Menu
Exam Questions

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.

Build a paper

Topics (none ticked: all of them)
Question types (none ticked: all of them)

Practice paper

3 questions · 10 marks

Pick again
Print
1Short recall2 marksEmbedded Systems Swap Remove

A digital camera contains an embedded system.

Give two functions that the embedded system performs in the digital camera.

[2 marks]
Mark scheme

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

  • Focus the lens/autofocus (1)
  • Control the shutter (speed) (1)
  • Control the flash/decide when the flash is needed (1)
  • Measure the light level to set the exposure/the aperture (1)
  • Stabilise the lens/image stabilisation (1)
  • Zoom the lens in and out (1)
  • Detect a face/smile (1)

Do not accept 'take a photograph'/'take a picture'/'capture an image', as taking photographs is the function of the camera, which is given in the question.

Do not accept 'press the button' as this is an action of the user, not a function performed by the embedded system.

Do not accept vague answers such as 'use the camera', 'turn the camera on and off' or 'make the camera work', which do not name a function that the embedded system performs.

Example answers and how they were marked
Full marks2/2

It focuses the lens and decides when the flash should fire.

Why: Focus the lens (1) and control the flash (1).

Some marks1/2

It controls the zoom and takes a picture when the button is pressed.

Why: Zoom the lens credited (1); 'takes a picture' is not accepted because taking photographs is the function of the camera, which is given in the question, and 'press the button' is the user's action, not a function of the embedded system.

No marks0/2

It takes a picture when the button is pressed and it makes the camera work.

Why: No mark: 'takes a picture' repeats the camera's function given in the question, 'press the button' is an action of the user, and 'makes the camera work' is too vague to name a function.

2Describe2 marksFile Management Swap Remove

A user deletes an unwanted file from their computer.

Describe what happens when the file is deleted.

[2 marks]
Mark scheme

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

  • The file's entry is removed from the folder/directory (1) so the file no longer appears in the list of files/is no longer listed (1)
  • The (disk) space used by the file is marked as free/available/unused (1) so another file can be saved/stored in that space (1)
  • The file's data/contents are not erased/removed (1) so the file may still be recovered until the space is overwritten (1)

A point stated without development, e.g. 'the file is removed from the folder', earns one mark only.

For the first mark, accept that the file's entry is removed from the folder/directory; the second mark must state that the file no longer appears/is listed.

Do not accept 'stays on disk' alone for the third point; accept 'data is not erased' or 'contents remain'.

Do not accept 'the file is wiped from the disk straight away' or 'the data is destroyed and can never be recovered'.

Do not accept 'the file is moved to the recycle bin/bin' or 'the file is deleted from the hard drive' on its own, as this does not describe what happens to the file or the disk space.

Do not accept responses about moving the file to another folder.

Example answers and how they were marked
Full marks2/2

The space the file used is marked as free so another file can be saved in that space.

Why: Linked point (1) and development (1): space marked free and another file can be saved.

Some marks1/2

The file is removed from the folder.

Why: Point (1) only; no development about the file no longer being listed.

No marks0/2

The data is wiped from the disk straight away so it can never be recovered.

Why: Common misconception; 'wiped straight away' is not accepted, so no mark.

3Discuss6 marksTranslators Swap Remove

A company writes a photo editing program in a high-level language. The company will sell the finished program to customers. Each customer will install the program on their own computer and run it many times.

Discuss whether the company should use a compiler or an interpreter to translate the program before it is sold.

Your answer should include:

  • the output of each type of translator
  • whether the program has to be translated each time it is run
  • what the customer needs on their computer to run the program.
[6 marks]
Mark scheme

Indicative content

The output of each type of translator

  • A compiler translates the whole program in one go and produces object code.
  • The object code is saved as an executable file, which is already in machine code so the processor can run it directly.
  • An interpreter does not produce object code, so no translated file exists for the company to save and sell.
  • An interpreter translates one line at a time and executes it immediately, but that translation is not kept.

Whether the program has to be translated each time it is run

  • Compiled code is translated once, so the executable can be run as many times as the customer likes without being translated again.
  • If the source code is edited, the whole program has to be compiled again to produce a new executable.
  • An interpreted program is translated again every time it is run, so a customer who runs the program often waits for translation at every run.
  • An executable runs faster than interpreted code because it is already in machine code.

What the customer needs on their computer to run the program

  • A customer who installs the executable needs no compiler on their computer, so the program will run straight away.
  • If the company supplied the source code instead, the customer would need an interpreter installed, and it would have to be an interpreter for their type of computer.
  • A customer given only the executable does not have the source code, so cannot change the program.

Conclusion

  • A compiler is the better choice for this company, because the executable can be sold and the customer runs it without it being translated again and without being given the source code.
  • Using an interpreter would mean supplying the source code to customers and translating the program on every run.

Levels

  • Level 0 (0 marks): No rewardable content.
  • Level 1 (1–2 marks): Basic, independent points are made, showing elements of understanding of key concepts/principles of computer science. (AO1) The discussion will contain basic information with little linkage between points made or application to the context. (AO2)
  • Level 2 (3–4 marks): Demonstrates adequate understanding of key concepts/principles of computer science. (AO1) The discussion shows some linkages and lines of reasoning with some structure and application to the context. (AO2)
  • Level 3 (5–6 marks): Demonstrates comprehensive understanding of key concepts/principles of computer science to support the discussion being presented. (AO1) The discussion is well developed, with sustained lines of reasoning that are coherent and logically structured, and which clearly apply to the context. (AO2)

Level 3 responses must cover all three bullets for this company's program, including translating once rather than on every run, and reach a conclusion.

Do not accept 'a compiler fixes errors' (a compiler reports syntax errors at the end of translation, it does not fix them) or 'a compiler is easier to use' with no link to output, translation or the customer. Do not accept answers about translating to assembly language.

Example answers and how they were marked
Full marks6/6

The company should use a compiler. A compiler translates the whole program in one go and produces object code, which is saved as an executable file. This executable is already in machine code, so the customer's processor can run it directly. The program is translated only once, so a customer who runs the program many times does not wait for it to be translated again, and it runs faster than interpreted code would. An interpreter produces no object code, so the company would have nothing to sell as an executable. The customer would have to be given the source code and would need an interpreter installed on their computer, and the program would be translated again every time it was run.

Why: Level 3. Covers the output of both translators (executable from the compiler, no object code from the interpreter), the effect of translating once rather than on every run, and what the customer needs on their computer, all applied to the company selling the program, with a clear conclusion.

Some marks3/6

A compiler produces an executable file, which the company can save and sell to its customers. An interpreter does not produce an executable file, so the customer would need the source code and an interpreter installed on their computer to run the program. This means a compiler is better for the company, because customers can just run the file they are given.

Why: Level 2. Gives the output of both translators and links this to what the customer needs, with a conclusion, but never says the compiled program is translated once while an interpreted one is translated on every run, so the reasoning is not developed enough for Level 3.

No marks0/6

The company should use a compiler because it is easier to write programs with a compiler and it fixes the errors in the program before the customers get it.

Why: Level 0. No creditworthy point: 'easier to write programs' is not linked to the output, the translation each run or the customer, and 'fixes the errors' is a misconception, as the mark scheme's guidance says a compiler only reports errors at the end of translation.

Questions by topic

2.1 Binary

Build a paper on this topic 58
Adding Binary Numbers 6 questions Binary and Hexadecimal Basics 10 questions Binary Shifts 6 questions Binary to Denary Conversion 6 questions Binary to Hexadecimal Conversion 6 questions Denary to Binary Conversion 6 questions Denary to Hexadecimal Conversion 6 questions Denary to Negative Binary Conversion 6 questions Hexadecimal to Binary Conversion 6 questions

2.2 Data representation

Build a paper on this topic 56
Character Sets 18 questions Images 19 questions Sound 19 questions

2.3 Data storage and compression

Build a paper on this topic 24
Compression 18 questions Units & Conversion 6 questions

3.1 Hardware

Build a paper on this topic 77
Embedded Systems 17 questions Fetch Decode Execute Cycle 15 questions Primary Memory 15 questions Secondary Memory 15 questions Stored Program Computers 15 questions

3.2 Software

Build a paper on this topic 124
File Management 18 questions Memory Management 16 questions Peripheral Management 11 questions Process Management 12 questions Purpose & Function of Operating Systems 17 questions Software Basics 13 questions User Management 18 questions Utility Software 19 questions

3.3 Programming languages

Build a paper on this topic 37
Low and High Level Languages 19 questions Translators 18 questions

4.1 Networks

Build a paper on this topic 138
Addressing 16 questions LANs & WANs 16 questions Network Speed 5 questions Packet Switching 16 questions Protocols & Layers 17 questions The Internet 16 questions Topologies 17 questions Wired Connections 17 questions Wireless Connections 18 questions

4.2 Network security

Build a paper on this topic 36
Network Security Risks 18 questions Preventing Network Security Risks 18 questions

5.1 Environmental

Build a paper on this topic 36
E-waste 17 questions Manufacturing Technology 19 questions

5.2 Ethical and legal

Build a paper on this topic 18
Data Protection Act 14 questions Impact of AI 4 questions

More ways to revise Edexcel GCSE Computer Science (1CP2)

Activities Flashcards Revision notes

Teachers: build a paper, print it with the mark schemes at the end, and sign your school up to set your classes activities on every topic.

Fetch Decode Explain isn't affiliated with or endorsed by Pearson Edexcel.