United Kingdom · GCSE 8525 · A-level 7517
AQA
14 lab practicals for the AQA syllabus.
AQA GCSE Computer Science (8525) and AS/A-level (7516/7517) programming, Years 10 to 13, in Python and SQL. Every lesson is stepped, compiled and checked by a real toolchain on your own machine — the model reviews your code afterwards, it does not decide whether you passed.
Updated
Semester by semester
Programme: GCSE Computer Science (8525) and AS/A-level Computer Science (7516/7517). Scheme: GCSE 8525 specification v1.2 (2022); AS/A-level 7516/7517 specification v1.6 (2023). Open a course to see its practical units and the lab lesson GroutCode ships for each.
Year 10
1 course5 lab lessonsPython- CS8525P1Python
GCSE Computer Science (8525) Paper 1: Computational thinking and programming skills
5
lessons
- Searching and sorting by hand: linear and binary search, bubble sort and merge sort
- Data types, operators and control structures in Python
- 1Searching and sorting by hand: linear and binary search, bubble sort and merge sortUnit 1 · Fundamentals of algorithms
- 2Data types, operators and control structures in PythonUnit 2 · Data types, programming concepts and operators
- 3Arrays, records, strings, input/output and random numbersUnit 3 · Data structures, input/output, string handling and random numbers
- 4Structured programming: a modular shop receipt built from subroutinesUnit 4 · Structured programming and subroutines
- 5Robust and secure programming: validation, authentication and test dataUnit 5 · Robust and secure programming
Year 11
1 course1 lab lessonSQL- CS8525P2SQL
GCSE Computer Science (8525) Paper 2: Computing concepts
1
lesson
- A school library database in SQL: SELECT, INSERT, UPDATE and DELETE
- 1A school library database in SQL: SELECT, INSERT, UPDATE and DELETEUnit 5 · Relational databases and structured query language (SQL)
Year 12
1 course2 lab lessonsPython- CS7516Python
AS Computer Science (7516): Year 12 content
2
lessons
- Fundamentals of programming in Python: arithmetic, selection, strings, exceptions and records
- Arrays, records, text files and fixed-length binary files in Python
- 1Fundamentals of programming in Python: arithmetic, selection, strings, exceptions and recordsUnit 1 · Fundamentals of programming
- 2Arrays, records, text files and fixed-length binary files in PythonUnit 2 · Fundamentals of data structures
Year 13
1 course6 lab lessonsPythonSQL- CS7517PythonSQL
A-level Computer Science (7517): Year 13 content
6
lessons
- Recursion and object-oriented programming: from stack frames to an abstract Shape hierarchy
- Abstract data types by hand: stacks, queues, graphs, trees, hash tables, dictionaries and vectors
- 1Recursion and object-oriented programming: from stack frames to an abstract Shape hierarchyUnit 1 · Fundamentals of programming: recursion and programming paradigms
- 2Abstract data types by hand: stacks, queues, graphs, trees, hash tables, dictionaries and vectorsUnit 2 · Fundamentals of data structures
- 3Searching, sorting, traversals, RPN and Dijkstra in PythonUnit 3 · Fundamentals of algorithms
- 4A sixth-form database in SQL: queries across tables, DML, DDL and 3NFUnit 8 · Fundamentals of databases
- 5Functional programming in Python: list primitives, composition, map, filter and foldUnit 10 · Fundamentals of functional programming
- 6NEA toolkit: linked list, hash table, queues, OOP catalogue and file accessUnit LAB · Non-exam assessment: the computing practical project
The full 4-course syllabus is transcribed in the app, including the theory courses. Lessons are authored against the course codes that have practical work, and the list grows with each release.
GroutCode is not affiliated with or endorsed by AQA. Course codes and titles are transcribed from the institution’s published scheme documents.
How a practical runs
The same five steps for every lesson, in every language.
- 1
Pick your syllabus
Choose your university or board and the semester or class you are in. The course list is the transcribed official scheme, not an approximation.
- 2
Open a lab lesson
Each lesson is a stepped practical for a specific course, with a starter file you edit and a test file you do not.
- 3
Write the code yourself
The starter has the signatures and the TODOs. You implement them in the editor, in the language your course actually uses.
- 4
Run the checks
The toolchain compiles and runs the tests — 8 to 15 of them across the lesson, one per step, so you find out which change broke what.
- 5
Get the review
Once the tests pass, the model reads your implementation and tells you the input that breaks it. It never reports the pass or fail itself.
Why the compiler grades, not the model
The obvious way to build an AI lab tool is to let the model read the student’s code and say whether it is correct. It is also the way that produces a tool nobody can trust. A model will tell you your code works when the compiler says otherwise, and it will fail you for a style it happens to dislike.
So the two jobs are split:
- The model designs the lesson, writes the starter and the tests, and — after the tests pass — reads what you actually wrote and tells you the input that breaks it.
- The toolchain decides whether it compiles and whether each step passes. That verdict is not negotiable and the model never issues it.
And why steps instead of one big task
A 40-to-60 minute practical with a single Run at the end gives a beginner one bit of feedback an hour, and it arrives after every decision has already been made. Each lesson here is 8 to 15 steps, each with its own instruction and its own check, so you find out which change broke what while you still remember making it.
Frequently asked questions
Does GroutCode cover the AQA GCSE 8525 · A-level 7517?
Yes. GroutCode ships the transcribed AQA GCSE 8525 · A-level 7517 for GCSE Computer Science (8525) and AS/A-level Computer Science (7516/7517) — 4 courses — with 14 authored lab lessons mapped to specific course codes. The syllabus was transcribed from the official documents, and the source and checksum of each one is recorded in the app.
Which languages do the AQA practicals use?
Python (12 lessons), SQL (2 lessons). The language is set per course code rather than guessed from the title, because the same subject is taught in different languages at different institutions.
Does the AI just write the practical for me?
No. The starter file has the signatures and the TODOs; you implement them. The toolchain — not the model — decides whether your code compiles and whether each step passes, so the AI cannot tell you your code works when the compiler disagrees. What it does afterwards is read your implementation and point out the input that breaks it.
Do the practicals work offline?
The lessons, the syllabus and the test runner are bundled in the app and run locally, so the compile-and-check loop works with no connection. The review step at the end uses a model, which can be a local one or a cloud one with your own key.
What do I need installed?
GroutCode detects which toolchains are present on your machine and tells you what is missing and what would fix it. You need the compiler or interpreter for the language your course uses — a C compiler, a JDK, Python, Node or SQLite.
Other syllabuses
Oxford
University of Oxford
University of Oxford Computer Science course synopses for 2026-27: databases, database systems implementation and AI.
27
lab lessons
Cambridge
University of Cambridge
The Cambridge Computer Science Tripos, Parts IA and IB: algorithms, databases, object-oriented programming, C and C++.
36
lab lessons
Imperial College
Imperial College London
Imperial College London BEng/MEng Computing: computing practicals, algorithms, databases, operating systems and machine learning.
24
lab lessons
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