7155 pairs a written paper with a lab exam in Python, spreadsheets and JupyterLab, submitted as softcopy. What the subject teaches, who it suits, and how it is actually assessed.
By Marcus Toh · 2026-07-16
Per the 7155 syllabus, Computing runs two compulsory papers. Paper 1 is written, 2 hours, 80 marks and 60%, mixing multiple choice, short answer, matching, cloze and structured questions across all five modules. Paper 2 is the lab based exam, 2 hours 30 minutes at 40%, testing the Spreadsheets and Algorithms and Programming modules on a live machine, with candidates submitting softcopies of their work for marking, saving time included in the allocation.
Two provisions define the preparation: relevant formulae are provided in Paper 1, and a quick reference guide for Python is provided in Paper 2. The exam is telling students what it values, and it is not memorised syntax: it is reading a problem, structuring a solution, and debugging it live, with the reference sheet handling the spelling.
The honest screen is problem solving appetite: a child who enjoys puzzles, builds things in Scratch or Python for fun, or automates their own spreadsheet chores will find Computing an outlet rather than a load. The lab exam rewards the practice hours no textbook substitutes, and downstream, the subject feeds naturally into poly computing diplomas and gives DSA portfolios in tech genuine substance, while the JC route's H2 Computing remains open through the usual combination rules.
Computing is the O-Level subject with the strangest parent conversations, because families assume it is either an easy pass for the gaming child or a guaranteed tech career, and it is neither. The gaming child who does not like building things discovers the subject is structured problem solving under time, and the lab exam is merciless about practice: you cannot cram a programming exam the night before, the fingers must already know.
But for the right child, and I have watched a few, this subject is the certificate's best kept secret: two and a half hours doing the thing they love, graded, with a reference guide handling the memorisation other subjects demand. The screen is simple, does your child write little programs nobody asked them to write? If yes, 7155 turns the hobby into a grade and the grade into a pathway. If no, admire the subject from a distance, because passion is the actual prerequisite here.
Candidates work at a computer with spreadsheet software, Python and JupyterLab, solving tasks from the Spreadsheets and Algorithms and Programming modules, and submit softcopies of the required work, with the 2 hours 30 minutes including the saving time.
Computing runs earliest of almost everything: the lab exam sits on 7 October and the written paper on 20 October 2026, per the timetable, which means Computing students peak two weeks before their classmates.
No. Python, JupyterLab and spreadsheets run comfortably on the school issued PDLP device, and the daily practice that actually decides the lab exam needs consistency, not hardware.