AQA GCSE Computer Science Active Recall Guide (8525)
AQA · GCSE
AQA GCSE Computer Science Active Recall Guide
Every topic of specification 8525 written as exam-style questions with the answers printed after them. 664 questions across 8 topics and 43 subtopics, covering both papers with no options left out.
- AQA
- GCSE
- Specification 8525
- 664 questions
Guide overview All 8 topics Sample questions Papers and weighting Look inside Questions and answers
What the exam asks of you
AQA GCSE Computer Science is examined in two papers, each worth half the GCSE. Paper 1, Computational Thinking and Programming Skills, is a two-hour paper on algorithms and programming, with code to trace and code to write. Paper 2, Computing Concepts, is 1 hour 45 minutes on everything else.
There are no options. Every student studies all eight topics, and both papers are written, so the programming is examined on paper rather than at a computer.
| Paper | Covers |
|---|---|
|
Paper 1 Computational thinking and programming skills |
ALGORITHMS PROGRAMMING |
|
Paper 2 Computing concepts |
DATA REPRESENTATION COMPUTER SYSTEMS COMPUTER NETWORKS CYBER SECURITY RELATIONAL DATABASES AND SQL ETHICAL, LEGAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS OF DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY |
What is in the guide
All 8 topics
Every topic has its own page with its subtopics, what it covers and sample questions.
Sample questions
Taken from the guide. Answer each one closed book first, then open the answer.
-
Algorithms, decomposition and abstraction
Why must each step of an algorithm be unambiguous?
Show the answer
A step with only one meaning gives the same result whoever follows it. A computer cannot guess what a vague instruction was meant to say. -
Data types
What is the character data type?
Show the answer
A character is a single letter, digit, symbol or space. Examples of characters are 'A', '7' and '#'. -
Number bases and why hexadecimal is used
State the decimal values of the hexadecimal digits A to F.
Show the answer
A is 10, B is 11 and C is 12. D is 13, E is 14 and F is 15. -
Hardware, software and the operating system
Give two examples of system software.
Show the answer
An operating system such as Windows is one example of system software. A utility program such as backup software is also system software. -
Network types and topologies
What is a Local Area Network (LAN)?
Show the answer
A LAN connects devices across a small geographical area such as a school, office or home. A LAN is usually owned and managed by one person or organisation. -
Cyber security, common threats and penetration testing
What are misconfigured access rights?
Show the answer
Misconfigured access rights give users more access than they need, or leave data open to anyone. An ordinary user might be able to read or delete sensitive files. -
Relational databases and keys
What is a data type in a database?
Show the answer
A data type sets what kind of value a field can hold. Common data types are integer, real, text, Boolean and date/time. -
Ethical issues in digital technology
What are computer-based implants?
Show the answer
Computer-based implants are devices containing a computer that are placed inside the body. Examples include pacemakers, cochlear implants and brain-computer interfaces.
How the guide is worked
Answering a question from memory stores it far better than reading the answer again. The guide runs that as a fixed procedure on one subtopic at a time, about twenty minutes a session.
-
Step 1 · Closed book
Cover the answers. Work through one subtopic and write down what you can. Leave blanks where you have nothing.
-
Step 2 · Open book
Go back to the top. Read each printed answer and write it out in full, including the ones you had right.
-
Step 3 · Closed book again
Same questions, same order, from memory. The gap between pass one and pass three is the session result.
Read the full method, the return schedule and the research behind it.
Look inside
Questions for a subtopic print together and the answers for that section print after them.
- Algorithms75
- Programming124
- Data Representation143
- Computer Systems95
- Computer Networks76
- Cyber Security55
- Relational Databases and Sql48
- Ethical, Legal and Environmental Impacts of Digital Technology48
- What is a data type?
- What is the integer data type?
- What is the real data type?
- What is the Boolean data type?
- What is the character data type?
- What is the string data type?
- Which data type suits a phone number, and why?
- Which data type suits the price of an item in a shop?
- Which data type suits a record of whether a user is logged in?
- A data type sets the kind of value a variable can hold. The data type also decides which operations can be carried out on that value.
- An integer is a whole number with no fractional part. Integers can be positive, negative or zero, such as 42, 0 and −7.
- A real is a number that can have a fractional part, such as 3.75 or −0.5. Some languages call a real a float.
- A Boolean holds only one of two values, True or False. Booleans are used in conditions and to record whether something has happened.
- A character is a single letter, digit, symbol or space. Examples of characters are 'A', '7' and '#'.
- A string is a sequence of characters, such as a name or a sentence. A string can also be empty, holding no characters at all.
- A string suits a phone number. Phone numbers can begin with 0 and are never used in calculations.
- A real suits a price, because prices such as 4.99 have a fractional part.
- A Boolean suits whether a user is logged in. The value can only be True or False.
questions
Scroll sideways to turn through the pages.
Questions students ask first
Which topics are on which paper?
Paper 1 is Algorithms and Programming. Paper 2 is Data Representation, Computer Systems, Computer Networks, Cyber Security, Relational Databases and SQL, and the Ethical, Legal and Environmental Impacts of Digital Technology. The breakdown is here.
Which programming language do I need?
Paper 1 uses pseudocode, and AQA publishes its own version of it. You can usually answer in a high level language too, but the questions and the mark schemes are written in pseudocode, and that is what the guide asks for.
Is there a coding exam at a computer?
No. Both papers are written. Your school will run practical programming as classwork, and it develops the skill Paper 1 tests, but the assessment itself is on paper.
Is SQL really examined?
Yes, as its own topic. SELECT, FROM, WHERE, ORDER BY, INSERT and the structure of a relational database with primary and foreign keys. It is 48 questions in the guide.
AQA GCSE Computer Science Active Recall Guide
Every question paired with its answer, grouped by topic and subtopic, ready to work in three passes.