Databases — IGCSE Computer Science (0478) questions by topic
Database questions use real table scenarios, such as a shop's SoftDrinks table or a museum's Hangar1 aircraft table, to ask candidates to state record and field counts, complete SQL statements with WHERE and AND clauses, and identify a suitable primary key with a reason. Complete, state, give, explain and identify are the command words, with complete for SQL meaning syntactically correct and matching the exact field names given.
16 real questions from 2023 to 2025 papers make up this page, worth 6 to 11 marks. Because a single wrong data type or missing AND breaks a whole SQL statement, submitting your completed queries for instant marking is the fastest way to check the syntax and field names before moving to the next scenario.
What examiners look for
- A recurring mistake is stating the number of columns, or the number of rows including the header row, instead of the number of fields or records.
- Examiners also flag using string as a database data type instead of text, not putting punctuation in an output, not using AND in the WHERE clause, and not copying field names correctly.
- Strong answers correctly stated the number of records in a table, and most identified a code field as the primary key with the reason that it uniquely identifies each record.
- Reports praise candidates who identified suitable data types for given fields and who listed all the data extracted by an SQL statement in the correct order.
May–June 2025, Paper 21
A bus company has set up a new database table called BUS to store details of the buses leaving the main bus terminal. Identify one appropriate data type for the field Return.
Answer this question and get it marked →May–June 2025, Paper 22
A database table, CapitalCity, stores data about capital cities from around the world (see shared stimulus). Complete the table by writing one appropriate field from CapitalCity…
Answer this question and get it marked →May–June 2025, Paper 23
A computer store uses a database table COMPONENT to store the stock details of a range of components needed to build computer systems. Complete the table by giving appropriate…
Answer this question and get it marked →May–June 2024, Paper 21
A database table called SoftDrinks stores details of the soft drinks sold by a small shop. Fields: Name (e.g. Cola), Supplier (e.g. Cambridge Beverages), Container (e.g. Can),…
Answer this question and get it marked →May–June 2024, Paper 22
A television subscription service has a new database table named Contract to store details of their subscribers' contracts. Fields: ContractNumber (e.g. CT567), Months (e.g. 6),…
Answer this question and get it marked →May–June 2024, Paper 23
A database table called Hangar1 stores details of a collection of historic aircraft at a museum. Fields: ID, Make, Model, Year, Engines, Airworthy. The table contains 11 records…
Answer this question and get it marked →October–November 2024, Paper 21
A shop that sells cheese has set up a new database table called CheeseStock to store details of the cheeses available to buy. The table has the fields: ChNo, Name, InStock,…
Answer this question and get it marked →October–November 2024, Paper 22
A database table called Booking12 stores details of hotel rooms and bookings for the week beginning Monday 7 July 2025. Fields: RoomNo, Type, Guests, Rate$, Mon, Tue, Wed, Thu,…
Answer this question and get it marked →October–November 2024, Paper 23
Complete the paragraph about databases. Use terms from the list. You may need to use a term more than once. Some of the terms in the list will not be used. List: fields, comments,…
Answer this question and get it marked →Building materials are sold in bags. A new database table called BuildStock has been set up to store details about the materials for sale. Fields: MtNo, Name, InStock, WeightKg,…
Answer this question and get it marked →May–June 2023, Paper 21
A database table called TVRange shows the main features and prices of a range of televisions. Fields: TVCode, ScreenSize, Satellite, SmartTV, SoundBar, Price$. Each row has a…
Answer this question and get it marked →May–June 2023, Paper 22
A music streaming service has a new database table named Songs to store details of songs available for streaming. The table contains the fields: SongNumber (catalogue number, e.g.…
Answer this question and get it marked →May–June 2023, Paper 23
A database table called Site1 stores details of some holiday homes at a holiday park, showing the type of home, number of guests, whether it is privately owned and the weekly rate…
Answer this question and get it marked →October–November 2023, Paper 21
A model shop wants to set up a database to help with stock control of model figures. The shop wants to store: Field 1 – catalogue number (e.g. MD1234); Field 2 – description (e.g.…
Answer this question and get it marked →October–November 2023, Paper 22
A database table called Horses stores details about the horses kept at a horse sanctuary. Fields: Code, Breed, BreedOrigin, Gender, Age, Arrived. The table contains 18 records…
Answer this question and get it marked →October–November 2023, Paper 23
A sanctuary for pheasants has set up a new database table called PheasantList to store details of the different species of bird. Fields: Species, Description, NumberBirds,…
Answer this question and get it marked →Other IGCSE Computer Science topics
- Hardware (108)
- Algorithm design and problem-solving (43)
- Data representation (26)
- The internet and its uses (23)
- Data transmission (21)
- Boolean logic (19)
- Automated and emerging technologies (13)
- Software (12)
- Programming (11)