Cambridge A Level · 9618 · Paper 1 · Theory fundamentals
Computer Science 9618/12 Oct/Nov 2023 past paper
Cambridge A Level Computer Science (9618) Paper 1 (Theory fundamentals), variant 2, Oct/Nov 2023: the question paper and its official mark scheme, 9 questions worth 75 marks, with the grade thresholds. Free to open, no account needed.
- Questions
- 9
- Marks
- 75
- Grade A from
- 46
File names: 9618_w23_qp_12 · 9618_w23_ms_12
Grade thresholds for 9618/12 Oct/Nov 2023
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.
| A | B | C | D | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 46 | 38 | 31 | 24 | 18 |
Topics in this paper
Which syllabus chapters 9618/12 Oct/Nov 2023 tested, by marks. Each chapter links to every past-paper question on it.
| Chapter | Questions | Marks |
|---|---|---|
| Communication | 1 | 17 |
| Information representation | 2 | 14 |
| Hardware | 2 | 11 |
| Databases | 1 | 11 |
| System Software | 1 | 8 |
| Processor Fundamentals | 1 | 8 |
| Security, privacy and data integrity | 1 | 6 |
Questions in 9618/12 Oct/Nov 2023
- Question 1
A factory makes chocolate bars. The factory uses a conveyor belt that moves the products from one stage of production to the next stage. (a) An automated system counts the number of chocolate bars made at the end of production. …
- Question 2
(a) State what is meant by the following terms in a relational database model. Entity Primary key Referential integrity (b) Authentication is one method a Database Management System (DBMS) can use to improve the security of a database. Describe other …
- Question 3
(a) State one difference between a kibibyte and a megabyte. (b) (i) Convert the denary value into a 12-bit two’s complement binary integer. −196 Answer (ii) Convert the Binary Coded Decimal (BCD) into denary. 100001100101 Answer (iii) Convert the unsigned …
- Question 4
(a) Write the Boolean expression that corresponds to the following logic circuit. …
- Question 5
(a) State the meaning of privacy of data. (b) State the meaning of integrity of data. (c) Describe the following threats to a computer system. Phishing email Spyware
- Question 6
(a) A real-time video of a music concert needs to be streamed to subscribers. Tick (✓) one box to identify the most appropriate type of compression and justify your answer. Lossy Lossless Justification (b) Explain the impact of changing the …
- Question 7
A Local Area Network (LAN) contains four devices: • a router • two laptop computers • a server. (a) The server has the IP address 192.168.3.2 Explain why this is not an IPv6 address. (b) (i) The LAN is set …
- Question 8
A computer has an Operating System (OS). (a) State one purpose of the Operating System. (b) The Operating System has utility software. The purpose of some utility software is to improve security. Identify one example of utility software that is …
- Question 9
The following table shows part of the instruction set for a processor. The processor has two registers, the Accumulator (ACC) and the Index Register (IX). Instruction Explanation Opcode Operand LDD <address> Direct addressing. Load the contents of the location at …
Other Computer Science papers from Oct/Nov 2023
- 9618/11 Theory fundamentals
- 9618/13 Theory fundamentals
- 9618/21 Problem-solving & programming
- 9618/22 Problem-solving & programming
- 9618/23 Problem-solving & programming
- 9618/31 Advanced theory
- 9618/32 Advanced theory
- 9618/33 Advanced theory
- 9618/41 Practical programming
- 9618/42 Practical programming
- 9618/43 Practical programming