Cambridge IGCSE · 0478 · Paper 1 · Computer systems
Computer Science 0478/12 Oct/Nov 2025 past paper
Cambridge IGCSE Computer Science (0478) Paper 1 (Computer systems), variant 2, Oct/Nov 2025: the question paper and its official mark scheme, 7 questions worth 75 marks, with the grade thresholds. Free to open, no account needed.
- Questions
- 7
- Marks
- 75
- Grade A from
- 41
File names: 0478_w25_qp_12 · 0478_w25_ms_12
Grade thresholds for 0478/12 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 | F | G |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 41 | 31 | 22 | 18 | 14 | 11 | 8 |
Topics in this paper
Which syllabus chapters 0478/12 Oct/Nov 2025 tested, by marks. Each chapter links to every past-paper question on it.
| Chapter | Questions | Marks |
|---|---|---|
| Data Transmission | 2 | 29 |
| Software | 3 | 28 |
| Hardware | 1 | 11 |
| Data Representation | 1 | 7 |
Questions in 0478/12 Oct/Nov 2025
- Question 1
A toy store gives each of the toys it sells a unique code. The codes are 3-digit hexadecimal codes, for example A4B. A computer is used to store a database of the codes. The computer has 12-bit registers. (a) Give …
- Question 2
Two binary numbers are stored in a computer. (a) Add the two binary numbers using binary addition. Give your answer in binary. Show all of your working. …
- Question 3
A programmer uses assembly language to create a program for a coffee machine. (a) Describe what is meant by assembly language. (b) Identify the translator needed for assembly language. (c) Tick (✓) one box to show which statement is an …
- Question 4
A computer with a Von Neumann architecture has a central processing unit (CPU) that performs the fetch–decode–execute (FDE) cycle. (a) Complete and annotate the diagram to show how instructions are decoded and executed. control unit (CU) arithmetic logic unit (ALU) …
- Question 5
A computer system has a mouse. An interrupt is sent to the CPU every time a button on the mouse is clicked. (a) Identify the name of this type of interrupt. (b) The interrupt is placed in a queue. Explain …
- Question 6
An online clothing company has a homepage at the uniform resource locator (URL) https://www.cieclothes.com/index.html (a) Write down the three different parts of the URL shown by the labels a, b and c. https://www.cieclothes.com/index.html …
- Question 7
A house has a smart speaker that can take voice commands as input. A person in the house can tell the smart speaker to play music or audio books. (a) The smart speaker cannot be described as a robot. Explain …
Other Computer Science papers from Oct/Nov 2025
- 0478/11 Computer systems
- 0478/13 Computer systems
- 0478/21 Algorithms, programming & logic
- 0478/22 Algorithms, programming & logic
- 0478/23 Algorithms, programming & logic