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OCR · GCSE · Computer Science

Free OCR GCSE Computer Science
Practice Paper

8 mixed-difficulty practice questions in the style of real OCR GCSE papers — answers, mark-scheme-style explanations, and the official exam structure all on one page.

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What the real OCR GCSE Computer Science paper looks like

Paper 1
Approximately 1 hour 30 minutes, ~70-100 marks. Covers Topics 1-4 of the specification.
Paper 2
Approximately 1 hour 30 minutes, ~70-100 marks. Covers Topics 5-8 of the specification.
Paper 3
Where applicable — e.g. Combined Science, Languages. Includes synoptic and applied questions.
Total exam time: ~3 hours across two or three papers.
Grading: Grades: 9 (highest) to 1 (lowest), with U (ungraded). A grade of 4 is a standard pass; 5 is a strong pass.

Mini practice paper: 8 questions

Mixed-difficulty questions from across the Computer Science syllabus. Tap "Show answer" after each to check yourself.

Q1 · Difficulty 1/3

What does it mean that RAM is volatile?

  1. Its contents cannot be changed once written
  2. Its contents are lost when the power is switched off
  3. It can be read from but not written to
  4. It stores data on spinning magnetic disks
Show answer & explanation
✓ Answer: B — Its contents are lost when the power is switched off
Award 1 mark. Volatile memory needs power to keep its data. ROM and secondary storage are non-volatile.
Q2 · Difficulty 1/3

What is cache memory?

  1. Large, slow storage used for backing up files
  2. Memory that stores the computer's start-up program
  3. Space on the hard disk used when RAM is full
  4. Small, very fast memory inside or close to the CPU
Show answer & explanation
✓ Answer: D — Small, very fast memory inside or close to the CPU
Award 1 mark. Cache holds frequently used data and instructions so the CPU can access them faster than from RAM.
Q3 · Difficulty 1/3

What is multitasking?

  1. Using more than one monitor at the same time
  2. Typing with both hands on a keyboard
  3. Saving the same file in two folders
  4. Running more than one program apparently at the same time
Show answer & explanation
✓ Answer: D — Running more than one program apparently at the same time
Award 1 mark. The OS rapidly switches CPU time between processes.
Q4 · Difficulty 1/3

What is virtual memory?

  1. A type of RAM that keeps data when power is off
  2. Memory inside the CPU used for registers
  3. Storage that exists only on the internet
  4. Part of secondary storage used as extra memory when RAM is full
Show answer & explanation
✓ Answer: D — Part of secondary storage used as extra memory when RAM is full
Award 1 mark. When RAM fills up, less-used data is moved to virtual memory on the storage drive.
Q5 · Difficulty 1/3

What is the sample rate of a sound recording?

  1. The number of bits stored in each sample
  2. The number of samples taken per second
  3. The total length of the recording
  4. The volume of the sound when played
Show answer & explanation
✓ Answer: B — The number of samples taken per second
Award 1 mark. Sample rate is measured in hertz, for example 44 100 Hz for CD audio.
Q6 · Difficulty 1/3

What does the ALU do?

  1. Stores the address of the next instruction
  2. Carries out arithmetic and logical operations
  3. Sends control signals to other components
  4. Holds data on its way to or from memory
Show answer & explanation
✓ Answer: B — Carries out arithmetic and logical operations
Award 1 mark. The arithmetic logic unit performs calculations and logical comparisons. The control unit sends control signals.
Q7 · Difficulty 1/3

What does a firewall do?

  1. Speeds up the internet connection by caching pages
  2. Stores encrypted copies of all files on a server
  3. Monitors and controls network traffic according to security rules
  4. Cools the server to stop it overheating
Show answer & explanation
✓ Answer: C — Monitors and controls network traffic according to security rules
Award 1 mark. Firewalls block unauthorised traffic between a network and the outside world.
Q8 · Difficulty 1/3

What is the internet?

  1. A single large computer owned by one company
  2. A program used to view web pages
  3. A worldwide network of interconnected networks
  4. A cable that connects two computers
Show answer & explanation
✓ Answer: C — A worldwide network of interconnected networks
Award 1 mark. The web is a service that runs on the internet; the internet itself is the global network.
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OCR GCSE Computer Science FAQ

What does the OCR GCSE Computer Science exam look like?
The OCR GCSE Computer Science exam is structured across 3 components. Paper 1: Approximately 1 hour 30 minutes, ~70-100 marks. Covers Topics 1-4 of the specification. Paper 2: Approximately 1 hour 30 minutes, ~70-100 marks. Covers Topics 5-8 of the specification. Paper 3: Where applicable — e.g. Combined Science, Languages. Includes synoptic and applied questions. Total exam time: ~3 hours across two or three papers.
Can I download a free OCR GCSE Computer Science past paper?
Real OCR past papers are published directly by OCR on their official website. Kramizo doesn't redistribute copyrighted past papers, but we do generate free AI-written practice papers in the exact same style — same command words, same difficulty tier, same mark conventions. Use this practice paper as warm-up, then time yourself on official past papers before exam day.
How is OCR GCSE Computer Science graded?
Grades: 9 (highest) to 1 (lowest), with U (ungraded). A grade of 4 is a standard pass; 5 is a strong pass. Kramizo's practice questions are tagged with difficulty 1-3 mapping roughly to the lower, middle, and top grade boundaries you'll encounter in the real exam.