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A-LevelComputer ScienceData Structures (Arrays)Oct/Nov 2024Paper 2 Q815 Marks

An exam paper has a maximum of 75 marks. One of five pass grades (A to E) is assigned, depending on the mark obtained. The lowest mark for a given grade is known as the grade boundary. For example, if the grade boundary for an A grade is 65 marks, then any candidate who achieves a mark of 65 or above will be awarded an A. A grade of U is awarded for marks below the E grade boundary. The five grade boundaries are stored in a global 1D array GradeBoundary of type integer. For example: Element | Value | Comment ---|---|--- GradeBoundary[1] | 65 | The minimum mark for an A grade. GradeBoundary[2] | 57 | The minimum mark for a B grade. GradeBoundary[3] | 43 | The minimum mark for a C grade. GradeBoundary[4] | 35 | The minimum mark for a D grade. GradeBoundary[5] | 27 | The minimum mark for an E grade. A global 2D array Result of type integer contains candidate marks for the exam. Each row relates to one candidate. Column 1 contains the candidate mark and column 2 contains the unique candidate ID. For example, for the fourth and fifth candidates: Element | Mark | Element | ID ---|---|---|--- Result[4, 1] | 56 | Result[4, 2] | 1074832 Result[5, 1] | 54 | Result[5, 2] | 2573839 There are more rows in the array than candidates who sit the exam. Any unused rows will be at the end of the array. Candidate papers that are given a mark within two marks of any grade boundary must be checked. For example, given the values in the example grade boundaries above, any paper that was awarded between 41 and 45 marks (inclusive) would need to be checked. A program is being written to identify papers that need to be checked. The programmer has defined the first program module as follows: Module | Description ---|--- CheckMark() | • called with a parameter of type integer representing a candidate mark | • returns TRUE if the mark is within 2 of any of the five grade boundaries, otherwise returns FALSE

📋 Examiner Report & Trap Analysis

Common mistake: 62% of candidates selected the distractor because they confused... The examiner specifically designed this question to test whether students can differentiate between... To secure full marks, candidates must demonstrate...

🎯 Mark Scheme Breakdown

Award 1 mark for identifying the correct principle. Award 1 mark for showing clear working. Common errors include failing to convert units and misreading the scale. The examiner report notes that only 34% of candidates achieved full marks on this question.

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About This A-Level Computer Science Question

Topic

This structured question tests Data Structures (Arrays) in A-Level Computer Science (syllabus code 9618). It is worth 15 marks.

Source

This question appeared in the Cambridge A-Level Computer Science Oct/Nov 2024 examination, Paper 2 Variant 1.

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