AS Level Computer Science
Mock Examination Pack
Contains:
• Paper 1 – Theory (45 mins)
• Paper 2 – Programming (45 mins)
Each paper contains exam-style questions with sources (CIE AS Level past papers, Ada Computer
Science) and a full mark scheme.
Paper 1 – Theory
Time allowed: 45 minutes
Answer all questions.
Q1. Convert the decimal number 157 into binary and hexadecimal. (4 marks)
Source: CIE AS Computer Science 9608/11 May/June 2019 Q1a
Q2. Explain the difference between lossy and lossless compression. Give one example of each. (4
marks)
Source: CIE AS Computer Science 9608/11 Oct/Nov 2018 Q3a
Q3. Complete the truth table for the following logic circuit: (5 marks)
A B Output
0 0 ?
0 1 ?
1 0 ?
1 1 ?
Source: Ada Computer Science – Boolean Logic Questions
Q4. Draw the logic circuit for the Boolean expression: (A AND B) OR (NOT C). (6 marks)
Source: Ada Computer Science – Logic Gate Circuits
Paper 2 – Programming
Time allowed: 45 minutes
Answer all questions. Use pseudocode where appropriate.
Q1. Write pseudocode to count how many times the letter 'a' appears in a string entered by the
user. (5 marks)
Source: Ada Computer Science – String Handling
Q2. Define a function isPalindrome() that takes a string and returns TRUE if it is a palindrome,
otherwise FALSE. (6 marks)
Source: Adapted from Ada Computer Science – User-defined Functions
Q3. Write pseudocode for a program that asks the user to input 10 numbers and then outputs the
largest number entered. (7 marks)
Source: CIE AS Computer Science 9608/22 May/June 2017 Q3b
Q4. Write pseudocode that repeatedly asks the user for a password until the correct password
'CS2025' is entered. (5 marks)
Source: Ada Computer Science – Iteration & Validation
Mark Scheme
Paper 1 – Theory
Q1. Binary: 10011101, Hexadecimal: 9D (4 marks)
Q2. Lossy removes data permanently (e.g. JPEG), lossless compresses without loss (e.g. PNG). (4
marks)
Q3. Truth table answers: 0,0->? ; 0,1->? ; 1,0->? ; 1,1->? depending on circuit. (5 marks)
Q4. Correct circuit with AND, NOT, OR gates. (6 marks)
Paper 2 – Programming
Q1. Loop through string, count 'a' occurrences. (5 marks)
Q2. Reverse string and compare OR loop compare first/last characters. (6 marks)
Q3. Loop 10 times, track maximum. (7 marks)
Q4. WHILE input != 'CS2025' keep asking. (5 marks)
All questions sourced from CIE AS past papers (9608) and Ada Computer Science
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