Cambridge IGCSE · 0478 · Paper 1 · Computer systems

Computer Science 0478/12 May/June 2017 past paper

Cambridge IGCSE Computer Science (0478) Paper 1 (Computer systems), variant 2, May/June 2017: the question paper and its official mark scheme, 11 questions worth 75 marks, with the grade thresholds. Free to open, no account needed.

Questions: 11
Marks: 75
Grade A from: 51

Open the question paper Mark scheme

File names: 0478_s17_qp_12 · 0478_s17_ms_12

Grade thresholds for 0478/12 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.

A	B	C	D	E	F	G
51	42	34	29	24	19	14

Topics in this paper

Which syllabus chapters 0478/12 May/June 2017 tested, by marks. Each chapter links to every past-paper question on it.

Chapter	Questions	Marks
Hardware	5	23
Data Transmission	2	20
The Internet and its Uses	2	17
Boolean Logic	1	8
Data Representation	1	7

Questions in 0478/12 May/June 2017

Question 1Hardware · 3 marks
Name three different buses that are used in the fetch-execute cycle. Bus 1 �� Bus 2 �� Bus 3 ��
Question 2Hardware · 6 marks
Give two examples of primary, secondary and off-line storage. Primary Example 1 �� Example 2 �� Secondary Example 1 �� Example 2 �� Off-line Example 1 �� Example 2 ��
Question 3Hardware · 4 marks
The diagram shows five output devices and five descriptions. Draw a line between each output device and its description. Output Device Description Inkjet printer Flat panel display that uses the light modulating properties of liquid crystals. LCD screen Flat panel …
Question 4Data Transmission · 8 marks
There are various methods used to detect errors that can occur during data transmission and storage. Describe each of the following error detection methods. Parity check …
Question 5Data Representation · 7 marks
(a) The denary number 57 is to be stored in two different computer registers. Convert 57 from denary to binary and show your working. …
Question 6Hardware · 4 marks
Airline boarding passes can be read from a smartphone instead of a printout. Back Boarding Pass Passenger Boarding Group Flight 683 Date Thursday, November …
Question 7Data Transmission · 12 marks
Computer A is communicating with computer B. (a) Draw an arrow or arrows to show simplex, duplex and half-duplex data transmission. The direction of the data transmission must be fully labelled. Simplex data transmission Computer A Computer B Duplex data …
Question 8The Internet and its Uses · 10 marks
A company has a number of offices around the world. (a) Data is transmitted between the offices over the Internet. In order to keep the data safe the company is using Secure Socket Layer (SSL) protocol and a firewall at …
Question 9Hardware · 6 marks
A cold store is kept at a constant low temperature using a sensor, a microprocessor and a cooling unit. Explain how the sensor and microprocessor will maintain a constant low temperature. …
Question 10Boolean Logic · 8 marks
Question 11The Internet and its Uses · 7 marks
A company sells smartphones over the Internet. Explain how the information stored on the company’s website is requested by the customer, sent to the customer’s computer and displayed on the screen. …

Other Computer Science papers from May/June 2017

Questions students ask

Where can I get the 0478/12 May/June 2017 mark scheme?

Open the mark scheme above - it is the official Cambridge scheme for this exact paper (0478_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 0478/12 May/June 2017?

51 marks out of 75, a C needed 34.

Which topics came up in 0478/12 May/June 2017?

Mostly Hardware, Data Transmission, The Internet and its Uses. The full list is in the table above.

Do I need an account to open 0478/12 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.