Cambridge A Level · 9618 · Paper 2 · Problem-solving & programming

Computer Science 9618/21 Oct/Nov 2025 past paper

Cambridge A Level Computer Science (9618) Paper 2 (Problem-solving & programming), variant 1, 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: 46

Open the question paper Mark scheme

File names: 9618_w25_qp_21 · 9618_w25_ms_21

Grade thresholds for 9618/21 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
46	37	29	21	14

Topics in this paper

Which syllabus chapters 9618/21 Oct/Nov 2025 tested, by marks. Each chapter links to every past-paper question on it.

Chapter	Questions	Marks
Data Types and Structures	5	50
Programming	2	20
Algorithm Design and Problem-solving	1	5

Questions in 9618/21 Oct/Nov 2025

Question 1Programming · 10 marks
A program is being developed to meet a particular customer requirement. (a) The program contains these variables: Variable Data type MyChar CHAR MyString STRING MyInt INTEGER MyDOB DATE Complete the table by filling in the gaps using functions and/or operators …
Question 2Algorithm Design and Problem-solving · 5 marks
Data is a global 1D array containing 30 elements of type STRING An algorithm will output: • all non-blank elements (elements that do not contain an empty string) • the final total of the number of elements output. Complete the …
Question 3Data Types and Structures · 9 marks
A program is needed to manage individual rentals in a car-hire business. The data items for each rental will be held in a record structure of type RentalRecord The programmer has started to define the items that will be needed: …
Question 4Data Types and Structures · 9 marks
A program contains a global 1D array Number consisting of 20 elements of type REAL A procedure Store() will input a sequence of up to 20 real values, one value at a time. These values will be assigned to elements …
Question 5Data Types and Structures · 6 marks
A program is being designed in pseudocode. The program contains the following declaration for the global array MyData: DECLARE MyData : ARRAY[1:10000] OF STRING A function FindFirst() is written to search the array for a given string and to return …
Question 6Data Types and Structures · 9 marks
Students are learning about a simple check digit method for data validation. In this method, a single check digit is appended to the end of an original number to give a new number. The students are studying a method which: …
Question 7Programming · 10 marks
There are several different ways to express an algorithm during the design of a program. (a) One part of the program contains an algorithm which is represented by a state-transition diagram. The table shows the inputs, outputs and states for …
Question 8Data Types and Structures · 17 marks
A program is being developed to manage student book loans from a college library. Students may borrow up to five books at a time from the library. The programmer has defined a record type to define each loan. The record …

Other Computer Science papers from Oct/Nov 2025

Questions students ask

Where can I get the 9618/21 Oct/Nov 2025 mark scheme?

Open the mark scheme above - it is the official Cambridge scheme for this exact paper (9618_w25_ms_21), and on a wide screen it sits beside the question you are reading.

What was the grade threshold for an A in 9618/21 Oct/Nov 2025?

46 marks out of 75, a C needed 29.

Which topics came up in 9618/21 Oct/Nov 2025?

Mostly Data Types and Structures, Programming, Algorithm Design and Problem-solving. The full list is in the table above.

Do I need an account to open 9618/21 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.