Edexcel GCSE Computer Science (1CP2) Exam Questions

• B Control unit (1)
• The only correct answer is B. The correct answer is control unit.
• A is not correct because the arithmetic logic unit performs arithmetic and logical operations, not decoding
• C is not correct because main memory stores instructions and data, not decoding
• D is not correct because a register holds data or addresses temporarily, not decoding

• B 7 (1)
• The only correct answer is B. The correct answer is 7 bits.
• A is not correct because 6 bits give only 64 different characters
• C is not correct because 8 bits are used by extended ASCII to give 256 characters
• D is not correct because 16 bits give 65 536 different characters, which is far more than the 128 in ASCII

Award up to two marks for a linked description such as:

• The compiler translates the whole program/complete source code in one go (1) whereas the interpreter translates one line/statement at a time (1)
• The compiler translates all of the source code before any of it is run/executed (1) but the interpreter translates each line/statement as it reads it (1)
• The interpreter translates one line/statement at a time (1) and the compiler translates the whole program/source code together (1)

Accept the compiler point and the interpreter point in either order.

Do not accept responses about object code/executable files, when the translated code is executed, how errors are reported, or speed/memory use.

Do not accept 'the interpreter executes/runs each line' on its own, without saying that it translates one line/statement at a time.