OCR GCSE Computer Science (J277) has been examined for longer than AQA 8525, so more real sittings are genuinely public. We analysed every Paper 1 (J277/01) sitting we could obtain the real question paper and mark scheme for: June 2022 (sat Monday 16 May 2022), June 2023 (sat Friday 19 May 2023) and June 2024 (sat Wednesday 15 May 2024). OCR's own mark schemes label each series June even though the actual exam date falls in May, which we have kept exactly as OCR names it. Paper 1 is entirely about computer systems, and it is structured differently from AQA's equivalent paper in one important way: Boolean logic, logic gates, truth tables and SQL all sit on Paper 2 for OCR, never here, and there is no OCR Exam Reference Language pseudocode or programming content at all on this paper. Below is what each recurring question type has asked across the three sittings we have, with a complete worked answer written to the real mark scheme for each one, every paragraph explained.
Questions © OCR, quoted for analysis under fair use. Mark scheme content translated into plain English, not copied. PrepWise is independent and not endorsed by OCR.
This appears once in every sitting we have full papers for: a single denary-to-binary conversion in June 2022, a four-box mixed conversion table in June 2023, and a three-row binary-to-denary table in June 2024.
Convert 221 into 8-bit binary by subtracting place values in order, showing genuine working, not just a final answer.
A single denary number, 221, to be converted into 8-bit binary with working shown.
Working through the place values from left to right, 128, 64, 32, 16, 8, 4, 2 and 1, 221 is at least 128, so the first bit is 1, leaving 93 still to place. 93 is at least 64, so the next bit is 1, leaving 29. 29 is less than 32, so that bit is 0, and 29 is at least 16, so the next bit is 1, leaving 13.
13 is at least 8, so the next bit is 1, leaving 5. 5 is at least 4, so the next bit is 1, leaving 1. 1 is less than 2, so that bit is 0, and 1 is at least 1, so the final bit is 1, giving the complete 8-bit answer 11011101.
Could you have written this? Every fact in this answer is drilled in our quizzes — the writing is the easy part once the evidence is automatic.
Practise binary and hexadecimal conversionsFill in four missing values across a table where each row already gives two of the three number systems, denary, 8-bit binary and hexadecimal, and you must work out the third.
A genuine data table with four rows and columns Denary, 8-bit binary and Hexadecimal. This should be built as a table asset for Phase 1.5. Row A gives binary 00000111 and hexadecimal 7, denary blank. Row B gives denary 49 and hexadecimal 31, binary blank. Row C gives binary 01100110 and hexadecimal 66, denary blank. Row D gives denary 244 and binary 11110100, hexadecimal blank.
| Denary | 8-bit binary | Hexadecimal |
|---|---|---|
| 00000111 | 7 | |
| 49 | 31 | |
| 01100110 | 66 | |
| 244 | 11110100 |
Row A gives the binary 00000111 and the hexadecimal 7, so the missing denary value is 7, since a single hexadecimal digit worth 7 represents exactly the denary value 7. Row B gives the denary 49 and the hexadecimal 31, so the missing binary is worked out from 49: 32 plus 16 plus 1 gives 00110001.
Row C gives the binary 01100110 and the hexadecimal 66, so the missing denary value is 102, since 01100110 breaks into place values 64 plus 32 plus 4 plus 2, which is 102. Row D gives the denary 244 and the binary 11110100, so the missing hexadecimal is F4, since 244 splits into two hex digits, 15 lots of 16 (F) plus 4 (4).
Could you have written this? Every fact in this answer is drilled in our quizzes — the writing is the easy part once the evidence is automatic.
Practise binary and hexadecimal conversionsConvert three given values, two binary and one denary, into their missing counterpart using place values.
A genuine data table with three rows and columns 8-bit Binary and Denary. This should be built as a table asset for Phase 1.5. Row 1 gives binary 11110000, denary blank. Row 2 gives denary 105, binary blank. Row 3 gives binary 00011110, denary blank.
| 8-bit Binary | Denary |
|---|---|
| 11110000 | |
| 105 | |
| 00011110 |
The first row gives the binary 11110000, which breaks into place values 128 plus 64 plus 32 plus 16, giving the denary value 240. The second row gives the denary value 105, which breaks into place values 64 plus 32 plus 8 plus 1, giving the binary 01101001.
The third row gives the binary 00011110, which breaks into place values 16 plus 8 plus 4 plus 2, giving the denary value 30.
Could you have written this? Every fact in this answer is drilled in our quizzes — the writing is the easy part once the evidence is automatic.
Practise binary and hexadecimal conversionsThe topic changes by sitting — the mark scheme never does. Learn this once, then open your question above for that sitting’s sources and a full worked answer.
Which of the following correctly describes the hexadecimal number system?
Converting between binary, denary and hexadecimal opens Question 1 in every sitting we have, worth 2 to 4 marks. Practise showing genuine working, since OCR awards a separate mark just for that.
Practise binary and hexadecimal conversionsThis appears once in every sitting we have full papers for: performing a right shift in June 2022, identifying a left shift's direction and size from a before-and-after pair in June 2023, and performing a left shift in June 2024.
Shift every bit in 10001110 three places to the right, dropping the three rightmost bits and filling the three new leftmost places with zeros.
A single 8-bit binary number, 10001110, to be shifted 3 places to the right, correct answer only.
Shifting 10001110 three places to the right moves every bit three positions towards the least-significant end, so the three rightmost bits, 110, are dropped entirely, and three new zero bits are added at the most-significant end to keep the number 8 bits long, giving the answer 00010001.
Could you have written this? Every fact in this answer is drilled in our quizzes — the writing is the easy part once the evidence is automatic.
Practise binary shiftsWork out both the direction and the number of places of a binary shift by comparing the original number 10110000 with the shifted result 10000000.
An 8-bit binary number, 10110000, and the result of shifting it, 10000000, with the direction and number of places both to be identified.
Dropping the three leftmost bits of 10110000, which are 101, leaves 10000, and shifting those remaining bits left while filling three new zero bits on the right gives 10000000, exactly matching the result given, so the direction of the shift is left.
Since dropping exactly three bits from the left and adding exactly three zero bits on the right reproduces 10000000 precisely, the shift is 3 places, not 2 or 4, which would leave either more or fewer of the original bits in place.
Could you have written this? Every fact in this answer is drilled in our quizzes — the writing is the easy part once the evidence is automatic.
Practise binary shiftsShift every bit in 00001111 four places to the left, dropping the four leftmost bits and filling the four new rightmost places with zeros.
A single 8-bit binary number, 00001111, to be shifted 4 places to the left, correct answer only.
Shifting 00001111 four places to the left moves every bit four positions towards the most-significant end, so the four leftmost bits, all zeros, are dropped entirely, and four new zero bits are added at the least-significant end to keep the number 8 bits long, giving the answer 11110000.
Could you have written this? Every fact in this answer is drilled in our quizzes — the writing is the easy part once the evidence is automatic.
Practise binary shiftsThe topic changes by sitting — the mark scheme never does. Learn this once, then open your question above for that sitting’s sources and a full worked answer.
In binary addition, what is the result of 1 + 1?
A binary shift ends Question 1 in every sitting we have, worth 1 to 2 marks. Practise being precise about direction and the exact number of places, since a shift the wrong way produces a completely different number.
Practise binary shiftsThis appears in June 2023, where the addition overflows past 8 bits and produces a genuine carry-out bit, and in June 2024, where the addition stays within 8 bits with no overflow.
Add 01110001 and 10011110 together using column binary addition, correctly carrying at every column, and recognise that the true sum overflows past 8 bits, leaving 00001111 as the 8-bit answer with a separate overflow bit.
Two 8-bit binary numbers to be added together, 01110001 and 10011110, set out in a column addition grid with individual boxes for each bit.
Adding 01110001 and 10011110 column by column from the right produces three carries into the top three columns, since those columns total 2 or 3 once a carry is included, which the real mark scheme shows written as 111 above the top three columns. Showing these three carries explicitly is exactly the genuine working OCR's mark scheme is looking for.
The true sum of 01110001 and 10011110 is 271 in denary, which is too large to fit in 8 bits, so it overflows: the 8-bit answer itself is 00001111, with a genuine overflow bit of 1 carried out beyond the left-hand column.
Could you have written this? Every fact in this answer is drilled in our quizzes — the writing is the easy part once the evidence is automatic.
Practise binary additionAdd 01101011 and 00001111 together using column binary addition, correctly carrying at every column, producing an 8-bit answer that does not overflow.
Two 8-bit binary numbers to be added together, 01101011 and 00001111, set out in a column addition grid with individual boxes for each bit.
Adding 01101011 and 00001111 column by column from the right produces four carries as the columns are worked through, 1111, which is the genuine working OCR's mark scheme rewards.
The true sum of 01101011 and 00001111 is 122 in denary, which fits comfortably within 8 bits, so there is no overflow bit this time, and the completed 8-bit answer is 01111010.
Could you have written this? Every fact in this answer is drilled in our quizzes — the writing is the easy part once the evidence is automatic.
Practise binary additionThe topic changes by sitting — the mark scheme never does. Learn this once, then open your question above for that sitting’s sources and a full worked answer.
In binary addition, what is the result of 1 + 1?
Binary addition is worth 2 marks in two of the three sittings we have, June 2023 and June 2024. Practise showing every carry explicitly, since the working mark depends on it, and check whether your particular sum overflows past 8 bits before you finish.
Practise binary additionThis appears in June 2022, matching given definitions to register names, and in June 2024, naming any two genuine registers and their purposes from an empty table.
Match each given definition to the correct CPU register name, the Program Counter, the Memory Address Register and the Arithmetic Logic Unit, and give the Control Unit's own definition where only its name is given.
A genuine four-row table pairing CPU components and registers with their definitions. This should be built as a table asset for Phase 1.5. One row gives the definition, stores the address of the next instruction to be fetched from memory and increments during each fetch-execute cycle, with the name left blank. A second row gives the name CU (Control Unit), with the definition left blank. A third row gives the definition, stores the address of the data to be fetched from, or the address where the data is to be stored, with the name left blank. A fourth row gives the definition, performs the mathematical calculations and logical operations, with the name left blank.
| CPU component or register | Definition |
|---|---|
| Stores the address of the next instruction to be fetched from memory. Increments during each fetch-execute cycle. | |
| CU (Control Unit) | |
| Stores the address of the data to be fetched from, or the address where the data is to be stored. | |
| Performs mathematical calculations and logical operations. |
The first definition, storing the address of the next instruction and incrementing every fetch-execute cycle, describes the Program Counter, since only the Program Counter tracks which instruction comes next. The third definition, storing the address of data to be fetched from or written to, describes the Memory Address Register, since an address, not the data itself, is exactly what the MAR holds.
The fourth definition, performing mathematical calculations and logical operations, describes the Arithmetic Logic Unit, since calculation and logic are specifically the ALU's job, not the Control Unit's. The Control Unit itself, given only by name, is defined by what it actually does: it sends signals that synchronise and coordinate the processor's components through the fetch-execute cycle, rather than performing calculations itself.
Could you have written this? Every fact in this answer is drilled in our quizzes — the writing is the easy part once the evidence is automatic.
Practise CPU components and registersChoose any two genuine fetch-execute cycle registers, such as the Memory Data Register and the Accumulator, and state a purpose for each that matches OCR's own mark scheme.
An empty two-row table with columns Register and Purpose, asking for the name of two registers used in the fetch-execute cycle and the purpose of each one.
The Memory Data Register, MDR, stores the data or instruction that has just been fetched from memory, or the data that is about to be written to memory, using the address the Memory Address Register already holds.
The Accumulator, ACC, stores the result of calculations carried out by the Arithmetic Logic Unit while data is currently being processed.
Could you have written this? Every fact in this answer is drilled in our quizzes — the writing is the easy part once the evidence is automatic.
Practise CPU components and registersThe topic changes by sitting — the mark scheme never does. Learn this once, then open your question above for that sitting’s sources and a full worked answer.
What does MAR stand for?
Naming CPU registers and stating their purpose comes up in two of the three sittings we have, June 2022 and June 2024, worth 4 marks each time. Practise matching a purpose specifically to its register, since a vague or swapped purpose loses the mark even if the register name is right.
Practise CPU components and registersThis appears in June 2023, weighing the benefits and drawbacks of adding wireless to a home LAN, and in June 2024, weighing the benefits of an airport's existing wired network against the case for also allowing wireless access.
Give benefits of adding wireless access to an existing wired home LAN, worth 4 marks, then state two genuine drawbacks of doing so, worth 2 marks, real sub-questions Q2(b)(ii) and Q2(b)(iii).
A student's home Local Area Network that currently only has wired connections, considering whether to add wireless connections as well.
Wireless connections would allow more devices to connect, for example televisions and mobile phones, and would let the student use a device such as a laptop from anywhere in the house rather than being tied to wherever a cable reaches. Wireless is also cheaper to set up for new devices, since no additional cabling is needed, and it removes trailing wires that could otherwise be a trip hazard.
Two genuine drawbacks are that wireless signals are prone to interference, for example from walls or other electronic devices, and that a wireless connection typically transmits data more slowly than a wired one, since wireless bandwidth is generally lower than a wired connection's.
Could you have written this? Every fact in this answer is drilled in our quizzes — the writing is the easy part once the evidence is automatic.
Practise wired and wireless network questionsDescribe two benefits of wired connections for an airport's network, worth 4 marks, then explain why the airport should also allow wireless access, worth 3 marks, real sub-questions Q2(b)(i) and Q2(b)(ii).
An airport with computers connected together on a Local Area Network that currently uses wired connections, considering whether it should also allow the network to be accessed using a wireless connection.
A wired connection gives the airport a fast, consistent bandwidth, which reduces delays at check-in, and a wired connection is also more secure and less likely to be hacked than a wireless one, which matters because passenger and staff data must not be intercepted.
The airport should also allow wireless access because staff do not need to stay in one place and can be more responsive to customers while moving around the terminal, and because a wireless network allows many more devices, such as passengers' own mobile devices, to connect without the cost and disruption of installing more cables.
Could you have written this? Every fact in this answer is drilled in our quizzes — the writing is the easy part once the evidence is automatic.
Practise wired and wireless network questionsThe topic changes by sitting — the mark scheme never does. Learn this once, then open your question above for that sitting’s sources and a full worked answer.
What does WAP stand for in networking?
Weighing wired connections against wireless access comes up in two of the three sittings we have, worth 6 to 7 marks combined. Practise applying every point specifically to the scenario given, since an unapplied benefit earns less credit.
Practise wired and wireless network questionsThis appears in June 2022, describing two software-based protection methods, and in June 2023, naming and describing a threat not already given elsewhere in the same question.
Name two genuinely different software security methods, such as anti-malware and a firewall, and describe the real mechanism each one uses.
A software development company that wants to protect its computer systems and data from unauthorised access, asking for two software-based security methods it could use.
One software-based security method is anti-malware. It scans files and compares them against a database of known malware, and if a match is found it alerts the user and quarantines or deletes the infected file, stopping it from causing further damage.
A second, genuinely different method is a firewall. It scans incoming and outgoing network traffic and compares that traffic against a set of rules, blocking any traffic that does not meet those rules from entering or leaving the network.
Could you have written this? Every fact in this answer is drilled in our quizzes — the writing is the easy part once the evidence is automatic.
Practise security threats and preventionName a genuine threat that is different from the four threats already listed elsewhere in the question, spyware, brute-force attack, data interception and SQL injection, and describe how that threat actually works.
A question asking for a threat not already given in an earlier tick-box question, which listed spyware, brute-force attack, data interception and SQL injection.
One threat not already listed in question 4(a) is phishing. This involves fake emails being sent to a person, often disguised as a genuine organisation, which contain a link to a fake website or a request for personal information.
If the person clicks the link or replies with their details, they end up giving away personal data, such as login details or bank information, directly to whoever sent the fake email.
Could you have written this? Every fact in this answer is drilled in our quizzes — the writing is the easy part once the evidence is automatic.
Practise security threats and preventionThe topic changes by sitting — the mark scheme never does. Learn this once, then open your question above for that sitting’s sources and a full worked answer.
What is the primary purpose of a firewall?
Naming and describing a real security threat or protection method comes up in two of the three sittings we have, worth 3 to 6 marks. Practise explaining the actual mechanism, since a vague label without a real how rarely earns more than one mark.
Practise security threats and preventionThis appears in June 2022, choosing storage for a smart television, and in June 2024, choosing storage for a musician's computer.
Choose either magnetic or solid state secondary storage for a smart television and give real, matched justification points, worth 1 mark for the choice and up to 3 for justification.
A smart television that has secondary storage, asking for one appropriate type of secondary storage device to be identified and justified.
The smart television should use solid state secondary storage. Solid state storage has no moving parts, so it is more durable and can be moved without a risk of losing data, which suits a device that might be repositioned around a room.
Solid state storage also gives fast data access, so the television responds quickly when loading apps or content, and it produces less heat and uses less energy than magnetic storage, both useful qualities for a device that runs for long periods in a living room.
Could you have written this? Every fact in this answer is drilled in our quizzes — the writing is the easy part once the evidence is automatic.
Practise storage device justificationChoose either magnetic or solid state secondary storage for a musician's computer and give real, matched justification points, all 4 marks coming from the justification since no mark is given for the type alone.
A musician who has run out of storage space on their secondary storage device and needs to buy a replacement, asking for a choice of magnetic or solid state storage with justification.
The musician should buy a magnetic secondary storage device. Magnetic storage is usually cheaper per unit of data than solid state, which matters because the musician has run out of storage space and will likely need to buy a large amount of extra capacity.
Magnetic storage also offers a high storage capacity, which suits the musician's large sound files, especially if they are recorded at a high bit depth, and since the computer is unlikely to be moved regularly, magnetic storage's lower durability compared to solid state is not a significant drawback here.
Could you have written this? Every fact in this answer is drilled in our quizzes — the writing is the easy part once the evidence is automatic.
Practise storage device justificationThe topic changes by sitting — the mark scheme never does. Learn this once, then open your question above for that sitting’s sources and a full worked answer.
Which of the following is a characteristic of secondary storage?
Choosing between magnetic and solid state storage and justifying it comes up in two of the three sittings we have, worth 4 marks each time. Practise matching every justification point to the type you actually chose, since a mismatched point earns nothing.
Practise storage device justificationThis appears in June 2023, naming your own example beyond parking sensors and explaining why it is embedded, and in June 2024, explaining why the given Follow Me cruise control system is embedded.
Name a genuine embedded system in a car other than parking sensors, and explain why it counts as embedded, worth 1 mark for the example and up to 2 for the explanation.
A car that has many embedded systems, with parking sensors already given as an example, asking for a different embedded system to be identified and explained.
One other embedded system found in a car is the engine management system. It is an embedded system because it uses a dedicated microprocessor that only performs one specific job, controlling and monitoring the engine, rather than being a general-purpose computer that could run many different types of software.
It is also hard to change what the engine management system does: its dedicated microprocessor cannot be reused to run a different task, such as controlling the radio or the sat nav instead, so its function stays fixed rather than being freely changed or replaced like software on a general-purpose computer.
Could you have written this? Every fact in this answer is drilled in our quizzes — the writing is the easy part once the evidence is automatic.
Practise embedded systems questionsGive up to three genuine, distinct reasons the given cruise-control-based Follow Me system counts as an embedded system, such as its dedicated hardware, limited purpose, or fixed built-in software.
A car that has a Follow Me system using a cruise control feature to follow the car in front, keeping the same speed and distance without the driver's intervention, given as an example of an embedded system.
The Follow Me system is an embedded system because it has a specific purpose, keeping the same speed and distance as the car in front, and it only performs this one limited task rather than acting as a general-purpose computer.
It also has dedicated hardware and its own sensors built specifically for this task, and its instructions are built into firmware rather than being software the driver can freely install, update or change, unlike a general-purpose computer's software.
Could you have written this? Every fact in this answer is drilled in our quizzes — the writing is the easy part once the evidence is automatic.
Practise embedded systems questionsThe topic changes by sitting — the mark scheme never does. Learn this once, then open your question above for that sitting’s sources and a full worked answer.
Which of the following best describes an embedded system?
Explaining why a real car system is an embedded system comes up in two of the three sittings we have, worth 3 marks each time. Practise giving several genuinely distinct reasons, such as a limited purpose, dedicated hardware and fixed firmware, rather than repeating one idea.
Practise embedded systems questionsThis appears in June 2023, describing proprietary benefits to the developers and open source benefits to users, and in June 2024, as a full extended-response question discussing features, legal and ethical issues, and benefits and drawbacks, ending in a justified recommendation.
Give two benefits to the artist and programmer specifically of releasing their software as proprietary, worth 4 marks, then give one benefit to users specifically of releasing it as open source instead, worth 2 marks, real sub-questions Q5(d)(i) and Q5(d)(ii).
An artist and a programmer developing a new image-editing app for mobile telephones, deciding whether to release it as open source or proprietary software.
Releasing the software as proprietary would let the artist and programmer earn money by selling it for a fee or through licences that stop unauthorised use, and it also means no one else can see or edit the source code, which stops it being copied, resold or shared without their permission.
Releasing the software as open source instead would benefit users because they could view and edit the source code themselves, letting them tailor or improve the app to do exactly what they personally need, rather than being limited to only the features the original developers chose to include.
Could you have written this? Every fact in this answer is drilled in our quizzes — the writing is the easy part once the evidence is automatic.
Practise open source and proprietary licensing questionsCover the features, legal and ethical issues, and benefits and drawbacks of both open source and proprietary licensing for a downloadable game, then make and justify a clear recommendation to the programmer.
A computer programmer who has developed a computer game and wants to release it for users to download over the internet, deciding whether to release it as open source or proprietary software.
I would recommend the programmer releases the game as proprietary software. Proprietary licensing means the programmer sells the game at a cost and does not allow users to access or change the source code, whereas open source usually means the game is free to access, and users can view, change and redistribute the code themselves.
Legally and ethically, both licences still give the programmer copyright over the game, but open source allows far more people to access, adapt and potentially resell the code, or claim parts of it as their own, which is a genuine risk for a programmer who wants to protect their original work and continue earning from it.
The main benefit of proprietary licensing here is that the programmer can earn money directly from selling the game and keeps full control over how it is used, which matters because this is the programmer's own original work released specifically to be downloaded by users, likely as a commercial product. A drawback is that proprietary licensing gives the game a smaller potential audience than open source, since some users are unwilling or unable to pay, and no outside developers can help fix bugs or add features for free.
Weighing this up, since the programmer created the game themselves and is releasing it specifically to be downloaded, likely wanting to earn money and protect their work from being copied or resold by others, proprietary licensing is the better fit here, even though it does mean giving up the wider reach and free community support that open source could offer.
Could you have written this? Every fact in this answer is drilled in our quizzes — the writing is the easy part once the evidence is automatic.
Practise open source and proprietary licensing questionsThe topic changes by sitting — the mark scheme never does. Learn this once, then open your question above for that sitting’s sources and a full worked answer.
Which law makes it illegal to access a computer system without permission?
Weighing open source against proprietary licensing comes up in two of the three sittings we have, worth 6 to 8 marks. Practise ending with a clear, justified recommendation, since OCR's own mark scheme specifically rewards this at the top band.
Practise open source and proprietary licensing questionsThis appears in June 2022, discussing AI monitoring social media posts, and in June 2023, discussing a shopping centre's facial recognition CCTV upgrade.
Weigh genuine positive and negative consequences of AI monitoring user posts on a social networking website, covering real legal issues, real ethical issues, and real privacy issues, each with a specific, weighed judgement rather than a list of unconnected facts.
A social networking website that uses artificial intelligence to monitor posts from its users, to be discussed for its positive and negative uses covering legal, ethical and privacy issues.
AI monitoring gives a real legal benefit, since it can automatically check posts against the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act, flagging videos or images that plagiarise someone else's work far faster than a human moderator could review every single post manually, while also helping the platform meet its Data Protection Act obligations by controlling how the personal data within those posts is processed.
Ethically, however, monitoring every post raises a genuine tension: users may not want everything they post monitored, and an AI system can incorrectly flag or block posts that were actually harmless, unfairly restricting a user's freedom to post, which is a real cost even though the same system also stops genuinely illegal or harmful material reaching other users.
On privacy, users may feel they are being watched constantly, which is a genuine cost to how safe or free people feel using the platform, but at the same time many users may actually prefer an automated system quietly analysing their posts over the alternative of human staff personally reading everything they write, since an algorithm has no personal interest in the specific content of any one person's posts.
Weighing all three issues together, the legal and ethical case for using AI to catch clearly illegal or harmful content is strong, since manual moderation genuinely cannot review every post at this scale, but the platform should be transparent with users about what is monitored and give a clear way to challenge an incorrect flag, since the privacy and ethical cost of an unchecked, opaque system falls disproportionately on ordinary users who have done nothing wrong.
Could you have written this? Every fact in this answer is drilled in our quizzes — the writing is the easy part once the evidence is automatic.
Practise ethical, legal and privacy discussion questionsWeigh genuine positive and negative consequences of a shopping centre upgrading its CCTV to use facial recognition, identifying and tracking individuals, covering real ethical issues, real privacy issues, and real legal issues, each with a specific, weighed judgement.
A shopping centre with an existing CCTV security system, being upgraded to include facial recognition that can identify, track the movements of and record individuals throughout the centre.
Legally, the shopping centre must follow the Data Protection Act, meaning it needs to tell customers the facial recognition system is in use, hold the recorded data securely, and only keep it for a specified and justified length of time, but a genuine legal benefit is that the recordings can also be used as evidence to identify people committing crimes such as theft, helping make sure the correct people are caught rather than an innocent person being wrongly accused.
Ethically, some users may feel safer knowing that any wrongdoing is being monitored and will be acted on, while others may feel it is an invasion of their normal, everyday activity to be personally identified and tracked throughout the centre even when they have done nothing wrong, especially since many customers will be unaware the system exists or have not been asked to give their consent.
On privacy, being identified by name and tracked throughout a shopping centre is a far more personal level of surveillance than ordinary CCTV footage, which only shows an anonymous image rather than confirming exactly who someone is and where they went, so the centre must weigh this loss of anonymity against the genuine security benefit facial recognition specifically provides over standard cameras.
Weighing all three issues together, facial recognition offers a genuine security and evidential benefit over standard CCTV, but because it identifies and tracks named individuals rather than just recording anonymous footage, the shopping centre should be transparent about the upgrade, clearly display that facial recognition is in use, and limit how long identified data is kept, since the ethical and privacy cost of silent, indefinite tracking would outweigh the security benefit for the vast majority of customers who are simply shopping.
Could you have written this? Every fact in this answer is drilled in our quizzes — the writing is the easy part once the evidence is automatic.
Practise ethical, legal and privacy discussion questionsThe topic changes by sitting — the mark scheme never does. Learn this once, then open your question above for that sitting’s sources and a full worked answer.
Which of the following best describes a digital footprint?
Discussing the legal, ethical and privacy impact of a real AI or surveillance technology ends two of the three sittings we have, worth 8 marks. Practise weighing a genuine cost against a genuine benefit for each issue, since a one-sided answer caps you in the middle band.
Practise ethical, legal and privacy discussion questionsAcross the three sittings we have full papers for, Paper 1's overall structure and total marks, 80, never changed, but unlike Paper 2, not every archetype below appears in all three sittings; several genuinely only appear in two of the three, which we have stated honestly for each row.
Boolean logic, logic gates and truth tables · SQL and relational databases · Trace tables and tracing a given algorithm · Writing a complete function, procedure or program in OCR Exam Reference Language · Sorting and searching algorithms written as code
These topics are genuinely part of the OCR J277 specification, but they belong to Paper 2 (J277/02, Computational thinking, algorithms and programming), not Paper 1, and did not appear as a standalone question on any Paper 1 sitting we analysed, so do not build your Paper 1 revision plan around them.
Broadly, in all three sittings we have full papers for. Every sitting totalled 80 marks in 1 hour 30 minutes, with no calculator allowed, moving through systems architecture, memory and storage, networks, network security, systems software, and ethical, legal, cultural and environmental issues. Each sitting includes one extended-response question worth 8 marks, marked with an asterisk, but it is not always in the same place or the last question: it was Q4 in June 2022 and June 2024, and Q6 in June 2023, with further questions always following it. Always check your own paper's front cover to confirm, since OCR can make real changes in any future series.
For OCR's J277 specification, Paper 1 (Computer systems) covers systems architecture, memory and storage, networks, network security, systems software, and ethical, legal, cultural and environmental issues, with no programming or pseudocode content at all. Paper 2 (Computational thinking, algorithms and programming) covers Boolean logic, logic gates, truth tables, SQL and databases, and all of the OCR Exam Reference Language programming content, including trace tables and writing functions or procedures. If you are looking for logic gates, SQL or program-writing questions, they belong on our Paper 2 page, not this one.
According to the real mark schemes for these three sittings, both the AI or surveillance discussion question and the June 2024 licensing question are marked using a 3-band level of response scheme, worth up to 8 marks. The top band, worth 6 to 8 marks, requires thorough, accurate knowledge applied directly and consistently to the specific scenario, weighing both sides of the discussion with a well-developed, clearly structured line of reasoning. Simply listing facts about each side without ever weighing one against the other caps an answer in the middle band, worth 3 to 5 marks, even if every individual fact given is accurate.
According to the real mark schemes for these three sittings, marks on the binary and hexadecimal conversion questions are very often lost by giving only a final answer with no genuine working shown, since several of these questions award a separate working mark that a correct answer alone does not earn. On the storage-justification and network-benefit questions, the most repeated cause of lost marks was giving a benefit or justification with no real expansion or application to the specific scenario, such as saying cheaper or easier with nothing further, which OCR's mark scheme explicitly does not credit on its own.
Yes. Across the three sittings we have full papers for, Paper 1 has included a genuine data table to complete for binary, denary and hexadecimal conversions in June 2023 and June 2024, a table of CPU components and their definitions in June 2022, and a genuine star topology network diagram to draw from scratch in June 2024. Practising with real tables and diagrams, not just plain-text questions, is worth doing specifically for this paper.
Every question type on this page has practice questions waiting in the app, built the way OCR actually structures Paper 1.
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