Mark Scheme

Specimen Set 3

Pearson Edexcel GCSE In Computer Science

(1CP2)
Paper 01: Principles of Computer Science
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Paper 1 Mark Scheme

Question
Answer Additional guidance Mark
number
1(a)(1) • The number of sides on the single dice/a number between 6 and 12 (1) • Award variable names
• The user’s guess of the roll (1) provided they are
meaningful and
uniquely identify the
inputs, e.g. theGuess,
sides.
2

Question
Answer Additional guidance Mark
number
1(a)(ii) D roll <= 3

• A roll = 3 is not a relational operator, but an assignment

• B roll == 3 is an equivalence check, which would not allow a guess for 1
and 2
• C roll > 3 is greater than, which would not allow a guess for 1, 2, or 3 1
Question
Answer Additional guidance Mark
number
1(b) One mark for each correct column
A B A OR B NOT (A OR B)

0 0 0 1

0 1 1 0

1 0 1 0

1 1 1 0
2

Question
Answer Additional guidance Mark
number
1(c) One mark each for a maximum of 2
• A subprogram is a self-contained block (1) of code.
• A subprogram performs a specific/dedicated task (1).
• It can be ‘called’ by the main program or other subprograms, when it is
needed (1). 2
Question
Answer Additional guidance Mark
number
1(d) • Start and stop terminators in correct positions (1)
• Decision symbol has two outputs only, i.e. the two output messages (1)
• Yes/no labels on decision match output messages (1)
• Fully connected to function correctly (1)

Question
Answer Additional guidance Mark
number
1(e) • Runtime (1)
• Syntax (1)
• Logic (1)
3
Question
Answer Additional guidance Mark
number
1(f) One mark for each correct cell

Input Output
2 7:30am

7 8am

8 7am

3
Question
Answer Additional guidance Mark
number
2(a) One mark each for a maximum of 2 • Do not award responses
• Use it as long as possible/don’t replace it (1) indicating recycling,
• Sell/give it to a company that will recondition it (1) because the focus is on
• Give it away to a friend or charity (1) extending its use as a
• Repair it if it breaks (1) phone
• Keep the software updated (1) 2

Question
Answer Additional guidance Mark
number
2(b) C incremental

• A fragmented – this is what happens to secondary storage devices after

prolonged reading and writing
• B full – this backup happens when all the files are backed up, whether
they have been changed or not
• D lossy – this is a type of data compression 1

Question
Answer Additional guidance Mark
number
2(c) One mark each for a maximum of 2 • Award examples that fit a
• Lawfulness (1) category
• Fairness and transparency (1)
• Purpose limitation (1)
• Data minimisation (1)
• Accuracy (1)
• Storage limitation (time kept) (1)
• Integrity and confidentiality (security) (1)
• Accountability (1) 2
Question
Answer Additional guidance Mark
number
2(d) A patent prevents someone copying/using/selling an invention (1) because it
gives the inventor the exclusive right to reproduce/use/sell it for 20 years (1)

A person/organisation that infringes a patent can be prosecuted (1), because it

gives the inventors the legal protection to defend their exclusive right (1)

Question
Answer Additional guidance Mark
number
2(e) One mark each for a maximum of 2 • Accept alternative
• Not enough/insufficient data (1) wording
• Biased/prejudiced data/not representative (1)
• Non-aspirational data (1)
2
Question
Answer Additional guidance Mark
number
3(a) • Sensor with an arrow indicating input only (1) • Position of
• Actuator with an arrow indicating output only (1) sensor/actuator doesn’t
matter, as long as it’s
outside the
microcontroller box.

Question
Answer Additional guidance Mark
number
3(b) Code reviews are carried out by programmers/specialist software (1) so that
they can identify security bugs/security issues/bad practice (1)
2

Question
Answer Additional guidance Mark
number
3(c) D Register
• A Clock – sits outside the CPU and sends a signal to the CPU
• B Control bus – carries signals into and out of the CPU
• C Data bus – carries data into and out of the CPU 1
Question Answer Additional guidance
number
Mark
3(d)(i) • All file blocks of each file are in sequence/one after another (1) • Order of files does not
• All blank space is together (1) matter.
• Award second bullet if
space is at front or
end. 2

Question Answer Additional guidance

number
Mark
3(d)(ii) Any one from:
• A solid-state device has no moving parts (1)
• Seek time is not affected by scattered data because it is read
electronically (1) 1

Question Answer Additional guidance

number
Mark
3(e) • Translates the entire source file to machine code in one go/translates all • No marks for a
the source code prior to execution (1) response that restates
• Shows all syntax errors at the end of the translation process (1) the question, such as
• Produces a single executable/object code/platform-dependent output inputs source code
(1) and outputs machine
• Separates the tasks of translation and execution (1) code.
3
Question Answer Additional guidance
number
Mark
3(f) C Device driver

• A Analogue to digital converter – used to convert and play digital

representations of audio sound
• B Assembler – used to translate low-level mnemonics to machine code
• D Disk defragmenter – used to rearrange file blocks on secondary
storage to improve its performance
1

Question Answer Additional guidance

number
Mark
3(g) Any two from: • Responses should be
• High-level languages use instructions that look like English (1), whereas about the languages,
a low-level language uses mnemonics/binary code (1). not about the output
• A high-level language statement generates many lines of machine code of the language
(1), whereas each line of low-level languages is/generates a single translators (efficiency)
machine instruction (1) or other software
• High-level languages are general purpose/exist across based on the language
microprocessors/CPUs/machine-independent (1), whereas a low-level (tools)
language is microprocessor/CPU/machine specific (1)
• High-level languages are abstracted from the hardware (1), whereas
low-level languages manipulate the hardware directly (1) 4
Question Answer Additional guidance
number
Mark
4(a) POP3 deletes messages from the server when downloaded (1), whereas IMAP
leaves them on the server when downloaded (1)
2

Question Answer Additional guidance

number
Mark
4(b) Any two from: • Award responses that
• Wireless networks have a short range (1) because walls and floors can give examples of one
block the signal (1) of the categories in
OR the stem.
• Wireless/radio signals may not go very far (1) because solid structures
(thick walls, steel beams) block the signal (1)

• Wireless networks can have high latency (1) because they suffer from
interference from other wireless networks or devices (1)
OR
• The performance of a wireless network can be adversely affected by
interference from other devices (1) because they can operate on the
same frequency band/they are high voltage, such as a microwave (1)

• Wireless networks have low speed (1) because all the devices must share
the available bandwidth (1)
OR
• The more devices that are connected to the network, the more likely
bottlenecks are to occur (1) because they all want a share of the
available bandwidth (1)
4
Question Answer Additional guidance
number
Mark
4(c) One for each to a maximum of 3
• A checksum formula is applied to the packet before it leaves the source
computer (1)
• The source calculated checksum is added to the packet header (1)
• At the receiving end, the same checksum formula is reapplied (1)
• The new checksum is compared to the received checksum in the packet
header (1)
• If the received checksum and the newly calculated checksum do not
match, a resend request is issued (1)
3
Question Indicative content
Number
4(d) Discuss methods of securing networks.

Physical security
• The movie streaming company should use physical security to protect its products and data from unauthorised
access.
• Physical security can be used to only allow authorised people to enter critical areas, such as the room with
the file servers where the movies are stored.
• The machine storing the movies and the movie streaming company’s data should be in locked
rooms/cupboards.
• Each door could be fitted with an electronic lock system which can record who enters the server room and
when.
• Electronic lock systems can read cards/fobs/biometrics of employees and check them against details stored
on a database to determine if an employee has special permission to enter the movie server room.

Access control
• The movie streaming company should enforce strict access control to determine who can log onto its network.
• Each time someone attempts to log onto the movie streaming company’s network, their credentials are
checked against a database.
• The credentials also determine what access the person can have, such as to the customer files but not the
movie files.
• Different employees/people need different levels of access to do their job, for example, the billing
department does not need access to employee records or the movie files.
• Access control limits employees to only that level of access needed, for example, the payroll department
would not need to access the stored movies.
• Controlling access means that an apprentice cannot delete movies, thereby reducing the chance of accidental
corruption of deletion of data.
• Access control is set up by the system’s administrator, who has the highest level of privileges and can see all
the unencrypted data across all machines, including customer records and movie files.

Firewalls
 • A firewall acts as a barrier between the movie streaming company’s network and the internet.
• The movie streaming company may choose to purchase firewalls that are software, hardware, or a
combination.
• The movie streaming company should have hardware firewalls on the entry points to its network and software
firewalls on each company-owned device.
• Firewalls use a set of rules to determine which packets of data are allowed in and out, so unauthorised access
attempts to the movie streaming company’s network will be denied.
• Rules can be customised to suit the movie streaming company’s particular needs.
• They can flag up suspicious activity by employees such as downloading viruses or sending confidential data,
including movie files, outside the movie streaming company.

Level Mark Descriptor

0 No rewardable content.
Level 1 1–2 Basic, independent points are made, showing elements of understanding of key concepts/principles of
computer science. (AO1)

The discussion will contain basic information with little linkage between points made or application to the
context. (AO2)
Level 2 3–4 Demonstrates adequate understanding of key concepts/principles of computer science. (AO1)

The discussion shows some linkages and lines of reasoning with some structure and application to the
context. (AO2)
Level 3 5–6 Demonstrates comprehensive understanding of key concepts/principles of computer science to support the
discussion being presented. (AO1)

The discussion is well developed, with sustained lines of reasoning that are coherent and logically
structured, and which clearly apply to the context. (AO2)
Question Answer Additional guidance
number
Mark
5(a) A lossless compression will allow the exact contents of the word-processed
document to be reconstructed (1) whereas a lossy compression will
permanently remove data from the file (1)
2

Question Answer Additional guidance

number
Mark
5(b) • 18 converted to 8-bit binary 0001 0010 (1) • Penalise use of
• -8 converted to two’s complement 8-bit binary 1111 1000 (1) fewer/more than 8 bits
• Addition performed correctly (1 mark for each nibble) only once.
o 8-bit binary result of 0000 (1) 1010 (1) • Allow follow through
errors on addition, as
long as there is at least
one carry. 4

Question Answer Additional guidance

number
Mark
5(c) One from • Do not award
• 29 gives 512 (1) patterns whereas 28 gives 256 patterns (1) responses stating 8
• 28 (1) does not give enough patterns whereas 29 (1) gives more than bits is not big enough,
enough patterns as it is implied in the
stem. 2
Question Answer Additional guidance
number
Mark
5(d) One mark for each:
• Sample rate and bit depth = 44.1 × 1000 × 16 (1)
• Channels and time = 2 × 4 × 60 (1)
• Unit conversions = 8 × 1024 × 1024 (1)
• Numerator and denominator the right way around (1)

Example of an expression that gains full marks:

((44.1 × 1000 × 16) × (2 × 4 × 60)) ÷ (8 × 1024 × 1024)
4
Question Answer Additional guidance
number
Mark
5(e) Image data: • Allow overruns on image
One mark for any two conversions done correctly and one mark for the third grid only once for each
conversion done correctly to a maximum of 2 cell, i.e. if Red overruns
• Width converted to 8 denary in to Black, award Red,
• Height converted to 5 denary but not Black.
• Colour depth converted to 2 denary

Colour table:
One mark for any two conversions done correctly to a maximum of 2
• Black converted to 00 binary
• Red converted t 01 binary
• Green converted to 10 binary
• White converted to 11 binary

Image grid:
Sequence of cells any two colours labelled correctly to a maximum of 2
• L-shaped Black
• Single row Red
• Double row Green
• Single row White
6