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OCR H446 2.1 Choosing and applying computational-thinking approaches

Part 2 of 2 · H446 2.1 · Elements of computational thinking

Before the assessment, students need to pick the right mode rather than recite five definitions. This consolidation worksheet for OCR H446 2.1 sorts problems by their central decision, repairs the misconceptions that cost the most marks, and applies all five modes to a council water-refill station app.

Students will:

  • choose the computational-thinking mode that a problem's central decision calls for
  • correct common misconceptions about abstraction and about concurrent execution
  • map all five modes onto one system and explain a connection between two of them
  • trace a recommendation and explain why its result stays False
  • decide which tasks may overlap and what must hold before an update is published

Inside: 6 explanation cells, 1 multiple-choice question, 2 fill-in-the-blanks cells, 4 written answers and 1 trace table. 36 marks, about 30 to 45 minutes.

Series: H446 2.1 · Elements of computational thinking, part 2 of 2.

Shared by Coding PathwayVerified teacher

  • 14 cells
  • About 30 minutes
  • CC BY-SA 4.0
  • Shared 31 Aug 2026
  • Updated 15 Sept 2026

Preview

The whole resource, exactly as a class sees it. Answers and marking are held back.

Choosing and applying computational-thinking approaches

OCR names five types of computational thinking: thinking abstractly, ahead, procedurally, logically and concurrently. A single problem may use several of them, but each one answers a different kind of question.

In this worksheet you will first retrieve and distinguish the five approaches. You will then apply them together in unfamiliar systems. The challenge is to explain exactly what each approach contributes rather than simply naming it.

Match the question to the approach

What does the designer need to decide?Type of thinkingWhat it means here
Which real details are needed in a model?thinking abstractlyretain relevant detail and omit unnecessary detail
What data, outputs and preconditions are needed? Could stored or reusable work help?thinking aheadplan what the solution will need before coding
What are the smaller components and what order should they follow?thinking procedurallydecompose the problem and identify sub-procedures
Which Boolean conditions control the routes?thinking logicallyidentify decisions and follow their effect on program flow
Which tasks can overlap and which must wait?thinking concurrentlyidentify independent tasks, dependencies, benefits and trade-offs

Worked example

A venue app designer must decide which real features to store in a route model. This is thinking abstractly because the decision is about relevant and irrelevant detail. The app also needs current closure data, which involves thinking ahead. The two approaches support each other, but they do not mean the same thing.

Multiple choice1 mark

A library team splits a reservation system into catalogue search, member checks and loan recording, then defines the data passed between these components. Which type of thinking is being used most directly?

  • AThinking abstractly, because some details are omitted
  • BThinking ahead, because the system uses data
  • CThinking concurrently, because the components are separate
  • DThinking procedurally, because the problem is being decomposed into solution components
Fill in the blanks4 marks
A route model uses gap 1 thinking to retain only decision-relevant detail. Its required input data and preconditions use thinking gap 2. Its ordered components use thinking gap 3, while a Boolean access route uses thinking gap 4.
  • abstractly
  • ahead
  • procedurally
  • logically
  • concurrently
Written answer4 marks

Correct both statements and support each correction with one brief example: (1) 'Visualisation and abstraction both mean drawing a simpler picture.' (2) 'Concurrent tasks must execute at exactly the same instant.'

For statement 1, distinguish choosing information from presenting it. For statement 2, distinguish overlapping progress from simultaneous execution.

Students type their answer here.

Apply the five approaches together

The next tasks use more than one type of computational thinking. Read each requirement carefully and explain the contribution made by each approach.

Transfer scenario: community refill stations

A council app helps residents find working water-refill stations. It stores location, opening times, accessibility and fault reports. It recommends a station, caches summaries, separates data checking from route building, and processes map tiles and accessibility descriptions before publishing an update.

Written answer8 marks

For each of OCR's five types of computational thinking, state one specific design decision or action that it could contribute to the refill-station app. Then explain how two of the approaches work together while still having different purposes.

Use all five exact names. Naming an approach is not enough: describe what the developer would decide or do in the refill-station app.

Students type their answer here.

Trace table1 mark

Trace the station recommendation and final value.

Enter a value only when it changes. Follow the listing in order.

Use one row for each pass through the loop. Fill in a box only when that value changes on that row, and leave the rest blank.

AlgorithmExam reference language
  1. stationOpen = True
  2. accessible = False
  3. needsAccess = True
  4. working = True
  5. recommend = False
  6. if stationOpen == True AND working == True then
  7. if needsAccess == False OR accessible == True then
  8. recommend = True
  9. endif
  10. endif
  11. print(recommend)
Trace table with 8 columns
RowstationOpenaccessibleneedsAccessworkingrecommendstationOpen == True AND working == TrueneedsAccess == False OR accessible == TrueOutput
1
2
3
Written answer6 marks

Explain why recommend remains False. Then decide whether map-tile processing and accessibility-description checking may overlap, and state one condition required before the update is published.

First evaluate both Boolean conditions using the supplied values. Then decide whether either processing task needs the other's result and state what must be complete before publication.

Students type their answer here.

Written answer8 marks

A school wants a system that recommends quiet study spaces and publishes live occupancy information. Choose three of OCR's five computational-thinking approaches. For each one, explain a specific design decision it would support. Then explain how two of your chosen approaches work together without treating them as the same process.

There is no single required set of three. Use the exact meaning of each approach and apply every point to the study-space system.

Students type their answer here.

Checkpoint

Complete the five definitions from memory. Your teacher will review your answers.

Fill in the blanks5 marks
Thinking checkpoint gap 1 selects detail for a purpose. Thinking checkpoint gap 2 identifies inputs, outputs and preconditions, and considers caching or reusable components. Thinking checkpoint gap 3 decomposes and orders solution components. Thinking checkpoint gap 4 controls Boolean routes. Thinking checkpoint gap 5 identifies safe overlapping progress.

Review your understanding

Before submitting, check that you can define all five types of computational thinking, choose the correct approach for a stated design decision and explain how two approaches can support one another without becoming interchangeable.