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Edexcel GCSE Computer Science (1CP2) Exam Questions

Build a practice paper from 604 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 · 4 marks

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1Multiple choice1 markStored Program Computers Swap Remove

Identify the bus that carries addresses in one direction only, from the CPU to main memory.

[1 mark]
  • AAddress bus
  • BControl bus
  • CData bus
  • DSystem bus
Mark scheme
  • A Address bus (1)
  • The only correct answer is A. The correct answer is address bus. Do not accept 'address' on its own.
  • B is not correct because the control bus carries control signals in both directions between the CPU and other components
  • C is not correct because the data bus carries data in both directions between the CPU and main memory
  • D is not correct because the system bus is the collection of all three buses
Example answers and how they were marked
Full marks1/1

A Address bus

Why: Correct option: the address bus carries addresses in one direction only, from the CPU to main memory (1).

No marks0/1

C Data bus

Why: The data bus carries data in both directions, so it is not the bus that carries addresses in one direction only from the CPU to main memory; no creditworthy point.

No marks0/1

B Control bus

Why: The control bus carries control signals in both directions, not addresses in one direction only; this is the common control/address bus confusion, so no mark.

2Short recall2 marksPrimary Memory Swap Remove

An application's instructions and data are copied from secondary storage into RAM before it runs.

Give two reasons why the instructions and data are copied into RAM rather than being read directly from secondary storage.

[2 marks]
Mark scheme

Award one mark for any of the following up to a maximum of two marks:

  • RAM can be accessed/read (much) faster than secondary storage / secondary storage is (much) slower than RAM (1)
  • The CPU would have to wait/idle if instructions and data were read directly from secondary storage (1)
  • The CPU can access RAM directly / RAM is directly accessible to the CPU (1)

Allow hard disk / hard drive / SSD for secondary storage.

Do not accept RAM is volatile / so that instructions and data are not lost when the power is switched off.

Do not accept the computer runs faster / has more storage (without reference to the CPU accessing instructions and data).

Example answers and how they were marked
Full marks2/2

RAM can be accessed much faster than secondary storage, so the CPU would have to wait for its instructions if they were read from the hard disk.

Why: Creditworthy point that RAM is accessed/read faster than secondary storage (1) and the linked point that the CPU would wait/idle without this (1).

Some marks1/2

RAM can be read faster than the hard disk.

Why: Gives one creditworthy reason, that RAM is accessed/read faster than secondary storage (1), but does not say why this matters to the CPU, so the second mark is not earned.

No marks0/2

So that the data is not lost when the computer is switched off.

Why: RAM is volatile, so keeping data when the power is off is not a reason for using RAM; this is the misconception in the Do not accept line and scores nothing.

3Short recall1 markUnits & Conversion Swap Remove

A file has a size of 2 kibibytes.

State the number of bytes in the file.

[1 mark]
Mark scheme

Award one mark for:

  • 2048 (1)
  • 2 × 1024 (1)
  • 2^11 (1)

Allow 2048 bytes.

Do not accept 2000, which is the number of bytes in two decimal kilobytes.

Do not accept 1024, which is the number of bytes in one kibibyte.

Do not accept 16, which is the number of bits in two bytes.

Example answers and how they were marked
Full marks1/1

2048

Why: 2048 is 2 × 1024, the number of bytes in 2 kibibytes (1).

No marks0/1

2000

Why: 2000 uses the decimal kilobyte, not the binary kibibyte; the mark scheme does not accept it.

No marks0/1

16

Why: 16 is the number of bits in two bytes, confusing bits with bytes; the mark scheme does not accept it.

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