GCSE (9–1) Computer Science - J276/02 Computational thinking, algorithms and programming - November 2021 Paper 2

Sep 5, 2026

GCSE (9–1) Computer Science J276/02 focuses on computational thinking, algorithms and programming through exam questions assessing character sets, binary encoding, sampling of audio data, file size reduction, and fundamental algorithm understanding. Learners answer structured parts that require identifying applicable properties of ASCII, extended ASCII and Unicode, converting characters to binary, interpreting sample rate meaning, and explaining practical compression approaches. The paper also evaluates insertion sort concepts and binary search usage to determine whether a target word exists in a sorted list.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryExam

FormatPDF

Pages16

Reading Time40 min

AccessFree to download

Instructions

Question 1

Character sets and encoding

Binary ASCII and sound sampling

Data reduction for sound files

Question 2

Insertion sort reasoning

Binary search in a sorted list

Oxford Cambridge and RSA Friday 19 November 2021 – Afternoon GCSE (9–1) Computer Science J276/02 Computational thinking, algorithms and programming Time allowed: 1 hour 30 minutes | Please write clearly in black ink. Do not write in the barcodes. | | | | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Centre number | | Candidate number | | | First name(s) Last name | | | | *9002550364* INSTRUCTIONS • Use black ink. • Write your answer to each question in the space provided. If you need extra space use the lined pages at the end of this booklet. The question numbers must be clearly shown. • Answer all the questions. INFORMATION • The total mark for this paper is 80. • The marks for each question are shown in brackets [ ] . • This document has 16 pages. ADVICE • Read each question carefully before you start your answer. © OCR 2021 [601/8355/X] DC (ST/CGW) 300847/2 OCR is an exempt Charity Turn over 2 Answer all the questions. 1 ASCII, extended ASCII and Unicode are all examples of character sets. (a) Tick (3) one or more boxes in each row to identify whether each statement applies to each character set. | | ASCII | Extended
ASCII | Unicode | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Can represent thousands of different characters, including Russian and Chinese symbols. | | | | | Can represent European characters such as ç or â . | | | | | Uses different character codes for upper-case and lower-case letters. | | | | [3] (b) The character D is represented by the binary ASCII code 1000100 Give the ASCII code for the following characters in binary. E ............................................................................................................................................... ................................................................................................................................................... H ............................................................................................................................................... ................................................................................................................................................... [2] 3 (c) Sound data is also sampled and stored in binary. A 30-second section of sound data is sampled at a rate of 48 KHz using 24 bits per sample. (i) Describe the data that is recorded when sound is sampled. ........................................................................................................................................... ........................................................................................................................................... ........................................................................................................................................... ...................................................................................................................................... [2] (ii) Explain what is meant by a sample rate of 48 KHz. ........................................................................................................................................... ........................................................................................................................................... ........................................................................................................................................... ...................................................................................................................................... [2] (iii) Describe how the file size of the sound recording could be reduced. ........................................................................................................................................... ........................................................................................................................................... ....................

FAQs

What do the exam instructions require candidates to do?

Use black ink, answer every question in the space provided, and ensure question numbers are clearly shown. Extra lined pages at the end can be used if needed.

Which topics are assessed in Question 1?

Character sets (ASCII, extended ASCII, Unicode), ASCII to binary conversion, sampling audio data in binary, interpreting a sample rate, and reducing the sound file size.

How do the questions test algorithm knowledge?

They check insertion sort statements and understanding, then require explaining how binary search would be used to find whether a word appears in a sorted list.

Sep 5, 2026

Upload by Oliver Hayes