Cambridge A Level · 9618 · Paper 1 · Theory fundamentals

Computer Science 9618/13 Oct/Nov 2025 past paper

Cambridge A Level Computer Science (9618) Paper 1 (Theory fundamentals), variant 3, Oct/Nov 2025: the question paper and its official mark scheme, 8 questions worth 75 marks, with the grade thresholds. Free to open, no account needed.

Questions: 8
Marks: 75
Grade A from: 49

Open the question paper Mark scheme

File names: 9618_w25_qp_13 · 9618_w25_ms_13

Grade thresholds for 9618/13 Oct/Nov 2025

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
49	41	34	27	21

Topics in this paper

Which syllabus chapters 9618/13 Oct/Nov 2025 tested, by marks. Each chapter links to every past-paper question on it.

Chapter	Questions	Marks
Hardware	2	18
Databases	1	16
Information representation	2	13
Processor Fundamentals	1	11
System Software	1	10
Communication	1	7

Questions in 9618/13 Oct/Nov 2025

Question 1Information representation · 7 marks
(a) A student creates sound recordings. Making changes to a sound recording may impact the accuracy of the resulting sound file or the size of the file. Draw two lines from each change to the impacts it has on the …
Question 2Information representation · 6 marks
(a) Data in a computer system is represented in binary. Put one tick (3) in each row to identify the minimum number of bits used to store each example of data. Example of data Number of bits …
Question 3Hardware · 4 marks
(a) Complete the truth table for the following logic expression: …
Question 4Communication · 7 marks
A network engineer is setting up a Local Area Network (LAN) in an office. The network uses both wired and wireless connectivity. (a) Give three advantages of a wireless network compared to a wired network. …
Question 5Databases · 16 marks
A company creates a relational database to store data about its customers. The database, REVIEWS, stores data about the customers, products, complaints and staff. The database has four tables: CUSTOMER(CustomerID, CustomerFirstName, CustomerLastName, CustomerEmail) PRODUCT(ProductID, ProductName, ProductDetail, Price, Rating) COMPLAINT(ComplaintID, ProductID, …
Question 6Processor Fundamentals · 11 marks
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 LDM #n Immediate addressing. Load the number n to the ACC …
Question 7Hardware · 14 marks
A digital video camera records students in a classroom. The data is transferred from the digital video camera over the internet to a server. Artificial Intelligence (AI) is used to analyse the video on the server to identify when students …
Question 8System Software · 10 marks
Compilers and interpreters are used to translate programs written in a high‑level language into a low‑level language. (a) State two disadvantages of using a compiler compared to an interpreter during program development. …

Other Computer Science papers from Oct/Nov 2025

Questions students ask

Where can I get the 9618/13 Oct/Nov 2025 mark scheme?

Open the mark scheme above - it is the official Cambridge scheme for this exact paper (9618_w25_ms_13), and on a wide screen it sits beside the question you are reading.

What was the grade threshold for an A in 9618/13 Oct/Nov 2025?

49 marks out of 75, a C needed 34.

Which topics came up in 9618/13 Oct/Nov 2025?

Mostly Hardware, Databases, Information representation. The full list is in the table above.

Do I need an account to open 9618/13 Oct/Nov 2025?

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.