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2021

Cambridge A Level · 9608 · Paper 2 · Fundamental problem-solving & programming

Computer Science 9608/21 May/June 2021 past paper

Cambridge A Level Computer Science (9608) (previous syllabus, now 9618) Paper 2 (Fundamental problem-solving & programming), variant 1, May/June 2021: the question paper and its official mark scheme, 6 questions worth 83 marks, with the grade thresholds. Free to open, no account needed.

Questions
6
Marks
75
Grade A from
43
Open the question paperMark scheme

File names: 9608_s21_qp_21 · 9608_s21_ms_21

Grade thresholds for 9608/21 May/June 2021

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
4335282114

Topics in this paper

Which syllabus chapters 9608/21 May/June 2021 tested, by marks. Each chapter links to every past-paper question on it.

ChapterQuestionsMarks
Data Types and Structures351
Information representation111
Algorithm Design and Problem-solving111
Software Development110

Questions in 9608/21 May/June 2021

  1. Question 1Information representation · 11 marks

    (a) (i) State how characters are represented using the ASCII character set. (ii) String values may be represented by a sequence of ASCII characters. The following table shows consecutive memory locations. Complete the table by adding the values to show …

  2. Question 2Data Types and Structures · 11 marks

    (a) The following pseudocode algorithm counts the number of each alphabetic character in the string Msg. The character count values are stored in an array CharCount. Variable declarations are not shown. FOR Index 1 TO 26 CharCount[Index] 0 ENDFOR FOR …

  3. Question 3Software Development · 10 marks

    (a) The following table contains information about five modules in a program. It describes the calls made and the parameters passed. Module Description Module_X • repeatedly calls Module_Y then Module_Z • passes a parameter of type REAL to Module_Y • …

  4. Question 4Data Types and Structures · 12 marks

    The following is part of a program written in pseudocode: DECLARE ThisArray : ARRAY[1:1000] OF STRING DECLARE ArrayResult : INTEGER PROCEDURE ScanArray(SearchString : STRING) DECLARE Index, Total : INTEGER DECLARE Error : BOOLEAN Index 1 Total 0 Error FALSE WHILE …

  5. Question 5Algorithm Design and Problem-solving · 11 marks

    Alice is developing an algorithm for a game. The game will count the number of attempts by a player to guess the secret number generated by the built-in random number function. She will use pseudocode to develop a procedure, GuessNum(), …

  6. Question 6Data Types and Structures · 28 marks

    A program stores stock data in four global arrays as follows: Array Data type Description Example data value Initial data value StockID STRING The stock item ID (Eight alpha-numeric characters) "HWDM0001" "" Description STRING A description of the item (Alphabetic …

Other Computer Science papers from May/June 2021

Questions students ask

Where can I get the 9608/21 May/June 2021 mark scheme?
Open the mark scheme above - it is the official Cambridge scheme for this exact paper (9608_s21_ms_21), and on a wide screen it sits beside the question you are reading.
What was the grade threshold for an A in 9608/21 May/June 2021?
43 marks out of 75, a C needed 28.
Which topics came up in 9608/21 May/June 2021?
Mostly Data Types and Structures, Information representation, Algorithm Design and Problem-solving. The full list is in the table above.
Do I need an account to open 9608/21 May/June 2021?
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.