How IGCSE Computer Science (0478) is really marked
In our bank, IGCSE Computer Science runs across six papers (11, 12, 13, 21, 22, 23), and marking is overwhelmingly point-marked: 752 of the questions in our bank award marks for specific creditable points, against only 20 calculation questions and a small handful of level-marked and hybrid questions (2 points-with-levels, 12 pure-levels). Almost every mark is discrete — you either state the right fact, name the right term, or give the right characteristic, and the mark is there or it isn't.
Papers 11–13 are almost entirely points-marked (158, 152 and 157 of their questions respectively, with only a few calculation items), so precision of wording matters more than length of answer. Papers 21–23 carry the small pockets of pure-levels marking (4 per paper) alongside the points questions — these are the extended-answer or algorithm-tracing questions where the examiner reads the whole response and judges its overall quality rather than ticking off isolated facts.
Because points marking dominates, the practical skill this subject rewards is answering exactly what was asked, in the terms the mark scheme expects — not writing more, but writing the specific thing that matches a creditable point.
Where candidates actually lose marks
- Describing the general benefits or features of something instead of what the question actually asked for — for example, giving the benefits of a compiler rather than describing how it operates, or describing named features rather than giving an example of one. (try the question)
- Circling or naming the wrong category of hardware — for example marking RAM or ROM when secondary storage was asked for, because they sit in primary storage. (try the question)
- Giving an answer that is technically true but not specific enough — vague phrases like 'it uses magnets' or 'binary is what the computer understands' don't state the actual mechanism the mark scheme is looking for. (try the question)
- Stopping partway through a multi-step process instead of completing the description — for example stating that data is broken into packets and each takes a different route, without going on to say what happens to them at the destination. (try the question)
- Applying a general textbook description of how a system works without relating it to the specific scenario given in the question, so the answer misses the context-specific detail the mark scheme rewards. (try the question)
- Choosing the answer that sounds intuitively right but is a common misconception — for example assuming low-level languages are harder to debug because 'high-level' sounds more advanced, when the reverse benefit is what's being tested. (try the question)
- Naming the components involved in a process without describing their actual role in it, when the question asks for the role rather than the name. (try the question)
- Mixing together two contrasting methods in one answer rather than describing them separately, when the question expects both methods to be clearly distinguished. (try the question)
- In an extended data-handling question, adding processing steps that aren't required by the task (for example re-entering data that was already stored) or placing outputs inside or outside the wrong loop when working with a two-dimensional array. (try the question)
- Giving advantages that apply to a business or its owners rather than to the group specified in the question — for example listing benefits of automation for a company rather than for its employees. (try the question)
Command words in IGCSE Computer Science
| Command word | Times in our bank | What it demands |
|---|---|---|
| Give | 138 | Asks for a short, specific answer — a term, an example or a fact — with no explanation required. Extra detail beyond the fact itself earns nothing. |
| Identify | 137 | Requires picking out the correct item, term or feature from the material given, often from a diagram, code extract or list of options. |
| Complete | 101 | Used for filling in a diagram, table or trace table — every gap has its own correct entry, so partial or vague completions lose the marks for that row. |
| State | 90 | Wants a brief, precise statement of fact — a definition or named item — without justification or elaboration. |
| Explain | 85 | Needs a reason or mechanism, not just a description — you must say why or how something happens, linking cause to effect. |
| Describe | 76 | Requires a sequence of characteristics or steps in the right order; a single word rarely earns full marks where the mark scheme lists a process. |
| Calculate | 48 | Needs a numerical answer with the method shown — for conversions and binary arithmetic, marks can be available for correct working even if the final figure is wrong. |
| Write | 47 | Used for producing code or pseudocode; the mark scheme credits correct syntax and logic line by line, so partial programs can still pick up marks. |
How to revise with past papers
Because most marks in this subject are for specific, discrete points, the most useful thing past-paper practice can do is train you to spot exactly what a question is asking for before you write anything. Read the command word first, then check whether the question is set in a particular scenario (a school network, a water-bowl sensor system) — many lost marks in our bank come from giving a correct general answer that wasn't tied to that scenario.
Work through trace tables, binary conversions and pseudocode questions slowly and show every step. In a subject marked mostly point by point, an unsupported final answer earns nothing if a stage of working was expected, and a correct method with a slip in the final line can still pick up most of the marks.
After marking a paper, go back over any question where your answer was 'roughly right but not quite'. In a points-marked subject, roughly right usually means no mark at all — the discipline to build is answering with the precise term or step the mark scheme wants, not the closest description you can think of.
Practise real 0478 questions with AI marking →FAQs
Is IGCSE Computer Science mostly about calculations?
No. In our bank only 20 of the questions across all six papers are calculation-based; the overwhelming majority (752) are point-marked, rewarding specific correct facts, terms and descriptions rather than numerical working.
Which papers include level-marked answers?
Papers 21, 22 and 23 each contain a small number of pure-levels questions (4 per paper), plus one points-with-levels question each. Papers 11, 12 and 13 are almost entirely points-marked.
What command word should I expect most often?
Give is the most frequent command word in our bank (138 uses), closely followed by Identify (137) — both demand short, specific answers rather than explanation.
Do I need to show working for calculation questions?
Yes where a method is expected. In this subject's calculation questions — number-base conversions and binary arithmetic — marks are available for correct working, so showing your steps protects you if the final answer slips.