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2017

Cambridge A Level · 9608 · Paper 1 · Theory fundamentals

Computer Science 9608/12 May/June 2017 past paper

Cambridge A Level Computer Science (9608) (previous syllabus, now 9618) Paper 1 (Theory fundamentals), variant 2, May/June 2017: the question paper and its official mark scheme, 6 questions worth 75 marks, with the grade thresholds. Free to open, no account needed.

Questions
6
Marks
75
Grade A from
47
Open the question paperMark scheme

File names: 9608_s17_qp_12 · 9608_s17_ms_12

Grade thresholds for 9608/12 May/June 2017

The minimum raw marks Cambridge set for each grade on this component (out of 75). Thresholds change every session and variant, so always compare your score with the paper you actually sat.

ABCDE
4742373227

Topics in this paper

Which syllabus chapters 9608/12 May/June 2017 tested, by marks. Each chapter links to every past-paper question on it.

ChapterQuestionsMarks
Databases117
Communication115
Hardware112
Processor Fundamentals111
Information representation110
System Software110

Questions in 9608/12 May/June 2017

  1. Question 1Databases · 17 marks

    Some shops belong to the Rainbow Retail buying group. They buy their goods from one or more suppliers. Each shop has: • a unique shop ID • a single retail specialism (for example, food, electrical, garden). Each supplier has: • …

  2. Question 2Hardware · 12 marks

    (a) The first column of the following table gives features of different types of printer. Put a tick (3) in the cells to show which features describe a laser and an inkjet printer. Type of printer Laser Inkjet Impact printer …

  3. Question 3Information representation · 10 marks

    (a) A computer has a microphone and captures a voice recording using sound editing software. The user can select the sampling resolution before making a recording. Define the term sampling resolution. Explain how the sampling resolution will affect the accuracy …

  4. Question 4System Software · 10 marks

    (a) (i) Explain why a personal computer (PC) needs an operating system (OS). (ii) One of the tasks carried out by the OS is the management of the use of the processor. Name and describe two other management tasks that …

  5. Question 5Processor Fundamentals · 11 marks

    The following table shows part of the instruction set for a processor. The processor has one general purpose register, the Accumulator (ACC), and an Index Register (IX). Instruction Explanation Op code (mnemonic) Operand Op code (binary) LDD <address> 0001 0011 …

  6. Question 6Communication · 15 marks

    Downloading a file from a website is an example of a client-server application. (a) Describe what is meant by the term client-server for this application. (b) The following sequence of steps (1 to 5) describes what happens when someone uses …

Other Computer Science papers from May/June 2017

Questions students ask

Where can I get the 9608/12 May/June 2017 mark scheme?
Open the mark scheme above - it is the official Cambridge scheme for this exact paper (9608_s17_ms_12), and on a wide screen it sits beside the question you are reading.
What was the grade threshold for an A in 9608/12 May/June 2017?
47 marks out of 75, a C needed 37.
Which topics came up in 9608/12 May/June 2017?
Mostly Databases, Communication, Hardware. The full list is in the table above.
Do I need an account to open 9608/12 May/June 2017?
No. Every paper opens for free without signing in. A free account also saves your pen marks and records your score against the grade thresholds.