IGCSE
Cambridge (CIE)
Computer Science
31 mins
10 questions
Exam Questions
Types of
Programming
Language, Translators
& Integrated
Development
Environments (IDEs)
Levels of Programming Languages / Assembly Language / Translators, Compilers &
Interpreters / Tools & Facilities in IDEs
Easy (5 questions)
/10
Medium (4 questions)
/15
Hard (1 question)
/6
Total Marks
/31
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1
Easy Questions
1 (a) A programmer uses a high-level language to create a computer program.
Identify two advantages to the programmer of using a high-level language instead of a
low-level language.
Answer
Advantages of using a high-level language instead of a low-level language include:
Any two of the following:
it is easier / quicker to read/write/understand [1 mark]
it is easier / quicker to debug [1 mark]
code is portable [1 mark]
(2 marks)
(b) Suggest one disadvantage to the programmer of using a high-level language instead of
a low-level language.
Answer
Disadvantages of using a high-level language instead of a low-level language include:
Any one of the following:
not able to directly manipulate the hardware [1 mark]
may need to wait for translation before running [1 mark]
program may be less efficient [1 mark]
(1 mark)
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2
2 The programmer uses an integrated development environment (IDE) when creating
the computer program.
State what is meant by an IDE.
Answer
An IDE is:
software designed to make writing high-level languages more efficient [1 mark]
(1 mark)
3 A compiler and an interpreter are two different types of translator.
One similarity between a compiler and an interpreter is that they both translate
high‑level language into machine code.
Give one other similarity between a compiler and an interpreter.
Answer
Another similarity between a compiler and an interpreter is:
They both report/check for errors [1 mark]
(1 mark)
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3
4 Jason is a programmer who writes computer programs in a high‑level language.
Describe what is meant by a high‑level language.
Answer
A high-level language is described as:
Any three of the following:
It uses English-like statements [1 mark]
It needs to be converted to machine code (to be processed by a computer) [1 mark]
… using a translator [1 mark]
It is portable [1 mark]
One line of code can perform multiple commands [1 mark]
(3 marks)
5 A programmer uses a low‑level language to write a computer program for a vending
machine.
Describe what is meant by a low‑level language.
Answer
A low-level language is described as:
Any two of the following:
Close to the language processed by computers [1 mark]
May use mnemonics [1 mark]
An example is assembly language/machine code [1 mark]
(2 marks)
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4
Medium Questions
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5
1 Complete the statements about different types of programming language.
Use the terms from the list.
Some of the terms in the list will not be used.
You should only use a term once.
assembly
denary
executable file
instruction
storage
hexadecimal
high-level
low-level
machine code
protocol
source code
style
syntax
translator
The structure of language statements in a computer program is called the
............................................. .
A programming language that uses natural language statements is called a
............................................. language.
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6
When programs are written in this type of language they need a
............................................. to convert them into ............................................. .
A programming language that is written using mnemonic codes is called an
............................................. language.
This is an example of a ............................................. language.
Answer
The structure of language statements in a computer program is called the syntax [1
mark].
A programming language that uses natural language statements is called a high-level [1
mark] language.
When programs are written in this type of language they need a translator [1 mark] to
convert them into machine code [1 mark].
A programming language that is written using mnemonic codes is called an assembly [1
mark] language.
This is an example of a low-level [1 mark] language.
(6 marks)
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7
2 A programmer often uses an integrated development environment (IDE) when writing a
computer program.
Give three common functions of an IDE.
Answer
Common functions of an IDE include:
Any three of the following:
Code editor [1 mark]
Run-time environment [1 mark]
Translator [1 mark]
Error diagnostics [1 mark]
Auto-completion [1 mark]
Auto-correction [1 mark]
Prettyprinting [1 mark]
(3 marks)
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8
3 A compiler and an interpreter are two different types of translator.
One similarity between a compiler and an interpreter is that they both translate
high‑level language into machine code.
Explain two differences between a compiler and an interpreter.
Answer
Two differences between a compiler and an interpreter are:
Any four from the following (MAX 2 per translator):
An interpreter translates the code line by line (and executes each line immediately)
[1 mark]
… whereas a compiler translates the whole code at the same time (before executing
it) [1 mark]
A compiler produces an executable file [1 mark]
… but an interpreter does not [1 mark]
An interpreter is required to run the code each time if used [1 mark]
… whereas a compiler is not [1 mark]
An interpreter stops and reports an error as it is encountered [1 mark]
… whereas a compiler creates a report of all errors at the end of translation [1
mark]
An interpreter will run code up to the point it finds an error [1 mark]
… whereas a compiler will not run the code at all if an error is found [1 mark]
(4 marks)
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9
4 A programmer uses a low‑level language to write a computer program for a vending
machine.
Give two reasons why the programmer would choose to write the computer program in
a low‑level language instead of a high‑level language.
Answer
Examples of reasons why a programmer would choose to write a program in a low-level
language are:
Any two of the following:
Can directly manipulate the hardware [1 mark]
No requirement for the program to be portable [1 mark]
Program will be more memory efficient [1 mark]
No requirement for a compiler/interpreter [1 mark]
Quicker to execute [1 mark]
Can use specialised hardware [1 mark]
(2 marks)
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10
Hard Questions
1 State three different features of a high-level programming language that a
programmer could use to make sure that their program will be easier to understand by
another programmer.
Give an example for each feature.
Answer
Features of a high-level programming language include:
Any six of the following:
ensuring that all identifiers have meaningful names [1 mark]
… example using Total to store a running total [1 mark]
using comments to explain how the program works [1 mark]
… example // all values are zeroed before the next calculation [1 mark]
using procedures and functions for the tasks within a program [1 mark]
… example CalculateInterest(Deposit, Rate) [1 mark]
Mark Scheme and Guidance
One mark for each feature and one mark for corresponding example (max
six)
Any sensible examples are valid
(6 marks)
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11