What are the AP CSP Big Ideas in the AP Computer Science Principle Course?
5 Big Ideas
There are five big ideas in the AP Computer Science Principles course:
- Creative Development
- Data
- Algorithms and Programming
- Computer Systems and Networks
- Impact of Computing
Big Ideas Exam Weighting
| Big Idea | Exam Weighting (Multiple-Choice Section) |
|---|---|
| Big Idea 1: Creative Development | 10%–13% |
| Big Idea 2: Data | 17%–22% |
| Big Idea 3: Algorithms and Programming | 30%–35% |
| Big Idea 4: Computer Systems and Networks | 11%–15% |
| Big Idea 5: Impact of Computing | 21%–26% |
Source: AP Computer Science Principles, College Board, https://apcentral.collegeboard.org/courses/ap-computer-science-principles
Big Idea 1 Creative Development
The first idea is creative development which is spread across the areas studied under the ap csp course. We can see examples of creative development in the programming as pect of the course with the function and purpose of programs, identifying and correcting errors, and program design, whilst other areas include collaboration.
Sections in the Creative Development Big Idea
1.1 Collaboration
1.2 Program Function and Purpose
1.3 Program Design and Development
1.4 Identifying and Correcting Errors
For the types of questions in the exam, see our ultimate resources for:
Big Idea 2 Data
Data is an important part of the course, from data use such as big data and machine learning, to understanding data, such as tabular data, metadata data about data, and data security.
Data is also represented digitally through the binary numbers system, in media such as with compression, and also with programming.
Sections in the Data Big Idea
2.1 Binary Numbers
2.2 Data Compression
2.3 Extracting Information from Data
2.4 Using Programs with Data
For the types of questions in the exam, see our ultimate resources for:
AP Computer Science Principles Exam Preparation
Everything you need to prepare for the ap csp exam, including dates, practice questions, previous results and a score calculator chart. Good luck!
Big Idea 3 Algorithms and Programming
This big idea includes several significant areas and is the largest representation of the multiple-choice questions. First we have coding which uses pseudocode in the ap csp exam. The areas of coding start at the basics of displaying results, to logic such as if, if-else and nested if statements. Then there are strings, loops, lists and procedures.
There are also general questions about programming such as iteration, low or high level, abstraction, developing programs and boolean expressions.
Finally, there will be algorithm questions. These will include search, efficiency, design and types of problems.
Sections in the Algorithms and Programming Big Idea
3.1 Variables and Assignments
3.2 Data Abstraction
3.3 Mathematical Expressions
3.4 Strings
3.5 Boolean Expressions
3.6 Conditionals
3.7 Nested Conditionals
3.8 Iteration
3.9 Developing Algorithms
3.10 Lists
3.11 Binary Search
3.12 Calling Procedures
3.13 Developing Procedures
3.14 Libraries
3.15 Random Values
3.16 Simulations
3.17 Algorithmic Efficiency
3.18 Undecidable Problems
For the types of questions in the exam, see our ultimate resources for:
Big Idea 4 Computing Systems and Networks
The big idea 4 is primarily concerned with networks such as the internet. This includes the many internet protocols to network-related issues, such as fault tolerance.
Computing systems includes parallel and distributed computing.
Sections in the Computing Systems and Networks Big Idea
4.1 The Internet
4.2 Fault Tolerance
4.3 Parallel and Distributed Computing
For the types of questions in the exam, see our ultimate resources for:
Big Idea 5 Impact of Computing
Although students learn about a range of computing areas, the impact of computing is not given a section or focus, yet it is the second biggest big idea regarding exam questions.
This big ideas centers around the concerns in computing such as bias, legal and ethical concerns, benefits and harmful effects, crowdsourcing and the digital divide.
Sections in the Impact of Computing Big Idea
5.1 Beneficial and Harmful Effects
5.2 Digital Divide
5.3 Computing Bias
5.4 Crowdsourcing
5.5 Legal and Ethical Concerns
5.6 Safe Computing
For the types of questions in the exam, see our ultimate resources for:
- Areas such as computing innovation could be included in any of the ap computer science principles- big ideas