Edexcel GCSE Computer Science (1CP2) Exam Questions

• B Gold (1)
• The only correct answer is B. The correct answer is gold.
• A is not correct because fibreglass is used for casings and is not a valuable material recovered from e-waste
• C is not correct because plastic is used for casings and is not a valuable material recovered from e-waste
• D is not correct because water is not found in a device; it is used during manufacture

• D Fossil fuels are burned to power factories (1)
• The only correct answer is D. The correct answer is fossil fuels are burned to power factories.
• A is not correct because burying devices in landfill is an issue with disposal
• B is not correct because leaving devices on standby is an issue with energy consumption during use
• C is not correct because replacing devices too often is an issue with the replacement cycle

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

• Gold (1)
• Silver (1)
• Copper (1)
• Aluminium (1)
• Steel/iron (1)
• Plastic (1)
• Glass (1)

Allow the US spelling aluminum.

Allow named alloys, e.g. steel, brass.

Do not accept metal or precious metals on their own, as a named material is needed.

Do not accept components/parts such as screens/batteries/circuit boards, as these are not materials.

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

• Heavy metals/toxic chemicals (such as lead/mercury) leak from the devices (1) to contaminate the soil/land (1)
• Toxic chemicals leak from the devices (1) to get into rivers/groundwater/the water supply (1)
• The devices are not biodegradable (1) so the materials in them are not broken down and stay in the environment for a long time (1)
• Batteries in the devices can catch fire (1) which releases toxic gases/smoke into the air (1)

Accept 'toxic/hazardous waste' for toxic chemicals.

Accept 'soil pollution'/'water pollution' where the medium being polluted is named.

Accept harm to wildlife/habitats/people/the water supply as the development.

Do not accept 'pollution' on its own without saying what is polluted.

Do not accept answers about the smell or appearance of the landfill site, the cost of disposal, or the number of devices thrown away.

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

• Burning releases toxic gases/fumes/harmful chemicals (1) which pollute the air/can cause acid rain (1)
• Burning the plastic/insulation on cables releases harmful chemicals (1) which contaminate the ground/soil/water (1)
• Burning leaves ash/residue containing heavy metals (1) which contaminate the ground/soil/groundwater (1)

Allow 'harmful chemicals'/'pollutants'/'toxic fumes' for the point mark.

Responses must relate to burning e-waste.

Do not accept answers about harm to the health/safety of workers.

Do not accept answers that describe a benefit, such as recovering/reusing the metals or generating energy.

Do not accept answers about e-waste in landfill/leaching from landfill, or a generic statement such as 'it pollutes the environment' with no mechanism described.

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

• Extracting/mining metals/raw materials (1) damages habitats/land/causes erosion (1)
• Manufacturing/assembling components uses large amounts of energy (1) which releases CO2/greenhouse gases (1)
• Transporting raw materials/parts/devices uses fossil fuels/diesel (1) which releases CO2/pollutes the air (1)
• Factories release harmful gases/smoke (1) which pollutes the air/causes health problems (1)
• Waste materials from manufacturing go to landfill (1) which pollutes the land (1)

Do not accept responses about energy used when the device is switched on, or about disposing of the device at the end of its life.

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

• Burning fossil fuels (coal/oil/gas) to generate electricity (1) releases carbon dioxide/greenhouse gases/pollution (1)
• Generating electricity from non-renewable fuels (1) uses up resources that cannot be replaced (1)
• Generating electricity can release pollutants (1) that cause acid rain/damage habitats (1)

Do not accept responses about manufacturing materials or disposing of devices.

Do not award a mark for 'uses electricity'/'uses a lot of power'/'wastes energy'/'costs more money' alone, as these do not describe an environmental issue.

Allow named fossil fuels (coal/oil/gas) for fossil fuels.

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

• New software requires more memory/processing power (1) so an older device cannot run it well/becomes slow (1)
• Manufacturers use planned obsolescence (1) so devices are designed to stop working after a set time (1)
• New models are released/advertised often (1) so users upgrade to get the new features (1)
• Parts such as batteries wear out (1) so the device stops working/needs to be replaced (1)

Allow a description of devices being designed to fail after a set time, without the term planned obsolescence, for the first point (1).

Do not award a second mark for stating only that a part such as the battery wears out/stops holding charge, with no linked development.

Do not award credit for 'users want a new/nicer device' or 'devices are fashionable' on its own, with no linked development.

Do not accept 'software is updated' on its own, without saying that an older device cannot run it/becomes slow.

Do not accept responses about the environmental impact of replacing devices, such as more e-waste or more manufacturing.

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

• Less electricity/energy is used (1) so fewer fossil fuels are burned at power stations (1)
• Less electricity is generated (1) so less carbon dioxide/CO2 is released into the atmosphere (1)
• Less electricity is used (1) so less damage is caused by extracting coal/gas (1)
• Less heat is produced by the computers (1) so less energy is used by the school's cooling/air-conditioning systems (1)

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

Allow 'less electricity/energy is used' (including 'it saves electricity') as the point for (1) on its own; the second mark requires a linked environmental effect.

Do not award a mark for an environmental effect such as 'less CO2 is released' on its own without the linked point about reduced electricity/energy use.

Do not accept 'it is better for the environment' on its own without saying what the benefit is.

Do not accept 'it reduces the electricity bill'/'saves the school money' on its own, as this is a financial benefit, not an environmental one.

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

• Making plastic releases carbon dioxide/CO2 into the atmosphere (1) because large amounts of energy/fossil fuels are used to make it (1)
• Making plastic uses up/depletes a finite/non-renewable resource such as oil (1) because plastic is made from oil (1)
• Making plastic can pollute land/water (1) because harmful waste/chemicals are produced/released during manufacture (1)
• Making plastic can damage habitats/land (1) because oil has to be extracted to make the plastic (1)

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

Allow the point and linked reason in either order.

Do not accept 'plastic is bad for the environment' or 'plastic causes pollution' on its own without saying how.

Do not accept 'making plastic uses energy' on its own; it must be linked to an environmental effect such as releasing CO2/contributing to global warming.

Do not accept 'plastic is non-renewable' as a point; it is the oil used to make plastic that is non-renewable.

Do not accept 'oil is non-renewable' without saying it is used up/depleted/will run out.

Do not accept answers about throwing away/disposing of the computer case or recycling it at the end of its life.