design and development, computer systems, database design and development, and web design and development. Every statement has Red / Amber / Green circles, Revised x1 / x2 / x3 boxes and a Practised? tick box
• 2 code checklists: programming (records, sub-programs, parameters, file handling, standard algorithms, testing and debugging) and SQL, HTML, CSS and JavaScript, each with lines of code to recognise and where marks are lost
• Answer skills and practice: how to answer state, describe, explain and evaluate questions, a two’s complement workout drawn as a place-value grid, and a trace table for the find-maximum algorithm
• Key terms: 24 must-know words, from agile methodology and scope to compound key and persona
• Past paper tracker: Section 1 (out of 55), your option (out of 25), total out of 80, percentage and focus areas for 10 papers, plus a progress graph
• My fix-it list and three check-ins to count your greens, ambers and reds over the year
• Assignment: how it works, what you can and cannot do, a timing plan, and a marks checklist for Task 1 and for Task 2 or Task 3
• Exam tips from the examiners’ course reports, plus an exam-week checklist
• Useful links and notes: links to the course page, past papers and past paper questions by topic

PLEASE NOTE

• A4 portrait PDF. Prints in colour or greyscale on standard A4 paper.
• An independent revision resource, not an official exam board product. Not affiliated with or endorsed by Qualifications Scotland. Topics and statements are based on the current Higher Computing Science course specification.

Good luck with your exams!