Sample Question Paper 1B Mark Scheme

GCSE Edexcel Computer Science

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Sample Question Paper 1B Mark Scheme
GCSE Edexcel Computer Science
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Sample Question Paper 1B Mark Scheme
GCSE Edexcel Computer Science

Please write clearly, in BLOCK CAPITALS and black ink

Centre number Candidate number

First name (s)

Surname

Date of Exam Time allowed: 1 hour 30 minutes

GCSE (9–1) Computer Science

1CP2/01 Paper 1: Principles of Computer Science
Total Marks

PAPER 1B
Instructions
 Write in black ink
 Write your answer to each question in the space provided
 Answer all questions
 You are not allowed to use a calculator

Information
 The total mark for this paper is 75
 The marks for each question are shown in brackets ( )
 The student version of this paper has 12 pages
ADVICE
 Read each question carefully before you start to answer it
 Try to answer every question
 Answer questions in the space provided – there may be more space than you need

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Sample Question Paper 1B Mark Scheme
GCSE Edexcel Computer Science

Answer ALL questions. Write your answers in the spaces provided.

Some questions must be answered with a cross in a box .
If you change your mind about an answer, put a line through the box and then
mark your new answer with a cross .

1 Data
(a) Identify the number of states that can be represented by a binary pattern
that is 10 bits in length.
A 20
B 256
C 512
D 1024

(b) Identify the largest unit of measurement.

A gibibyte
B kibibyte
C mebibyte
D tebibyte

(c) Identify the two’s complement signed integer of the denary number -52.
A 00110100
B 11001011
C 11001100
D 10110100
[Teacher note: To calculate the two’s complement, first calculate 52 in binary which
gives 00110100 (this is answer A), then invert the bits to 11001011 (this is one’s
complement and answer B) then add 1 to get 11001100 (this is two’s complement and
answer C). Answer D represents -52 in sign and magnitude, which was not asked for
and is not on the specification].

(d) Convert the denary number 74 into binary.

01001010
1 mark for each nibble.
(e) Calculate the result of the following binary addition.
01010010 +
01111001
11001011 (2)
1 mark for each nibble.

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Sample Question Paper 1B Mark Scheme
GCSE Edexcel Computer Science

(f) The following shows a black and white image of a dice that has been stored in a
computer.

(i) Explain the colour depth that would be required to store the image.
1 bit (1) is all that is required as it can store two states for each pixel / 0 and 1. (1)
(ii) State the resolution of the image.
8 x 10 (1)
80 pixels. (1)
(iii) Explain the need for image compression before photos and images are stored on a
smartphone.
Compression reduces the file size (1)
so that more photos can be stored / which means the phone can come with less
storage. (1)
(iv) Explain why a lossless compression would be suitable for storing the
above image.
If lossless compression is used, after compression/decompression, the image will
be restored to exactly the same as the original. (1)
An error on this image could result in someone not being able to interpret the
number on the dice. (1)

(f) Construct an expression to calculate the file size of the above image in bytes.
8 x 10 x 1 bit = 80 bits (1)
(80 bits ÷ 8) bytes (1)
OR ((8x10x1)÷8) bytes
Allow just the final answer 10 bytes for 2 marks
Allow overheads to be added – e.g. 10% extra
01001010
1 mark for each nibble.
(Total for Question 1 = 16 marks)

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Sample Question Paper 1B Mark Scheme
GCSE Edexcel Computer Science

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Sample Question Paper 1B Mark Scheme
GCSE Edexcel Computer Science

2 Issues and impact

(a) A programmer makes some software which analyses a shop’s customer data.
(i) State one method of intellectual property protection which prevents shops from
copying the software without permission.
Copyright. (1)
Accept licence if it is indicated that the shop has agreed to the licence (e.g. a
signed licence agreement).
(ii) Explain two issues that the shop will need to consider that are associated with the
collection and use of personal data.
The shop will need to have the consent (1) of customer before they can
store/process the data. (1)
The misuse (1) of the data would be illegal (under the Data Protection Act). (1)
The customer will have a right to privacy (1) so the shop must make reasonable
efforts to keep any personal details secure. (1)
Data protection (act) (1) means that there must be a lawful basis (such as
consent / legal obligation / contract / legitimate interests) to store/process the data
(1).
(iii) The software has a unique and original name. State one method of intellectual
property protection that will protect this name.
Trademark. (1)
(iv) A website is providing a free copy of the software for users to download and install.
Once installed, the program works, but starts carrying out malicious actions on the
computer, such as displaying pop-up advertising.
State the type of malware that has been installed.
Trojan / Trojan horse. (1)

(Total for Question 2 = 7 marks)

3 Networks
(a) Give one reason why computers are connected in a network.
To share resources / Internet connection / printer / file server / server. (1)
Central management of computers. (1)
User profile can be loaded to any computer on the network / a user can use any
computer on the network with all their settings being accessed from a central location.
(1)
or any other appropriate reason
(b) When data is sent through the Internet, it is first split into packets. These are then sent
to a destination IP address.
Define the meaning of the term IP address.
A unique number for each device on the Internet. (1)
A number such as 122.195.2.1 which identifies the device. (1)

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Sample Question Paper 1B Mark Scheme
GCSE Edexcel Computer Science

(c) Describe the role of SMTP when sending email.

SMTP stands for Simple Mail Transfer Protocol. (1)
When an email is sent, it is sent to an SMTP server. (1)
It is then forwarded on to SMTP servers closer to the destination (1)
Until it reaches the final mail server. (1)

(d) Give one other protocol that can be used to receive email.
POP / Post Office Protocol. (1)
IMAP / Internet Message Access Protocol. (1)

(e) Describe how penetration testing is used to identify network vulnerabilities.

A white hat hacker / ethical hacker (1)
attempts to break into the network (1)
with the permission of the owner (1)
they will report any vulnerabilities back to the owner (so that they can be fixed). (1)
(f) A small office has connected their devices together to form a network.
(i) Complete the diagram below to join the devices into a star topology.
Add lines to indicate connections and any other components that you feel
are necessary.

1 mark for one connection from each device to central node.

1 mark for indicating a central node with a box or circle.
(ii) Name one other device that would be needed to connect this network to the
Internet.
Router (1)
(iii) The small office currently has their computers connected using a wired network.
The office is in an old building with thick walls. However, it is a small office where
all computer users are in one room. The company is involved in research that
sometimes requires large amount of data to be stored on the server.
The company is considering changing the network to a wireless one.
Discuss how the characteristics of wired and wireless connectivity impact on the
performance of the network.
Your answer should consider:
 The advantages of wired connections
 The advantages of wireless connections
 How suitable each type of connection would be for the company

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Sample Question Paper 1B Mark Scheme
GCSE Edexcel Computer Science

Advantages of wired connections:

 Wired connections are typically more reliable.
 They have a good range, typically of around 100 metres, so enough for a small
office.
 The bandwidth on a wired connection can be very large which will be useful when
the larger amounts of information need to be sent.
 Wired connections do not have interference from other connections as is the case
with wireless connections.
 Wired connections do not drop their connection or take time to establish a
connection as is the case with wired connections.
 Wired connections are faster to set up (if there is a cable and socket in the switch
available) as no network passwords need to be entered.
 The latency of the connection may be a little faster than a wireless connection as
there won’t be time spent encrypting/decrypting the connection.
Advantages of wireless connections:
 There is no need to install any cables.
 New devices can easily be added to the network without the need for a cable.
 The connection can be encrypted for security.
 Whilst range is often an issue with wireless networks, this is a small office in one
room, meaning that range should be no issue.
 There are not many devices connecting (at the moment) which should mean that
interference is minimal and the sharing of the bandwidth should not affect users
too much.
Marking grid

Level Mark Descriptor

0 No rewardable content.

Level 1 1-2 Basic, independent points are made, showing elements of

understanding of key concepts/principles of Computer Science.

The discussion will contain basic information with little linkage

between points made or application to the context.

Level 2 3-4 Demonstrates adequate understanding of key

concepts/principles of Computer Science.
The discussion shows some linkages and lines of reasoning
with some structure and application to the context.

Level 3 5-6 Demonstrates comprehensive understanding of key

concepts/principles of Computer Science to support the
discussion being presented.
The discussion is well developed, with sustained lines of
reasoning that are coherent and logically structured, and which
clearly apply to the context.

(Total for Question 3 = 16 marks)

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Sample Question Paper 1B Mark Scheme
GCSE Edexcel Computer Science

4 Computers
(a) Anti-malware software detects and prevents malware from infecting or attacking
computers. Explain the purpose of two other types of utility software.
File repair (1) fixes files that have become corrupted. (1)
Backup (1) software makes a copy of files so that they can be stored in a remote
location / so that the data can be restored if lost/corrupted/damaged (1).
Data compression (1) reduces the size of files so that they can be
emailed/uploaded/take up less storage space (1).
Disk defragmentation (1) puts all fragments/parts of a file into order so that they can be
accessed faster (on a magnetic disk) (1).
Accept other common utility software with a linked explanation.

(b) Describe how anti-malware software works.

A full scan checks all files on the computer / when a file is downloaded it is checked /
when a file on removable media is accessed it is checked. (1)
The file(s) are checked against a database of virus definitions. (1)
If a match is found then the file is quarantined / removed / prevented from being
accessed. (1)

(c) State two types of information that are stored in main memory (RAM) in the
von Neumann architecture.
Instructions / (running) programs (1)
Data (1)

(d) Describe what happens during the fetch-decode-execute cycle.

The instruction is retrieved/fetched from main memory/RAM. (1)
The instruction is decoded/interpreted. (1)
The instruction is executed/run / the actions of the instruction are carried out. (1)
The cycle is repeated. (1)

(e) Identify which of the following components is not located in a CPU.

A Control unit
B Arithmetic logic unit
C Registers
D Clock

(f) Describe how data is stored on a magnetic hard disk.

A platter / disk has a magnetic coating. (1)
The disk continuously spins. (1)
The drive head moves to the track / location where the data will be stored. (1)
The drive head changes the disk surface to a sequence of magnetic north or south
states to store the data. (1)

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Sample Question Paper 1B Mark Scheme
GCSE Edexcel Computer Science

(g) State two characteristics of low-level programming languages.

Instructions match/are close to the CPU instruction set. (1)
The language allows the programmer to directly interact with
registers/memory/hardware. (1)
The language is machine dependent / written for one type of CPU. (1)
An assembler is required to create the machine code from assembly code / no compiler
or Interpreter is needed to translate the source code. (1)
Instructions are written as mnemonics/opcodes. (1)
The code produced takes up less memory than code written with a high-level language.
(1)

(Total for Question 4 = 17 marks)

5 Computational thinking
(a) A new app is being built which will show students the most popular routes that are used
to walk to school.
Explain the benefit of using abstraction to model routes used to walk to school.
Abstraction is removing/hiding unnecessary details from the problem/model. (1)
Details such as trees/car lanes/road speed could be ignored as they are unnecessary
for walking to school. (1)
This will reduce the amount of information that needs to be stored/processed OR this
will reduce the complexity of the problem. (1)

(b) A burglar alarm will sound if the alarm has been set and either a door is opened or a
motion detector is triggered.
This can be expressed as: alarmSet and (doorOpen or motion).
Complete the truth table.

alarmSet doorOpen motion doorOpen or alarmSet and

motion (doorOpen or
motion)

0 0 0 0 0

0 0 1 1 0

0 1 0 1 0

0 1 1 1 0

1 0 0 0 0

1 0 1 1 1

1 1 0 1 1

1 1 1 1 1

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Sample Question Paper 1B Mark Scheme
GCSE Edexcel Computer Science

(c) A list of names is given as follows:

Liam Sophia Noah Olivia Riley Jackson Ava

Describe how a linear search works to find a name in the list.

The searched for name is compared against the leftmost element (1)
…and then compared against each element in order (1)
…until the name is found / until the end of the list. (1)

(d) State why the list of names in part (c) cannot be searched using a binary search
algorithm.
it is not in alphabetical order.
(e) The following algorithm is used in a program.

(i) Complete the trace table showing the execution of the program.
You may not need to fill in all the rows in the table.

length i positions newItem Display

4 [5, 2, 3, 9] 7

0 [2, 2, 3, 9] (1)

1 [2, 3, 3, 9] (1)

2 [2, 3, 9, 9] (1)

3 [2, 3, 9, 7] (1)

[2, 3, 9, 7] (1)

1 mark for each row

Allow alternative versions of the trace table if correct – e.g. copying of values that
do not change

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Sample Question Paper 1B Mark Scheme
GCSE Edexcel Computer Science

(ii) Explain the purpose of this algorithm.

The first item of the list is removed. (1)
All other items are moved to the left. (1)
The new item is added to the list at the right. (1)
OR
The list is used as a queue (1) where when a new item is added the left-most item
is removed. (1)
Or any other appropriate explanation of the purpose of the algorithm.

(Total for Question 5 = 19 marks)

TOTAL FOR PAPER = 75 MARKS

Acknowledgements
Artwork

Autumn
© 2017 Deborah Lanyon (107 cm × 92 cm)
Acrylic on canvas
www.deborahlanyon.co.uk

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