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Edexcel GCSE Computer Science (1CP2) Exam Questions

Build a practice paper from 693 exam-style questions, each with its mark scheme and example answers. Print it, or answer it on paper and then open the mark schemes. Or browse the questions by topic.

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3 questions · 5 marks

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1Multiple choice1 markAddressing Swap Remove

Every device that connects to the internet is given an IP address.

Identify the number of bits in an IPv4 address.

[1 mark]
  • A4
  • B8
  • C32
  • D128
Mark scheme
  • C 32 (1)
  • The only correct answer is C. The correct answer is 32.
  • A is not correct because 4 is the number of groups of numbers in an IPv4 address
  • B is not correct because 8 is the number of bits in each group of an IPv4 address
  • D is not correct because 128 is the number of bits in an IPv6 address
Example answers and how they were marked
Full marks1/1

C 32

Why: Correct option (1): an IPv4 address is 32 bits long.

No marks0/1

B 8

Why: 8 is the number of bits in one group of an IPv4 address, not the whole address (mark scheme line B), so no mark.

No marks0/1

D 128

Why: 128 is the length of an IPv6 address, not an IPv4 address (mark scheme line D), so no mark.

2Describe2 marksAddressing Swap Remove

A laptop is used at home and then taken on holiday.

Describe how the laptop's IP address can change.

[2 marks]
Mark scheme

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

  • The IP address belongs to the network/router the device is connected to (1) so a different network/router gives it a new address (1)
  • Home routers may use dynamic IP addresses (1) which can change when the router reconnects (1)
  • The ISP assigns the IP address (1) and may give a different one at a new location/connection (1)

Do not accept answers that only say the laptop has moved.

Do not accept the MAC address changes.

Example answers and how they were marked
Full marks2/2

The IP address is assigned by the router on the network it connects to, so when the laptop joins a different network on holiday it is given a new address.

Why: Linked point (1): IP address belongs to the connected network/router; development (1): a different network gives it a new address.

Some marks1/2

The IP address can change because it is dynamic.

Why: Point only (1): home routers may use dynamic IP addresses; the linked development about reconnecting is missing.

No marks0/2

The laptop's MAC address changes when it connects to a different network, so its IP address changes too.

Why: No creditworthy point: says the MAC address changes, which the mark scheme says not to accept.

3Describe2 marksWired Connections Swap Remove

A hospital connects the computers on a ward using wired connections.

Describe how using wired connections can reduce latency on this network.

[2 marks]
Mark scheme

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

  • Data travels along the cable directly to the switch on a single continuous path (1) so the time between sending and receiving the data is short (1)
  • A cable is not affected by interference from other devices/wireless traffic nearby (1) so packets are not lost and resent, which would add to the delay (1)
  • The switch sends the data only to the port of the correct device, not to every device (1) so the data spends less time travelling and the delay is lower (1)
  • Fewer devices share a cable than share a wireless channel (1) so packets do not queue/wait before they are sent (1)

The first mark is for the way the wired connection carries the data; the second mark is for how this reduces the delay between sending and receiving.

Do not accept responses about bandwidth or the amount of data a cable can carry, as latency is the delay between sending and receiving.

Do not accept responses that confuse latency with speed/bandwidth, e.g. 'a wired connection is faster so there is less latency', unless they describe how the delay is reduced.

Do not accept answers that only say a wired connection is faster, with no link to the delay.

Example answers and how they were marked
Full marks2/2

The cable is not affected by interference from other devices so packets do not need to be resent and the delay stays low.

Why: First mark for the cable being free of interference (1); linked development that no packets are resent and so the delay is lower (1).

Some marks1/2

There is no interference from other devices on a cable.

Why: Gives the first point of a linked pair (1) but does not say how this reduces the delay between sending and receiving.

No marks0/2

Wired connections have a higher bandwidth so there is less latency.

Why: Confuses bandwidth with latency, which the 'Do not accept' lines rule out (0).

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