Character Set: GCSE Computer Science Definition

What is a character set?

In GCSE Comptuer Science, a character set is a defined list of characters that can be understood by a computer. Each character is given a unique binary code so that it can be understood by the computer. Character sets are ordered logically, meaning the code for ‘B’ is after the code for ‘A’. Each character can be seen with a denary or hexadecimal value which the computer can use to convert into binary so the character can be understood by the computer. 

A character set provides a standard for computers to communicate and send/receive information. Without a character set, one system might interpret the binary number 01000001 differently from another. The number of characters that can be represented is determined by the number of bits used by the character set.

There are two common character sets that students must understand at GCSE level, American Standard Code for Information Interchange (ASCII) and Universal Character Encoding (UNICODE)

Character Set Revision Resources to Ace Your Exams

Explore character sets in more detail and master other key-related terms such as extended ASCII & Unicode. Challenge yourself with our expertly created topic questions and reinforce your learning with our interactive flashcards. 

GCSE Computer Science Revision Resources