Edexcel GCSE Computer Science (1CP2) Exam Questions

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

• Microwave (oven) (1)
• Washing machine (1)
• Dishwasher (1)
• Digital camera (1)
• Satellite navigation/satnav system (1)
• Traffic light(s) (1)
• Central heating controller/thermostat (1)
• Digital watch/fitness tracker (1)
• Vending machine (1)
• Car (as it contains embedded systems) (1)

Allow any other device that contains an embedded system.

Do not accept general purpose devices such as a laptop, desktop computer, tablet or smartphone (these can run many different programs).

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.

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

• Statements are written using words/phrases that look like English or maths (1) so the code is easier to read/understand/write (1)
• One statement is translated into several machine code instructions (1) so programs are shorter to write than in a low-level language (1)
• High-level languages provide built-in data structures such as arrays/lists/records (1) so a collection of data items can be stored and accessed under one name (1)

Do not accept responses that only give a benefit or drawback, such as 'it is easier to learn', with no characteristic.

Do not accept 'it is easier than a low-level language' without saying what the characteristic is.

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

• Each router chooses the best route at the time (1) so when a route becomes busy/congested or fails, later packets are forwarded along a different path (1)
• Routers forward each packet separately (1) so the path a packet takes depends on the traffic conditions when that packet arrives (1)
• A router may send a packet to a different next router (1) if its routing table shows a better/less congested route for that packet (1)
• Traffic on the internet changes (1) so no single path is kept for the file and each packet can use whichever route is best when it is sent (1)

For both marks, the expansion must follow/associate with the statement.

Allow reference to a routing table, or to how a router decides the route, as part of the linked reason.

Do not accept 'the packets have different IP addresses' because all packets from the same file have the same destination IP address, even though their routes can differ.

Do not accept 'the internet is busy' or 'there is a lot of traffic' on its own without linking this to the router choosing a different route.

Do not accept 'different routers send the packets' on its own without a reason why a different router/route is chosen.

Do not accept an answer that only says the packets take different routes without explaining why.