Which technique involves removing unnecessary detail from a problem?
1(b)4 marks
Complete a truth table for P = (A AND B) OR (NOT C) and state how many input combinations make P true.
1(c)4 marks
Compare the efficiency of bubble sort and merge sort for sorting one million records.
2(a)3 marks
Convert 0x7F and −1 into 8-bit binary (two's complement for −1) and explain why 0x7F is the largest positive 8-bit two's complement value.
2(b)3 marks
Add the 8-bit two's complement numbers 01100100 and 00110010 and explain the result.
2(c)4 marks
Explain the difference between an array, a record and a list in Python, giving a use of each.
2(d)3 marks
An image of 800 × 600 pixels uses 256 colours. Calculate its size in kibibytes (KiB).
3(a)4 marks
Describe the role of the ALU, control unit, registers and cache in a CPU.
3(b)4 marks
Explain how an operating system manages memory and processes.
3(c)2 marks
Explain two characteristics of embedded systems.
3(d)4 marks
Compare assemblers, compilers and interpreters.
4(a)4 marks
Explain how data is transmitted across the internet using packet switching.
4(b)3 marks
Compare star and mesh topologies.
4(c)4 marks
Explain how phishing and SQL injection attacks work and one defence against each.
4(d)3 marks
State the purpose of HTTPS, SMTP and DHCP.
5(a)4 marks
Explain two environmental impacts of digital technology and one way to reduce each.
5(b)9 marks
Discuss the impact of automation and artificial intelligence on employment and society.
6(a)4 marks
Explain the purpose of each type of test: normal, boundary, erroneous and integration.
6(b)2 marks
Explain the difference between a function and a procedure.
6(c)6 marks
Write a Python function that takes a list of integers and returns the second-largest distinct value, or None if there is none.
Finished?
Answer every question to finish (20 left), or finish when the time’s up.
Score 0 / 75 · 0 of 20 marked
This paper is written by Plasmo in the style of the Edexcel A-Level Computer Science exam. It is not a past paper and is not produced or endorsed by the exam board.
Edexcel A-Level Computer Science Mock Exam: Paper 1: Principles of computer science | Plasmo