GCSE COMPUTER SCIENCE OCR 2026 QUESTIONS AND
ANSWERS SURE A+
✔✔Cache hit - ✔✔When the CPU finds the stored data in the cache
✔✔Three types of cache - ✔✔THE MEMORY REGISTER-very small; holds the current
instructions
L1 CACHE- inside processor chip; small memory cache, but is quick and easy for CPU
to use
L2 CACHE- outside the chip but connected very closely to it. Advanced Transfer Cache
(ATC) is a type of L2 CACHE that is positioned directly on the processor chip.
Processors that use this can work at faster speeds.
✔✔Volatile - ✔✔Computer memory that only contains it's data while it is connected to a
power supply. Once the power supply is cut, the data stored is lost. Is usually faster
than other alternatives and can protect sensitive information as it is unavailable when
powered-down.
✔✔Non-volatile - ✔✔Computer memory that can get back stored data even when not
powered. This means the data is stored permanently
✔✔Query - ✔✔A question posed posed to the database. This is done using SQL
✔✔Server - ✔✔Providers of resource of service
✔✔SQL - ✔✔Stands for Structured Query Language. It is a programming language
designed to manage data within a relational database
✔✔Client-server model - ✔✔Structure that splits tasks between servers and clients
✔✔Local variables - ✔✔Variables declared within a function or procedure and so can
be accessed only by the code within that function or procedure
✔✔Global variables - ✔✔Variables declared in the main body of the program and so
can be accessed anywhere in the code
✔✔Step - ✔✔Allows the programmer to continue the program's execution on a line-by-
line basis to see what is changed on each line
✔✔Debugging - ✔✔Testing for errors during the program's execution. It's three features
are Watch, Breakpoints and Step
✔✔Watch - ✔✔Watches any variable specified by the programmer. They show its
contents relative to the line that the program is currently executing
, ✔✔Computer system - ✔✔Hardware and software working together to create a working
solution
✔✔Breakpoints - ✔✔These can be added to the code by the programmer which will halt
the program's execution when it readhes that point. They allow the programmer test the
code at those points
✔✔Reliability - ✔✔This is when a computer system can be depended on to work almost
all of the time
✔✔Robustness - ✔✔This is the ability of a computer system to cope with execution
errors or abnormalities
✔✔Hard drive - ✔✔This stores the majority of your data. The hard drive unit houses the
hard disk, where the data is typically stored
✔✔Examples of processing - ✔✔Graphics card, applications
✔✔Flash memory - ✔✔This is quickly accessible memory that can be easily rewritten
✔✔Examples of input - ✔✔Keyboard, graphics tablet
✔✔Clock speed - ✔✔(Or clock rate)- is the speed at which a microprocessor executes
instructions
✔✔Examples of output - ✔✔Monitor, speakers
✔✔Examples of storage - ✔✔Memory➡️RAM, Hard-drive
✔✔Front Side Bus - ✔✔The type of bus in a motherboard
✔✔Virtual memory - ✔✔A memory management procedure which is used when all RAM
is used up. Sections of the RAM that have not been recently used are stored
temporarily on the hard drive which extends the RAM capacity. Read/write times of a
hard drive are slower than RAM, so the data is accessed slower
✔✔Multi-core processor - ✔✔Multiple CPUs on one chip. They can run different
instructions at any given time
✔✔Examples of Flash Memory - ✔✔Memory cards, USB
✔✔Cache Memory - ✔✔A store of data that allows future requests to be served quicker.
This is is because it is very quick to read and write.
ANSWERS SURE A+
✔✔Cache hit - ✔✔When the CPU finds the stored data in the cache
✔✔Three types of cache - ✔✔THE MEMORY REGISTER-very small; holds the current
instructions
L1 CACHE- inside processor chip; small memory cache, but is quick and easy for CPU
to use
L2 CACHE- outside the chip but connected very closely to it. Advanced Transfer Cache
(ATC) is a type of L2 CACHE that is positioned directly on the processor chip.
Processors that use this can work at faster speeds.
✔✔Volatile - ✔✔Computer memory that only contains it's data while it is connected to a
power supply. Once the power supply is cut, the data stored is lost. Is usually faster
than other alternatives and can protect sensitive information as it is unavailable when
powered-down.
✔✔Non-volatile - ✔✔Computer memory that can get back stored data even when not
powered. This means the data is stored permanently
✔✔Query - ✔✔A question posed posed to the database. This is done using SQL
✔✔Server - ✔✔Providers of resource of service
✔✔SQL - ✔✔Stands for Structured Query Language. It is a programming language
designed to manage data within a relational database
✔✔Client-server model - ✔✔Structure that splits tasks between servers and clients
✔✔Local variables - ✔✔Variables declared within a function or procedure and so can
be accessed only by the code within that function or procedure
✔✔Global variables - ✔✔Variables declared in the main body of the program and so
can be accessed anywhere in the code
✔✔Step - ✔✔Allows the programmer to continue the program's execution on a line-by-
line basis to see what is changed on each line
✔✔Debugging - ✔✔Testing for errors during the program's execution. It's three features
are Watch, Breakpoints and Step
✔✔Watch - ✔✔Watches any variable specified by the programmer. They show its
contents relative to the line that the program is currently executing
, ✔✔Computer system - ✔✔Hardware and software working together to create a working
solution
✔✔Breakpoints - ✔✔These can be added to the code by the programmer which will halt
the program's execution when it readhes that point. They allow the programmer test the
code at those points
✔✔Reliability - ✔✔This is when a computer system can be depended on to work almost
all of the time
✔✔Robustness - ✔✔This is the ability of a computer system to cope with execution
errors or abnormalities
✔✔Hard drive - ✔✔This stores the majority of your data. The hard drive unit houses the
hard disk, where the data is typically stored
✔✔Examples of processing - ✔✔Graphics card, applications
✔✔Flash memory - ✔✔This is quickly accessible memory that can be easily rewritten
✔✔Examples of input - ✔✔Keyboard, graphics tablet
✔✔Clock speed - ✔✔(Or clock rate)- is the speed at which a microprocessor executes
instructions
✔✔Examples of output - ✔✔Monitor, speakers
✔✔Examples of storage - ✔✔Memory➡️RAM, Hard-drive
✔✔Front Side Bus - ✔✔The type of bus in a motherboard
✔✔Virtual memory - ✔✔A memory management procedure which is used when all RAM
is used up. Sections of the RAM that have not been recently used are stored
temporarily on the hard drive which extends the RAM capacity. Read/write times of a
hard drive are slower than RAM, so the data is accessed slower
✔✔Multi-core processor - ✔✔Multiple CPUs on one chip. They can run different
instructions at any given time
✔✔Examples of Flash Memory - ✔✔Memory cards, USB
✔✔Cache Memory - ✔✔A store of data that allows future requests to be served quicker.
This is is because it is very quick to read and write.
