PAPER 1A AQA GCSE COMPUTER SCIENCE
8525A/1 PAPER 1 COMPUTATIONAL THINKING
AND PROGRAMMING SKILLS ASSEMENT
PAPER
(AUTHENTIC MARKING SCHEME ATTACHED)
GCSE
COMPUTER SCIENCE
Paper 1 - Computational thinking and programming skills
Specimen Assessment MaterialsTime allowed: 2 hours
Materials
• There are no additional materials required for this paper.
• You must not use a calculator.
Instructions
• Use black ink or black ball-point pen. Use pencil only for drawing.
• Answer all questions.
• You must answer the questions in the spaces provided.
• Do all rough work in this book.
• Cross through any work you do not want to be marked.
• Questions that require a coded solution must be answered in C#
Information
• The total number of marks available for this paper is 90.
Advice
For the multiple-choice questions, completely fill in the lozenge alongside the appropriate answer.
CORRECT METHOD WRONG METHODS
If you want to change your answer you must cross out your original answer as shown.
If you wish to return to an answer previously crossed out, ring the answer you now wish to select
as shown.
8525A/1
, 2
Do not write
outside the
box
Answer all questions.
0 1 . 1 Define the term algorithm.
[2 marks]
0 1 . 2 The following are computer science terms (labelled A – E).
A assignment
B data type
C decomposition
D efficiency
E input
For each of the definitions in the table, write the label of the most
suitable computer science term. Use a label only once.
[3 marks]
Label
Breaking a problem down into a number of sub-problems
The process of setting the value stored in a variable
Defines the range of values a variable may take
, 3
Do not
write
0 2 The pseudo-code in Figure 1 assigns two string values to two variables. outside
the box
Figure 1
title ← 'computer science'
level ← 'gcse'
0 2 . 1 Shade one lozenge that shows the length of the contents of the variable level in
Figure 1.
[1 mark]
A 1
B 2
C 3
D 4
0 2 . 2 Shade one lozenge that shows the result of concatenating the variable title
with the variable level in Figure 1.
[1 mark]
A 'computer science gcse'
B 'Computer Science GCSE'
C 'computersciencegcse'
D 'computer sciencegcse'
Turn over for the next question
Turn over ►
Turn over ►
, 4
Do not write
outside the
box
0 3 The algorithm in Figure 2 has been developed to automate the quantity of dog
biscuits to put in a dog bowl at certain times of the day.
• Line numbers are included but are not part of the algorithm.
Figure 2
1 time USERINPUT
2 IF time = 'breakfast' THEN
3 q 1
4 ELSE IF time = 'lunch' THEN
5 q 4
6 ELSE IF time = 'dinner' THEN
7 q 2
8 ELSE
9 OUTPUT 'time not recognised'
10ENDIF
11FOR n 1 TO q
12IF n < 3 THEN
13 DISPENSE_BISCUIT('chewies')
14 ELSE
15 DISPENSE_BISCUIT('crunchy')
16 ENDIF
17 ENDFOR
0 3 . 1 Shade one lozenge which shows the line number where selection is first used
in the algorithm shown in Figure 2.
[1 mark]
A Line number 2
B Line number 4
C Line number 9
D Line number 12
0 3 . 2 Shade one lozenge which shows the line number where iteration is first used in
the algorithm shown in Figure 2.
[1 mark]
A Line number 1
B Line number 8
C Line number 11
D Line number 13
8525A/1 PAPER 1 COMPUTATIONAL THINKING
AND PROGRAMMING SKILLS ASSEMENT
PAPER
(AUTHENTIC MARKING SCHEME ATTACHED)
GCSE
COMPUTER SCIENCE
Paper 1 - Computational thinking and programming skills
Specimen Assessment MaterialsTime allowed: 2 hours
Materials
• There are no additional materials required for this paper.
• You must not use a calculator.
Instructions
• Use black ink or black ball-point pen. Use pencil only for drawing.
• Answer all questions.
• You must answer the questions in the spaces provided.
• Do all rough work in this book.
• Cross through any work you do not want to be marked.
• Questions that require a coded solution must be answered in C#
Information
• The total number of marks available for this paper is 90.
Advice
For the multiple-choice questions, completely fill in the lozenge alongside the appropriate answer.
CORRECT METHOD WRONG METHODS
If you want to change your answer you must cross out your original answer as shown.
If you wish to return to an answer previously crossed out, ring the answer you now wish to select
as shown.
8525A/1
, 2
Do not write
outside the
box
Answer all questions.
0 1 . 1 Define the term algorithm.
[2 marks]
0 1 . 2 The following are computer science terms (labelled A – E).
A assignment
B data type
C decomposition
D efficiency
E input
For each of the definitions in the table, write the label of the most
suitable computer science term. Use a label only once.
[3 marks]
Label
Breaking a problem down into a number of sub-problems
The process of setting the value stored in a variable
Defines the range of values a variable may take
, 3
Do not
write
0 2 The pseudo-code in Figure 1 assigns two string values to two variables. outside
the box
Figure 1
title ← 'computer science'
level ← 'gcse'
0 2 . 1 Shade one lozenge that shows the length of the contents of the variable level in
Figure 1.
[1 mark]
A 1
B 2
C 3
D 4
0 2 . 2 Shade one lozenge that shows the result of concatenating the variable title
with the variable level in Figure 1.
[1 mark]
A 'computer science gcse'
B 'Computer Science GCSE'
C 'computersciencegcse'
D 'computer sciencegcse'
Turn over for the next question
Turn over ►
Turn over ►
, 4
Do not write
outside the
box
0 3 The algorithm in Figure 2 has been developed to automate the quantity of dog
biscuits to put in a dog bowl at certain times of the day.
• Line numbers are included but are not part of the algorithm.
Figure 2
1 time USERINPUT
2 IF time = 'breakfast' THEN
3 q 1
4 ELSE IF time = 'lunch' THEN
5 q 4
6 ELSE IF time = 'dinner' THEN
7 q 2
8 ELSE
9 OUTPUT 'time not recognised'
10ENDIF
11FOR n 1 TO q
12IF n < 3 THEN
13 DISPENSE_BISCUIT('chewies')
14 ELSE
15 DISPENSE_BISCUIT('crunchy')
16 ENDIF
17 ENDFOR
0 3 . 1 Shade one lozenge which shows the line number where selection is first used
in the algorithm shown in Figure 2.
[1 mark]
A Line number 2
B Line number 4
C Line number 9
D Line number 12
0 3 . 2 Shade one lozenge which shows the line number where iteration is first used in
the algorithm shown in Figure 2.
[1 mark]
A Line number 1
B Line number 8
C Line number 11
D Line number 13
