IGCSE Computer Science Paper 2 — Data Representation Total: 100 marks
Section A – Number Systems and Conversions (35
marks)
1. (a) Convert the denary number 255 into binary using 8 bits. (2)
(b) Convert the binary number 10011101 into denary. (3)
(c) Convert the hexadecimal number 3E into binary. (2)
(d) Convert the binary number 10110101 into hexadecimal. (2)
(e) Explain why an 8-bit register can only represent numbers up to 255. (3)
[Total: 12 marks]
2. (a) Convert the denary number 2004 into hexadecimal. Show all steps. (4)
(b) Why is converting between denary and hexadecimal often considered difficult
compared to binary and hexadecimal? (3)
(c) Explain why hexadecimal was introduced in computing (give two reasons). (4)
[Total: 11 marks]
3. (a) A binary register holds the value 10110000. Perform a logical left shift by 2 places
and give the new value. (3)
(b) Perform a logical right shift by 3 places on 11011110. (3)
(c) Describe one situation where a binary shift can cause incorrect results. (2)
[Total: 8 marks]
Section B – Compression and Data Storage (30 marks)
4. (a) State three reasons why compression is used. (3)
(b) Explain how lossy compression works on:
(i) MP3 audio files (3)
(ii) JPEG images (3)
(c) State one disadvantage of lossy compression. (2)
[Total: 11 marks]
5. (a) Explain how run-length encoding (RLE) works on a string of repeated characters.
(3)
(b) Given the string: aaaabbccdddddd, represent this using RLE. (3)
(c) RLE sometimes fails to reduce file size. Explain why. (3)
[Total: 9 marks]
6. (a) Define each of the following:
(i) MAC address (2)
(ii) IP address (IPv4 and IPv6) (3)
(b) Why are hexadecimal digits often used when displaying a MAC address? (3)
[Total: 8 marks]
IGCSE Computer Science Data Representation Page 2 of 3
Section C – Representing Images, Sound and Text
(35 marks)
7. (a) Explain the terms colour depth and image resolution. (4)
(b) An image is 400 × 300 pixels, colour depth = 16 bits. Calculate the file size in
bytes. (4)
(c) Give one benefit and one drawback of higher image resolution. (4)
[Total: 12 marks]
8. (a) Describe the difference between analogue sound and digital sound. (4)
(b) Explain how an analogue-to-digital converter (ADC) is used to store sound in a
computer. (4)
(c) Calculate the file size of a stereo (2-channel) recording of 5 seconds, sampled at
22,000 Hz with 16 bits per sample. (4)
[Total: 12 marks]
9. (a) ASCII uses 7 bits, but Unicode may use up to 32 bits per character. Explain why
Unicode takes more storage space than ASCII. (3)
(b) Why was Unicode necessary when ASCII already existed? (3)
(c) Write the binary equivalent of the denary value 83 (assume 7-bit ASCII). (3)
[Total: 9 marks]
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IGCSE Computer Science Data Representation Page 3 of 3
Answer Page – Paper 2
1. (a) 255 = 11111111. (b) 157. (c) 3E = 00111110. (d) B5. (e) 8 bits can only
represent 28 values (0–255).
2. (a) 2004 ÷ 16 = 125 R4, 125 ÷ 16 = 7 R13(D), 7 ÷ 16 = 0 R7 7D4. (b) Because it
involves division by 16, not just grouping of bits. (c) Easier to read, more compact,
fewer mistakes.
3. (a) 10110000 ¡¡2 = 11000000. (b) 11011110 ¿¿3 = 00011011. (c) Overflow or loss of
data (e.g. bits shifted off).
4. (a) Save storage, faster transmission, reduces costs. (b) MP3 removes inaudible
ranges and masked sounds. JPEG removes colour differences the eye cannot detect.
(c) Quality is permanently lost.
5. (a) RLE replaces runs with a count + value. (b) a4b2c2d6. (c) Works poorly on
non-repetitive data (no runs).
6. (a) MAC = unique hardware address, IP = network address (IPv4 = 32-bit, IPv6
= 128-bit). (b) Hex is compact and easier to read.
7. (a) Colour depth = bits per pixel, resolution = pixels in image. (b) 400×300×16 =
1, 920, 000 bits = 240,000 bytes. (c) Benefit: clearer, drawback: larger files.
8. (a) Analogue = continuous, Digital = discrete values. (b) ADC samples amplitude
and stores in binary. (c) 22, 000 × 16 × 5 × 2 = 3, 520, 000 bits = 440,000 bytes.
9. (a) Unicode uses more bits, so each char requires more space. (b) Needed to cover
global scripts. (c) 83 = 1010011.
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