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Compression Choices for File Transfer

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0% found this document useful (0 votes)

229 views540 pages

Compression Choices for File Transfer

O level Past paper Compiled

Uploaded by

bilalansari1989015

We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.

Available Formats

Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

Cambridge O Level

* 6 7 8 3 3 1 8 6 1 7 *

COMPUTER SCIENCE 2210/12

Paper 1 Theory October/November 2020

1 hour 45 minutes

You must answer on the question paper.

No additional materials are needed.

INSTRUCTIONS
● Answer all questions.
● Use a black or dark blue pen. You may use an HB pencil for any diagrams or graphs.
● Write your name, centre number and candidate number in the boxes at the top of the page.
● Write your answer to each question in the space provided.
● Do not use an erasable pen or correction fluid.
● Do not write on any bar codes.
● Calculators must not be used in this paper.

INFORMATION
● The total mark for this paper is 75.
● The number of marks for each question or part question is shown in brackets [ ].
● No marks will be awarded for using brand names of software packages or hardware.

This document has 12 pages. Blank pages are indicated.

DC (KS) 205016
© UCLES 2020 [Turn over
2

1 Tina is creating a website for charity events. She uses HTML to create the website.

(a) State what is meant by HTML.

...................................................................................................................................................

............................................................................................................................................. [1]

(b) She uses the hexadecimal colour code #43B7F0 as the background colour for her website.

(i) State whether background colour is an example of structure or presentation, in the

website.

..................................................................................................................................... [1]

(ii) The hexadecimal colour code #43B7F0 is stored in three 8-bit registers.

Give the 8-bit binary values for each part of the hexadecimal code.

F0
[6]

(i) State whether the microphone is an input or output device.

..................................................................................................................................... [1]

© UCLES 2020 2210/12/O/N/20

(ii) She wants to compress the recording to make sure that the file is as small as possible
for the website.

Identify which type of compression she should use and describe how this would compress
the file for the website.

Type of compression .........................................................................................................

Description

...........................................................................................................................................

..................................................................................................................................... [4]

(iii) Give two benefits of compressing the file for the website.

Benefit 1 ............................................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................................................

Benefit 2 ............................................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................................................
[2]

© UCLES 2020 2210/12/O/N/20 [Turn over

(d) Tina will use the TLS protocol in her website when selling tickets to people for different charity
events. This makes sure that their personal data is transmitted securely.

(i) Identify the two layers that are present in the TLS protocol.

Layer 1 ..............................................................................................................................

Layer 2 ..............................................................................................................................
[2]

(ii) Explain how data is sent securely using the TLS protocol.

...........................................................................................................................................

..................................................................................................................................... [6]

© UCLES 2020 2210/12/O/N/20

(e) Tina is concerned about security threats to her web server.

(i) Identify three security threats to her web server that Tina might be concerned about.

1 ........................................................................................................................................

2 ........................................................................................................................................

3 ........................................................................................................................................
[3]

(ii) Tina installs a proxy server to help protect her website from security threats.

Describe how the proxy server will help protect the website.

...........................................................................................................................................

..................................................................................................................................... [4]

2 Four 7-bit binary values are transmitted from one computer to another. A parity bit was added
to each binary value creating 8-bit binary values. All the binary values have been transmitted
correctly.

(a) Tick (✓) to show whether an Even or an Odd parity check has been used for each binary
value.

Even Odd
8-bit binary value
(✓) (✓)

11111111

01100110

01111011

10000000
[4]

© UCLES 2020 2210/12/O/N/20 [Turn over

(b) The data will also be checked using a checksum.

Describe how a checksum can be used to check that the data has been transmitted correctly.

...................................................................................................................................................

............................................................................................................................................. [5]

3 Alessandro has some important data stored on his computer.

He is concerned about accidental damage to his data.

(a) (i) Identify three ways that the data could be accidentally damaged.

1 ........................................................................................................................................

2 ........................................................................................................................................

3 ........................................................................................................................................
[3]

(ii) State what Alessandro could do to make sure that he can retrieve his data if it is
accidentally damaged.

..................................................................................................................................... [1]

© UCLES 2020 2210/12/O/N/20

(b) Alessandro uses an SSD to store his data.

Describe what is meant by an SSD and how it operates to store data.

...................................................................................................................................................

............................................................................................................................................. [4]

(c) Alessandro also uses off-line storage to store his data.

Three examples of off-line storage are Blu-ray, CD and DVD.

Six statements are given about off-line storage.

Tick (✓) to show if each statement applies to Blu-ray, CD, or DVD.

Some statements apply to more than one example of off-line storage.

Blu-ray CD DVD
Statement
(✓) (✓) (✓)

A type of optical storage

Has the largest storage capacity

Can be dual layer

Read using a red laser

Has the smallest storage capacity

Stores data in a spiral track

[6]

© UCLES 2020 2210/12/O/N/20 [Turn over

4 Consider the logic statement:

X = (((A NAND B) NOR (B AND C)) OR C)

(a) Draw a logic circuit to match the given logic statement.

All logic gates must have a maximum of two inputs. Do not attempt to simplify the logic
statement.

B X

[4]

(b) Complete the truth table for the given logic statement.

A B C Working space X

0 0 0

0 0 1

0 1 0

0 1 1

1 0 0

1 0 1

1 1 0

1 1 1
[4]

© UCLES 2020 2210/12/O/N/20

5 Tammy is buying a new computer that has an LED display.

(a) Five statements about LED displays are given.

Tick (✓) to show if each statement is True or False.

True False
Statement
(✓) (✓)

It is a flat panel display

It creates images using red, green and blue diodes

It is not very energy efficient and gives off heat

It can be used in mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets

It is a front-lit display
[5]

© UCLES 2020 2210/12/O/N/20 [Turn over

(b) Tammy connects the computer to her home network. The computer has a MAC address and
an IP address.

A paragraph is given about MAC addresses and IP addresses.

Complete the paragraph using the list of terms given. Not all terms need to be used.

• compiled
• computer
• control
• dynamic
• identify
• packet
• principal
• protocol
• similar
• unique

A MAC address is a media access …………………………………………………….. address.

A network device has a ……………………………………………………… MAC address that

can help ………………………………………………. the device in the network. An IP address

is an Internet ………………………………………… address. An IP address can be static or

…………………………………………… .
[5]

(c) Tammy uses a browser when accessing the Internet.

Describe the role of the browser.

...................................................................................................................................................

............................................................................................................................................. [4]

© UCLES 2020 2210/12/O/N/20

BLANK PAGE

© UCLES 2020 2210/12/O/N/20

BLANK PAGE

Permission to reproduce items where third-party owned material protected by copyright is included has been sought and cleared where possible. Every
reasonable effort has been made by the publisher (UCLES) to trace copyright holders, but if any items requiring clearance have unwittingly been included, the
publisher will be pleased to make amends at the earliest possible opportunity.

To avoid the issue of disclosure of answer-related information to candidates, all copyright acknowledgements are reproduced online in the Cambridge
Assessment International Education Copyright Acknowledgements Booklet. This is produced for each series of examinations and is freely available to download
at [Link] after the live examination series.

Cambridge Assessment International Education is part of the Cambridge Assessment Group. Cambridge Assessment is the brand name of the University of
Cambridge Local Examinations Syndicate (UCLES), which itself is a department of the University of Cambridge.

© UCLES 2020 2210/12/O/N/20

Cambridge O Level

COMPUTER SCIENCE 2210/12

Paper 1 October/November 2020
MARK SCHEME
Maximum Mark: 75

Published

This mark scheme is published as an aid to teachers and candidates, to indicate the requirements of the
examination. It shows the basis on which Examiners were instructed to award marks. It does not indicate the
details of the discussions that took place at an Examiners’ meeting before marking began, which would have
considered the acceptability of alternative answers.

Mark schemes should be read in conjunction with the question paper and the Principal Examiner Report for
Teachers.

Cambridge International will not enter into discussions about these mark schemes.

Cambridge International is publishing the mark schemes for the October/November 2020 series for most
Cambridge IGCSE™, Cambridge International A and AS Level and Cambridge Pre-U components, and some
Cambridge O Level components.

This document consists of 13 printed pages.

© UCLES 2020 [Turn over

2210/12 Cambridge O Level – Mark Scheme October/November 2020
PUBLISHED
Generic Marking Principles

These general marking principles must be applied by all examiners when marking candidate answers. They should be applied alongside the
specific content of the mark scheme or generic level descriptors for a question. Each question paper and mark scheme will also comply with these
marking principles.

GENERIC MARKING PRINCIPLE 1:

Marks must be awarded in line with:

• the specific content of the mark scheme or the generic level descriptors for the question
• the specific skills defined in the mark scheme or in the generic level descriptors for the question
• the standard of response required by a candidate as exemplified by the standardisation scripts.

GENERIC MARKING PRINCIPLE 2:

Marks awarded are always whole marks (not half marks, or other fractions).

GENERIC MARKING PRINCIPLE 3:

Marks must be awarded positively:

• marks are awarded for correct/valid answers, as defined in the mark scheme. However, credit is given for valid answers which go beyond the
scope of the syllabus and mark scheme, referring to your Team Leader as appropriate
• marks are awarded when candidates clearly demonstrate what they know and can do
• marks are not deducted for errors
• marks are not deducted for omissions
• answers should only be judged on the quality of spelling, punctuation and grammar when these features are specifically assessed by the
question as indicated by the mark scheme. The meaning, however, should be unambiguous.

GENERIC MARKING PRINCIPLE 4:

Rules must be applied consistently, e.g. in situations where candidates have not followed instructions or in the application of generic level
descriptors.

© UCLES 2020 Page 2 of 13

2210/12 Cambridge O Level – Mark Scheme October/November 2020
PUBLISHED
GENERIC MARKING PRINCIPLE 5:

Marks should be awarded using the full range of marks defined in the mark scheme for the question (however; the use of the full mark range may
be limited according to the quality of the candidate responses seen).

GENERIC MARKING PRINCIPLE 6:

Marks awarded are based solely on the requirements as defined in the mark scheme. Marks should not be awarded with grade thresholds or
grade descriptors in mind.

© UCLES 2020 Page 3 of 13

2210/12 Cambridge O Level – Mark Scheme October/November 2020
PUBLISHED
Question Answer Marks

1(a) Any one from: 1

− Hypertext Mark-up Language
− Web authoring language // language used to write/create websites/web pages

1(b)(i) − Presentation 1

1(b)(ii) One mark per each nibble: 6

43 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 1

B7 1 0 1 1 0 1 1 1

F0 1 1 1 1 0 0 0 0

1(c)(i) − Input 1

© UCLES 2020 Page 4 of 13

2210/12 Cambridge O Level – Mark Scheme October/November 2020
PUBLISHED
Question Answer Marks

1(c)(ii) One from: 4

− Lossy (compression)

Any three from:

− A (compression) algorithm is used
− Removes redundant/unnecessary data from the file
− Removes sounds that cannot be heard by the human ear/background noise
− Reduces sample rate
− Reduces sample resolution
− Data is permanently removed // original file cannot be re-instated
− Perceptual music shaping is used

NOTE: If lossless given, marks can be awarded for a correct description of lossless as follow through.

Any three from (lossless):

− A (compression) algorithm is used
− Repeating patterns are identified
− … are replaced with a value
− … and indexed
− No data is permanently removed // original file can be re-instated
− Suitable example of a lossless algorithm

1(c)(iii) Any two from: 2

− Quicker for her to upload
− Quicker for users to download
− Won’t slow website down as much when loading
− Takes up less storage space

1(d)(i) − Handshake (layer) 2

− Record (layer)

© UCLES 2020 Page 5 of 13

2210/12 Cambridge O Level – Mark Scheme October/November 2020
PUBLISHED
Question Answer Marks

1(d)(ii) Any six from: 6

− Client/browser requests secure connection to server
− Client/browser requests the server to identify itself
− Server provides a digital certificate
− Client/browser validates the certificate
− Client/browser send signal back to server (to begin transmission)
− Session caching can be used
− A session key is generated
− Encryption method is agreed // data is encrypted

1(e)(i) Any three from: 3

− Hacking
− Denial of service (DoS) attack
− Virus
− Malware

NOTE: Three different type of malware can be awarded

1(e)(ii) Any four from: 4

− Acts as a firewall
− Monitor/filters/examines incoming and outgoing traffic
− Rules/criteria for traffic can be set // blacklist/whitelist set
− Blocks any traffic that does not meet criteria …
− … and can send a warning message to the user
− Stop the website failing in a DoS attack // DoS attack hits the proxy server and not the webserver

© UCLES 2020 Page 6 of 13

2210/12 Cambridge O Level – Mark Scheme October/November 2020
PUBLISHED
Question Answer Marks

2(a) One mark for each correct row: 4

Even Odd
8-bit binary value
() ()

11111111 

01100110 

01111011 

10000000 

2(b) Any five from: 5

− A value is calculated from the data
− The value is calculated using an algorithm // by example
− The value is appended to the data to be transmitted
− Value is recalculated after transmission
− Values are compared
− If the values match the data is correct // if the values do not match the data is incorrect

© UCLES 2020 Page 7 of 13

2210/12 Cambridge O Level – Mark Scheme October/November 2020
PUBLISHED
Question Answer Marks

3(a)(i) Any three from: 3

− Loss of power/electricity
− Spillage of liquids
− Flood
− Fire
− Human error
− Hardware failure
− Software failure

NOTE: Three different types of human error can be awarded e.g. accidental deletion, not saving data, incorrect shutdown
procedure

3(a)(ii) − Create a backup 1

3(b) Max three from: 4

− Solid state drive
− Non-volatile
− Secondary storage
− Flash memory
− Has no mechanical/moving parts
− Uses transistors
− … and cells that are laid out in a grid
− Uses control gates and floating gates
− Can be NAND/NOR (technology)
− Use EEPROM technology

Max two from:

− Stores data by flashing it onto the chips
− Data stored by controlling the flow of electrons through/using transistors/chips/gates
− The electric current reaches the control gate and flows through to the floating gate to be stored
− When data is stored the transistor is converted from 1 to 0

© UCLES 2020 Page 8 of 13

2210/12 Cambridge O Level – Mark Scheme October/November 2020
PUBLISHED
Question Answer Marks

3(c) One mark for each correct row: 6

Blu-ray CD DVD
Statement
() () ()

A type of optical storage   

Has the largest storage capacity 

Can be dual layer  

Read using a red laser  

Has the smallest storage capacity 

Stores data in a spiral track   

© UCLES 2020 Page 9 of 13

2210/12 Cambridge O Level – Mark Scheme October/November 2020
PUBLISHED
Question Answer Marks

4(a) One mark for each correct logic gate with correct input: 4

© UCLES 2020 Page 10 of 13

2210/12 Cambridge O Level – Mark Scheme October/November 2020
PUBLISHED
Question Answer Marks

4(b) Four marks for 8 correct outputs 4

Three marks for 6/7 correct outputs
Two marks for 4/5 correct outputs
One mark for 2/3 correct outputs

A B C Working space X

0 0 0 0

0 0 1 1

0 1 0 0

0 1 1 1

1 0 0 0

1 0 1 1

1 1 0 1

1 1 1 1

© UCLES 2020 Page 11 of 13

2210/12 Cambridge O Level – Mark Scheme October/November 2020
PUBLISHED
Question Answer Marks

5(a) One mark for each correct row: 5

True False
Statement
() ()

It is a flat panel display 

It creates images using red, green and blue diodes 

It is not very energy efficient and gives off heat 

It is also used in mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets 

It is a front-lit display 

5(b) One mark for each correct term in the correct place: 5
− Control
− Unique
− Identify
− Protocol
− Dynamic

© UCLES 2020 Page 12 of 13

2210/12 Cambridge O Level – Mark Scheme October/November 2020
PUBLISHED
Question Answer Marks

5(c) Any four from: 4

− Allows user to view web pages
− Renders HTML
− Allows user to bookmark/favourite web pages
− Provides navigation features
− Allows (multiple) tabs
− Stores cookies
− Records history of pages visited
− Has a homepage
− Runs active script
− Allows files to be downloaded from website/internet
− Sends a request to the IP address/web server (to obtain the contents of a web page)
− Sends URL to DNS
− Manages HTTP/HTTPS protocol

© UCLES 2020 Page 13 of 13

Cambridge O Level
* 7 9 5 3 3 5 9 8 9 5 *

COMPUTER SCIENCE 2210/13

Paper 1 Theory October/November 2020

1 hour 45 minutes

You must answer on the question paper.

No additional materials are needed.

This document has 12 pages. Blank pages are indicated.

DC (PQ) 205670
© UCLES 2020 [Turn over
2

1 Five hardware devices are given.

Tick (3) to show if each device is an Input, Output or Storage device.

Input Output Storage

Device
(3) (3) (3)
Solid state drive (SSD)

Headphones

2D cutter

LCD projector

Microphone
[5]

2 Paige has a computer that has a central processing unit (CPU) based on the Von Neumann model
for a computer system.

(a) Identify the component within the CPU that controls the flow of data.

............................................................................................................................................. [1]

(b) Identify the component within the CPU where calculations are carried out.

............................................................................................................................................. [1]

(d) Identify the register within the CPU that holds an instruction that has been fetched from
memory.

............................................................................................................................................. [1]

(e) Identify the register within the CPU that holds data that has been fetched from memory.

............................................................................................................................................. [1]

© UCLES 2020 2210/13/O/N/20

3 (a) Four denary to 8-bit binary conversions are given.

Tick (3) to show if each denary to 8-bit binary conversion is Correct or Incorrect.

Correct Incorrect
Denary Binary Conversion
(3) (3)
145 10010001

179 10110101

11 00010011

100 01100010
[4]

(b) Convert the 12-bit binary number into hexadecimal.

1 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0

............................................................................................................................................. [3]

4 Eugene has a web server that stores his online shopping website.

Customers access the website using a browser.

(a) Describe how the webpages are requested and displayed on the customer’s computer.

...................................................................................................................................................

............................................................................................................................................. [4]

(b) State three online security threats to Eugene’s web server.

Threat 1 ....................................................................................................................................

Threat 2 ....................................................................................................................................

Threat 3 ....................................................................................................................................
[3]

© UCLES 2020 2210/13/O/N/20 [Turn over

5 Arjun uses a scanner to create digital versions of some printed documents.

The scanner is attached to his computer using a USB connection.

(a) Tick (3) to show if the USB connection uses Parallel or Serial data transmission.

Describe your chosen method of data transmission.

Parallel

Serial

Description

...................................................................................................................................................

...................................................................................................................................................
[3]

(b) Give three benefits of a USB connection.

Benefit 1 ...................................................................................................................................

...................................................................................................................................................

Benefit 2 ...................................................................................................................................

...................................................................................................................................................

Benefit 3 ...................................................................................................................................

...................................................................................................................................................
[3]

(c) Arjun uses the Internet to send the digital documents to his friend. He wants to make sure the
documents are sent securely.

Identify two protocols that can be used to transfer data securely.

Protocol 1 .................................................................................................................................

Protocol 2 .................................................................................................................................
[2]

© UCLES 2020 2210/13/O/N/20

6 Elsa writes a paragraph in an examination about encryption.

There are several terms missing from the paragraph.

Complete the paragraph using the list of given terms. Not all terms may need to be used.

Some terms may be used more than once.

• algorithm
• alphanumeric
• cookie
• cypher
• key
• padlock
• plain
• word processed

The data is encrypted using a ....................................................................... . This is an

....................................................................... that is used to scramble the data. The data before

encryption is known as ....................................................................... text. When the data has been

encrypted it is known as ....................................................................... text. To read the encrypted

data it needs to be decrypted using a ....................................................................... .

[5]

© UCLES 2020 2210/13/O/N/20 [Turn over

7 Four 7-bit binary values are transmitted from one computer to another. A parity bit was added
to each binary value creating 8-bit binary values. All the binary values have been transmitted
correctly.

(a) Tick (3) to show whether an Even or an Odd parity check has been used for each binary
value.

Even Odd
8-bit binary value
(3) (3)
10000001

10000010

00101001

00101000
[4]

(b) A parity check may not always detect errors that have occurred in data transmission.

State why a parity check may not detect data transmission errors.

............................................................................................................................................. [1]

© UCLES 2020 2210/13/O/N/20

8 Edith is buying a new computer monitor that displays images using LCD technology.

(a) Explain what is meant by LCD technology.

...................................................................................................................................................

............................................................................................................................................. [3]

(b) State three benefits of LCD technology.

Benefit 1 ...................................................................................................................................

...................................................................................................................................................

Benefit 2 ...................................................................................................................................

...................................................................................................................................................

Benefit 3 ...................................................................................................................................

...................................................................................................................................................
[3]

9 Elle uses both CDs and DVDs to store her school projects.

(a) Give three similarities between a CD and a DVD.

1 ................................................................................................................................................

...................................................................................................................................................

2 ................................................................................................................................................

...................................................................................................................................................

3 ................................................................................................................................................

...................................................................................................................................................
[3]

(b) State one difference between a CD and a DVD.

...................................................................................................................................................

............................................................................................................................................. [1]

© UCLES 2020 2210/13/O/N/20 [Turn over

10 Consider the following logic statement:

X = ((B AND NOT A) XOR (A OR C))

(a) Draw a logic circuit to match the given logic statement.

All logic gates must have a maximum of two inputs. Do not attempt to simplify the logic
statement.

B X

[4]

(b) Complete the truth table for the given logic statement.

Working space
A B C X

0 0 0

0 0 1

0 1 0

0 1 1

1 0 0

1 0 1

1 1 0

1 1 1
[4]

© UCLES 2020 2210/13/O/N/20

11 A theme park has a game where a player tries to run from the start to the finish without getting wet.

The system for the game uses sensors and a microprocessor to spray water at a player as they
run past each sensor.

Describe how the sensors and the microprocessor are used in this system.

..........................................................................................................................................................

.................................................................................................................................................... [6]

12 Warner says that he has a very good Internet Service Provider (ISP) that provides several services.

Five statements about ISPs are given.

Tick (3) to show if each statement is True or False.

True False
Statement
(3) (3)
Provides access to the Internet for customers

Can determine the maximum bandwidth available for customers

Monitors the volume of data downloaded by customers

Can provide an IP address for the customer

Stores the content for all web pages available on the Internet
[5]

© UCLES 2020 2210/13/O/N/20 [Turn over

13 Phishing and pharming are two security issues a user should be aware of when using the Internet.

(a) State one similarity between phishing and pharming.

...................................................................................................................................................

............................................................................................................................................. [1]

(b) Explain two differences between phishing and pharming.

Difference 1 ...............................................................................................................................

...................................................................................................................................................

Difference 2 ..............................................................................................................................

...................................................................................................................................................

...................................................................................................................................................
[2]

© UCLES 2020 2210/13/O/N/20

BLANK PAGE

© UCLES 2020 2210/13/O/N/20

BLANK PAGE

© UCLES 2020 2210/13/O/N/20

Cambridge O Level

COMPUTER SCIENCE 2210/13

Paper 1 October/November 2020
MARK SCHEME
Maximum Mark: 75

Published

Mark schemes should be read in conjunction with the question paper and the Principal Examiner Report for
Teachers.

Cambridge International will not enter into discussions about these mark schemes.

This document consists of 13 printed pages.

© UCLES 2020 [Turn over

2210/13 Cambridge O Level – Mark Scheme October/November 2020
PUBLISHED
Generic Marking Principles

GENERIC MARKING PRINCIPLE 1:

Marks must be awarded in line with:

GENERIC MARKING PRINCIPLE 2:

Marks awarded are always whole marks (not half marks, or other fractions).

GENERIC MARKING PRINCIPLE 3:

Marks must be awarded positively:

GENERIC MARKING PRINCIPLE 4:

Rules must be applied consistently, e.g. in situations where candidates have not followed instructions or in the application of generic level
descriptors.

© UCLES 2020 Page 2 of 13

2210/13 Cambridge O Level – Mark Scheme October/November 2020
PUBLISHED
GENERIC MARKING PRINCIPLE 5:

GENERIC MARKING PRINCIPLE 6:

Marks awarded are based solely on the requirements as defined in the mark scheme. Marks should not be awarded with grade thresholds or
grade descriptors in mind.

© UCLES 2020 Page 3 of 13

2210/13 Cambridge O Level – Mark Scheme October/November 2020
PUBLISHED
Question Answer Marks

1 5
One mark for each correct row:

Input Output Storage

Device
() () ()

Solid state drive (SSD) 

Headphones 

2D cutter 

LCD projector 

Microphone 

Question Answer Marks

2(a) − Control unit // CU 1

2(b) − Arithmetic logic unit // ALU 1

2(c) − Program counter // memory address register // PC // MAR 1

2(d) − Memory data register // current instruction register // MDR // CIR 1

2(e) − Memory data register // MDR 1

© UCLES 2020 Page 4 of 13

2210/13 Cambridge O Level – Mark Scheme October/November 2020
PUBLISHED
Question Answer Marks

3(a) One mark per each correct row: 4

Denary Binary Conversion Correct Incorrect

() ()

145 10010001 

179 10110101 

11 00010011 

100 01100010 

3(b) One mark for each correct conversion in the correct order: 3
− C
− 4
− 0

Question Answer Marks

4(a) Any four from: 4

− Browsers sends URL to DNS
− … using HTTP
− DNS finds matching IP addresses for URL
− … and sends IP address to web browser
− Web browser sends request to IP address/web server for web pages
− Web pages are sent from web server to browser
− Browser renders HTML to display web pages
− Any security certificates are exchanged/authenticated // SSL/HTTPS is used to secure the data
− … encrypting any data sent

© UCLES 2020 Page 5 of 13

2210/13 Cambridge O Level – Mark Scheme October/November 2020
PUBLISHED
Question Answer Marks

4(b) Any three from: 3

− Hacking
− Denial of service (DoS)
− Malware
− Virus

NOTE: three suitable types of malware can be awarded

Question Answer Marks

5(a) One mark for correct tick, two marks for description 3

− Serial

− Bits sent one at a time

− Single wire

If parallel given, no mark for parallel, but follow through for correct description of parallel:

− Multiple bits sent at a time

− Multiple wires

5(b) Any three from: 3

− Universal connection // industry standard
− Can only be inserted one way
− Backward compatible
− Auto configures // automatically recognised devices
− Can power devices
− Fast data transfer speed
− Inexpensive to purchase/manufacture

© UCLES 2020 Page 6 of 13

2210/13 Cambridge O Level – Mark Scheme October/November 2020
PUBLISHED
Question Answer Marks

5(c) Any two from: 2

− TLS
− SSL
− HTTPS

Question Answer Marks

6 − Key // Algorithm 5
− Algorithm // Key (must be opposite of first one)
− Plain
− Cypher
− Key // Algorithm

Question Answer Marks

7(a) One mark for each correct row: 4

Even Odd
8-bit binary value
() ()

10000001 

10000010 

00101001 

00101000 

7(b) Any one from: 1

− Transposition error
− When bits still add up to odd/even number
− Even number of incorrect bits

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2210/13 Cambridge O Level – Mark Scheme October/November 2020
PUBLISHED
Question Answer Marks

7(c) Any one from: 1

− ARQ
− Checksum

Question Answer Marks

8(a) Any three from: 3

− Liquid crystal display
− The display is made of pixels
− … arranged in a matrix
− Uses a flat panel display
− Backlit display
− … with CCFLs/LEDs
− Uses light-modulating properties of liquid crystals
− Crystals can be turned between opaque and transparent (to allow light to pass)
− Colours created using RGB

8(b) Any three from: 3

− Low power consumption
− Runs at cool temperature
− Do not suffer image burn
− Do not suffer flicker issues
− Bright image/colours
− High resolution image
− Cheaper to purchase than e.g. LED screen

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2210/13 Cambridge O Level – Mark Scheme October/November 2020
PUBLISHED
Question Answer Marks

9(a) Any three from: 3

− Both need a red laser to read/write data
− Both are spun to be read
− Both use spiral tracks for data
− Both are optical storage
− Both are off-line storage // both non-volatile
− Both use pits and lands to store data

9(b) Any one from: 1

− DVD can be dual layer, but CD can only be single
− DVD has higher storage capacity
− DVD has a shorter wavelength laser
− DVD are spun faster
− DVDs have a higher data transfer rate

© UCLES 2020 Page 9 of 13

2210/13 Cambridge O Level – Mark Scheme October/November 2020
PUBLISHED
Question Answer Marks

10(a) One mark for each correct logic gate with the correct input: 4

© UCLES 2020 Page 10 of 13

2210/13 Cambridge O Level – Mark Scheme October/November 2020
PUBLISHED
Question Answer Marks

10(b) Four marks for 8 correct outputs 4

Three marks for 6/7 correct outputs
Two marks for 4/5 correct outputs
One mark for 2/3 correct outputs

Working space
A B C X

0 0 0 0

0 0 1 1

0 1 0 1

0 1 1 0

1 0 0 1

1 0 1 1

1 1 0 1

1 1 1 1

11 Six from: 6
− Suitable sensor used e.g. motion sensor/pressure sensor
− (Analogue) data is converted to digital (using ADC)
− Sensor sends data to microprocessor
− Data compared to stored data …
− … if value outside range/within range water is sprayed
− … signal sent to actuator to spray water
− … if value within range/outside range no action taken
− Continuous loop

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2210/13 Cambridge O Level – Mark Scheme October/November 2020
PUBLISHED
Question Answer Marks

12 One mark for each correct row: 5

True False
Statement
() ()

Provides access to the Internet for customers 

Can determine the maximum bandwidth available for customers 

Monitors the volume of data downloaded by customers 

Can provide an IP address for the customer 

Stores the content for all web pages available on the Internet 

© UCLES 2020 Page 12 of 13

2210/13 Cambridge O Level – Mark Scheme October/November 2020
PUBLISHED
Question Answer Marks

13(a) Any one from: 1

− Both are designed to steal/collect personal data
− Both pretend to be a real company
− Both use fake websites

13(b) 2
− Phishing involves use of an email whereas pharming involves installing malicious code
− Phishing involves clicking a link or an attachment whereas pharming creates a redirection

© UCLES 2020 Page 13 of 13

Cambridge Ordinary Level
2210 Computer Science November 2020
Principal Examiner Report for Teachers

COMPUTER SCIENCE

Paper 2210/12
Paper 1

Key messages

Candidates continue to demonstrate a good level of knowledge about the fundamental aspects of computer
science. It would be beneficial for candidates to consider the context that is given in some questions.
Candidates should look to reflect the application of this context in the knowledge and understanding they are
required to demonstrate. This would allow candidates to demonstrate a greater level of understanding,
beyond a general response, about the topic in question.

General comments

Candidates are reminded to make sure that they do not write outside the given writing space in a question. If
additional writing space is required, candidates should use the additional pages available. They should make
sure they clearly indicate the question for which they are providing a further response.

Comments on specific questions

Question 1

(a) Most candidates were able to provide a correct response about the meaning of HTML. The most
common correct response was the expansion of the acronym HTML.

(b) (i) Many candidates correctly identified that background colour is an example of presentation.

(ii) Many candidates were able to correctly convert the hexadecimal values to binary. Some
candidates treated 43 as a denary value, rather than a binary value. This meant their conversion
was incorrect. It would be beneficial for candidates to understand that a hexadecimal value can be
just made up of numeric values, for example 43. This is the hex values of 4 and 3, rather than the
denary value of the number 43.

(ii) Many candidates were able to correctly identify that lossy compression would be most suitable. In
the description, many candidates were able to describe that lossy compression removes redundant
data such as sounds that cannot be heard by the human ear. It would be beneficial for candidates
to have a greater understanding of how lossy compression reduces the size of the file. Some
candidates described how it reduced the size of an image file, rather than a sound file. Candidates
are reminded to look at the context of the question and apply this to their answer.

(iii) Many candidates were able to provide two benefits for compressing the file. Some candidates gave
a benefit that it reduces the size of the file. It would be beneficial for candidates to understand that
this is what compression does and is not a benefit of it. It is the impact of this reduction that creates
the benefits.

(d) (i) Many candidates were able to correctly identify the two payers in the TLS protocol.

(ii) Few candidates were able to describe the operation of the TLS protocol. The most common marks
given was for data being encrypted. It would be beneficial for candidates to have a greater
understanding of the TLS protocol.

(e) (i) Many candidates were able to provide three security threats to the web server. Some candidates
gave responses such as phishing and pharming. Candidates are reminded to apply the context of
the question to their response. It would be beneficial for candidates to understand that phishing and
pharming are not threats to a web server.

(ii) Some candidates understood that a proxy server would look to operate in a similar way to a firewall
to protect the website. Many candidates gave a general description about the operation of a proxy
server, which was not applied to the context. Candidates are reminded to apply the context of the
question to their response.

Question 2

(a) Many candidates were able to correctly identify whether the binary values had been sent using
even or odd parity.

(b) Some candidates were able to provide a full description on the operation of a checksum. It would
be beneficial for candidates to have a greater understanding of how the checksum is generated, to
provide a suitable level of detail in their response.

Question 3

(a) (i) Some candidates were able to provide three correct ways that data could be accidentally damaged.
It would be beneficial for candidates to understand the difference between accidental damage of
data and malicious damage of data. Many candidates incorrectly gave methods of how data is
maliciously damaged, such as hacking and viruses.

(ii) Most candidates correctly stated that a back-up could be created.

(b) Few candidates were able to provide knowledge of both what an SSD is and how it operates to
store data. Most candidates demonstrated knowledge of what an SSD is; few candidates were also
able to demonstrate an understanding of how it operates to store data. It would be beneficial for
candidates to have a greater understanding of how an SSD operates to store data.

(c) Some candidates were able to provide a correct response for all statements. It would be beneficial
for candidates to understand that all three storage examples store data in a spiral track and to
understand that both DVD and Blu-ray can be dual layer.

Question 4

(a) Many candidates were able to draw a correct logic circuit for the logic statements. The most
common error came from candidates that switched the position of the NOR gate and the OR gate.
It would be beneficial for candidates to understand that the Boolean operator in the centre of the
statements will not always be the end logic gate in the logic circuit.

(b) Many candidates were able to correctly complete the truth table.

Question 5

(a) Many candidates were able to provide five correct responses to the statements. The most common
error came from candidates that thought an LED display was a front-lit display.

(b) Most candidates were able to correctly complete the paragraph. The most common errors were
media access computer address and a network device has a similar MAC address.

COMPUTER SCIENCE

Paper 2210/13
Paper 1

Key messages

General comments

Comments on specific questions

Question 1

Many candidates were able to correctly identify whether each device was an example of an input, output or
storage device. The most common errors came from candidates who identified a 2D cutter as an input
device and a microphone as an output device.

Question 2

(a) Many candidates correctly identified the component as the control unit. Some candidates
incorrectly gave the response of control bus, rather than control unit.

(b) Most candidates correctly identified that component as the arithmetic logic unit.

(c) Many candidates gave the correct response of program counter. Some candidates also gave the
accepted response of the memory address register. This was awarded as the program counter
sends the address of the next instruction to the memory address before it is obtained from memory.
Therefore, it is still the address of the next instruction at this point in the process.

(d) Many candidates gave the accepted response of current instruction register. The instruction will
first come to the memory data register, a response also given by some candidates, and will then be
passed to the current instruction register. In both parts of the process, the instruction is the one that
has been fetched from memory.

(e) Many candidates gave the correct response of the memory data register.

Candidates are reminded that in questions where they are asked to identify, for example, a component, it is
only the first answer they have given that is considered for marking. Any subsequent responses written after
their first answer cannot be considered. Therefore, if they do not want a response at the beginning of the line
to be considered, this must be clearly crossed out, which will allow the examiner to consider the next
response given.

Question 3

(a) Most candidates were able to correctly convert each denary value to binary and identify whether if
the answer given was correct or incorrect.

(b) Most candidates were able to correctly convert the 12-bit binary number to hexadecimal.
Candidates are reminded that even if a value is converted to 0, they are expected to demonstrate
the value is 0.

Question 4

(a) Some candidates were able to provide a full and detailed explanation of how the webpages are
requested and displayed. The most common parts of the process that could be identified is that the
web browser sends a request to the web server to request the webpages and that the web browser
renders the HTML to display the webpages. It would be beneficial for candidates to understand that
the web browser sends the request to the web server and not the website. The website is a
collection of files, but the web server is the component that receives the request and sends the
website files to the web browser.

(b) Many candidates were able to provide three security threats to the web server. Some candidates
gave responses such as phishing and pharming. Candidates are reminded to apply the context of
the question to their response. It would be beneficial for candidates to understand that phishing and
pharming are not threats to a web server.

Question 5

(a) Many candidates correctly identified the data transmission type as serial and were able to provide a
suitable description of how data is sent using serial transmission. Some candidates gave the
benefits of serial transmission, but the question did not require this.

(b) Many candidates were able to provide three benefits of a USB connection. Some candidates gave
benefits of a USB storage device, rather than a USB connection. It would be beneficial for
candidates to understand the difference between a USB connection and a USB storage device.

(c) Many candidates were able to give two protocols to secure transmit data. The most common
correct answers were HTTPS and SSL.

Question 6

Many candidates were able to correctly complete the paragraph. The most common error given was from
candidates that gave the first missing term as a padlock. It would be beneficial for candidates to understand
that the padlock is not what encrypts the data, it is a symbol that identifies that data sent using the
connection will be encrypted. The encryption is done through the use of a key.

Question 7

(a) Most candidates were able to correctly identify whether even or odd parity had been used.

(b) Many candidates were able to identify that the bits could have been transposed. It would be
beneficial for candidates to be clear and accurate in their answer. For example, some candidates
stated that more than one bit could have changed. This would be true if it was two bits that had
been changed, but not true is it was three bits that had been changed, as this would then add up to
a different parity. Therefore, candidates need to be accurate in stating that it is an even number of
bits that have changed.

(c) Most candidates were able to give one other error checking method. The most common error was
by candidates providing check digit as a response. It would be beneficial for candidates to
understand that check digit is an error checking method used on data entry and not for checking
data after transmission.

Question 8

(a) Many candidates understood that LCD referred to a liquid crystal display. Few candidates were
able to demonstrate an understanding of the operation of an LCD. Some candidates gave benefits
of the technology rather than explaining how it operates.

(b) Many candidates were able to provide three benefits of LCD technology.

Question 9

(a) Many candidates were able to give three correct similarities. The most common responses seen
were they are optical storage, they are secondary storage and they both are read using a red laser.

(b) Many candidates were able to give one correct difference. The most common response was that
DVD has a higher storage capacity than CD. Some candidates seemed to have a misconception
that data on a DVD is stored in concentric tracks and on a CD is stored in a single spiral track. It
would be beneficial for candidates to understand that both DVD and CD are stored in a spiral track.
DVD RAM, which is different to DVD, stores data in concentric tracks.

Question 10

(a) Most candidates were able to draw a correct logic circuit. Candidates are reminded to make sure
the drawing of their gates are very clear and accurate. Some candidates drew a circle at the right
point of the XOR gate. This turns the gate into an XNOR gate, which is incorrect.

(b) Most candidates were able to correctly complete the truth table.

Question 11

Many candidates were able to describe how the microprocessor and the sensor interacted to make the game
operate. Candidates are reminded to make sure that they apply their answer to the context given in the
question. Some candidates gave a generic response that described how any system operated in using a
sensor and a microprocessor, but without applying it to the context given. Some candidates applied it to a
different context such as an automatic lighting system or a security system.

Question 12

Few candidates were able to correctly identify if the statements were true or false. It would be beneficial for
candidates to have a greater understanding of the role of an Internet Service Provider (ISP).

Question 13

(a) Many candidates were able to correctly identify a similarity between phishing and pharming.

(b) Many candidates were able to correctly identify at least one difference between phishing and
pharming.

COMPUTER SCIENCE 2210/11

Paper 1 Theory May/June 2021

1 hour 45 minutes

You must answer on the question paper.

No additional materials are needed.

This document has 16 pages. Any blank pages are indicated.

DC (LO) 213859
© UCLES 2021 [Turn over
2

1 Benedict has a computer that is assigned an Internet Protocol (IP) address. The IP address is:

[Link]

The IP address is represented as denary values.

(a) Convert the denary values 167 and 214 from the IP address to 8-bit binary.

167

214

Working space

...................................................................................................................................................

...................................................................................................................................................
[2]

(b) Benedict’s computer is also assigned a Media Access Control (MAC) address.

(i) Identify one similarity between an IP address and a MAC address.

...........................................................................................................................................

..................................................................................................................................... [1]

(ii) Identify two differences between an IP address and a MAC address.

Difference 1 .......................................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................................................

Difference 2 .......................................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................................................
[2]

© UCLES 2021 2210/11/M/J/21

2 Julia inputs personal data into her computer.

She stores three copies of the data using a hard disk drive (HDD), a solid state drive (SSD) and a
USB flash memory drive.

(a) Identify three devices Julia can use to input personal data into her computer.

Device 1 ....................................................................................................................................

Device 2 ....................................................................................................................................

Device 3 ....................................................................................................................................
[3]

(b) Six statements are shown about HDDs, SSDs and USB flash memory drives.

Tick (✓) to show which statements apply to each type of storage. Some statements can apply
to more than one type of storage.

USB flash
memory
Statement
HDD SSD drive
(✓) (✓) (✓)

it has no moving parts

it is non-volatile

it can use NAND gates to store data

it uses magnetic properties to store data

it has the smallest physical size

it has the slowest read/write speeds

[6]

© UCLES 2021 2210/11/M/J/21 [Turn over

(i) One benefit of using a USB connection is that it is a universal connection.

State two other benefits of using a USB connection.

Benefit 1 ............................................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................................................

Benefit 2 ............................................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................................................
[2]

(ii) Identify the type of data transmission used in a USB connection.

..................................................................................................................................... [1]

© UCLES 2021 2210/11/M/J/21

3 A firewall can be used to help keep the data secure that is stored on a computer.

(a) The given paragraph describes how the firewall operates to help keep the data secure.

Complete the paragraph using the most appropriate terms from the given list. Not all of the
terms on the list need to be used.

• Accept
• Criteria
• Hacking
• Input
• Network
• Outgoing
• Output
• Processor
• Reject
• Software
• Store
• Storage

A firewall can be ............................................ or hardware based. It monitors traffic between

the computer and the ............................................ The user sets ............................................

for the traffic. The firewall will .............................................. or ............................................

the traffic based on this. It can help prevent ............................................ and malicious

software that could be a threat to the security of the data.

[6]

(b) Identify three other methods that could be used to keep the data secure.

Method 1 ...................................................................................................................................

Method 2 ...................................................................................................................................

Method 3 ...................................................................................................................................
[3]

© UCLES 2021 2210/11/M/J/21 [Turn over

4 Two internet risks are phishing and pharming.

Describe what is meant by phishing and pharming.

Phishing ...........................................................................................................................................

..........................................................................................................................................................

Pharming ..........................................................................................................................................

..........................................................................................................................................................

..........................................................................................................................................................
[6]

© UCLES 2021 2210/11/M/J/21

5 Jamelia has a greenhouse that she uses to grow fruit and vegetables. She needs to make sure
the temperature in the greenhouse stays between 25 °C and 30 °C (inclusive).

A system that has a temperature sensor and a microprocessor is used to maintain the temperature
in the greenhouse. The system will:

• open a window and turn a heater off if it gets too hot

• close a window and turn a heater on if it gets too cold.

Describe how the system uses the temperature sensor and the microprocessor to maintain the
temperature in the greenhouse.

..........................................................................................................................................................

.................................................................................................................................................... [8]

© UCLES 2021 2210/11/M/J/21 [Turn over

6 Consider the logic statement:

X = (((A AND B) OR (C AND NOT B)) XOR NOT C)

(a) Draw a logic circuit to represent the given logic statement.

Do not attempt to simplify the statement. All logic gates must have a maximum of two inputs.

B X

[6]

© UCLES 2021 2210/11/M/J/21

(b) Consider the completed truth table for the given logic statement.

Row Working space

A B C X
number

1 0 0 0 0

2 0 0 1 1

3 0 1 0 0

4 0 1 1 1

5 1 0 0 0

6 1 0 1 1

7 1 1 0 0

8 1 1 1 1

There are four errors in the truth table in the output (X) column.

Identify the four incorrect outputs.

Write the row number to identify each incorrect output.

Row ........................

Row ........................
[4]

© UCLES 2021 2210/11/M/J/21 [Turn over

7 A music company has a website that allows users to stream music. The music is stored in sound
files.

(a) The sound files are compressed using lossless compression.

(i) Describe how the sound files are compressed using lossless compression.

...........................................................................................................................................

..................................................................................................................................... [4]

(ii) State one reason why the music company would compress the sound files using
lossless, rather than lossy, compression.

...........................................................................................................................................

..................................................................................................................................... [1]

(iii) Give one benefit, to the user, of the music company compressing the sound files.

...........................................................................................................................................

..................................................................................................................................... [1]

(iv) Give one drawback of the music company using lossless, rather than lossy, compression
for the sound files.

...........................................................................................................................................

..................................................................................................................................... [2]

© UCLES 2021 2210/11/M/J/21

(b) Describe how the web pages for the website are requested and displayed on a user’s
computer.

...................................................................................................................................................

............................................................................................................................................. [4]

Explain why this will prevent users from accessing the website.

...................................................................................................................................................

............................................................................................................................................. [2]

© UCLES 2021 2210/11/M/J/21 [Turn over

8 Four 7-bit binary values are transmitted from one computer to another. A parity bit is added to
each binary value creating 8-bit binary values. All the binary values are transmitted and received
correctly.

(a) Identify whether each 8-bit binary value has been sent using odd or even parity by writing odd
or even in the type of parity column.

8-bit binary value Type of parity

01100100

10010001

00000011

10110010
[4]

(b) An error may not be detected when using a parity check.

Identify why an error may not be detected.

...................................................................................................................................................

............................................................................................................................................. [1]

(c) The data is sent using parallel half-duplex data transmission.

(i) Describe how data is sent using parallel half-duplex data transmission.

...........................................................................................................................................

..................................................................................................................................... [4]

(ii) State two drawbacks of using parallel data transmission.

Drawback 1 .......................................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................................................

Drawback 2 .......................................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................................................
[2]

© UCLES 2021 2210/11/M/J/21

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© UCLES 2021 2210/11/M/J/21

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© UCLES 2021 2210/11/M/J/21

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© UCLES 2021 2210/11/M/J/21

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© UCLES 2021 2210/11/M/J/21

Cambridge O Level

COMPUTER SCIENCE 2210/11

Paper 1 May/June 2021
MARK SCHEME
Maximum Mark: 75

Published

Mark schemes should be read in conjunction with the question paper and the Principal Examiner Report for
Teachers.

Cambridge International will not enter into discussions about these mark schemes.

Cambridge International is publishing the mark schemes for the May/June 2021 series for most Cambridge
IGCSE™, Cambridge International A and AS Level components and some Cambridge O Level components.

This document consists of 8 printed pages.

© UCLES 2021 [Turn over

2210/11 Cambridge O Level – Mark Scheme May/June 2021
PUBLISHED

Generic Marking Principles

These general marking principles must be applied by all examiners when marking candidate answers.
They should be applied alongside the specific content of the mark scheme or generic level descriptors
for a question. Each question paper and mark scheme will also comply with these marking principles.

GENERIC MARKING PRINCIPLE 1:

Marks must be awarded in line with:

GENERIC MARKING PRINCIPLE 2:

Marks awarded are always whole marks (not half marks, or other fractions).

GENERIC MARKING PRINCIPLE 3:

Marks must be awarded positively:

• marks are awarded for correct/valid answers, as defined in the mark scheme. However, credit
is given for valid answers which go beyond the scope of the syllabus and mark scheme,
referring to your Team Leader as appropriate
• marks are awarded when candidates clearly demonstrate what they know and can do
• marks are not deducted for errors
• marks are not deducted for omissions
• answers should only be judged on the quality of spelling, punctuation and grammar when these
features are specifically assessed by the question as indicated by the mark scheme. The
meaning, however, should be unambiguous.

GENERIC MARKING PRINCIPLE 4:

Rules must be applied consistently, e.g. in situations where candidates have not followed
instructions or in the application of generic level descriptors.

GENERIC MARKING PRINCIPLE 5:

Marks should be awarded using the full range of marks defined in the mark scheme for the question
(however; the use of the full mark range may be limited according to the quality of the candidate
responses seen).

GENERIC MARKING PRINCIPLE 6:

Marks awarded are based solely on the requirements as defined in the mark scheme. Marks should
not be awarded with grade thresholds or grade descriptors in mind.

© UCLES 2021 Page 2 of 8

2210/11 Cambridge O Level – Mark Scheme May/June 2021
PUBLISHED

Please note the following further points:

The words in bold in the mark scheme are important text that needs to be present, or some notion
of it needs to be present. It does not have to be the exact word, but something close to the
meaning.

If a word is underlined, this exact word must be present.

A single forward slash means this is an alternative word. A double forward slash means that this is
an alternative mark point.

Ellipsis (…) on the end of one-mark point and the start of the next means that the candidate cannot
get the second mark point without being awarded the first one. If a MP has ellipsis at the beginning,
but there is no ellipsis on the MP before it, then this is just a follow-on sentence and can be
awarded without the previous mark point.

© UCLES 2021 Page 3 of 8

2210/11 Cambridge O Level – Mark Scheme May/June 2021
PUBLISHED

Question Answer Marks

1(a) One mark per each correct register. 2

1 0 1 0 0 1 1 1

1 1 0 1 0 1 1 0

1(b)(i) Any one from: 1

− Both addresses can be used to identify a computer/device
− Both are unique
− Both can be represented as hexadecimal
− Both addresses do not change if IP address is static

1(b)(ii) Any two from: 2

− An IP address is assigned by the network/router/ISP, A MAC address is
assigned by the manufacturer
− An IP address can be changed (if dynamic), MAC address cannot be
changed
− IP address has 4/8 groups of values, MAC address has 6 groups/pairs of
values
− IP address is 32-bit/128-bit, MAC address is 48-bit
− IP address does not contain serial number/manufacturer number, MAC
address does
− IP(v4) address is denary and MAC address is hexadecimal

Question Answer Marks

2(a) Any three from: 3

− Keyboard
− Mouse
− Microphone
− Keypad
− Touchscreen
− Touchpad

© UCLES 2021 Page 4 of 8

2210/11 Cambridge O Level – Mark Scheme May/June 2021
PUBLISHED

Question Answer Marks

2(b) One mark for each correct row. 6

USB flash
memory
Statement
HDD SSD drive
() () ()

it has no moving parts  

it is non-volatile   

it can use NAND gates to store data  

it uses magnetic properties to store data 

it has the smallest physical size 

it has the slowest read/write speeds 

2(c)(i) Any two from: 2

− It cannot be inserted incorrectly
− Supports different transmission speeds
− High speed transmission
− Automatically detected (not connected) // automatically downloads
drivers
− Powers the device (for data transfer)
− Backward compatible

2(c)(ii) − Serial 1

Question Answer Marks

3(a) One mark per each correct term in the correct order. 6
− Software
− Network
− Criteria
− Accept // reject
− Reject // accept
− Hacking

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2210/11 Cambridge O Level – Mark Scheme May/June 2021
PUBLISHED

Question Answer Marks

3(b) Any three from: 3

− Password
− Biometrics (device)
− Encryption
− Physical methods (e.g. locks)
− Two-factor authentication // Two-step verification
− Anti-viruses

Question Answer Marks

4 Any six from: 6

Phishing
− Legitimate looking email sent to user
− encourages user to click a link that directs user to a fake website
− User encouraged to enter personal details into a fake website // designed
to obtain personal details from a user

Pharming
− Malicious code/malware is downloaded/installed // software downloaded
without users' knowledge
− … that re-directs user to fake website (when legitimate URL entered)
− User encouraged to enter personal details into a fake website // designed
to obtain personal details from a user

Question Answer Marks

5 Eight from: 8
− Sensor send data/readings/signal to microprocessor
− Data is converted from analogue to digital (using ADC)
− Microprocessor compares/checks data to stored values/range of values
…
− … If data is greater than 30 / above the range microprocessor sends
signal to open window and to turn heater off
− … If data is below 25 the microprocessor sends signal to turn on heater
and to close window
− … If data is between 25 and 30 / within the range no action taken
− Actuator is used to operate heater/window
− Whole process is continuous

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2210/11 Cambridge O Level – Mark Scheme May/June 2021
PUBLISHED

Question Answer Marks

6(a) One mark per each correct logic gate, with correct input: 6

6(b) − Row 1 4
− Row 3
− Row 4
− Row 5

Question Answer Marks

7(a)(i) Four from: 4

− (Compression) algorithm is used
− No data will be removed // original file can be restored
− Example of type of algorithm that would be used e.g. RLE
− Repeated patterns in the music are identified
− … and indexed

NOTE: If another lossless method is described, marks can be awarded.

7(a)(ii) Any one from: 1

− To provide the highest quality of music file (that compression will allow)
− The user is able to listen to the original sound file
− No loss of quality for the sound file provided

7(a)(iii) Any one from: 1

− Allow for quicker streaming speed
− Would not require as much bandwidth (to stream)
− Does not need as much RAM
− Smoother listening experience // less lag
− Will not use as much of data allowance

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Question Answer Marks

7(a)(iv) Two from: 2

− Streaming speed may be slower
− … and may affect listening experience // buffering may occur
− User may need more bandwidth to stream
− … that could be more expensive
− It would be a larger file size
− … so may take longer to upload
− … so will take up more storage space …
− … on webserver

7(b) Any four from: 4

− Browser sends URL to DNS
− … using HTTP/HTTPS
− IP address is found on DNS
− DNS returns IP address to the browser
− Browser sends request to web server/IP address
− Web server sends web pages back to browser
− Browser interprets/renders the HTML (to display web pages)
− Security certificates exchanged

7(c) Two from: 2

− Web server has been flooded with traffic // web server has been sent
many requests at once
− … so, server is brought to a halt / crashes

Question Answer Marks

8(a) − Odd 4
− Odd
− Even
− Even

8(b) Any one from: 1

− there is a transposition of bits
− it does not check the order of the bits (just the sum of 1s/0s)
− even number of bits change
− incorrect bits still add up to correct parity

8(c)(i) Four from: 4

− Multiple bits are sent at the same time
− Uses multiple wires
− Data is sent in both directions …
− … but only one direction at a time

8(c)(ii) Any two from: 2

− Bits may arrive skewed
− More expensive to setup/manufacture/purchase cable
− Limited distance
− More prone to interference/error

© UCLES 2021 Page 8 of 8

Cambridge O Level
* 1 0 9 4 7 8 0 7 4 2 *

COMPUTER SCIENCE 2210/12

Paper 1 Theory May/June 2021

1 hour 45 minutes

You must answer on the question paper.

No additional materials are needed.

This document has 12 pages. Any blank pages are indicated.

DC (LO) 215284
© UCLES 2021 [Turn over
2

1 A denary value can be converted into hexadecimal and binary.

(a) Complete the table to show the hexadecimal and 8-bit binary values of the given denary
values.

Denary Hexadecimal 8-bit binary

123

200

[6]

Working space

...................................................................................................................................................

(b) Give two benefits, to users, of converting binary values to hexadecimal.

Benefit 1 ....................................................................................................................................

...................................................................................................................................................

Benefit 2 ....................................................................................................................................

...................................................................................................................................................
[2]

Identify three other ways that hexadecimal is used in computer science.

1 ................................................................................................................................................

2 ................................................................................................................................................

3 ................................................................................................................................................
[3]

© UCLES 2021 2210/12/M/J/21

2 Data storage can be magnetic, solid state or optical.

(a) Six statements are given about data storage.

Tick (3) to show if the statement applies to magnetic, solid state or optical storage. Some
statements may apply to more than one type of storage.

Magnetic Solid state Optical

Statement
(3) (3) (3)
no moving parts are used to store data

pits and lands are used to store data

data is stored on platters

flash memory is used to store data

parts are rotated to store data

data can be stored permanently

[6]

(b) (i) Give one example of magnetic storage.

..................................................................................................................................... [1]

(ii) Give one example of optical storage.

..................................................................................................................................... [1]

(iii) Identify which type of storage would be the most suitable for use in a web server and
justify your choice.

Type of storage ..................................................................................................................

Justification ........................................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................................................
[3]

...................................................................................................................................................

............................................................................................................................................. [3]

© UCLES 2021 2210/12/M/J/21 [Turn over

3 Consider the logic statement:

X = ((((NOT A AND B) OR C) AND B) NOR (B OR C))

(a) Draw a logic circuit to represent the given logic statement.

Do not attempt to simplify the statement. All logic gates must have a maximum of two inputs.

B X

[6]

© UCLES 2021 2210/12/M/J/21

(b) Consider the completed truth table for the given logic statement.

Row Working space

A B C X
number
1 0 0 0 1

2 0 0 1 1

3 0 1 0 1

4 0 1 1 0

5 1 0 0 1

6 1 0 1 0

7 1 1 0 1

8 1 1 1 1

There are four errors in the truth table in the output (X) column.

Identify the four incorrect outputs.

Write the row number to identify each incorrect output.

Row .......................

Row .......................
[4]

© UCLES 2021 2210/12/M/J/21 [Turn over

4 Three types of Internet security risk are virus, spyware and denial of service (DoS) attack.

(a) Six statements are given about Internet security risks.

Tick (3) to show whether the statement applies to virus, spyware or denial of service. Some
statements may apply to more than one Internet security risk.

Denial of
Statement Virus Spyware service
(3) (3) (3)
captures all data entered using a keyboard

can be installed onto a web server

prevents access to a website

is malicious code on a computer

is self-replicating

damages the files on a user’s hard drive

[6]

(b) Identify three other types of Internet security risks.

1 ................................................................................................................................................

2 ................................................................................................................................................

3 ................................................................................................................................................
[3]

State three ways that data could be accidentally damaged.

1 ................................................................................................................................................

2 ................................................................................................................................................

3 ................................................................................................................................................
[3]

© UCLES 2021 2210/12/M/J/21

5 A security light system is used by a factory. The light only comes on when it is dark and when
movement is detected. The light will stay on for 1 minute before switching off.

Sensors and a microprocessor are used to control the security light system.

(a) Identify two sensors that would be used in the security light system.

Sensor 1 ...................................................................................................................................

Sensor 2 ...................................................................................................................................
[2]

(b) Describe how the sensors and the microprocessor control the security light system.

...................................................................................................................................................

............................................................................................................................................. [8]

© UCLES 2021 2210/12/M/J/21 [Turn over

6 Cookies can be used to store a user’s personal data and online browsing habits.

(a) A cookie could be used to automatically enter a user’s payment details when the user makes
a purchase online.

Describe how cookies can be used to store and automatically enter a user’s payment details.

...................................................................................................................................................

............................................................................................................................................. [3]

(b) Explain why a user may be concerned about their personal data and online browsing habits
being stored in cookies.

...................................................................................................................................................

............................................................................................................................................. [4]

© UCLES 2021 2210/12/M/J/21

7 Jolene uses HTML to create a website. She separates the HTML into structure and presentation.

(a) (i) Give one example of HTML structure.

..................................................................................................................................... [1]

(ii) Give two examples of HTML presentation.

1 ........................................................................................................................................

2 ........................................................................................................................................
[2]

(b) Explain why Jolene separates the HTML into structure and presentation.

...................................................................................................................................................

............................................................................................................................................. [2]

8 A keyboard is a type of input device that can be used to enter data into a computer.

Complete the paragraph that describes one method of operation for a keyboard, using the most
appropriate terms from the given list. Not all terms in the list need to be used.

• Binary
• Breaks
• Calculated
• Character
• Circuit
• Current
• Information
• Network
• Press
• Processor
• Signal
• Switch

A keyboard has a key matrix underneath the keys. When a key is pressed, it presses a

............................................. that completes a ............................................. . This allows

............................................. to flow. The location of the key pressed is

............................................. . The location of the key pressed is compared to a

............................................. map to find the ............................................. value for the key that

has been pressed.

[6]

© UCLES 2021 2210/12/M/J/21

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© UCLES 2021 2210/12/M/J/21

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© UCLES 2021 2210/12/M/J/21

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© UCLES 2021 2210/12/M/J/21

Cambridge O Level

COMPUTER SCIENCE 2210/12

Paper 1 May/June 2021
MARK SCHEME
Maximum Mark: 75

Published

Mark schemes should be read in conjunction with the question paper and the Principal Examiner Report for
Teachers.

Cambridge International will not enter into discussions about these mark schemes.

This document consists of 8 printed pages.

© UCLES 2021 [Turn over

2210/12 Cambridge O Level – Mark Scheme May/June 2021
PUBLISHED

Generic Marking Principles

These general marking principles must be applied by all examiners when marking candidate answers.
They should be applied alongside the specific content of the mark scheme or generic level descriptors
for a question. Each question paper and mark scheme will also comply with these marking principles.

GENERIC MARKING PRINCIPLE 1:

Marks must be awarded in line with:

GENERIC MARKING PRINCIPLE 2:

Marks awarded are always whole marks (not half marks, or other fractions).

GENERIC MARKING PRINCIPLE 3:

Marks must be awarded positively:

• marks are awarded for correct/valid answers, as defined in the mark scheme. However, credit
is given for valid answers which go beyond the scope of the syllabus and mark scheme,
referring to your Team Leader as appropriate
• marks are awarded when candidates clearly demonstrate what they know and can do
• marks are not deducted for errors
• marks are not deducted for omissions
• answers should only be judged on the quality of spelling, punctuation and grammar when these
features are specifically assessed by the question as indicated by the mark scheme. The
meaning, however, should be unambiguous.

GENERIC MARKING PRINCIPLE 4:

Rules must be applied consistently, e.g. in situations where candidates have not followed
instructions or in the application of generic level descriptors.

GENERIC MARKING PRINCIPLE 5:

Marks should be awarded using the full range of marks defined in the mark scheme for the question
(however; the use of the full mark range may be limited according to the quality of the candidate
responses seen).

GENERIC MARKING PRINCIPLE 6:

Marks awarded are based solely on the requirements as defined in the mark scheme. Marks should
not be awarded with grade thresholds or grade descriptors in mind.

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2210/12 Cambridge O Level – Mark Scheme May/June 2021
PUBLISHED

Please note the following further points:

The words in bold in the mark scheme are important text that needs to be present, or some notion
of it needs to be present. It does not have to be the exact word, but something close to the
meaning.

If a word is underlined, this exact word must be present.

A single forward slash means this is an alternative word. A double forward slash means that this is
an alternative mark point.

© UCLES 2021 Page 3 of 8

2210/12 Cambridge O Level – Mark Scheme May/June 2021
PUBLISHED

Question Answer Marks

1(a) One mark per each correct binary value. 6

One mark per each correct hex value.

Denary Hexadecimal 8-bit binary

49 31 00110001

123 7B 01111011

200 C8 11001000

1(b) Any two from: 2

− Easier/quicker to read/write/understand
− Easier/quicker to identify errors/debug
− Takes up less screen/display space
− Less chance of making an error

1(c) Any three from: 3

− MAC address
− URL
− Assembly language
− Error codes // error messages
− IP addresses
− Locations in memory
− Memory dumps

Question Answer Marks

2(a) One mark per each correct row. 6

Magnetic Solid Optical

Statement () state ()
()

no moving parts are used to store data 

pits and lands are used to store data 

data is stored on platters 

flash memory is used to store data 

parts are rotated to store data  

data can be stored permanently   

2(b)(i) Any one from: 1

− Hard disk drive // HDD
− Magnetic tape

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2210/12 Cambridge O Level – Mark Scheme May/June 2021
PUBLISHED

Question Answer Marks

2(b)(ii) Any one from: 1

− CD
− DVD
− Blu-ray disk

2(b)(iii) One for type of storage, two for matching justification from: 3
− Magnetic // HDD
− (Web server) is likely to receive many requests a day
− (Web server) will likely need to store a lot of data and magnetic is high
capacity
− Magnetic is cheaper to buy for storage per unit than solid state
− Magnetic is capable of more of read/write requests over time // has more
longevity // SSD has more limited number of read/write requests (before
it is no longer usable)
− No requirement for it to be portable, so moving parts does not matter

− Solid-state // SSD
− (Web server) is likely to receive many requests a day
− (Web server) will likely need to store a lot of data and solid-state is high
capacity
− Solid-state is more energy efficient
− Solid-state runs cooler so will not overheat
− Solid state has faster read/write speeds to handle volume of traffic

2(c) Any three from: 3

− Data is flashed onto (silicon) chips
− Uses NAND/NOR technology // can use flip-flops
− Uses transistors/control gates/floating gates …
− … to control the flow of electrons
− It is a type of EEPROM technology
− When data is stored the transistor is converted from 1 to 0 / 0 to 1
− Writes (and reads) sequentially

3(a) One mark for each correct logic gate with correct input. 6

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2210/12 Cambridge O Level – Mark Scheme May/June 2021
PUBLISHED

Question Answer Marks

3(b) One mark per each correct row. 4

− Row 2
− Row 3
− Row 7
− Row 8

Question Answer Marks

4(a) One mark per each correct row. 6

Virus Spyware Denial of

Statement () () service
()

captures all data entered using a keyboard 

can be installed onto a web server  

prevents access to a website 

is malicious code on a computer  

is self-replicating 

damages the files on a user’s hard drive 

4(b) Any three from: 3

− Phishing
− Pharming
− Hacking // cracking

4(c) Any three from: 3

− Human error
− Power failure/surge
− Hardware failure
− Software failure
− Fire
− Flood

5(a) − Light sensor 2

− Motion sensor // infra-red sensor

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2210/12 Cambridge O Level – Mark Scheme May/June 2021
PUBLISHED

Question Answer Marks

5(b) Eight from: 8

− Sensors send data to microprocessor
− Data is converted to digital (using ADC)
− Microprocessor compares data to stored value(s) …
− … if one value or neither values are within range/out of range/match no
action is taken
− … If both values are out of range/in range/match microprocessor sends
signal to switch light on …
− … 1-minute timer is started
− Actuator used to switch on/off light
− When timer reaches 1 minute, microprocessor sends signal to switch
light off
− Whole process is continuous

6(a) Any three from: 3

− Webserver sends (cookie) file to user’s browser
− User’s payment details stored in encrypted text file // data is encrypted to
be stored
− Cookie file is stored by browser/on user’s HDD/SSD
− When user revisits website, webserver requests cookie file // webserver
can access the data stored in the cookie file (to automatically enter
details)
− … and browser sends cookie file back to webserver (to automatically
enter the details)

6(b) Four from: 4

− User does not see what information is stored // might collect data that
user does not know about …
− … so, user may feel their privacy is affected

− A profile could be built about the user …

− … that could expose a user’s identity // lead to identity theft

− Sensitive information stored in cookies could be intercepted in

transmission …
− Other websites could gain access to the cookies stored on a user’s
computer …
− Computer could be hacked to obtain data stored in cookies …
− … so, payment information could be stolen and used by a third party

Question Answer Marks

7(a)(i) Any one from: 1

− Placement of text/image
− Margins
− Line break
− Padding

NOTE: Any relevant example of structure can be awarded

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2210/12 Cambridge O Level – Mark Scheme May/June 2021
PUBLISHED

Question Answer Marks

7(a)(ii) Any two from: 2

− Font colour
− Font style
− Font size
− Background colour
− Image size
− Border properties

NOTE: Any relevant example of presentation can be awarded

7(b) Any two from: 2

− Can easily change/edit the style of the webpage
− So, CSS can be used to create a template/style sheet
− Can add new content and apply the same style easily
− Can re-use the presentation/style for other websites

8 One mark for each correct term in the correct order 6

− Switch
− Circuit
− Current
− Calculated
− Character
− Binary

© UCLES 2021 Page 8 of 8

Cambridge Ordinary Level
2210 Computer Science June 2021
Principal Examiner Report for Teachers

COMPUTER SCIENCE

Paper 2210/11
Paper 11 Theory

Key messages

General comments

Comments on specific questions

Question 1

(a) Most candidates were able to successful convert the two denary values to binary.

(b) (i) Many candidates were able to identify one similarity. Most candidates gave the response that they
can be used to identify a device.

(ii) Some candidates were able to provide two differences between the addresses. Some candidates
only provided one side of the comparison. Candidates are reminded that if they are asked to
provide a difference between two elements, they need to provide the information about the feature
or characteristic of both. The most common answers given were about the how the address is
assigned and that an internet protocol (IP) address can change, but a media access control (MAC)
address normally does not.

Question 2

(a) Many candidates were able to give three appropriate input devices. Some candidates gave three
storage devices, rather than input devices. Candidates are reminded to read all the information
provided in a question.

(b) Few candidates were able to provide a fully correct answer. Many candidates provided the correct
response for the bottom three rows. The most common errors were no tick for USB flash memory
drive using NAND gates and all three being non-volatile. It would be beneficial for candidates to
understand that USB flash memory drive and solid state drive (SSD) both operate using the
solid-state memory method.

(c) (i) Many candidates were able to provide two correct responses. The most common correct
responses were ‘cannot be inserted incorrectly’ and ‘supports different transmission speeds’. Some
candidates repeated the benefit given in the question or something similar, for example universal
connection, industry standard. It would be beneficial for candidates to have a wider understanding
of the benefits of a universal serial bus (USB) connection. Common incorrect answer referred to
the benefits of a USB flash memory drive, for example it is a portable device. It would be beneficial

for candidates to understand the difference between a USB connection and a USB device. It would
also be beneficial for candidates to make sure that they have read the question in full.

(ii) Most candidates gave the correct data transmission method.

Question 3

(a) Many candidates were able to provide a full set of missing terms. The most common incorrect
answer was ‘It monitors traffic between the computer and the processor’.

(b) Most candidates were able to provide three correct methods that could be used to keep the data
safe. The most common incorrect answer was anti-spyware. It would be beneficial for candidates to
apply the context given in a question, and in this case understand that anti-spyware will not directly
keep stored data on a computer safe.

Question 4

Some candidates achieved the full marks available for this question. Many candidates demonstrated
understanding that both methods encourage a user to provide personal details. Many candidates lacked
accuracy in their answer, for example, understanding was provided that a legitimate looking email is sent in
phishing, but then only referred to the email being opened and that taking the user to a fake website. It would
be beneficial for candidates to understand that just opening the email is not enough to redirect the user to
the fake website.

Question 5

Many candidates gave a very generic answer to this question and did not apply the context given. It would
be beneficial for candidates to understand how to use the context given in a question and apply this to their
answer. It would be beneficial for candidates to show a greater level of accuracy in answer questions about
the application of sensors and microprocessors in a system. It would also be beneficial for candidates to
understand that the sensor continuously send data to the microprocessor and that it does not just do this
when it captures a certain value.

Question 6

(a) Candidates continue to show a high level of ability in their understanding of logic circuits. The most
common incorrect gate given was a NOR gate given in place of the XOR gate.

(b) Many candidates were able to provide the rows that required correction.

Question 7

(a) (i) Some candidates were able to achieve the full marks available for this question. Many candidates
demonstrated understanding that a compression algorithm is used. Many candidates then provided
an inaccurate understanding of the process. Most stated that data is not removed, but then stated
that sounds not heard by the human ear would be removed. Many candidates also referred to
repeating words being identified and indexed. It would be beneficial for candidates to have a
greater understanding of how a lossless compression method is used to compress sound. It would
also be beneficial for candidates to use the context given in the question and apply this to their
answer.

(ii) Some candidates identified that the company would look to do this to have the highest quality for
the music. Many candidates lacked accuracy in their answer and stated that no data is lost. It
would be beneficial to candidates to provide more detail than this about how that would be better
for the music company.

(iii) Many candidates were able to provide a correct response. The most common correct answer being
that it allowed for quicker streaming of the data.

(iv) Some candidates were able to provide a correct response. Many candidates reverted back to
incorrectly stating that sounds not heard by the human ear would be removed. The most common
correct answer was that it would be create a larger file size so will take more storage space. It

would be beneficial for candidates to have a greater understanding of the drawbacks of lossless
compression in this context.

(b) Some candidates demonstrated an accurate understanding of how web pages are requested and
displayed. It would be beneficial for candidates to have an accurate understanding of the role of the
web browser and the web server in this context.

(c) Many candidates explained the operation of a denial of service (DoS) attack. This did mean they
managed to achieve the marks in most cases, but it would be beneficial for candidates to answer
the question given, instead of providing a generic response.

Question 8

(a) Many candidates were able to provide the correct parity. Some candidates did not provide a correct
response, instead adding a 1 or a 0 to the parity bit. This did not show understanding of the parity
type that had been used.

(b) Many candidates correctly identified that a transposition error could have occurred. Some
candidates effectively gave this by example.

(c) (i) Many candidates were able to correctly describe how data is sent using this method. It would be
beneficial for candidates to show greater accuracy in their response, for example some stated that
multiple bits are sent, but did not state this happens at the same time. Multiple bits are sent in both
serial and parallel, the difference being they are not sent at the same time in serial.

(ii) Many candidates were able to give two correct drawbacks. The most common correct answers
were that the bits may arrive skewed and that it does not work well over long distances.

COMPUTER SCIENCE

Paper 2210/12
Paper 12 Theory

Key messages

General comments

Comments on specific questions

Question 1

(a) Most candidates were able to provide the correct hexadecimal and binary values.

(b) Most candidates were able to provide two benefits. It would be beneficial for candidates to be
accurate with their response, some gave ‘uses less space’ but did not refer to where the space was
saved. The most common incorrect answer was ‘uses less storage space’. It would be beneficial
for candidates to understand that hexadecimal will be stored as a binary value, so no storage
space will be saved.

(c) Many candidates were able to give three ways hexadecimal is used. Some candidates repeated
the response given in the question. It would be beneficial for candidates to read the context of the
question and not just provide a generic answer to the question.

Question 2

(a) Few candidates were able to provide a fully correct answer. The most common correct answers
were rows 1 and 4. The most common incorrect answers were rows 2 and 6. Many candidates
ticked that pits and lands are used to store data for magnetic storage. It would be beneficial for
candidates to have a greater understanding of the operation of magnetic and optical storage.

(b) (i) Most candidates were able to give a correct example of storage. The most common incorrect
answer was USB flash memory.

(ii) Most candidates were able to give a correct example of storage. The most common incorrect
answer was hard disk drive (HDD).

(iii) Many candidates were able to give a suitable type of storage. Some candidates incorrectly gave
optical storage. It would be beneficial for candidates to understand that optical storage is not
suitable for this context and the reasons why. The most common justifications for magnetic is that it
has a high capacity for data storage and that it has more longevity. The most common justifications
for solid state were, it has faster read/write speeds and that it has a high storage capacity. Some
candidates tried to justify that it has no moving parts so is portable. It would be beneficial for

candidates to apply the context of the question and recognise that a web server would not likely be
a portable device and therefore not a suitable justification.

(c) Very few candidates achieved marks for this question. It would be beneficial for candidates to read
the question in full. Most candidates described the benefits of a USB connection or a USB drive. It
would be beneficial for candidates to understand that USB flash memory is a type of solid-state
storage and operates in the same way.

Question 3

(a) Candidates continue to show a high level of ability in their understanding of logic circuits. The most
common incorrect gate given was a XOR gate given in place of the NOR gate.

(b) Many candidates were able to provide the rows that required correction.

Question 4

(a) Some candidates were able to provide a fully correct answer. The most common incorrect
response was candidates who ticked that denial of service (DoS) can be installed onto a web
server. It would be beneficial for candidates to understand that a DoS attack prevents access to a
webserver, but it is not installed onto one.

(b) Most candidates were able to give three correct responses.

(c) Many candidates were able to give three correct responses. The most common incorrect
responses were further responses stating how data would be maliciously damaged. It would be
beneficial for candidates to understand the difference between the ways that data could be
maliciously damaged and accidentally damaged.

Question 5

(a) Many candidates gave two correct sensors that could be used. The most common incorrect sensor
given was pressure sensor, but this was not applicable to the context.

(b) Many candidates gave a very generic answer to this question and did not apply the context given. It
would be beneficial for candidates to understand how to use the context given in a question and
apply this to their answer. It would be beneficial for candidates to show a greater level of accuracy
in answer questions about the application of sensors and microprocessors in a system. It would
also be beneficial for candidates to understand that the sensor continuously sends data to the
microprocessor and that it does not just do this when it captures a certain value.

Question 6

(a) Very few candidates showed understanding of how cookies can be used in this context. Many
described a generic purpose of a cookie, and most repeated the question stating that the cookie
would store the user's payment details. It would be beneficial for candidates to have a greater
understanding of the use of cookies.

(b) Some candidates were able to provide understanding of the issue that a person’s computer could
be hacked, and the information stored by the cookies could be obtained. Very few candidates were
able to provide understanding beyond this. It would be beneficial for candidates to have a greater
understanding of the concerns regarding the use of cookies.

Question 7

(a) (i) Most candidates were able to give a suitable example of Hypertext Markup Language (HTML)
structure.

(ii) Most candidates were able to give suitable examples of HTML presentation.

(b) Few candidates were able to provide reasons as to why the structure and presentation would be
separated. Most gave a definition of what is meant by the structure and the presentation, and

repeated example of this. The most common correct response was that it means the style of the
website can be easily edited.

Question 8

Many candidates were able to provide a fully correct set of missing terms. The most common incorrect
answer was information map in place of character map.

COMPUTER SCIENCE 2210/12

Paper 1 Theory October/November 2021

1 hour 45 minutes

You must answer on the question paper.

No additional materials are needed.

This document has 12 pages. Any blank pages are indicated.

DC (CE/FC) 221490
© UCLES 2021 [Turn over
2

1 (a) Denary is a number system that is used by programmers.

Tick (✓) one box to show whether denary is a base-2, base-10 or base-16 number system.

Tick
(✓)

Base-2

Base-10

Base-16
[1]

(b) Hexadecimal values can be used to represent denary values.

Convert these four hexadecimal values into denary values.

05 ......................................................

20 ......................................................

1A ......................................................

AB ......................................................
[4]

Working space

...................................................................................................................................................

© UCLES 2021 2210/12/O/N/21

(c) Hexadecimal values can also be converted to binary values.

Tick (✓) one box to show the correct 8-bit binary value for each hexadecimal value.

(i) Hexadecimal value 25

Tick
(✓)

00011001

00100101

10100001
[1]

(ii) Hexadecimal value 1B

Tick
(✓)

00011011

10110001

00011010
[1]

(d) (i) Give one way that hexadecimal is used in website development.

..................................................................................................................................... [1]

(ii) Give one way that hexadecimal is used in low-level programming.

..................................................................................................................................... [1]

2 A train company wants to install a self-service ticket machine system for its train stations. When
the customer has purchased their tickets, the machine will provide a paper ticket.

(a) One output device that is used in the ticket machine is a display screen.

Identify one other output device that is used in the ticket machine system.

............................................................................................................................................. [1]

(b) The train company does not want users to use a keyboard or a mouse to enter their data,
when buying a ticket. The company is worried that they may be stolen or get too dirty.

Identify one other input device that would be suitable for use in the ticket machine system, to
allow users to enter their data.

............................................................................................................................................. [1]

© UCLES 2021 2210/12/O/N/21 [Turn over

3 (a) Six statements are given about methods of data transmission.

Tick (✓) to show if each statement applies to serial simplex, parallel simplex, parallel
half-duplex or serial duplex data transmission. Some statements may apply to more than one
data transmission method.

Serial Parallel Parallel Serial

Statement simplex simplex half-duplex duplex
(✓) (✓) (✓) (✓)

bits are transmitted along a single wire

data is transmitted in both directions

it is only suitable for distances less

than 5 metres
bits from the same byte are
transmitted one after the other
data may not arrive in the correct
sequence
data is transmitted in both directions,
but only one direction at a time
[6]

(b) A Universal Serial Bus (USB) connection can be used to transmit data from a mobile device
to a computer.

Give three benefits of using a USB connection for this purpose.

Benefit 1 ...................................................................................................................................

...................................................................................................................................................

Benefit 2 ...................................................................................................................................

...................................................................................................................................................

Benefit 3 ...................................................................................................................................

...................................................................................................................................................
[3]

© UCLES 2021 2210/12/O/N/21

4 The paragraph explains the operation of different touch screen technologies.

Complete the paragraph using the list of terms. Not all terms in the list need to be used.

• capacitive
• change
• circuit
• conductive
• coordinates
• grid
• heat
• infra-red
• insulating
• light
• manufacture
• pressure
• resistive

In ............................................................................ touch screen technology, an electrostatic field

is present on the surface of the touch screen. The ............................................................................

properties of a user cause a ............................................................................ in the field. The

............................................................................ of the user’s touch can be calculated.

In ............................................................................ touch screen technology, a user pushes the

top layer of the screen and makes it connect with the bottom layer to complete a

............................................................................ .

This type of touch screen is cheaper to ............................................................................ .

[7]

© UCLES 2021 2210/12/O/N/21 [Turn over

5 Sammi works for a finance company and has a laptop that he uses for his work. He has confidential
data about his customers stored on his laptop.

Sammi does not connect the laptop to any networks.

(a) Sammi is concerned about his customers’ confidential data being viewed by other people in
his office.

One method he uses to prevent others viewing the data is encryption.

Identify three other methods Sammi could use to prevent his customers’ confidential data
being viewed.

1 ................................................................................................................................................

2 ................................................................................................................................................

3 ................................................................................................................................................
[3]

(b) Sammi creates videos for the finance company website that give customers advice about
their finances.

He uses lossy compression to reduce the file size of the videos for the website.

(i) Give three ways that lossy compression can reduce the file size of the videos.

1 ........................................................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................................................

2 ........................................................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................................................

3 ........................................................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................................................
[3]

(ii) Give one drawback of using lossy compression to reduce the file size of the videos.

...........................................................................................................................................

..................................................................................................................................... [1]

© UCLES 2021 2210/12/O/N/21

(i) Give one reason why he would use lossless compression, rather than lossy compression,
for the videos.

...........................................................................................................................................

..................................................................................................................................... [1]

(ii) Give two disadvantages of Sammi using lossless compression, rather than lossy
compression, for the videos.

Disadvantage 1 .................................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................................................

Disadvantage 2 .................................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................................................
[2]

6 A programmer can use translators, such as an interpreter and a compiler, when developing a
computer program.

(a) Give one similarity between a compiler and an interpreter.

...................................................................................................................................................

............................................................................................................................................. [1]

(b) Describe two differences between a compiler and an interpreter.

Difference 1 ..............................................................................................................................

...................................................................................................................................................

Difference 2 ..............................................................................................................................

...................................................................................................................................................

...................................................................................................................................................
[4]

(c) Identify one other type of translator.

............................................................................................................................................. [1]

© UCLES 2021 2210/12/O/N/21 [Turn over

7 Five statements are given about devices.

Tick (✓) to show if each statement applies to a 3D scanner, barcode reader or a Quick Response
(QR) code reader. Some statements may apply to more than one type of device.

3D Barcode QR code
Statement scanner reader reader
(✓) (✓) (✓)
uses position and alignment markers for orientation
when scanning

scans the shape and appearance of an object

uses reflected light from a laser to convert

a black-and-white pattern into binary
can often be built into an Electronic Point Of Sale
(EPOS) terminal, for example, a supermarket checkout

it is an example of an input device

[5]

8 An electronic game has three square mats that are coloured red, green and blue.

The player will see a colour displayed on a screen and has 1 second to hit the mat that matches
the colour. If the player hits the correct mat, within 1 second, a counter is incremented. When a
player hits an incorrect mat, the game ends.

The game uses sensors and a microprocessor to determine if the player hits the correct mat within
1 second.

Explain how the game uses sensors and a microprocessor to count the number of times a player
hits a correct mat within 1 second.

..........................................................................................................................................................

© UCLES 2021 2210/12/O/N/21

..........................................................................................................................................................

.................................................................................................................................................... [7]

9 Padma opens an application on her computer.

An interrupt is generated to inform the Central Processing Unit (CPU) that the application has
been opened.

(a) Give three other examples of when an interrupt signal could be generated.

1 ................................................................................................................................................

2 ................................................................................................................................................

3 ................................................................................................................................................
[3]

(b) State what would happen if interrupt signals were not used in a computer.

...................................................................................................................................................

............................................................................................................................................. [1]

10 Jermain uses the Secure Socket Layer (SSL) protocol for secure transmission when sending data
using the internet.

(a) Explain how the SSL protocol secures the data for transmission.

...................................................................................................................................................

............................................................................................................................................. [2]

(b) Identify an alternative protocol that could be used for secure transmission of data using the
internet.

............................................................................................................................................. [1]

1 ................................................................................................................................................

...................................................................................................................................................

2 ................................................................................................................................................

...................................................................................................................................................
[2]
© UCLES 2021 2210/12/O/N/21 [Turn over
10

11 Consider the following logic statement:

X = (((A AND B) OR (NOT (B OR C))) NAND C)

(a) Draw a logic circuit to represent the given logic statement.

Do not attempt to simplify the logic statement. All logic gates must have a maximum of two
inputs.

B X

[5]

© UCLES 2021 2210/12/O/N/21

(b) Complete the truth table for the given logic statement.

A B C Working space X

0 0 0

0 0 1

0 1 0

0 1 1

1 0 0

1 0 1

1 1 0

1 1 1
[4]

Logic gate 1 ...............................................................................................................................

Logic gate 2 ..............................................................................................................................

[2]

© UCLES 2021 2210/12/O/N/21

BLANK PAGE

© UCLES 2021 2210/12/O/N/21

Cambridge O Level

COMPUTER SCIENCE 2210/12

Paper 1 October/November 2021
MARK SCHEME
Maximum Mark: 75

Published

Mark schemes should be read in conjunction with the question paper and the Principal Examiner Report for
Teachers.

Cambridge International will not enter into discussions about these mark schemes.

Cambridge International is publishing the mark schemes for the October/November 2021 series for most
Cambridge IGCSE™, Cambridge International A and AS Level components and some Cambridge O Level
components.

This document consists of 12 printed pages.

© UCLES 2021 [Turn over

2210/12 Cambridge O Level – Mark Scheme October/November 2021
PUBLISHED
Generic Marking Principles

GENERIC MARKING PRINCIPLE 1:

Marks must be awarded in line with:

GENERIC MARKING PRINCIPLE 2:

Marks awarded are always whole marks (not half marks, or other fractions).

GENERIC MARKING PRINCIPLE 3:

Marks must be awarded positively:

GENERIC MARKING PRINCIPLE 4:

Rules must be applied consistently, e.g. in situations where candidates have not followed instructions or in the application of generic level
descriptors.

© UCLES 2021 Page 2 of 12

2210/12 Cambridge O Level – Mark Scheme October/November 2021
PUBLISHED
GENERIC MARKING PRINCIPLE 5:

GENERIC MARKING PRINCIPLE 6:

Marks awarded are based solely on the requirements as defined in the mark scheme. Marks should not be awarded with grade thresholds or
grade descriptors in mind.

© UCLES 2021 Page 3 of 12

2210/12 Cambridge O Level – Mark Scheme October/November 2021
PUBLISHED
Question Answer Marks

1(a) − Base-10 1

1(b) − 5 4
− 32
− 26
− 171

1(c)(i) − 00100101 1

1(c)(ii) − 00011011 1

1(d)(i) Any one from: 1

− To represent HTML colour codes
− In error messages

1(d)(ii) Any one from: 1

− Assembly code/language
− Memory address locations
− In error messages
− Memory dump

© UCLES 2021 Page 4 of 12

2210/12 Cambridge O Level – Mark Scheme October/November 2021
PUBLISHED
Question Answer Marks

2(a) Any one from: 1

− Printer
− Speaker
− Light/LED
− Actuator

2(b) Any one from: 1

− Touchscreen
− Trackpad / touchpad
− Microphone
− QR code reader
− Barcode reader
− Magnetic strip reader
− RFID reader

© UCLES 2021 Page 5 of 12

2210/12 Cambridge O Level – Mark Scheme October/November 2021
PUBLISHED
Question Answer Marks

3(a) One mark per each correct row. 6

Parallel Parallel Serial

Serial
Statement simplex half-duplex duplex
simplex ()
() () ()

bits are transmitted along a single wire  

data is transmitted in both directions  

it is only suitable for distances less than 5  

metres

Bits from the same byte are transmitted one  

after the other

data may not arrive in the correct sequence  

data is transmitted in both directions, but 

only one direction at a time

3(b) Any three from: 3

− Can charge/power the mobile device (at the same time)
− (Uses serial transmission so) data less likely to be skewed / corrupted
− Universal / industry standard / connection
− Cable can only be plugged in one way // Cannot be inserted incorrectly
− Fast transmission speed
− Backward compatible
− Supports different transmission speeds
− Automatically detects device // Automatically downloads drivers

© UCLES 2021 Page 6 of 12

2210/12 Cambridge O Level – Mark Scheme October/November 2021
PUBLISHED
Question Answer Marks

4 One mark per each correct term in the correct order. 7

− Capacitive
− Conductive // Capacitive
− Change
− Coordinates
− Resistive
− Circuit
− Manufacture

Question Answer Marks

5(a) Any three from: 3

− Password
− Add a biometric device to the laptop // set biometric password
− Use two-step verification // Use two factor authentication
− Physically lock the laptop away in a secure cupboard // Taking laptop with him at all times

5(b)(i) Any three from: 3

− A compression algorithm is used
− The resolution could be reduced
− Colour depth could be reduced // bits per pixel reduced
− Sounds not heard by human ear could be removed // Perceptual music shaping can be used
− Repeating frames could be removed

5(b)(ii) Any one from: 1

− Quality may be reduced
− Data is lost // original file cannot be reconstructed

5(c)(i) Any one from: 1

− Maintains quality // quality better than lossy
− Original file is retained // Data is not permanently lost
− A significant reduction in file size is not required

© UCLES 2021 Page 7 of 12

2210/12 Cambridge O Level – Mark Scheme October/November 2021
PUBLISHED
Question Answer Marks

5(c)(ii) Any two from: 2

− Takes more time to transmit file // Takes more time to upload to web server // Takes more time to download to
customer // Web page will load slower
− Takes up more storage space
− Data usage would be increased
− Uses more bandwidth

Question Answer Marks

6(a) Any one from: 1

− They both translate high-level language into machine code / low-level language
− They both check for errors
− They both report errors

6(b) Four from (Max 2 per translator): 4

− An interpreter translates and executes the code line by line
− … whereas a compiler translates and executes the whole code all in one go

− An interpreter stops translating and reports an error as it finds one

− … whereas a compiler produces an error report at the end of translation

− An interpreter does not produce an executable file

− … but a compiler does produce an executable file

− An interpreter will execute the code until it finds an error

− … whereas a compiler will not execute any code if there are errors present

− An interpreter allows correction of errors in real-time

− … whereas a compiler needs to retranslate the code each time after errors are found and corrected

6(c) − Assembler 1

© UCLES 2021 Page 8 of 12

2210/12 Cambridge O Level – Mark Scheme October/November 2021
PUBLISHED
Question Answer Marks

7 One mark per each correct row. 5

3D scanner Barcode QR code

Statement
() reader () reader ()

uses position and alignment markers for orientation when scanning 

scans the shape and appearance of an object 

uses reflected light from a laser to convert a  ()

black-and-white pattern into binary

can often be built into an Electronic Point Of Sale (EPOS) terminal, for  ()
example, a supermarket checkout

it is an example of an input device   

Question Answer Marks

8 Seven from: 7
− Timer is started
− Pressure sensor (within each mat)
− Sensor sends data to microprocessor
− Analogue data is converted to digital (using ADC)
− Microprocessor compares data to stored value(s)
− If data matches / in/out range microprocessor stops timer
− If data matches / in/out range microprocessor checks if data has come from correct colour mat sensor
− If data matches / in/out range microprocessor checks to see if timer is stopped at less than 1 second
− If data matches / in/out range microprocessor increments counter if timer is less than 1 second and colour/mat is
correct
− If correct colour/mat is hit, timer is reset and the whole process is repeated
− If data has not come from the correct colour mat sensor the game ends

© UCLES 2021 Page 9 of 12

2210/12 Cambridge O Level – Mark Scheme October/November 2021
PUBLISHED
Question Answer Marks

9(a) Any three from: e.g. 3

− A suitable description of any error that might occur
− A peripheral is connected/disconnected
− A key on a keyboard is pressed
− A mouse button click
− A phone/video call is received
− A buffer requires more data
− A printer has a paper jam
− A printer runs out of paper
− A printer runs out of ink
− When switching from one application to another

NOTE: If three suitable different errors are described, this can be awarded three marks.

9(b) Any one from: 1

− The computer would only start a new task when it had finished processing the current task // by example
− Computer will not be able to multitask
− Errors may not be dealt with
− Computer would become impossible to use

Question Answer Marks

10(a) − Enables an encrypted link (between the browser and the web server) // It encrypts the data 2
− … based on the authentication of an (SSL) certificate // and will only send it if the certificate is authentic

10(b) − Transport Layer Security // TLS 1

10(c) Any two from: 2

− URL begins with HTTPS
− Padlock symbol is locked
− Check the certificate is valid

© UCLES 2021 Page 10 of 12

2210/12 Cambridge O Level – Mark Scheme October/November 2021
PUBLISHED
Question Answer Marks

11(a) One mark per each correct logic gate with correct input(s) 5

B X

© UCLES 2021 Page 11 of 12

2210/12 Cambridge O Level – Mark Scheme October/November 2021
PUBLISHED
Question Answer Marks

11(b) 4 marks for 8 correct outputs 4

3 marks for 6/7 correct outputs
2 marks for 4/5 correct outputs
1 mark for 2/3 correct outputs

A B C Working space X

0 0 0 1

0 0 1 1

0 1 0 1

0 1 1 1

1 0 0 1

1 0 1 1

1 1 0 1

1 1 1 0

11(c) − NOR 2
− XOR / EOR

© UCLES 2021 Page 12 of 12

Cambridge O Level
* 7 4 2 6 7 9 7 9 7 6 *

COMPUTER SCIENCE 2210/11

Paper 1 Theory May/June 2022

1 hour 45 minutes

You must answer on the question paper.

No additional materials are needed.

This document has 12 pages. Any blank pages are indicated.

DC (CJ) 312483
© UCLES 2022 [Turn over
2

1 Jack has an MP3 file stored on his computer.

(a) (i) Tick (3) to show which type of data is stored in an MP3 file.

Tick (3)

Video

Sound

Image
[1]

(ii) Tick (3) to show whether the MP3 file is a lossy compressed file or a lossless compressed
file or not a compressed file.

Tick (3)

Lossy compressed file

Lossless compressed file

Not a compressed file

[1]

2 A computer is designed using the Von Neumann model for a computer system.

The computer has a central processing unit (CPU).

(a) Data is fetched from primary storage into the CPU to be processed.

(i) State the name of the primary storage from where data is fetched.

..................................................................................................................................... [1]

(ii) The CPU performs a cycle to process data. Fetch is the first stage in this cycle.

State the names of the second and third stages in the cycle.

Second stage ....................................................................................................................

Third stage ........................................................................................................................

[2]

(iii) Identify two components within the CPU that are used in the fetch stage of the cycle.

Component 1 .....................................................................................................................

Component 2 .....................................................................................................................
[2]

© UCLES 2022 2210/11/M/J/22

3 Three types of storage media are magnetic, optical and solid state.

(a) One example of solid‑state storage is a Solid State Drive (SSD).

Identify one other example of solid‑state storage.

............................................................................................................................................. [1]

(b) Optical storage uses a laser to store and read data from a disk.

Explain how the laser is used to store and read data from the disk.

...................................................................................................................................................

............................................................................................................................................. [3]

(i) Give three reasons why an SSD is the most suitable secondary storage for their mobile
device.

Reason 1 ...........................................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................................................

Reason 2 ...........................................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................................................

Reason 3 ...........................................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................................................
[3]

(ii) Identify two examples of software that can be stored on the SSD.

Example 1 .........................................................................................................................

Example 2 .........................................................................................................................
[2]

© UCLES 2022 2210/11/M/J/22 [Turn over

4 All data needs to be converted to binary data so that it can be processed by a computer.

(a) Explain why a computer can only process binary data.

...................................................................................................................................................

............................................................................................................................................. [2]

(b) The denary values 64, 101 and 242 are converted to 8‑bit binary values.

Give the 8‑bit binary value for each denary value.

64 ..............................................................................................................................................

101 ............................................................................................................................................

242 ............................................................................................................................................
[3]

Working space

...................................................................................................................................................

(c) The hexadecimal values 42 and CE are converted to binary.

Give the binary value for each hexadecimal value.

42 ..............................................................................................................................................

CE .............................................................................................................................................
[4]

Working space

...................................................................................................................................................

© UCLES 2022 2210/11/M/J/22

5 An image is stored on a computer. The image is 16‑bit colour and is 100 pixels high and
150 pixels wide.

Calculate the file size of the image in bytes. Show all your working.

..........................................................................................................................................................

Answer ................................................ bytes

[3]

6 A compiler and an interpreter are two different types of translator.

(a) One similarity between a compiler and an interpreter is that they both translate high‑level
language into machine code.

(i) Give one other similarity between a compiler and an interpreter.

...........................................................................................................................................

..................................................................................................................................... [1]

(ii) Explain two differences between a compiler and an interpreter.

...........................................................................................................................................

..................................................................................................................................... [4]

© UCLES 2022 2210/11/M/J/22 [Turn over

7 Adele chooses to set a biometric password for her mobile device, instead of a
personal identification number (PIN).

(a) State what is meant by a biometric password.

...................................................................................................................................................

............................................................................................................................................. [1]

(b) Give two reasons why a biometric password is more secure than a PIN.

Reason 1 ..................................................................................................................................

...................................................................................................................................................

Reason 2 ..................................................................................................................................

...................................................................................................................................................
[2]

(c) Adele has a software‑based firewall installed on her mobile device.

The firewall gathers data about the traffic coming into and going out of her mobile device.

Explain how the firewall uses the gathered data to keep the mobile device more secure.

...................................................................................................................................................

............................................................................................................................................. [3]

(d) Adele also encrypts the data on her mobile device to keep it more secure.

State how encryption will keep the data more secure.

...................................................................................................................................................

............................................................................................................................................. [1]

© UCLES 2022 2210/11/M/J/22

BLANK PAGE

© UCLES 2022 2210/11/M/J/22 [Turn over

8 Consider the following logic statement:

X = (((A AND NOT B) OR (NOT (B NOR C))) AND C)

(a) Draw a logic circuit to represent the given logic statement.

Do not attempt to simplify the logic statement. All logic gates must have a maximum of two
inputs.

B X

[6]

© UCLES 2022 2210/11/M/J/22

(b) Complete the truth table for the given logic statement.

Working space
A B C X

0 0 0

0 0 1

0 1 0

0 1 1

1 0 0

1 0 1

1 1 0

1 1 1
[4]

© UCLES 2022 2210/11/M/J/22 [Turn over

9 Three Internet terms are browser, Internet Protocol (IP) address and
Uniform Resource Locator (URL).

Five statements are given about the Internet terms.

Tick (3) to show which statements apply to each Internet term. Some statements may apply to
more than one Internet term.

Browser IP address URL

Statement
(3) (3) (3)

it contains the domain name

it is a type of software

it converts Hypertext Markup Language (HTML)

to display web pages

it is a type of address

it stores cookies

[5]

10 Many devices have a Media Access Control (MAC) address.

Give three features of a MAC address.

Feature 1 ..........................................................................................................................................

..........................................................................................................................................................

Feature 2 ..........................................................................................................................................

..........................................................................................................................................................

Feature 3 ..........................................................................................................................................

..........................................................................................................................................................
[3]

© UCLES 2022 2210/11/M/J/22

11 (a) The paragraph describes the process of printing a document using an inkjet printer.

Complete the paragraph using the most appropriate terms from the list. Not all of the terms in
the list need to be used.

• binary
• buffer
• drum
• information
• interrupt
• laser
• liquid
• nozzles
• operating system
• powder
• thermal bubble
• toner

Data is sent from the computer to the printer. The data is held in a print

........................................................................ that is temporary storage until the data is

processed to be printed.

Inkjet printers operate by having a print head that moves

........................................................................ side to side across the page. These

spray ........................................................................ ink droplets onto the page. These ink

droplets can be created using piezoelectric or ........................................................................

technology.

If the paper jams in the printing process, the printing stops and an

........................................................................ is sent to the computer.

[5]

(b) A printer is one example of an output device.

Give three other examples of output devices.

Example 1 .................................................................................................................................

Example 2 .................................................................................................................................

Example 3 .................................................................................................................................
[3]

(c) Give three examples of input devices.

Example 1 .................................................................................................................................

Example 2 .................................................................................................................................

Example 3 .................................................................................................................................
[3]
© UCLES 2022 2210/11/M/J/22 [Turn over
12

12 Computer ethics are a concern for any users of the Internet.

Identify and describe three ethical issues that could be a concern when using the Internet.

..........................................................................................................................................................

.................................................................................................................................................... [6]

Permission to reproduce items where third‑party owned material protected by copyright is included has been sought and cleared where possible. Every
reasonable effort has been made by the publisher (UCLES) to trace copyright holders, but if any items requiring clearance have unwittingly been included, the
publisher will be pleased to make amends at the earliest possible opportunity.

To avoid the issue of disclosure of answer‑related information to candidates, all copyright acknowledgements are reproduced online in the Cambridge
Assessment International Education Copyright Acknowledgements Booklet. This is produced for each series of examinations and is freely available to download
at [Link] after the live examination series.

© UCLES 2022 2210/11/M/J/22

Cambridge O Level

COMPUTER SCIENCE 2210/11

Paper 1 Theory May/June 2022
MARK SCHEME
Maximum Mark: 75

Published

Mark schemes should be read in conjunction with the question paper and the Principal Examiner Report for
Teachers.

Cambridge International will not enter into discussions about these mark schemes.

Cambridge International is publishing the mark schemes for the May/June 2022 series for most
Cambridge IGCSE, Cambridge International A and AS Level and Cambridge Pre-U components, and some
Cambridge O Level components.

This document consists of 13 printed pages.

© UCLES 2022 [Turn over

2210/11 Cambridge O Level – Mark Scheme May/June 2022
PUBLISHED
Generic Marking Principles

GENERIC MARKING PRINCIPLE 1:

Marks must be awarded in line with:

 the specific content of the mark scheme or the generic level descriptors for the question
 the specific skills defined in the mark scheme or in the generic level descriptors for the question
 the standard of response required by a candidate as exemplified by the standardisation scripts.

GENERIC MARKING PRINCIPLE 2:

Marks awarded are always whole marks (not half marks, or other fractions).

GENERIC MARKING PRINCIPLE 3:

Marks must be awarded positively:

 marks are awarded for correct/valid answers, as defined in the mark scheme. However, credit is given for valid answers which go beyond the
scope of the syllabus and mark scheme, referring to your Team Leader as appropriate
 marks are awarded when candidates clearly demonstrate what they know and can do
 marks are not deducted for errors
 marks are not deducted for omissions
 answers should only be judged on the quality of spelling, punctuation and grammar when these features are specifically assessed by the
question as indicated by the mark scheme. The meaning, however, should be unambiguous.

GENERIC MARKING PRINCIPLE 4:

Rules must be applied consistently, e.g. in situations where candidates have not followed instructions or in the application of generic level
descriptors.

© UCLES 2022 Page 2 of 13

2210/11 Cambridge O Level – Mark Scheme May/June 2022
PUBLISHED
GENERIC MARKING PRINCIPLE 5:

GENERIC MARKING PRINCIPLE 6:

Marks awarded are based solely on the requirements as defined in the mark scheme. Marks should not be awarded with grade thresholds or
grade descriptors in mind.

Please note the following further points:

The words in bold in the mark scheme are important text that needs to be present, or some notion of it needs to be present. It does not have to
be the exact word, but something close to the meaning.

If a word is underlined, this exact word must be present.

A single forward slash means this is an alternative word. A double forward slash means that this is an alternative mark point.

Ellipsis (…) on the end of one-mark point and the start of the next means that the candidate cannot get the second mark point without being
awarded the first one. If a mark point has an ellipsis at the beginning, but there is no ellipsis on the mark point before it, then this is just a follow-on
sentence and can be awarded without the previous mark point.

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2210/11 Cambridge O Level – Mark Scheme May/June 2022
PUBLISHED
Question Answer Marks

1(a)(i)  Sound 1

1(a)(ii)  Lossy compressed file 1

Question Answer Marks

2(a)(i)  Random access memory // RAM 1

2(a)(ii) One mark for each correct stage 2

Second stage
 Decode

Third stage
 Execute

2(a)(iii) Any two from: 2

 Memory address register // MAR
 Memory data register //MDR
 Program counter // PC
 Control unit // CU
 Address bus
 Data bus
 Control bus

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Question Answer Marks

3(a) Any one from e.g.: 1

 SD card
 USB flash memory drive
 Random access memory // RAM

3(b) Any three from: 3

 Laser is shone at the disk

 An (arm/head) moves the laser across the surface of the disk
 The laser burns pits onto the surface of the disk
 The laser is used to read the pits and lands on the surface of the disk
 The reflected light from the laser shining on the disk is captured (by a sensor)

3(c)(i) Any three from: 3

 It is small in size // compact // lightweight // portable

 It has low power consumption
 It runs quietly
 It runs at a cool temperature
 It is robust when dropped // durable
 Fast access/read/write speed
 High capacity
 Not affected by magnets

3(c)(ii)  Operating system 2

 Application software // by example
 Utility software // by example

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Question Answer Marks

4(a)  Computer consist of transistors / logic circuits/gates … 2

 … that can only store/process data in two states / high-low / on-off / 1 and 0

4(b)  01000000 3
 01100101
 11110010

4(c)  0100 (1 mark) 0010 (1 mark) 4

 1100 (1 mark) 1110 (1 mark)

Question Answer Marks

5 Two marks for two correct stages of working, one mark for correct final answer 3

 100  150
 15 000  16 // 15 000  2
 240 000 / 8

 30 000 bytes

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Question Answer Marks

6(a)(i)  They both report/check for errors 1

6(a)(ii) Four from (MAX 2 per translator): 4

 An interpreter translates the code line by line (and executes each line immediately)
 … whereas a compiler translates the whole code at the same time (before executing it)

 A compiler produces an executable file

 … but an interpreter does not

 An interpreter is required to run the code each time if used

 … whereas a compiler is not

 An interpreter stops and reports an error as it is encountered

 … whereas a compiler creates a report of all errors at the end of translation

 An interpreter will run code up to the point it finds an error

 … whereas a compiler will not run the code at all if an error is found

Question Answer Marks

7(a) Any one from: 1

 Uses biological data
 It uses characteristics/features that belong to a human

7(b) Any two from: 2

 A biometric password cannot be guessed
 It is very difficult to fake a biometric password
 A biometric password cannot be recorded by a keylogger/spyware
 A perpetrator cannot shoulder surf to see a biometric password

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Question Answer Marks

7(c) Any three from: 3

 The traffic/data is compared to set criteria/rules/whitelist/blacklist

 If the traffic/data does/does not meet the criteria/rules/whitelist/blacklist it will be rejected/blocked …
 … and an alert can be sent to warn Adele
 … this can help prevent hackers/malicious software (gaining access to the data)

7(d)  It makes the data meaningless 1

Question Answer Marks

8(a) One mark for each correct logic gate with correct input(s) 6

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Question Answer Marks

8(b) Four marks for 8 correct outputs 4

Three marks for 6/7 correct outputs
Two marks for 4/5 correct outputs
One mark for 2/3 correct outputs

A B C Working space X

0 0 0 0

0 0 1 1

0 1 0 0

0 1 1 1

1 0 0 0

1 0 1 1

1 1 0 0

1 1 1 1

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Question Answer Marks

9(a) One mark for each correct row: 5

Statement Browser IP address URL

() () ()

it contains the domain name 

it is a type of software 

it converts Hypertext Markup 

Language (HTML) to display web pages

it is a type of address  

it stores cookies 

Question Answer Marks

10 Any three from: 3

 It is a unique address
 It is assigned by the manufacturer
 It can be used to identify a device
 It contains the manufacturer ID/code/number
 It contains the serial code/number
 It is written in hexadecimal
 It has 6 bytes/48 bits/6 pairs of digits
 Does not (usually) change // static

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Question Answer Marks

11(a) One mark for each of the correct terms, in the correct place 5
 buffer
 nozzles
 liquid
 thermal bubble
 interrupt

11(b) Any three from e.g.: 3

 Monitor // screen
 Speaker
 Headphones
 Light // LED
 (2D/3D) cutter
 DLP // LCD projector
 Actuator

11(c) Any two from e.g.: 3

 Keyboard
 Mouse // trackerball
 Microphone
 (2D/3D) scanner
 Barcode reader
 QR code reader
 Digital camera // webcam
 Interactive whiteboard
 Touchscreen
 Sensor

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Question Answer Marks

12 One mark for identification of an issue and one mark for a description e.g.: 6

 Plagiarism
– The copying of other people’s work without their permission
– Claiming someone else’s work as your own

 Hacking
– Unauthorised access to a computer/data

 Malware
– Malicious software designed to damage a computer system or stored data

 Spyware
– Keylogger used to record keypresses and sends them to third party

 Ransomware
– Holding hostage a user’s data, often for a release fee

 Intellectual property theft

– Stealing other people work

 Breaching copyright
– Breaking the law by copying someone’s work

 Piracy
– Using piracy websites to gain content for free that should have been paid for

 Privacy
– A person’s data could be leaked

 Phishing
– Sending an email to lure users to a fake site to obtain their personal details

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Question Answer Marks

12  Pharming
– Downloading of malicious code to redirect user to fake website to obtain their personal details

 Data protection
– A person’s data is not used according to the law

 Cyber bullying
– Using the internet to bully people

 Inappropriate materials
– Materials that could cause harm/offense to people e.g. minors

 Fake news
– News stories that could be very misleading or harmful

 Software cracking
– Changing code to e.g. bypass a licence for software

 Addiction
– Aspects of the internet e.g. social media can cause this

 Environmental effects
– Increased use of the internet increases the use of electrical power

© UCLES 2022 Page 13 of 13

Cambridge Ordinary Level
2210 Computer Science June 2022
Principal Examiner Report for Teachers

COMPUTER SCIENCE

Paper 2210/11
Paper 11 Theory

Key messages

Candidates often gave appropriate responses to the questions and justified their responses when required.
Candidates continue to show a strong ability in logic questions. Candidates showed an increasing
understanding of the command words and their requirements for their answer.

General comments

Candidates need to carefully read the questions to make sure they are giving answers that are appropriate in
the context. Their answers should also take these contexts into account, making sure that the points they
make are relevant to the context.

Comments on specific questions

Question 1

(a) (i) Most candidates provided the correct response. The most common incorrect response was video.

(ii) Most candidates provided the correct response. The most common incorrect response was that it is
not a compressed file.

Question 2

(a) (i) Many candidates gave the correct response. It would be beneficial for candidates to be accurate
with their response. Some candidates gave a response that was not accurate enough such as
memory unit.

(ii) Many candidates gave the correct response. Most candidates were able to provide the execute
stage.

(iii) Many candidates were able to provide at least two correct components.

Question 3

(a) Many candidates provided the correct response. It would be beneficial for candidates to be
accurate with their response. Some candidates gave a response that was not accurate enough
such as USB. This is too vague as this could refer to several things such as a cable, a connection
or a transmission method, as well as a storage device.

(b) Some candidates were able to provide a correct response. Most candidates were able to gain a
mark for understanding a laser it shone at the disk. It would be beneficial for candidates to have a
more accurate and detailed understanding of the operation of optical storage.

(c) (i) Many candidates were able to provide a correct response. The most common correct answers
were relating to size and durability.

(ii) Many candidates were able to provide a correct response. It would be beneficial for candidates to
understand that if brand names are given for software they cannot be considered.

Question 4

(a) Some candidates were able to give a correct response. Many candidates stated that a computer
only understands binary. It would be beneficial for candidates to know and demonstrate the use of
logic gates in a computer and how this relates to binary data.

(b) Most candidates gave the correct response.

(c) Most candidates gave the correct response.

Question 5

Many candidates were able to gain marks for some correct working, but few candidates were able to provide
a correct answer.

Question 6

(a) (i) Many candidates recognised that they both checked for errors. It would be beneficial for candidate
to understand that the translators check for errors, but they do not debug the errors. Some
candidates stated that they both debug errors.

(ii) Many candidates were able to provide a correct response. The most common correct answers
related to the translation of the code and the reporting of errors.

Question 7

(a) Some candidates were able to provide a correct response. Some candidates provided examples of
a biometric device, this was not enough detail for a correct response.

(b) Many candidates provided a correct response. The most common correct answer was that a
biometric password cannot be guessed.

(c) Some candidates were able to provide a correct response. It would be beneficial for candidates to
understand that if they are given context in a question, they should apply their answer to the
context. Many candidates did not apply their answer to the context given.

(d) Many candidates were able to provide a correct response. It would be beneficial for candidates to
understand that it will not stop the data being stolen.

Question 8

(a) Many candidates were able to provide a correct response. The most common incorrect response
was the incorrect placement of the NOT gate before the NOR gate.

(b) Many candidates were able to provide a correct response.

Question 9

Some candidates were able to provide a correct response. The most common incorrect responses were IP
addresses containing the domain name and URL not given as a type of address.

Question 10

Many candidates gave a correct response with a wide range of answers seen from candidates.

Question 11

(a) Most candidates gave a correct response. The most common incorrect responses were for buffer.

(b) Most candidates gave a correct response. It would be beneficial for candidates to make sure that
they have read all the information in the question as some candidates gave printer as their
response.

(c) Most candidates gave a correct response.

Question 12

Most candidates were able to name three ethical issues. Some candidates went on to provide a
suitable description.

COMPUTER SCIENCE 2210/12

Paper 1 Theory May/June 2022

1 hour 45 minutes

You must answer on the question paper.

No additional materials are needed.

This document has 12 pages.

DC (CJ) 312484
© UCLES 2022 [Turn over
2

1 (a) Denary values are converted to binary values to be processed by a computer.

Draw one line from each denary value to the correctly converted 8‑bit binary value.

Denary 8-bit binary

00100001

41
10100110

00101001

174

10000110

10101110
86

01010110

[3]

Working space

...................................................................................................................................................

(b) Binary values can also be converted to denary values.

Give the correct denary value for the 12‑bit binary value 000101010111
Show all your working.

...................................................................................................................................................

Denary value ..........................................................

[2]

© UCLES 2022 2210/12/M/J/22

2 Hexadecimal is used for Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) colour codes.

An HTML colour code is:

#2F15D6
Each pair of digits is stored as binary in an 8‑bit register.

(a) Give the 8‑bit binary value that would be stored for each pair of hexadecimal digits.

[6]

Working space

...................................................................................................................................................

(b) HTML colour codes and Media Access Control (MAC) addresses are two examples of where
hexadecimal is used in Computer Science.

Give two other examples of where hexadecimal can be used in Computer Science.

Example 1 .................................................................................................................................

Example 2 .................................................................................................................................
[2]

© UCLES 2022 2210/12/M/J/22 [Turn over

(c) Websites can be created using HTML structure and presentation.

State what is meant by HTML structure and presentation.

Give an example of each in your answer.

Structure ...................................................................................................................................

...................................................................................................................................................

Presentation .............................................................................................................................

...................................................................................................................................................

...................................................................................................................................................
[4]

(d) Explain why presentation is often separated from structure when creating a web page.

...................................................................................................................................................

............................................................................................................................................. [2]

© UCLES 2022 2210/12/M/J/22

3 Joelle is a student who uses the Internet.

(a) The table contains five terms or definitions that relate to the Internet.

Complete the table by writing each missing term or definition.

Term Definition

........................................................................................

browser ........................................................................................

........................................................................................

this is the company that provides a user with a

...................................................
connection to the Internet

this is a protocol that is used to send data for web

...................................................
pages across the Internet

........................................................................................

Uniform Resource Locator (URL) ........................................................................................

........................................................................................

cookie ........................................................................................

........................................................................................

[5]

© UCLES 2022 2210/12/M/J/22 [Turn over

(b) Joelle uses a firewall to keep her data safe when she uses the Internet.

Tick (3) to show which statement about firewalls is true.

Tick (3)

Firewalls can only be hardware‑based

Firewalls can only be software‑based

Firewalls can be hardware‑based or software‑based

[1]

Explain how the firewall is used to limit the websites that Joelle can access.

...................................................................................................................................................

............................................................................................................................................. [4]

© UCLES 2022 2210/12/M/J/22

4 Jason is a programmer who writes computer programs in a high‑level language.

(a) Describe what is meant by a high‑level language.

...................................................................................................................................................

............................................................................................................................................. [3]

(b) Jason wants to distribute a computer program he has written. He is considering distributing it
to users as freeware or free software.

(i) Explain one drawback to a user if the program is distributed as freeware.

...........................................................................................................................................

..................................................................................................................................... [2]

(ii) Explain one benefit to a user if the program is distributed as free software.

...........................................................................................................................................

..................................................................................................................................... [2]

© UCLES 2022 2210/12/M/J/22 [Turn over

5 Consider the following logic statement:

X = ((A OR B) AND (NOT (B XOR C)) AND C)

(a) Draw a logic circuit to represent the given logic statement.

Do not attempt to simplify the logic statement. All logic gates must have a maximum of two
inputs.

B X

[5]

© UCLES 2022 2210/12/M/J/22

(b) Complete the truth table for the given logic statement.

Working space
A B C X

0 0 0

0 0 1

0 1 0

0 1 1

1 0 0

1 0 1

1 1 0

1 1 1
[4]

6 Millions of emails are sent between users on a daily basis.

(a) Identify two online security attacks that can be carried out using email.

Describe how email is used to enable the attack.

Online security attack 1 ............................................................................................................

Description ................................................................................................................................

...................................................................................................................................................

Online security attack 2 ............................................................................................................

Description ................................................................................................................................

...................................................................................................................................................

...................................................................................................................................................
[6]

© UCLES 2022 2210/12/M/J/22 [Turn over

(b) Online security attacks can maliciously damage data.

One security method to keep data safe from online attacks is a firewall.

Identify two other security methods that keep data safe from online attacks.

Security method 1 .....................................................................................................................

Security method 2 .....................................................................................................................

[2]

(c) Data can also be damaged accidentally.

One example of how data can be damaged accidentally is by shutting down a computer
before saving data. To prevent this from happening, a user should make sure they have
saved all data before shutting down a computer.

Complete the table by giving three other examples of how data can be damaged accidentally.

Give a method of prevention for each example.

Example Method of prevention

...................................................................... ......................................................................

......................................................................

...................................................................... ......................................................................

......................................................................

...................................................................... ......................................................................

......................................................................

[6]

© UCLES 2022 2210/12/M/J/22

7 Cassie stores data for her business every day. She stores the data using optical data storage.

(a) Identify three examples of optical data storage.

Example 1 .................................................................................................................................

Example 2 .................................................................................................................................

Example 3 .................................................................................................................................
[3]

(b) Six statements are given about the operation of three different types of storage.

Tick (3) to show which statements apply to each type of storage. Some statements may
apply to more than one type of storage.

Type of storage
Magnetic Optical Solid state
Statement
(3) (3) (3)

this storage has no moving parts

this storage uses a laser to read and write data

this storage uses a read/write head

this storage burns pits onto a reflective surface

this storage uses NAND and NOR technology

this storage stores data in tracks and sectors

[6]

© UCLES 2022 2210/12/M/J/22 [Turn over

8 Sam develops a software application. He distributes a version of the software as shareware.

(a) Describe what is meant by shareware.

...................................................................................................................................................

............................................................................................................................................. [4]

(b) Identify three ethical issues that may need to be considered when developing and distributing
software.

Ethical issue 1 ..........................................................................................................................

Ethical issue 2 ..........................................................................................................................

Ethical issue 3 ..........................................................................................................................

[3]

© UCLES 2022 2210/12/M/J/22

Cambridge O Level

COMPUTER SCIENCE 2210/12

Paper 1 Theory May/June 2022
MARK SCHEME
Maximum Mark: 75

Published

Mark schemes should be read in conjunction with the question paper and the Principal Examiner Report for
Teachers.

Cambridge International will not enter into discussions about these mark schemes.

This document consists of 13 printed pages.

© UCLES 2022 [Turn over

2210/12 Cambridge O Level – Mark Scheme May/June 2022
PUBLISHED
Generic Marking Principles

GENERIC MARKING PRINCIPLE 1:

Marks must be awarded in line with:

GENERIC MARKING PRINCIPLE 2:

Marks awarded are always whole marks (not half marks, or other fractions).

GENERIC MARKING PRINCIPLE 3:

Marks must be awarded positively:

GENERIC MARKING PRINCIPLE 4:

Rules must be applied consistently, e.g. in situations where candidates have not followed instructions or in the application of generic level
descriptors.

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GENERIC MARKING PRINCIPLE 5:

GENERIC MARKING PRINCIPLE 6:

Marks awarded are based solely on the requirements as defined in the mark scheme. Marks should not be awarded with grade thresholds or
grade descriptors in mind.

Please note the following further points:

The words in bold in the mark scheme are important text that needs to be present, or some notion of it needs to be present. It does not have to
be the exact word, but something close to the meaning.

If a word is underlined, this exact word must be present.

A single forward slash means this is an alternative word. A double forward slash means that this is an alternative mark point.

© UCLES 2022 Page 3 of 13

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Question Answer Marks

1(a) One mark for each correct line 3

Denary 8-bit binary

00100001

41 10100110

00101001

174

10000110

86 10101110

01010110

1(b) One mark for correct working, one mark for correct answer 2

Working e.g.
 256  64  16  4  2  1

Answer:
 343

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Question Answer Marks

2(a) Two marks each correct conversion (one mark for the first four bits, one mark for the second four bits) 6

0 0 1 0 1 1 1 1
2F

0 0 0 1 0 1 0 1
15

1 1 0 1 0 1 1 0
D6

2(b) Any two from: 2

 IP address
 Error messages/codes
 Assembly language // low-level language
 URL // web address
 Memory dumps
 Locations in memory

2(c) One mark for a description, one mark for a correct example 4

Structure
 Layout of the web page
 e.g. Where text is placed

Presentation
 Formatting of the web page
 e.g. the colour of the font

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Question Answer Marks

2(d) Two from: 2

 The formatting of the page can be changed/edited without needing to alter the structure
 … so, they can make regular updates without needing to check the structure

 The formatting document can be used again for a different website …

 If further content and web pages are added to the website, the necessary formatting can be easily applied …
 … so, this can save time when developing/updating a website
 Allows use of CSS to standardise formatting
 … so, CSS only needs to be created once (to be applied to each webpage)

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Question Answer Marks

3(a) One mark for the correct term or definition 5

Term Definition

browser Software/application that allows users to view web

pages / render HTML

Internet Service this is the company that provides a user with a

provider // ISP connection to the Internet

HTTP // HTTPS this is a protocol that is used to send data for web
pages across the Internet

Uniform Resource a text-based version of a web address

Locator (URL)

cookie a text file (stored by web browser) that contains data

about a user’s browsing habits/details/preferences

3(b)  Hardware or software based 1

3(c) Four from: 4

 (The parent can) set criteria for the websites she is allowed to visit
 … such as a whitelist/blacklist of websites
 The firewall will examine the data/traffic incoming and outgoing from her computer
 If data is sent from a website that is not allowed, it will be blocked

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Question Answer Marks

4(a) Any three from: 3

 It uses English-like statements

 It needs to be converted to machine code (to be processed by a computer)
 … using a translator
 It is portable
 One line of code can perform multiple commands

4(b)(i) Two from: 2

 The user is not allowed to access the source code …

 … so, they cannot tailor the software to their needs
 … so, they cannot fix any bugs in it
 The software is still covered by copyright
 The user must get the owner’s permission to do anything beyond using it

4(b)(ii) Two from: 2

 The user can access the source code …

 … so, they can tailor the software to their needs
 … so, they can fix any bugs in it
 … so, the source code could be studied for educational purposes
 The user can redistribute the software/program …
 … but this must be done under the same terms as the original software

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Question Answer Marks

5(a) One mark for each correct logic gate with correct input(s) 5

5(b) Four marks for 8 correct outputs 4

Three marks for 6/7 correct outputs
Two marks for 4/5 correct outputs
One mark for 2/3 correct outputs

A B C Working space X

0 0 0 0

0 0 1 0

0 1 0 0

0 1 1 1

1 0 0 0

1 0 1 0

1 1 0 0

1 1 1 1

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Question Answer Marks

6(a) One mark for identifying the attack, two marks for the description 6

 Phishing
 Email is sent to user to encourage them to click link
 … that takes user to fake website

Pharming
 Email is sent to user to encourage them to click link/download attachment
 … that triggers download of malicious code that will redirect user to fake website

Virus/malware
 Email is sent to user to encourage them to click link/download attachment
 … that triggers download of virus/malware

Denial of service // DoS

 A very large number of emails are sent to a server/network at the same time
 … crashing the server/network

6(b) Any two from: 2

 Encryption
 Password
 Two-step / Two-factor authentication/verification
 Biometric device
 Anti-malware // Anti-virus
 Proxy-server

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Question Answer Marks

6(c) One mark for identifying an issue, one mark for suggesting a suitable prevention 6

 Power surge/loss (damages hardware)

 Use a UPS

 Water can be spilled on the device

 Don’t have water near the device
 Keep device in a waterproof box when not is use

 Fire can destroy device

 Use electrics safety
 Keep device in a fireproof box when not is use

 Data is accidentally deleted

 Add verification method for data deletion
 Set access levels for data to limit who can delete the data

 Incorrect use of storage device

 Making sure device is ejected before removing

 Physical damage to hardware // hardware failure

 Correct care and maintenance of hardware

 Software failure
 Making sure it is always up to date // enable automatic updates

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2210/12 Cambridge O Level – Mark Scheme May/June 2022
PUBLISHED
Question Answer Marks

7(a) Three from: 3

 CD
 DVD
 Blu-ray

7(b) One mark for each correct row 6

Type of storage

Statement Magnetic Optical Solid

() () state
()

this storage has no moving parts 

this storage uses a laser to read and write data 

this storage uses a read/write head  

this storage burns pits onto a reflective surface 

this storage uses NAND and NOR technology 

this storage stores data in tracks and sectors  ()

© UCLES 2022 Page 12 of 13

2210/12 Cambridge O Level – Mark Scheme May/June 2022
PUBLISHED
Question Answer Marks

8(a) Any four from: 4

 Trial version of software

 … for a limited time / number of uses
 … with limited features
 … free of charge
 If full version is required need to pay fee / sign up // When trial over user is asked to pay / sign up
 Protected by copyright
 Type of software licence

8(b) Any three from: 3

e.g.
 Copyright
 Plagiarism
 Production/distribution of malware
 Intellectual property theft
 Privacy of data
 Age appropriation
 Offensive materials
 Environmental impact of distribution media e.g. CDs
 Accessibility of software
 Security of software
 Following guidelines of professional bodies e.g. ACM/IEEE/BCS

© UCLES 2022 Page 13 of 13

Cambridge Ordinary Level
2210 Computer Science June 2022
Principal Examiner Report for Teachers

COMPUTER SCIENCE

Paper 2210/12
Paper 12 Theory

Key messages

Candidates often gave appropriate responses to the questions and justified their responses when required.
Candidates continue to show a strong ability in calculations and logic questions. Candidates showed and
increasing understanding of the command words and their requirements for their answer.

General comments

Comments on specific questions

Question 1

(a) Most candidates were able to provide a correct response.

(b) Most candidates were able to provide a correct response. Some candidates did not show their
working.

Question 2

(a) Many candidates were able to provide a correct response. Some candidates converted 15 as
though it were a denary value, rather than a hexadecimal value.

(b) Many candidates were able to provide a correct response. Candidates are reminded to read all the
information given in the question. Some candidates gave HTML colour codes and MAC address as
their response. These could not be considered as they were given in the question.

(c) Many candidates were able to describe presentation and provide a suitable example. Few
candidates were able to describe structure and provide a suitable example.

(d) Few candidates were able to provide accurate reasons for the separation of the two parts. Many
candidates gave a vague response about it being easier to create the web page if they are
separated. It would be beneficial for candidates to have a greater understanding of the reasons for
the separation of structure and presentation.

Question 3

(a) Many candidates provided a suitable response for ISP and HTTP. Some candidates were able to
provide a suitable response for browser. It would be beneficial for candidates to understand that a
web browser is a piece of software. This information was missing from many candidates’
responses. Few candidates were able to provide a suitable response for cookie. Many stated what
a cookie stores, but few referred to it being a file.

(b) Many candidates were able to provide a correct response. The most common incorrect response
was that a firewall is software based only.

(c) Few candidates were able to provide a fully correct answer. Candidates are reminded that if they
are given context in a question that this should be applied to their response. Many candidates gave
a generic description of the operation of a firewall and did not apply this to the context given.

Question 4

(a) Some candidates were able to provide a correct response. Many candidates gave advantages of a
high-level language rather than a description of what it is.

(b) (i) and (b)(ii) Many candidates were able to provide a correct response. The most common errors were
confusing the two types of software.

Question 5

(a) Many candidates were able to provide a correct response. The most common incorrect response
was the incorrect placement of the NOT gate before the XOR gate.

(b) Many candidates were able to provide a correct response.

Question 6

(a) Many candidates were able to name two suitable methods. The most common two methods given
were phishing and pharming. Some candidates were able to provide a suitable description. It would
be beneficial for candidates to understand that a user needs to click on a link or an attachment to
open the fake web page or trigger a download of malicious code, and not just open the email.

(b) Many candidates were able to provide a correct response.

(c) Many candidates were able to provide three correct issues. Some candidates were able to give a
prevention for each. It would be beneficial for candidates to understand that a back-up of data is
not a method to help prevent the data being damaged. It can server to replace the data if it is
damaged, but it does not stop the data being damaged.

Question 7

(a) Many candidates were able to provide a correct response.

(b) Few candidates were able to provide a fully correct response. It would be beneficial for candidates
to have a greater understanding of the operation of the different types of storage.

Question 8

(a) Many candidates were able to provide a correct response.

(b) Many candidates were able to provide a correct response. Some candidates did not apply their
response to the context given in the question and did not relate their response to software
development.

COMPUTER SCIENCE 2210/12

Paper 1 Theory October/November 2022

1 hour 45 minutes

You must answer on the question paper.

No additional materials are needed.

This document has 12 pages.

DC (CJ) 318821
© UCLES 2022 [Turn over
2

1 A bus station has a ticket machine.

A customer can use the ticket machine to select and pay for their ticket.

One input device built into the ticket machine is a touch screen.

(a) Identify two other input devices that could be built into the ticket machine.

Input device 1 ...........................................................................................................................

Input device 2 ...........................................................................................................................

[2]

(b) The ticket machine has a help icon that a user can touch to contact customer support.

The ticket machine has an output device that allows the user to hear the customer support
person.

Identify an output device that would be used for this purpose.

............................................................................................................................................. [1]

(i) Describe how resistive touch screen technology operates to recognise a user’s touch.

...........................................................................................................................................

..................................................................................................................................... [4]

© UCLES 2022 2210/12/O/N/22

(ii) Give two benefits of using resistive touch screen technology for the ticket machine.

Benefit 1 ............................................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................................................

Benefit 2 ............................................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................................................
[2]

(iii) Give two drawbacks of using resistive touch screen technology for the ticket machine.

Drawback 1 .......................................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................................................

Drawback 2 .......................................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................................................
[2]

(iv) Identify one other touch screen technology that could have been used.

..................................................................................................................................... [1]

(d) The computer in the ticket machine uses the stored program concept.

Describe the stored program concept.

...................................................................................................................................................

............................................................................................................................................. [2]

© UCLES 2022 2210/12/O/N/22 [Turn over

(e) The computer in the ticket machine has an operating system.

One function of the operating system is to provide an interface for the user.

State three other functions of the operating system.

Function 1 .................................................................................................................................

Function 2 .................................................................................................................................

Function 3 .................................................................................................................................
[3]

(f) The computer uses 12-bit binary registers to store data whilst it is being processed.

Customers are given a denary ticket number.

(i) Give the 12-bit binary value that is stored in the register for each denary ticket number.

100 ....................................................................................................................................

235 ....................................................................................................................................

301 ....................................................................................................................................

Working space

...........................................................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................................................
[3]

© UCLES 2022 2210/12/O/N/22

(ii) Show the denary ticket number that would be given to the customer for each 12-bit binary
value.

000000010110 ...................................................................................................................

000001110111 ...................................................................................................................

001101011001 ...................................................................................................................

Working space

...........................................................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................................................
[3]

(iii) Binary values can also be represented as hexadecimal values.

Show the hexadecimal value that represents each of the two 12-bit binary values.

000010010101 ..................................................................................................................

101011010001 ...................................................................................................................

Working space

...........................................................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................................................
[4]

© UCLES 2022 2210/12/O/N/22 [Turn over

2 An automated water tap system uses a sensor and a microprocessor to operate. Water flows
from the tap when a person’s hands are placed underneath the tap. Water stops flowing when the
person’s hands are removed from underneath the tap.

(a) Explain how the water tap system uses a sensor and a microprocessor to operate.

...................................................................................................................................................

............................................................................................................................................. [6]

(b) Three descriptions are shown of different systems.

Identify the most suitable sensor that could be used in each system.

Description of system Sensor

it checks the air is dry enough in a garage that spray paints cars

it automatically switches on the headlights on a car when it is dark

it checks that the soil in a greenhouse has the correct level of acidity

[3]

© UCLES 2022 2210/12/O/N/22

3 Five statements are shown about Random Access Memory (RAM), an internal
Solid State Drive (SSD) and a USB flash memory drive.

Tick (✓) to show which statements apply to each component. Some statements may apply to
more than one component.

Component
Internal USB flash
RAM
Statement SSD memory drive
(✓)
(✓) (✓)

it is a type of primary storage

it is volatile

it uses NAND and NOR technology

it does not have any moving parts

it is not directly connected to the

central processing unit (CPU)
[5]

4 Doris has data stored on her computer.

She accidentally loses some data by deleting a file.

State two methods she could use to help prevent accidental loss of data in this way.

Describe how each method would help prevent accidental loss of the data.

Method 1 ..........................................................................................................................................

..........................................................................................................................................................

Method 2 ..........................................................................................................................................

..........................................................................................................................................................

..........................................................................................................................................................
[4]

© UCLES 2022 2210/12/O/N/22 [Turn over

5 8 bytes of data are transmitted from one computer to another. Each byte of data has a parity bit.

The data is also sent with a parity byte. Each bit in the parity byte allows a check to be performed
on each column of bits.

A parity check is performed on the data and an error is found in one bit. The table shows the data
that was received.

Parity
Bit 2 Bit 3 Bit 4 Bit 5 Bit 6 Bit 7 Bit 8
bit

Byte 1 0 1 0 1 0 0 1 1

Byte 2 1 0 0 1 1 1 1 1

Byte 3 1 1 1 1 1 1 0 0

Byte 4 1 1 0 1 0 1 0 1

Byte 5 1 0 0 0 1 1 1 0

Byte 6 1 1 1 0 1 0 1 1

Byte 7 1 1 0 0 1 1 0 0

Byte 8 1 1 1 1 0 0 1 1

Parity
1 0 1 1 0 1 1 1
byte

Identify which bit has an error by giving the Byte number and Bit number.

Explain how you found the error.

Byte number ..............................

Bit number .................................

Explanation ......................................................................................................................................

..........................................................................................................................................................

..........................................................................................................................................................
[4]

© UCLES 2022 2210/12/O/N/22

6 Jian has a website that uses the Secure Socket Layer (SSL) protocol to make sure that data is
kept secure during transmission.

(a) Give two ways that a user could check that a website uses the SSL protocol.

1 ................................................................................................................................................

...................................................................................................................................................

2 ................................................................................................................................................

...................................................................................................................................................
[2]

(b) State the name of the updated version of the SSL protocol.

............................................................................................................................................. [1]

(c) Jian’s system for his website has a proxy server.

Explain why Jian uses a proxy server as part of the system for his website.

...................................................................................................................................................

............................................................................................................................................. [4]

© UCLES 2022 2210/12/O/N/22 [Turn over

(d) Jian sells products using his website. He wants to create a secure login system for user
accounts.

He is worried that a user’s login details may be gathered by malware when they are logging
into their account.

(i) State the type of malware that could be used to gather a user’s login details.

..................................................................................................................................... [1]

(ii) Give three methods that could be used to help prevent a user’s login details being
gathered by malware, when they are logging into their account.

Describe how each method can help prevent this happening.

Method 1 ...........................................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................................................

Method 2 ...........................................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................................................

Method 3 ...........................................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................................................
[6]

© UCLES 2022 2210/12/O/N/22

(e) The paragraph describes how the web pages are obtained and displayed for the user.

Complete the paragraph using the list of terms. Not all terms in the list need to be used.

• browser
• Hypertext Markup Language (HTML)
• Internet Protocol (IP) address
• Internet Service Provider (ISP)
• Media Access Control (MAC) address
• presentation
• protocols
• structure
• Uniform Resource Locator (URL)
• web pages
• web server

The browser sends the ....................................................................................... to the

Domain Name Server (DNS) that looks up the corresponding

..................................................................................... . This is returned to the browser, which

then sends a request to the ...................................................................................... where the

.......................................................................................... are stored. The website is written in

.......................................................................................... that is rendered by the

.......................................................................................... .
[6]

7 NAND, OR and XOR are three types of logic gate.

(a) Four statements are shown about the logic gates.

Tick (✓) to show which statements apply to each logic gate. Some statements may apply to
more than one logic gate.

NAND OR XOR
Statement
(✓) (✓) (✓)

if both inputs are 1, the output is 1

if both inputs are different from each other, the output is 1

if both inputs are 0, the output is 0

if both inputs are the same as each other, the output is always 0

[4]

© UCLES 2022 2210/12/O/N/22 [Turn over

(b) NAND, OR, XOR, NOR and NOT are all examples of logic gates.

State the name of one other logic gate and complete its truth table.

Logic gate .................................................... Truth table:

A B Output

0 0

0 1

1 0

1 1
[2]

© UCLES 2022 2210/12/O/N/22

Cambridge O Level

COMPUTER SCIENCE 2210/12

Paper 1 Theory October/November 2022
MARK SCHEME
Maximum Mark: 75

Published

Mark schemes should be read in conjunction with the question paper and the Principal Examiner Report for
Teachers.

Cambridge International will not enter into discussions about these mark schemes.

Cambridge International is publishing the mark schemes for the October/November 2022 series for most
Cambridge IGCSE™, Cambridge International A and AS Level components and some Cambridge O Level
components.

This document consists of 13 printed pages.

© UCLES 2022 [Turn over

2210/12 Cambridge O Level – Mark Scheme October/November 2022
PUBLISHED
Generic Marking Principles

GENERIC MARKING PRINCIPLE 1:

Marks must be awarded in line with:

GENERIC MARKING PRINCIPLE 2:

Marks awarded are always whole marks (not half marks, or other fractions).

GENERIC MARKING PRINCIPLE 3:

Marks must be awarded positively:

GENERIC MARKING PRINCIPLE 4:

Rules must be applied consistently, e.g. in situations where candidates have not followed instructions or in the application of generic level
descriptors.

© UCLES 2022 Page 2 of 13

2210/12 Cambridge O Level – Mark Scheme October/November 2022
PUBLISHED
GENERIC MARKING PRINCIPLE 5:

GENERIC MARKING PRINCIPLE 6:

Marks awarded are based solely on the requirements as defined in the mark scheme. Marks should not be awarded with grade thresholds or
grade descriptors in mind.

Please note the following further points:

The words in bold in the mark scheme are important text that needs to be present, or some notion of it needs to be present. It does not have to
be the exact word, but something close to the meaning.

If a word is underlined, this exact word must be present.

A single forward slash means this is an alternative word. A double forward slash means that this is an alternative mark point.

© UCLES 2022 Page 3 of 13

2210/12 Cambridge O Level – Mark Scheme October/November 2022
PUBLISHED
Question Answer Marks

1(a) Any two from: 2

• Keyboard
• Trackpad
• Trackball
• Microphone
• Keypad
• Sensor
• Button
• Barcode/QR scanner/reader
• Webcam/digital camera

1(b) Any one from: 1

• Speaker
• Headphones

1(c)(i) Any four from: 4

• The screen is made up of (two) layers/multiple layers

• The user pushes the top layer into the bottom layer // The user pushes the layers together
• The layers create a circuit (when pushed together)
• causing electricity to flow
• allowing the co-ordinates/location of the users touch to be calculated

1(c)(ii) Any two from: 2

• Cheap to manufacture/buy
• Can still be used whilst wearing gloves
• Waterproof // Can be used in bad weather
• Does not easily shatter
• Low power consumption
• (Can) support multitouch

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2210/12 Cambridge O Level – Mark Scheme October/November 2022
PUBLISHED
Question Answer Marks

1(c)(iii) Any two from: 2

• Does not (normally) support multitouch

• Screen visibility can be poor in sunlight
• Longevity issues
• (Normally) lower resolution
• Not very sensitive to touch // Lower response time (than capacitive)
• Prone to scratches

1(c)(iv) Any one from: 1

• Capacitive
• Infrared

1(d) Any two from: 2

• Data and instructions are stored in the same memory

• and can only be fetched one at a time

1(e) Any three from: 3

• Multitasking
• Multiprogramming
• Input and output control
• Running software
• Memory management
• Processor management
• File management
• Handling interrupts
• Providing security
• Managing user accounts
• Batch / real-time processing

© UCLES 2022 Page 5 of 13

2210/12 Cambridge O Level – Mark Scheme October/November 2022
PUBLISHED
Question Answer Marks

1(f)(i) • 000001100100 3
• 000011101011
• 000100101101

1(f)(ii) • 22 3
• 119
• 857

1(f)(iii) One mark for two correct characters in the correct place, two marks for three 4

• 095
• AD1

© UCLES 2022 Page 6 of 13

2210/12 Cambridge O Level – Mark Scheme October/November 2022
PUBLISHED
Question Answer Marks

2(a) Six from: 6

• Motion/proximity/infra-red sensor is used

• Sensor sends data to microprocessor
• Data is converted from analogue to digital (using ADC)
• Data is compared to stored/set value(s)
• If data is inside range/outside range/greater than/less than, signal is sent to turn water tap on
• If data is outside range /inside range/less than/greater than, tap remains off / signal is sent to turn water tap off
• Actuator is used to turn the tap off/on
• Whole process is continuous

2(b) One mark for each correct sensor 3

Description of system Sensor

it checks the air is dry enough in a garage that spray paints Moisture/humidity
cars

it automatically switches on the headlights on a car when it is Light

dark

it checks that the soil in a greenhouse has the correct level of pH

acidity

© UCLES 2022 Page 7 of 13

2210/12 Cambridge O Level – Mark Scheme October/November 2022
PUBLISHED
Question Answer Marks

3 One mark for each correct row 5

Component

Statement RAM Internal USB flash

(✓) SSD memory drive
(✓) (✓)

it is a type of primary storage ✓

it is volatile ✓

it uses NAND and NOR technology ✓ ✓

it does not have any moving parts ✓ ✓ ✓

it is not directly connected to the ✓ ✓

Central Processing Unit (CPU)

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2210/12 Cambridge O Level – Mark Scheme October/November 2022
PUBLISHED
Question Answer Marks

4 One mark for the method, one mark for a corresponding description 4

• Create a back-up
• this means the data can be restored/recovered
• Add verification
• to get the user to confirm they want to delete the data
• Set access rights
• so that she cannot delete any files

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2210/12 Cambridge O Level – Mark Scheme October/November 2022
PUBLISHED
Question Answer Marks

5 One mark each for the correct byte and bit 4

• Byte 4
• Bit 5

Any two from:

• Counted all the 1s

• An even parity has been used
• Odd number of ones in that row (byte 4) and column (bit 5)

© UCLES 2022 Page 10 of 13

2210/12 Cambridge O Level – Mark Scheme October/November 2022
PUBLISHED
Question Answer Marks

6(a) Any two from: 2

• Check if web address starts with HTTPS

• Check if there is a locked padlock
• Check the digital certificate for the website

6(b) • Transport layer security // TLS 1

6(c) Any four from: 4

• To act as intermediary between browser and web server

• to filter/examine/monitor traffic to the web server
• to help stop malicious traffic to the web server
• To cache frequently viewed web pages
• to allow faster response time for requests
• to reduce the number of requests the server needs to process
• To help prevent DoS
• stopping the webserver being overloaded with requests
• by redirecting away from server // by stopping DoS attack reaching server
• To act as a firewall

6(d)(i) • Spyware 1

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2210/12 Cambridge O Level – Mark Scheme October/November 2022
PUBLISHED
Question Answer Marks

6(d)(ii) One mark for a correct method, one mark for a corresponding description 6

• Drop down boxes

• this means that the keypresses cannot be recorded
• Onscreen/virtual keyboard
• this means that the keypresses cannot be recorded
• Biometrics // by example
• this means that the keypresses cannot be recorded
• no password entered to be gathered
• Anti-malware // anti-spyware
• this will scan for/remove any malware that could be recording keypresses
• Random/select values requested from password
• this means that full password cannot be obtained (in a single login)
• Firewall
• to prevent the download of any malware that could gather keypresses

6(e) One mark for each correct term in the correct order 6

• URL
• IP address
• Web server
• Web pages
• HTML
• Browser

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2210/12 Cambridge O Level – Mark Scheme October/November 2022
PUBLISHED
Question Answer Marks

7(a) One mark for each correct row 4

NAND OR XOR
Statement
(✓) (✓) (✓)

if both inputs are 1, the output is 1 ✓

if both inputs are different from each other, the output is 1 ✓ ✓ ✓

if both inputs are 0, the output is 0 ✓ ✓

if both inputs are the same as each other, the output is always 0 ✓

7(b) One mark for a correct logic gate, one mark for a corresponding truth table 2

• AND
A B Output

0 0 0

0 1 0

1 0 0

1 1 1

© UCLES 2022 Page 13 of 13

Cambridge Ordinary Level
2210 Computer Science November 2022
Principal Examiner Report for Teachers

Question 5

(a) Most candidates were able to provide a correct logic circuit.

(b) Most candidates were able to provide a correct truth table.

Question 6

(a) Few candidates were able to provide a technical description of how the video would be displayed.
The most common marks awarded were for shining a laser onto the QR code and the black and
white sections of code reflecting light differently.

(b) Most candidates correctly identified MP4 files as the answer.

(c) Most candidates were able to give that the file size would be reduced. Some candidates were able
to then state that this would reduce storage space or transmission time.

(d) Few candidates were able to provide a technical description of how the screen operates. The most
common mark awarded was for LEDs being behind the screen.

Question 7

Most candidates were able to identify at least four correct missing terms. The most common incorrect
answers were memory data register and data bus.

Question 8

(a) Many candidates were able to give one similarity. The most common one given was that they are
both unique addresses. Some candidates were able to give a second correct similarity.

(b) Few candidates were able to give a difference between the addresses. The most common correct
answer given was that a MAC address cannot normally be changed, but an IP address can
sometimes change.

Question 9

Most candidates were able to give at least one correct piece of information about each part of the process.
The most common mark awarded for parity is that odd or even parity is set. The most common mark
awarded for ARQ is that it uses acknowledgment and timeout. Few candidates were able to give a technical
description covering both sections in detail.

Question 10

(a) (i) Most candidates were able to give the meaning of HTTPS.

(ii) Most candidates identified that they could look for a locked padlock symbol.

(b) Many candidates were able to identify hacking and a virus. some also gave malware or a suitable
type of malware. Some candidates gave multiple, different types of malware. This was also
awarded.

COMPUTER SCIENCE

Paper 2210/22
Paper 2 Problem-solving and
Programming

Key messages

Candidates who had previously worked through the pre-release material (visitor car park) and who
completed the tasks by producing their own programming code were able to demonstrate appropriate
techniques for solving this problem.

Candidates who took care to ensure that they fully answered the questions that were asked, taking care to
ensure their responses matched the context of the questions, scored higher marks than those who gave
generic responses. Examples included: candidates who described how their program achieved certain tasks;
candidates who supplied detailed annotations to their program code; candidates who took care to name or
describe variables and arrays appropriately to match their purpose.

Candidates are advised to answer algorithm questions as stated in the question so that pseudocode
questions are answered using pseudocode, program code questions are answered using program code and
flowchart questions are answered using a flowchart.

Candidates are advised to make sure that any answers they provide are appropriate for the command word
used in the question, such that questions beginning with explain will require more detail than those beginning
with state. In addition, those questions beginning with explain usually require an explanation of how
something was done, rather than a simple description of what was done.

General comments

Candidates demonstrated a good overall understanding of the requirements of the paper with very few
questions left unanswered.

Candidates demonstrated a good understanding of how arrays could be used within the context of the given
pre-release task.

Candidates are reminded that they should avoid using spaces in constant, variable, and array names.

Comments on specific questions

Section A

Question 1

(a) (i) Candidates who identified a relevant constant for Task 1 and stated its value achieved both marks.
Marks were lost if the constant name contained spaces or if the example stated would not work as
a constant and would be better as a variable or an array.

(ii) Candidates who identified an array that could be used for Task 1 and stated its use achieved both
marks. Marks were lost if the variable name contained spaces or if the stated use was too vague.

(b) Candidates who described how the input of the day number for Task 1 could be validated achieved
marks for this question. Correct responses included descriptions of specific validation checks to
check the range and/or the data type, the use of conditional statements to check the input, or the

use of loops to repeat the input if required. An example of code to support the response was also
required for full marks. Candidates who described how to validate other data entry, such as parking
space number, or whether accessible parking was required, did not achieve marks.

(c) The vast majority of candidates achieved some marks for this question, which required a section of
code to be written to solve part of Task 2. Candidates were allowed to write their responses using
pseudocode, program code or a flowchart. Candidates who wrote their responses using program
code generally performed better. The full range of marks was seen for this question, with
candidates mostly providing code that used some or all of the following: inputs of day number and
whether accessible parking was required, a conditional statement to check the input for type of
parking required, input and storage in arrays of visitor names and car license numbers, output to
show booking details or no spaces available.

(d) This question required an explanation of how the program from the pre-release material could be
changed to allow bookings to be made over a four-week period instead of the two-week period as
stated in the scenario. Candidates correctly identified a range of changes that would need to be
made, including input prompts for users, maximum constants for the number of parking spaces or
days, array sizes for data storage, validation checks, and loop termination values. Many good
responses were seen, but candidates who only gave a coded response did not receive any marks
because an explanation was required.

(e) This question required an explanation of how part of Task 3 was achieved, in this case, how the
program records and outputs the number of general and accessible parking spaces for the two-
week cycle of the given scenario. Candidates correctly identified the use of counters, which could
be counting variables for both of these values, that would need to be initialised at the start of the
cycle. Many candidates went on to explain how, using conditional statements, allocated parking
spaces were identified and the relevant counters incremented. Some candidates also explained the
output that would be derived to show these values. Many good answers were seen, with the full
range of marks awarded. However, candidates who only gave a coded response did not receive
any marks, because an explanation was required.

Section B

Question 2

Most candidates achieved at least one mark here, to demonstrate that they could identify correct descriptions
of a number of given programming concepts. Many candidates achieved high marks.

Question 3

Candidates were required to describe the use of verification on input of data and explain why it was
necessary. Candidates who noted that verification is used to make sure that the data entered does not
change from the original data, or similar achieved the mark. Candidates who named and described a method
of verification, such as double entry, achieved more marks. Marks were lost where explanations for why
verification was necessary stated that it was to make sure correct data was entered, or if the descriptions of
verification methods lacked sufficient detail. Some candidates incorrectly described validation techniques in
this question.

Question 4

Candidates were required to describe a type of test data used to test for a program accepting valid input
data. Candidates who described normal, extreme, or acceptable boundary data achieved the marks.
Candidates who described any type of abnormal data did not achieve the marks because this type of test
data is to test for data that is rejected.

Question 5

(a) The vast majority of candidates were able to identify and give corrections for at least one of the
errors in the pseudocode algorithm, with many candidates achieving high marks. The full range of
marks was seen for this question.

(b) A wide range of quality answers was seen, with some candidates suggesting good solutions to
allow the algorithm to run indefinitely until the user wanted it to stop. The full range of marks was

COMPUTER SCIENCE 2210/13

Paper 1 Theory October/November 2022

1 hour 45 minutes

You must answer on the question paper.

No additional materials are needed.

This document has 12 pages.

DC (DE) 317588
© UCLES 2022 [Turn over
2

1 Five components are shown.

Tick (✓) to show whether each component is an example of input, output or storage.

Input Output Storage

Component
(✓) (✓) (✓)

actuator

sensor

mouse

Digital Versatile Disc (DVD)

[5]

2 (a) Denary values are converted to binary values to be processed by a computer.

Draw one line from each denary value to the correctly converted 8‑bit binary value.

Denary 8-bit binary

11110101

72
01110010

11100101

245
00010101

00001111
15

01001000

Working space

...................................................................................................................................................

...................................................................................................................................................
[3]
© UCLES 2022 2210/13/O/N/22
3

(b) Binary values can be converted to hexadecimal values.

Give the hexadecimal value for the 16‑bit binary value 0000100110101110

...................................................................................................................................................

Working space

...................................................................................................................................................

...................................................................................................................................................
[3]

3 Jessica wants to store a large number of small thumbnail images on a USB flash memory drive.
Each thumbnail image is 16‑bit colour and is 100 pixels wide and 100 pixels high.

She has 5 MB of storage space available on her USB flash memory drive.

Calculate how many images she can store in the 5 MB of storage space. Show all your working.

..........................................................................................................................................................

Number of images ..................................................

[4]

© UCLES 2022 2210/13/O/N/22 [Turn over

4 A company wants to manufacture a mobile phone.

(a) The company needs to decide which touch screen technology to use.

State one type of touch screen technology that you recommend the company use.

Justify your choice.

Touch screen type ....................................................................................................................

Justification ...............................................................................................................................

...................................................................................................................................................

...................................................................................................................................................
[4]

(b) The mobile phone uses Random Access Memory (RAM) and Read Only Memory (ROM).

RAM and ROM are both examples of the same type of storage.

Identify this type of storage and justify your answer.

...................................................................................................................................................

............................................................................................................................................. [2]

© UCLES 2022 2210/13/O/N/22

(i) Describe how data is transmitted using a USB connection.

...........................................................................................................................................

..................................................................................................................................... [2]

(ii) One benefit of a USB connection is that the cable can only be inserted into the port one
way, so an incorrect connection cannot be made.

Give three other benefits of using a USB connection to connect a mobile phone to a
computer.

Benefit 1 ............................................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................................................

Benefit 2 ............................................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................................................

Benefit 3 ............................................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................................................
[3]

(d) When a user is reading a text on the mobile phone, they may also get a telephone call on the
mobile phone. An interrupt signal is generated that results in an output to inform the user that
a person is calling them.

Describe how the interrupt signal is processed to inform the user that a person is calling
them.

...................................................................................................................................................

............................................................................................................................................. [4]

© UCLES 2022 2210/13/O/N/22 [Turn over

5 Consider the logic statement:

X = ((((B AND C) OR NOT C) NOR B) XOR NOT A)

(a) Draw a logic circuit to represent the given logic statement.

Do not attempt to simplify the logic statement. All logic gates must have a maximum of two
inputs.

B X

[6]

© UCLES 2022 2210/13/O/N/22

(b) Complete the truth table for the given logic statement.

Working space
A B C X

0 0 0

0 0 1

0 1 0

0 1 1

1 0 0

1 0 1

1 1 0

1 1 1
[4]

© UCLES 2022 2210/13/O/N/22 [Turn over

6 A museum has Quick Response (QR) codes that allow visitors to view videos for extra information
about items in the museum.

The visitor is given a portable device with a display screen, that they can use to read each QR
code.

(a) Describe how the QR code is read and processed to display the video for the visitor.

...................................................................................................................................................

............................................................................................................................................. [4]

(b) Tick (✓) to show whether the videos are MP3 files, MP4 files or MIDI files.

Tick (✓)

MP3 files

MP4 files

MIDI files
[1]

(c) The video files are compressed using lossy compression.

Give two benefits of using lossy compression to compress the video files.

Benefit 1 ...................................................................................................................................

...................................................................................................................................................

Benefit 2 ...................................................................................................................................

...................................................................................................................................................
[2]

© UCLES 2022 2210/13/O/N/22

(d) The portable device has a Light‑Emitting Diode (LED) display screen to allow the visitor to
watch a video.

Describe how the LED screen operates to display the video.

...................................................................................................................................................

............................................................................................................................................. [4]

© UCLES 2022 2210/13/O/N/22 [Turn over

7 The paragraph explains how an instruction is processed by the Central Processing Unit (CPU).

Complete the paragraph using the list of terms. Not all terms in the list need to be used.

• address bus
• Arithmetic Logic Unit (ALU)
• calculations
• data bus
• decoded
• execute
• fetched
• interrupt
• Memory Address Register (MAR)
• Memory Data Register (MDR)
• Program Counter (PC)
• protocol
• ROM
• stored

An instruction is .................................................................... from RAM into the CPU, where

it is temporarily stored in the .................................................................... . The instruction is

then sent along the .................................................................... to the Control Unit (CU) to be

.................................................................... . The ....................................................................

will then perform any .................................................................... and logic operations that are

required to .................................................................... the instruction.

[7]

© UCLES 2022 2210/13/O/N/22

8 A computer can have both a Media Access Control (MAC) address and an Internet Protocol (IP)
address.

(a) Give two similarities between a MAC address and an IP address.

Similarity 1 ................................................................................................................................

...................................................................................................................................................

Similarity 2 ................................................................................................................................

...................................................................................................................................................
[2]

(b) Give two differences between a MAC address and an IP address.

Difference 1 ..............................................................................................................................

...................................................................................................................................................

Difference 2 ..............................................................................................................................

...................................................................................................................................................
[2]

9 A system uses parity checks and Automatic Repeat reQuests (ARQ) to detect and correct errors
in the transmission of data.

Describe how parity checks and ARQ operate together to detect and correct errors.

..........................................................................................................................................................

.................................................................................................................................................... [6]

© UCLES 2022 2210/13/O/N/22 [Turn over

10 Mario has a website that he uses to sell his artwork.

(a) The website uses HTTPS to transmit data.

(i) Describe what is meant by HTTPS.

...........................................................................................................................................

..................................................................................................................................... [3]

(ii) One way a user can check a website uses HTTPS is to check whether the
Uniform Resource Locator (URL) begins with HTTPS.

Give one other way a user can check if a website uses HTTPS.

...........................................................................................................................................

..................................................................................................................................... [1]

(b) There is a risk that people that use the Internet to access websites can have their stored data
maliciously damaged.

State three ways that stored data can be maliciously damaged.

1 ................................................................................................................................................

2 ................................................................................................................................................

3 ................................................................................................................................................
[3]

© UCLES 2022 2210/13/O/N/22

Cambridge O Level

COMPUTER SCIENCE 2210/13

Paper 1 Theory October/November 2022
MARK SCHEME
Maximum Mark: 75

Published

Mark schemes should be read in conjunction with the question paper and the Principal Examiner Report for
Teachers.

Cambridge International will not enter into discussions about these mark schemes.

This document consists of 15 printed pages.

© UCLES 2022 [Turn over

2210/13 Cambridge O Level – Mark Scheme October/November 2022
PUBLISHED
Generic Marking Principles

GENERIC MARKING PRINCIPLE 1:

Marks must be awarded in line with:

GENERIC MARKING PRINCIPLE 2:

Marks awarded are always whole marks (not half marks, or other fractions).

GENERIC MARKING PRINCIPLE 3:

Marks must be awarded positively:

GENERIC MARKING PRINCIPLE 4:

Rules must be applied consistently, e.g. in situations where candidates have not followed instructions or in the application of generic level
descriptors.

© UCLES 2022 Page 2 of 15

2210/13 Cambridge O Level – Mark Scheme October/November 2022
PUBLISHED
GENERIC MARKING PRINCIPLE 5:

GENERIC MARKING PRINCIPLE 6:

Marks awarded are based solely on the requirements as defined in the mark scheme. Marks should not be awarded with grade thresholds or
grade descriptors in mind.

Please note the following further points:

The words in bold in the mark scheme are important text that needs to be present, or some notion of it needs to be present. It does not have to
be the exact word, but something close to the meaning.

If a word is underlined, this exact word must be present.

A single forward slash means this is an alternative word. A double forward slash means that this is an alternative mark point.

© UCLES 2022 Page 3 of 15

2210/13 Cambridge O Level – Mark Scheme October/November 2022
PUBLISHED

Question Answer Marks

1 One mark for each correct row 5

Component Input Output Storage

(✓) (✓) (✓)

actuator ✓

sensor ✓

mouse ✓

Digital Versatile Disc (DVD) ✓

© UCLES 2022 Page 4 of 15

2210/13 Cambridge O Level – Mark Scheme October/November 2022
PUBLISHED
Question Answer Marks

2(a) One mark for each correct line 3

Denary 8 bit binary

11110101

72 01110010

11100101

245

00010101

15 00001111

01001000

2(b) One mark for two correct characters, two marks for three correct characters, three marks for four correct characters, in the 3
correct place

• 09AE

© UCLES 2022 Page 5 of 15

2210/13 Cambridge O Level – Mark Scheme October/November 2022
PUBLISHED
Question Answer Marks

3 One mark for the correct answer 4

• 262 // 250

Three marks for three stages of working

• 100  100
• 10 000 * 16 then / 8 // 10 000 *2
• 20 000 / 1024 or 1000 = 19.5 kB // 20 kB
• 5  1024 = 5120 // 5  1000 = 5000
• 5120 / 19.5 // 5000 / 20

© UCLES 2022 Page 6 of 15

2210/13 Cambridge O Level – Mark Scheme October/November 2022
PUBLISHED
Question Answer Marks

4(a) One mark for a type of touchscreen technology, three marks for benefits 4

• Resistive
• … cheap to manufacture/buy
• … more simple/easier technology to manufacture
• … less affected by weather // more waterproof
• … does not need bare finger // can be pressed with most things
• … screen less likely to shatter/break
• … lower power consumption
• … (can) support multitouch

• Capacitive
• … good visibility in sunlight
• … supports multitouch
• … more longevity
• … faster response times
• … requires less/no pressure
• … high quality image/screen
• … doesn’t need to be calibrated
• … if screen is shattered, it will still register touch

• Infrared
• … good visibility in sunlight
• … supports multitouch
• … does not need bare finger // can be pressed with most things
• … high quality image/screen
• … if screen is shattered, it will still register touch
• … does not need to be calibrated
• … requires less/no pressure
• … faster response times

© UCLES 2022 Page 7 of 15

2210/13 Cambridge O Level – Mark Scheme October/November 2022
PUBLISHED
Question Answer Marks

4(b) One mark for the correct storage type and one mark for the explanation 2

• Primary storage
• Both directly accessed by the CPU

4(c)(i) Any two from: 2

• Using serial transmission

• Data is sent one bit at a time
• Data is sent down a single wire

4(c)(ii) Any three from: 3

• It can charge/power the device

• It is a universal/industry standard
• Fast rate of data transfer
• Supports different data transmission speeds
• Automatically detects the phone
• Backward compatible
• Little chance of data being skewed

4(d) Any four from: 4

• The interrupt signal is sent to the CPU/processor

• The CPU stops the task it is currently processing …
• … to service the interrupt
• An interrupt service routine is used (to service the interrupt)
• Once the interrupt is serviced, a message is displayed to notify the user of the call

© UCLES 2022 Page 8 of 15

2210/13 Cambridge O Level – Mark Scheme October/November 2022
PUBLISHED
Question Answer Marks

5(a) One mark for each correct logic gate with the correct inputs 6

© UCLES 2022 Page 9 of 15

2210/13 Cambridge O Level – Mark Scheme October/November 2022
PUBLISHED
Question Answer Marks

5(b) Four marks for 8 correct outputs 4

Three marks for 6/7 correct outputs
Two marks for 4/5 correct outputs
One mark for 2/3 correct outputs

A B C Working space X

0 0 0 1

0 0 1 0

0 1 0 1

0 1 1 1

1 0 0 0

1 0 1 1

1 1 0 0

1 1 1 0

© UCLES 2022 Page 10 of 15

2210/13 Cambridge O Level – Mark Scheme October/November 2022
PUBLISHED
Question Answer Marks

6(a) Four from: 4

• The device shines a light/laser onto the QR code

• Corners of code are used to determine position/orientation
• Black and white sections of code reflect light differently
• The device captures the light that is reflected back …
• … using sensors
• The light reflections are converted to binary
• Link/URL to video is stored in the QR code

6(b) • MP4 1

6(c) Any two from: 2

• Reduces the size of the file

• Takes up less storage space
• Quicker to transmit to device
• Use less bandwidth
• Less buffering

6(d) Four from: 4

• Display made up of pixels

• … that are arranged in a matrix
• LEDs are behind the screen
• Light shone at pixels
• Can have diffuser is used to distribute light evenly
• RGB filters used
• … and are mixed to create different colours

© UCLES 2022 Page 11 of 15

2210/13 Cambridge O Level – Mark Scheme October/November 2022
PUBLISHED
Question Answer Marks

7 One mark for each correct term in the correct order 7

• Fetched
• MDR
• Data bus
• Decoded
• ALU
• Calculations
• Execute

© UCLES 2022 Page 12 of 15

2210/13 Cambridge O Level – Mark Scheme October/November 2022
PUBLISHED
Question Answer Marks

8(a) Any two from: 2

• They are both unique addresses

• They can both be used to identify a device (on a network)
• They are both assigned to hardware
• They can both be represented as hexadecimal

8(b) Any two from: 2

e.g.
• A MAC address is assigned by the manufacturer, whereas an IP address is assigned by the network/router/ISP
• A MAC address is represented as hexadecimal, whereas an IP address can sometimes be represented as numeric
• A MAC address is normally static, whereas an IP address can be dynamic
• A MAC address has 6 groups of digits, whereas an IP address has 4/8 groups
• A MAC address is 6 bytes (48 bit), whereas an IP address is 4/16 bytes (32/128 bit)

© UCLES 2022 Page 13 of 15

2210/13 Cambridge O Level – Mark Scheme October/November 2022
PUBLISHED
Question Answer Marks

9 Any six from (MAX four for ARQ): 6

• Odd or even parity is set/agreed for the data

• A parity bit is added to each byte of data
• … to make the number of 1s match parity
• Data is checked after transmission to see if parity is correct
• ARQ uses acknowledgement and timeout
• If no error is found, a positive acknowledgement is sent to the sender / no acknowledgement is sent to the sender
• If an error is found, a negative acknowledgement is sent to the sender …
• … that triggers the data to be resent
• When the data is sent, a timer is started
• If an acknowledgement is not received within the time set, the data is resent ...
• … until an acknowledgement is received / resend limit is reached

© UCLES 2022 Page 14 of 15

2210/13 Cambridge O Level – Mark Scheme October/November 2022
PUBLISHED
Question Answer Marks

10(a)(i) Any three from: 3

• It is a secure protocol // hypertext transfer protocol secure

• It is a set of rules for data transmission
• It combines HTTP and SSL/TLS to transmit data
• It encrypts data for transmission

10(a)(ii) Any one from: 1

• Look for a locked padlock

• Check the digital certificate

10(b) Any three from: 3

• Hacking
• Virus
• Malware

Note: If three different types of correct malware are given, they can be awarded.

© UCLES 2022 Page 15 of 15

Cambridge Ordinary Level
2210 Computer Science November 2022
Principal Examiner Report for Teachers

COMPUTER SCIENCE

Paper 2210/13
Paper 1 Theory

Key messages

Candidates continue to provide a high standard of answers to mathematical and logic-style questions.
Candidates also continue to provide a high standard of answers to questions that require knowledge recall. It
would be beneficial for candidates to take note of the context that is used in questions and apply this to their
answers. Candidates demonstrated limited ability in doing this.

General comments

Candidates should make sure that if they use any additional space to answer a question they clearly note
that they have done this in their answer and clearly label the additional space used with the question number
they have answered there.

Comments on specific questions

Question 1

Most candidates got at least three components correct. The most common incorrect answers were actuator
and register marked as input.

Question 2

(a) Most candidates were able to identify the correct binary.

(b) Most candidates were able to give the correct hexadecimal.

Question 3

Few candidates were able to calculate the correct number. Most candidates gained a mark for 100 × 100. It
was at this point many candidates then did not give a correct calculation. Some only multiplied by 16. Some
only divided by 8.

Question 4

(a) Most candidates were able to give the name of a type of touch screen. Many candidates were able
to give at least one benefit of the type of touch screen chosen. Few candidates were able to give
multiple benefits of the touch screen type chosen.

(b) Most candidates were able to identify that they are examples of primary storage. Few candidates
were able to explain why. Most gave an example of what would be stored in RAM or ROM.

(ii) Many candidates were able to give at least two benefits of the connection. The most common
correct answers were that it can power the device and that it is a universal standard.

(d) Few candidates were able to give a technical description of how the message is displayed. The
most common mark awarded was for the interrupt signal being sent to the CPU.

Question 5

(a) Most candidates were able to provide a correct logic circuit.

(b) Most candidates were able to provide a correct truth table.

Question 6

(b) Most candidates correctly identified MP4 files as the answer.

(c) Most candidates were able to give that the file size would be reduced. Some candidates were able
to then state that this would reduce storage space or transmission time.

(d) Few candidates were able to provide a technical description of how the screen operates. The most
common mark awarded was for LEDs being behind the screen.

Question 7

Most candidates were able to identify at least four correct missing terms. The most common incorrect
answers were memory data register and data bus.

Question 8

(a) Many candidates were able to give one similarity. The most common one given was that they are
both unique addresses. Some candidates were able to give a second correct similarity.

Question 9

Question 10

(a) (i) Most candidates were able to give the meaning of HTTPS.

(ii) Most candidates identified that they could look for a locked padlock symbol.

(b) Many candidates were able to identify hacking and a virus. some also gave malware or a suitable
type of malware. Some candidates gave multiple, different types of malware. This was also
awarded.

COMPUTER SCIENCE

Paper 2210/22
Paper 2 Problem-solving and
Programming

Key messages

General comments

Candidates demonstrated a good overall understanding of the requirements of the paper with very few
questions left unanswered.

Candidates demonstrated a good understanding of how arrays could be used within the context of the given
pre-release task.

Candidates are reminded that they should avoid using spaces in constant, variable, and array names.

Comments on specific questions

Section A

Question 1

(ii) Candidates who identified an array that could be used for Task 1 and stated its use achieved both
marks. Marks were lost if the variable name contained spaces or if the stated use was too vague.

Section B

Question 2

Most candidates achieved at least one mark here, to demonstrate that they could identify correct descriptions
of a number of given programming concepts. Many candidates achieved high marks.

Question 3

Question 4

Question 5

(b) A wide range of quality answers was seen, with some candidates suggesting good solutions to
allow the algorithm to run indefinitely until the user wanted it to stop. The full range of marks was

seen with many candidates achieving high marks. However, some candidates only rewrote the
original algorithm with their corrections from part 5(a) added, without including the required
additional functionality.

Question 6

The vast majority of candidates achieved some marks for this trace table question, with the full range of
marks seen. Some marks were lost by candidates not following the algorithm through to its conclusion,
therefore not including all the values in all of the columns that should have been there. Other marks were lost
in the OUTPUT column where additional punctuation was added to the output rather than only including what
would have been produced by the algorithm.

Question 7

(a) (i) The vast majority of candidates recognised that the SubjectCode and Exams fields were of the text
and number data types, respectively. Some candidates incorrectly gave some examples of data
from these fields or applied data types, such as string, which were not available in the question.

(ii) The majority of candidates recognised that the Candidates field could not be of the Boolean data
type because it contained more than two possible values.

(b) Most candidates achieved some marks for this question, with many candidates achieving full marks
for showing the output that the given query-by-example grid would provide. Some candidates,
however, gave a description of what the output would contain, or how the output would be
produced, neither of which answer the question. Other typical errors included candidates showing
output for all three fields in the grid when only the SubjectName and Candidates fields are
displayed, or gave outputs in the wrong order.

(c) The majority of candidates achieved at least one mark for their completed query-by-example grid,
with many achieving two or three marks. Some candidates lost marks because they had missed
out one of the required fields, they had not completed the Table row, the sort method was missing
or incorrect, or there was an error in the search criteria.

COMPUTER SCIENCE 2210/11

Paper 1 Computer Systems May/June 2023

1 hour 45 minutes

You must answer on the question paper.

No additional materials are needed.

This document has 12 pages. Any blank pages are indicated.

DC (ST) 326830
© UCLES 2023 [Turn over
2

1 Binary is a number system used by computers.

(a) Tick (3) one box to show which statement about the binary number system is correct.

A It is a base 1 system

B It is a base 2 system

C It is a base 10 system

D It is a base 16 system
[1]

(b) Denary numbers are converted to binary numbers to be processed by a computer.

Convert these three denary numbers to 8‑bit binary numbers.

50 ..............................................................................................................................................

102 ............................................................................................................................................

221 ............................................................................................................................................
[3]

Working space

...................................................................................................................................................

© UCLES 2023 2210/11/M/J/23

(c) Binary numbers are stored in registers.

Negative denary numbers can be represented as binary using two’s complement.

Complete the binary register for the denary number –78

You must show all your working.

Working space ..........................................................................................................................

...................................................................................................................................................

[2]

(d) Two 8‑bit binary numbers are given.

Add the two 8‑bit binary numbers using binary addition.

Give your answer in binary. Show all your working.

00110011
+01100001

[3]

(e) Two binary numbers are added by a computer and an overflow error occurs.

Explain why the overflow error occurred.

...................................................................................................................................................

............................................................................................................................................. [2]

© UCLES 2023 2210/11/M/J/23 [Turn over

2 A student has a sound file that is too large to be stored on their external secondary storage device.
The student compresses the sound file to make the file size smaller.

The compression method used reduces the sample rate and the sample resolution of the sound
file.

(a) State what is meant by the sample rate and sample resolution.

Sample rate ..............................................................................................................................

...................................................................................................................................................

Sample resolution .....................................................................................................................

...................................................................................................................................................
[2]

(b) Identify which type of compression has been used to compress the sound file.

...................................................................................................................................................

............................................................................................................................................. [1]

(i) Identify two pieces of data that would be included in the header of each packet.

1 ........................................................................................................................................

2 ........................................................................................................................................
[2]

(ii) Explain how the file is transmitted using packet switching.

...........................................................................................................................................

..................................................................................................................................... [5]

© UCLES 2023 2210/11/M/J/23

3 Secondary storage devices are used to store data in a computer.

(a) Circle three components that are secondary storage devices.

central processing unit (CPU) compact disk (CD)

hard disk drive (HDD) random access memory (RAM) read only memory (ROM)

register sensor solid‑state drive (SSD)

[3]

(b) Tick (3) one box to show which statement about secondary storage is correct.

A It is directly accessed by the CPU.

B It is magnetic storage only.

C It is used to permanently store software and data files.

D It is volatile.
[1]

4 Complete the statements about different types of software.

Use the terms from the list.

Some of the terms in the list will not be used. You should only use a term once.

application assembly language bootloader central processing unit (CPU)

firmware hardware operating output system user

........................................................................ software provides the services that the computer

requires; an example is utility software.

........................................................................ software is run on the operating system.

The ........................................................................ system is run on the firmware, which is run on

the ........................................................................ .
[4]

© UCLES 2023 2210/11/M/J/23 [Turn over

5 A farm has an automated drinking system for its animals. The drinking system has a water bowl
that contains the water. When the water bowl is empty, it is automatically refilled.

The system uses a sensor and a microprocessor.

(a) Identify the most appropriate sensor for this system.

............................................................................................................................................. [1]

(b) Describe how the sensor and the microprocessor are used to automatically refill the water
bowl.

...................................................................................................................................................

............................................................................................................................................. [6]

© UCLES 2023 2210/11/M/J/23

6 A user wants to connect their computer to a network.

(a) (i) Identify the component in the computer that is needed to access a network.

..................................................................................................................................... [1]

(ii) Identify the type of address that is allocated to the component by the manufacturer,
which is used to uniquely identify the device.

..................................................................................................................................... [1]

(b) A dynamic internet protocol (IP) address is allocated to the computer when it is connected to
the network.

(i) Identify the device on the network that can connect multiple devices and automatically
assign them an IP address.

..................................................................................................................................... [1]

(ii) Describe what is meant by a dynamic IP address.

...........................................................................................................................................

..................................................................................................................................... [3]

7 A programmer uses a low‑level language to write a computer program for a vending machine.

(a) Describe what is meant by a low‑level language.

...................................................................................................................................................

............................................................................................................................................. [2]

(b) Give two reasons why the programmer would choose to write the computer program in a
low‑level language instead of a high‑level language.

1 ................................................................................................................................................

...................................................................................................................................................

2 ................................................................................................................................................

...................................................................................................................................................
[2]
© UCLES 2023 2210/11/M/J/23 [Turn over
8

8 A manager at a company is concerned about a brute‑force attack on its employee user accounts.

(a) Describe how a brute‑force attack can be used to gain access to the employee user accounts.

...................................................................................................................................................

............................................................................................................................................. [3]

(b) One possible aim for carrying out a brute‑force attack is to install malware onto the company
network.

(i) State two other aims for carrying out a brute‑force attack to gain access to the employee
user accounts.

1 ........................................................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................................................

2 ........................................................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................................................
[2]

(ii) Identify three types of malware that could be installed.

1 ........................................................................................................................................

2 ........................................................................................................................................

3 ........................................................................................................................................
[3]

1 ................................................................................................................................................

...................................................................................................................................................

2 ................................................................................................................................................

...................................................................................................................................................
[2]

© UCLES 2023 2210/11/M/J/23

9 A company uses robots in its factory to manufacture large pieces of furniture.

(a) One characteristic of a robot is that it is programmable.

State two other characteristics of a robot.

1 ................................................................................................................................................

...................................................................................................................................................

2 ................................................................................................................................................

...................................................................................................................................................
[2]

(b) Give two advantages to company employees of using robots to manufacture large pieces of
furniture.

1 ................................................................................................................................................

...................................................................................................................................................

2 ................................................................................................................................................

...................................................................................................................................................
[2]

...................................................................................................................................................

............................................................................................................................................. [1]

© UCLES 2023 2210/11/M/J/23 [Turn over

10 A student uses the internet for their schoolwork to research what is meant by pharming.

(a) State the aim of pharming.

...................................................................................................................................................

............................................................................................................................................. [1]

(b) Draw and annotate a diagram to represent the process of pharming.

[4]

Explain the purpose of the web browser.

...................................................................................................................................................

............................................................................................................................................. [2]

© UCLES 2023 2210/11/M/J/23

(d) Storing cookies is one function of the web browser.

Give three other functions of the web browser.

1 ................................................................................................................................................

...................................................................................................................................................

2 ................................................................................................................................................

...................................................................................................................................................

3 ................................................................................................................................................

...................................................................................................................................................
[3]

(e) A student visits a website that uses session cookies, instead of persistent cookies.

Explain the difference between session cookies and persistent cookies.

...................................................................................................................................................

............................................................................................................................................. [4]

© UCLES 2023 2210/11/M/J/23

BLANK PAGE

© UCLES 2023 2210/11/M/J/23

Cambridge O Level

COMPUTER SCIENCE 2210/11

Paper 1 Computer Systems May/June 2023
MARK SCHEME
Maximum Mark: 75

Published

Mark schemes should be read in conjunction with the question paper and the Principal Examiner Report for
Teachers.

Cambridge International will not enter into discussions about these mark schemes.

Cambridge International is publishing the mark schemes for the May/June 2023 series for most
Cambridge IGCSE, Cambridge International A and AS Level and Cambridge Pre-U components, and some
Cambridge O Level components.

This document consists of 10 printed pages.

© UCLES 2023 [Turn over

2210/11 Cambridge O Level – Mark Scheme May/June 2023
PUBLISHED
Generic Marking Principles

GENERIC MARKING PRINCIPLE 1:

Marks must be awarded in line with:

GENERIC MARKING PRINCIPLE 2:

Marks awarded are always whole marks (not half marks, or other fractions).

GENERIC MARKING PRINCIPLE 3:

Marks must be awarded positively:

 marks are awarded for correct/valid answers, as defined in the mark scheme. However, credit is given for valid answers which go beyond
the scope of the syllabus and mark scheme, referring to your Team Leader as appropriate
 marks are awarded when candidates clearly demonstrate what they know and can do
 marks are not deducted for errors
 marks are not deducted for omissions
 answers should only be judged on the quality of spelling, punctuation and grammar when these features are specifically assessed by the
question as indicated by the mark scheme. The meaning, however, should be unambiguous.

GENERIC MARKING PRINCIPLE 4:

Rules must be applied consistently, e.g. in situations where candidates have not followed instructions or in the application of generic level
descriptors.

© UCLES 2023 Page 2 of 10

2210/11 Cambridge O Level – Mark Scheme May/June 2023
PUBLISHED
GENERIC MARKING PRINCIPLE 5:

GENERIC MARKING PRINCIPLE 6:

Marks awarded are based solely on the requirements as defined in the mark scheme. Marks should not be awarded with grade thresholds or
grade descriptors in mind.

Mark scheme abbreviations

/ separates alternative words / phrases within a marking point

// separates alternative answers within a marking point
underline actual word given must be used by candidate (grammatical variants accepted)
max indicates the maximum number of marks that can be awarded
() the word / phrase in brackets is not required, but sets the context

Note: No marks are awarded for using brand names of software packages or hardware.

© UCLES 2023 Page 3 of 10

2210/11 Cambridge O Level – Mark Scheme May/June 2023
PUBLISHED
Question Answer Marks

1(a)  B 1

1(b) One mark per each correct conversion 3

 00110010
 01100110
 11011101

1(c) One mark for full method of working e.g. conversion to binary then flipping and adding 1 2
One mark for correct answer

 10110010

1(d) One marks per each correct nibble 3

One mark for correct working in binary (showing 4 correct carries)

1 1 11
0 0 1 1 0 0 1 1
0 1 1 0 0 0 0 1

10 0 1 0100

1(e) Two from: 2

 The result of the calculation is greater than 255 // The value generated is larger than can be stored in the register
 The result of the calculation would require more than 8 bits to be represented // A register has a predetermined
number of bits and there are too many bits for it

© UCLES 2023 Page 4 of 10

2210/11 Cambridge O Level – Mark Scheme May/June 2023
PUBLISHED
Question Answer Marks

2(a) One mark for each correct definition: 2

 The sample rate is the number of samples taken in a second/per time unit
 The sample resolution is the number of bits per sample

2(b)  Lossy compression 1

2(c)(i) Any two from: 2

e.g.
 Destination/receivers (IP) address
 Packet number
 Originator’s/senders (IP) address

2(c)(ii) Any five from: 5

 Data is broken/split/divided into packets
 Each packet (could) take a different route
 A router controls the route/path a packet takes
 … selecting the shortest/fastest available route/path
 Packets may arrive out of order
 Once the last packet has arrived, packets are reordered
 If a packet is missing/corrupted, it is requested again

Question Answer Marks

3(a) One mark for each correctly circled storage device: 3

 Compact disk (CD)
 Solid-state drive (SSD)
 Hard disk drive (HDD)

3(b)  C 1

© UCLES 2023 Page 5 of 10

2210/11 Cambridge O Level – Mark Scheme May/June 2023
PUBLISHED
Question Answer Marks

4 One mark for each correct term in the correct place: 4

 System
 Application
 Operating
 Hardware

Question Answer Marks

5(a) Any one from: 1

 Level
 Pressure
 Moisture

5(b) Any Six from: 6

 Sensor continually sends digitised data to microprocessor
 Microprocessor compares data to stored value(s)
 If value is outside range / matches microprocessor sends signal to release water to refill water bowl
 … bowl filled by set amount // bowl filled for certain time
 Actuator used to release water
 Whole process repeats until turned off/stopped

Question Answer Marks

6(a)(i)  Network interface card/controller // NIC // WNIC 1

6(a)(ii)  Media access control/MAC address // MAC 1

6(b)(i)  Router 1

6(b)(ii) Three from: 3

 It can be used to uniquely identify a device (on a network)
 It can change …
 … each time the device is connected to the network

© UCLES 2023 Page 6 of 10

2210/11 Cambridge O Level – Mark Scheme May/June 2023
PUBLISHED
Question Answer Marks

7(a) Any two from: 2

 Close to the language processed by computers
 May use mnemonics
 An example is assembly language/machine code

7(b) Any two from: 2

 Can directly manipulate the hardware
 No requirement for the program to be portable
 Program will be more memory efficient
 No requirement for a compiler/interpreter
 Quicker to execute
 Can use specialised hardware

Question Answer Marks

8(a) Three from: 3

 Trial and error to guess a password
 Combinations are repeatedly entered …
 … until correct password is found
 Can be carried out manually or automatically by software

8(b)(i) Any two from: 2

e.g.
 Steal/view/access data
 Delete data
 Change data
 Lock account // Encrypt data
 Damage reputation of a business

© UCLES 2023 Page 7 of 10

2210/11 Cambridge O Level – Mark Scheme May/June 2023
PUBLISHED
Question Answer Marks

8(b)(ii) Any three from: 3

e.g.
 Virus
 Worm
 Trojan horse
 Spyware
 Adware
 Ransomware

8(c) Any two from: 2

 Two-step verification//Two-factor authentication//by example
 Biometrics
 Firewall // Proxy-server
 Strong/complex password // by example
 Setting a limit for login attempts
 Drop-down boxes
 Request for partial entry of password

Question Answer Marks

9(a) Any two from: 2

 It has a mechanical structure/framework
 It has electrical components // by example

9(b) Any two from: 2

e.g.
 Employees don’t need to lift heavy furniture
 Employees can be protected from dangerous tasks
 Employees can utilise their skills in other tasks
 Employees don’t need to perform repetitive/mundane tasks

© UCLES 2023 Page 8 of 10

2210/11 Cambridge O Level – Mark Scheme May/June 2023
PUBLISHED
Question Answer Marks

9(c) Any one from: 1

e.g.
 Expensive to install/purchase/setup
 High ongoing costs/maintenance costs
 May deskill the workforce
 If they malfunction, production may stop

Question Answer Marks

10(a)  To obtain personal data/details // by example 1

10(b) One mark for each correct part of the diagram. 4

Diagram shows:
 User clicks/opens attachment/link that triggers download
 Malicious software downloaded onto user's computer
 User enters website address
 User is redirected to fake website

e.g.
User types in
web address
User
Real
computer
website
malware

Fake
Request website
gets
User clicks link that redirected
downloads malware
to computer

© UCLES 2023 Page 9 of 10

2210/11 Cambridge O Level – Mark Scheme May/June 2023
PUBLISHED
Question Answer Marks

10(c) Two from: 2

Displays web pages
… by rendering HTML

10(d) Any three from: 3

e.g.
 Storing bookmarks/favourites
 Recording user history
 Allowing use of multiple tabs
 Providing navigation tools // by example
 Providing an address bar
 Managing protocols // by example // checking digital certificate
 Send URL to DNS
 Sends a request to the IP address/web server (to obtain the contents of a webpage)
 Runs active script/JavaScript/client-side script
 Allows files to be downloaded from website/internet

10(e) Any four from: 4

 Session cookies are stored in memory/RAM
 … whereas persistent cookies are stored on the hard drive/secondary storage
 When the browser is closed a session cookie is lost
 … whereas a persistent cookie is not lost
 … until deleted by the user/they expire

© UCLES 2023 Page 10 of 10

Cambridge Ordinary Level
2210 Computer Science June 2023
Principal Examiner Report for Teachers

COMPUTER SCIENCE

Paper 2210/11
Computer Systems

Key messages

It would be beneficial for candidates to show a greater use of technical terminology in their responses. It
would also be beneficial for candidates to note the key terms given in a question and structure their response
based upon these. Candidates should note that any context given in a question should be used in the
answer, and their answer should be applied to the given context.

General comments

Candidates and centres are reminded that written papers are scanned in and marked on computer screens
by Examiners. Consequently, if a candidate writes the answer to a question on an additional page, they must
indicate very clearly to the Examiner where their revised answer is to be found. Also, if answers have been
crossed out, the new answer must be written very clearly, so that Examiners can easily read the text and
award candidates the appropriate mark.

Comments on specific questions

Question 1

(a) Most candidates ticked the correct box. The most common incorrect answer given was base 1
system. Candidates are reminded to only tick one box when a question gives this as an instruction.
If candidates tick more than one box, a mark cannot be awarded.

(b) Most candidates were able to provide the correct binary numbers. Binary conversions continue to
be a strong point for candidates.

(c) Many candidates were able to provide the correct binary numbers. It is beneficial for candidates to
show all their working. Some candidates only showed partial stages of their working. For example,
a candidate would seem to flip each of the values, but didn’t show that they then added 1, just gave
their final answer.

(d) Many candidates were able to provide the correctly add the binary numbers, using binary addition.
Some candidates didn’t show all their working. For example, they did not show the values they
carried from one column to the next. It would be beneficial for candidates to note that the question
requires them to demonstrate binary addition. Some candidates converted the values to denary,
added the values and converted the answer back to binary. Candidates should note that this is not
answering the question, as they do not demonstrate binary addition.

(e) Many candidates were able to recognise that an overflow error occurs when the value is larger than
255. Some candidates were also able to state that this means the value will require more than 8
bits to be stored.

Question 2

(a) Few candidates were able to state what is meant by the sample rate and resolution. Some
candidates tried to describe the sample resolution in relation to an image. It would be beneficial for
candidates to have a greater understanding of how sound is represented by a computer.

(b) Most candidates were able to provide the correct type of compression. Some candidates gave an
example of compression rather than a type of compression. For example, they gave MP3.
Candidates should provide a type of compression, when requested, and not an example of the
compression type.

(c) (i) Most candidates were able to give two items of data that would be included in the packet header.
The two most common answers were sender’s IP address and receiver’s IP address.

(ii) Few candidates were able to give a full description of how data is transmitted using packet
switching. The most common mark points awarded were stating that data is broken down into
packets, and each packet can take a different route. It would be beneficial for candidates to
understand more about the process of how candidates take a different path, and the reordering of
packets at the end of transmission.

Question 3

(a) Many candidates circled the correct storage devices. The most common incorrect answers were
RAM and ROM.

(b) Some candidates identified the correct option. The most common incorrect answer given was
volatile.

Question 4

Most candidates were able to correctly complete the first two missing terms. Few candidates were able to
correctly complete the second two missing terms. The most common incorrect answer given was bootloader.

Question 5

(a) Many candidates were able to provide a correct sensor. The most common correct answer was
level sensor. The most common unsuitable sensor given was infrared.

(b) Very few candidates were able to provide a detailed, technical and accurate response for this
question. Many candidates gave a generic description of a system that uses sensors and
microprocessors. It would be beneficial for candidates to understand how to analyse and describe
the operation of a specific system, using the context given in the question.

Question 6

(a) (i) Many candidates were able to provide the correct component. The most common incorrect answer
was router.

(ii) Most candidates were able to identify the correct type of address.

(b) (i) Many candidates were able to provide the correct device.

(ii) Many candidates were able to describe a dynamic IP address. Some candidates provided
responses that were more suitable for describing what an IPv4 or IPv6 address is. Candidates are
reminded to look at the key terminology in the questions and structure their answer based on this.

Question 7

(a) Many candidates were able to describe what is meant by a low-level language.

(b) Few candidates were able to give reasons why a programmer would use a low-level language.
Many gave answer based upon it making the program more secure from hackers. It would be
beneficial for candidates to have a greater understanding of the benefits of using a low-level
language.

Question 8

(a) Few candidates were able to provide an accurate description of how a brute-force attack is carried
out. The most common mark point awarded was trying to guess a password. It would be beneficial
for candidates to have a greater understanding of how a brute-force attack is carried out.

(b) (i) Many candidates were able to give suitable reasons why a brute-force attack might be carried out.
Some candidates repeated information given in the question, stating that it was done to gain
access to a person’s account. Candidates are reminded to note information given in the question
and provide information beyond this in their response. Simply repeating information in the question
will not gain marks.

(ii) Most candidates were able to provide three types of malware that could be installed.

(c) Most candidates were able to provide suitable security solutions. The most common incorrect
answer given was using anti-virus software.

Question 9

(a) Many candidates were able to give at least one other characteristic of a robot. The most common
correct answer given was in relation to electrical components.

(b) Few candidates were able to give advantages to the company employees. Many candidates gave
advantages that would be applicable to the company’s owners, but not the employee, such as
robots do not need to take breaks.

(c) Many candidates were able to provide a suitable disadvantage.

Question 10

(a) Many candidates were able to state the aim of pharming.

(b) Few candidates were able to draw and annotate an accurate diagram of the process of pharming.
The most common mark point awarded was a redirection to a fake website. It would be beneficial
for candidates to understand the focus of their diagram should be providing a simple structure and
annotation about the process. Many candidates had spent time drawing elaborate artworks, that
gained them few marks.

(c) Some candidates were able to describe the purpose of a web browser. Some candidates gave
functions of a web browser, rather than its purpose.

(d) Most candidates were able to provide at least two functions of a web browser. The most common
correct functions given were bookmarks and user history.

(e) Many candidates were able to provide some understanding about session cookies and persistent
cookies. This was mainly about them being temporary and permanent. Few candidates could
provide any detail beyond this. It would be beneficial for candidates to have a greater
understanding of session cookies and persistent cookies.

COMPUTER SCIENCE 2210/12

Paper 1 Computer Systems May/June 2023

1 hour 45 minutes

You must answer on the question paper.

No additional materials are needed.

This document has 12 pages. Any blank pages are indicated.

DC (KS) 326833
© UCLES 2023 [Turn over
2

1 Output devices are used to output data from a computer.

Circle three devices that are output devices.

actuator digital versatile disk (DVD) keyboard

microphone mouse printer scanner

sensor solid‑state drive (SSD) speaker

[3]

2 Binary numbers can be converted to hexadecimal.

(a) Convert the two binary numbers to hexadecimal.

10010011 ..................................................................................................................................

00001101 ..................................................................................................................................
[4]

Working space

...................................................................................................................................................

(b) A value is stored as a binary number in a register.

0 1 1 1 1 0 1 0

A logical right shift of three places is performed on the binary number.

(i) Complete the binary register to show its contents after this logical right shift.

[1]

(ii) State one effect this logical shift has on the binary number.

...........................................................................................................................................

..................................................................................................................................... [1]

© UCLES 2023 2210/12/M/J/23

1 ................................................................................................................................................

...................................................................................................................................................

2 ................................................................................................................................................

...................................................................................................................................................
[2]

(d) Denary numbers can also be converted to hexadecimal.

Convert the denary number to hexadecimal.

301 ...................................................................................................................................... [2]

Working space

...................................................................................................................................................

© UCLES 2023 2210/12/M/J/23 [Turn over

3 When keys are pressed on a keyboard, the text is converted to binary to be processed by the
computer.

(a) Describe how the text is converted to binary to be processed by the computer.

...................................................................................................................................................

............................................................................................................................................. [3]

(b) Text that is input into a computer can be stored in a text file.

A text file can be compressed using lossless compression.

(i) State what effect this has on the file size.

...........................................................................................................................................

..................................................................................................................................... [1]

(ii) Describe how lossless compression compresses the text file.

...........................................................................................................................................

..................................................................................................................................... [4]

(iii) Give two reasons why the text file may have been compressed.

1 ........................................................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................................................

2 ........................................................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................................................
[2]

© UCLES 2023 2210/12/M/J/23

4 A student uses a mobile phone to take photographs for a school project.

The student needs to transmit the photographs to their computer. They could use serial data
transmission or parallel data transmission to transmit the photographs.

(a) (i) Describe how the photographs would be transmitted using serial data transmission.

...........................................................................................................................................

..................................................................................................................................... [2]

(ii) Give two benefits of transmitting the photographs using serial data transmission.

1 ........................................................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................................................

2 ........................................................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................................................
[2]

(iii) State one benefit of the student using parallel data transmission instead of serial data
transmission.

...........................................................................................................................................

..................................................................................................................................... [1]

(b) The photographs are also transmitted across a network to cloud storage. A device on the
network forwards the data towards its correct destination.

(i) State the name of this device.

..................................................................................................................................... [1]

(ii) Describe what is meant by cloud storage.

...........................................................................................................................................

..................................................................................................................................... [2]

(iii) Give one disadvantage of storing the photographs in cloud storage instead of storing
them locally.

...........................................................................................................................................

..................................................................................................................................... [1]
© UCLES 2023 2210/12/M/J/23 [Turn over
6

5 A programmer writes a computer program using a high‑level language.

(a) Tick (3) one box to show which statement is correct about writing computer programs in a
high‑level language.

A Mnemonics are used to create instructions.

B The computer program is harder to debug than a low‑level language program.

C The computer program is machine independent.

D The hardware of the computer can be directly manipulated.

[1]

(b) The programmer uses a compiler to translate the computer program.

(i) Describe how the compiler translates the computer program.

...........................................................................................................................................

..................................................................................................................................... [3]

(ii) Describe how the compiler reports errors.

...........................................................................................................................................

..................................................................................................................................... [2]

One function of the IDE is that it has the built‑in compiler.

Give three other common functions of an IDE.

1 ................................................................................................................................................

2 ................................................................................................................................................

3 ................................................................................................................................................
[3]

© UCLES 2023 2210/12/M/J/23

6 (a) Complete the statements about cookies.

Use the terms from the list.

Some of the terms in the list will not be used. Some terms may be used more than once.

compression executable hypertext markup language (HTML)

hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP) image internet protocol (IP) address

persistent session sound text

uniform resource locater (URL) web browser web server

Cookies are small ........................................................... files that are sent between a

........................................................... and a ........................................................... .

........................................................... cookies are stored in memory and not in the user’s

secondary storage.

When the web browser is closed a ........................................................... cookie is lost,

whereas a ........................................................... cookie is not lost.

[6]

(b) Give three functions of a cookie.

1 ................................................................................................................................................

2 ................................................................................................................................................

3 ................................................................................................................................................
[3]

© UCLES 2023 2210/12/M/J/23 [Turn over

7 A distributed denial of service attack (DDoS) is a cyber security threat.

(a) Draw and annotate a diagram to represent the process of a DDoS.

[6]

© UCLES 2023 2210/12/M/J/23

(b) State two aims of carrying out a DDoS attack.