AQA Computer Science - Paper 1
PROGRAMMING Exam 2025 With 100%
Correct Answers
Algorithm - correct answers ✔✔A methodical, logical rule or procedure that guarantees solving
a particular problem.
Difference between algorithms and computer programs - correct answers ✔✔Computer
programs are implementations of algorithms
Decomposition - correct answers ✔✔The process of breaking down larger problems into
smaller more manageable sub problems
Abstraction - correct answers ✔✔The removal of unnecessary information to make a problem
easier to understand
Steps to answer : Describe this algorithm in terms of inputs and outputs - correct answers ✔✔1)
draw an input and output table that shows the inputs and outputs
2) State the inputs, what data structure they are, their datatype and its name
3) State the outputs, what data structure they are, their datatype, where its going and its name
Steps to answer : why one algorithm is more efficient than another - correct answers ✔✔1)
Compare how many calculations are taking place
2) Compare the number of complex structures (Iteration and Selection)
3) And therefore it would run in less time
DO NOT SAY THERE ARE FEWER LINES OF CODES CAUSE THAT IS WRONG AND JUST STUPID
,Flowcharts - correct answers ✔✔A graphical representation of the steps in a process; details all
of the elements in a process and the sequence in which these elements occur. A form of
algorithm
Oval - correct answers ✔✔Shows the start and end of a flowchart
Rectangle - correct answers ✔✔A process, i.e addition, division
Parallelogram - correct answers ✔✔An input or output
Diamond - correct answers ✔✔A decision
Arrows - correct answers ✔✔Shows the flow of information
Linear Search - correct answers ✔✔a method for finding a target value within a list. It
sequentially checks each element of the list for the target value until a match is found or until all
the elements have been searched. Works even if the list is unsorted.
linear search advantages - correct answers ✔✔Simple, Works on unsorted data
Linear search disadvantages - correct answers ✔✔Not efficient in very long lists
Binary Search - correct answers ✔✔Looking for an item in an already sorted list by eliminating
large portions of the data on each comparison. Continuously divides the list in 2 discarding the
set which has numbers greater than the number being searched.
Binary search advantages - correct answers ✔✔Extremely efficient
,Binary search disadvantages - correct answers ✔✔Doesn't work on unsorted data
Bubble Sort - correct answers ✔✔A sort in which the first two items to be sorted are examined
and exchanged if necessary to place them in the specified order; the second item is then
compared with the third (exchanging them if required), the third is compared with the fourth,
and the process is repeated until all pairs have been examined and all items are in the proper
sequence.
Bubble sort advantages - correct answers ✔✔- it is a simple algorithm that can easily be
implemented on a computer
- it's an efficient way to check if a list is already in order
- doesn't use a lot of memory as all the sorting is done using the original list
Bubble sort disadvantages - correct answers ✔✔- it is an inefficient way to sort a list
- due to being inefficient, the bubble sort algorithm doesn't cope well with a very large list
Merge Sort - correct answers ✔✔A 2 stage sort, 1st stage - the list is successively divided in half,
forming 2 sublists and is repeated until each sublist is of length one. 2nd stage - each pair of lists
are merged in order until there is one sorted string of numbers remaining
Merge Sort Advantages - correct answers ✔✔Much more efficient process as it takes much less
time to execute
Merge sort disadvantages - correct answers ✔✔It is quite a difficult algorithm to implement and
it requires more memory to store all the sublists which is an issue for large lists
Data types - correct answers ✔✔Integer - A whole number - 2 or 4 bytes
Real / Float / Double - A decimal number - 4 or 8 bytes
Char - A single character - 1 byte
, String - Many characters - 1 byte per character
Boolean - True / False - 1 byte
Arithmetic Operators - correct answers ✔✔+ - addition
- - subtraction
* - multiplication
/ - real division ( = 2.5)
^ - power
DIV (\) - integer division (5 \ 2 = 2)
MOD - remainder division (5 MOD 2 = 1)
Relational Operators - correct answers ✔✔Used to compare
< - less than
> - more than
≥ or >= - more than or equal to
≤ or <= - less than or equal to
≠ or != or <> - not equal to
= - equal to
String handling operations - correct answers ✔✔STRING_TO_INT - Converts a string to an
integer
INT_TO_STRING - Converts an integer to a string
STRING_TO_REAL - Converts a string to a real
REAL_TO_STRING - Converts a real to a string
CODE_TO_CHAR - Converts Unicode to a character
CHAR_TO_CODE - Converts a character to Unicode
PROGRAMMING Exam 2025 With 100%
Correct Answers
Algorithm - correct answers ✔✔A methodical, logical rule or procedure that guarantees solving
a particular problem.
Difference between algorithms and computer programs - correct answers ✔✔Computer
programs are implementations of algorithms
Decomposition - correct answers ✔✔The process of breaking down larger problems into
smaller more manageable sub problems
Abstraction - correct answers ✔✔The removal of unnecessary information to make a problem
easier to understand
Steps to answer : Describe this algorithm in terms of inputs and outputs - correct answers ✔✔1)
draw an input and output table that shows the inputs and outputs
2) State the inputs, what data structure they are, their datatype and its name
3) State the outputs, what data structure they are, their datatype, where its going and its name
Steps to answer : why one algorithm is more efficient than another - correct answers ✔✔1)
Compare how many calculations are taking place
2) Compare the number of complex structures (Iteration and Selection)
3) And therefore it would run in less time
DO NOT SAY THERE ARE FEWER LINES OF CODES CAUSE THAT IS WRONG AND JUST STUPID
,Flowcharts - correct answers ✔✔A graphical representation of the steps in a process; details all
of the elements in a process and the sequence in which these elements occur. A form of
algorithm
Oval - correct answers ✔✔Shows the start and end of a flowchart
Rectangle - correct answers ✔✔A process, i.e addition, division
Parallelogram - correct answers ✔✔An input or output
Diamond - correct answers ✔✔A decision
Arrows - correct answers ✔✔Shows the flow of information
Linear Search - correct answers ✔✔a method for finding a target value within a list. It
sequentially checks each element of the list for the target value until a match is found or until all
the elements have been searched. Works even if the list is unsorted.
linear search advantages - correct answers ✔✔Simple, Works on unsorted data
Linear search disadvantages - correct answers ✔✔Not efficient in very long lists
Binary Search - correct answers ✔✔Looking for an item in an already sorted list by eliminating
large portions of the data on each comparison. Continuously divides the list in 2 discarding the
set which has numbers greater than the number being searched.
Binary search advantages - correct answers ✔✔Extremely efficient
,Binary search disadvantages - correct answers ✔✔Doesn't work on unsorted data
Bubble Sort - correct answers ✔✔A sort in which the first two items to be sorted are examined
and exchanged if necessary to place them in the specified order; the second item is then
compared with the third (exchanging them if required), the third is compared with the fourth,
and the process is repeated until all pairs have been examined and all items are in the proper
sequence.
Bubble sort advantages - correct answers ✔✔- it is a simple algorithm that can easily be
implemented on a computer
- it's an efficient way to check if a list is already in order
- doesn't use a lot of memory as all the sorting is done using the original list
Bubble sort disadvantages - correct answers ✔✔- it is an inefficient way to sort a list
- due to being inefficient, the bubble sort algorithm doesn't cope well with a very large list
Merge Sort - correct answers ✔✔A 2 stage sort, 1st stage - the list is successively divided in half,
forming 2 sublists and is repeated until each sublist is of length one. 2nd stage - each pair of lists
are merged in order until there is one sorted string of numbers remaining
Merge Sort Advantages - correct answers ✔✔Much more efficient process as it takes much less
time to execute
Merge sort disadvantages - correct answers ✔✔It is quite a difficult algorithm to implement and
it requires more memory to store all the sublists which is an issue for large lists
Data types - correct answers ✔✔Integer - A whole number - 2 or 4 bytes
Real / Float / Double - A decimal number - 4 or 8 bytes
Char - A single character - 1 byte
, String - Many characters - 1 byte per character
Boolean - True / False - 1 byte
Arithmetic Operators - correct answers ✔✔+ - addition
- - subtraction
* - multiplication
/ - real division ( = 2.5)
^ - power
DIV (\) - integer division (5 \ 2 = 2)
MOD - remainder division (5 MOD 2 = 1)
Relational Operators - correct answers ✔✔Used to compare
< - less than
> - more than
≥ or >= - more than or equal to
≤ or <= - less than or equal to
≠ or != or <> - not equal to
= - equal to
String handling operations - correct answers ✔✔STRING_TO_INT - Converts a string to an
integer
INT_TO_STRING - Converts an integer to a string
STRING_TO_REAL - Converts a string to a real
REAL_TO_STRING - Converts a real to a string
CODE_TO_CHAR - Converts Unicode to a character
CHAR_TO_CODE - Converts a character to Unicode
