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Answers

F13.1 How your exam works

Exam preparation · GCSE · about 15 min

BugBotLab

What this lesson is about

The papers for each board, command words, and planning your time by the marks.

Questions 5 marks in all

  1. [1 mark]A question starts with "Explain". What must your answer include?

    1. AA reason: why or how
    2. BOnly the fact
    3. CA drawing
    4. DA conclusion and both sides
    Answer: A. Describe says what happens; explain says why or how.

  2. [1 mark]A question is worth 4 marks. What does that usually mean?

    1. AFour separate points are wanted
    2. BWrite for four minutes exactly
    3. CFour sentences on one point
    4. DIt is the hardest question
    Answer: A. One mark, one point. Repeating a point four times scores once.

  3. [1 mark]Which command word asks for both sides and a judgement?

    1. ADiscuss
    2. BState
    3. CIdentify
    4. DDescribe
    Answer: A. Discuss and evaluate both want an argument and a conclusion.

  4. [1 mark]A paper is 80 marks in 120 minutes. How many minutes a mark?

    Answer: 1.5. 120 ÷ 80.

  5. [1 mark]How much coursework counts towards your GCSE computer science grade?

    1. ANone: it is all exams
    2. BHalf
    3. CA quarter
    4. DIt depends on the school
    Answer: A. The programming work you do is preparation for the exams, not a mark.

The task: your timing plan

Take each paper in turn. Print <name>: <n> minutes a mark to one decimal place, then, for each question size in sizes, print <name> <marks>-mark question: <n> min rounded to the nearest whole minute. When both papers are done, print total marks: <n> and total minutes: <n>.

# the two lines every program starts with: the commands, then the robot
from bugbot import *
connect()

# name, marks, minutes
papers = [("Paper 1", 80, 90), ("Paper 2", 75, 120)]
sizes = [1, 3, 6]

The hint students can ask for: Minutes a mark is the paper's minutes divided by its marks. A question's time is that rate times its marks, rounded. Keep running totals of the marks and the minutes as you go.

A solution

from bugbot import *
connect()
papers = [("Paper 1", 80, 90), ("Paper 2", 75, 120)]
sizes = [1, 3, 6]
total_marks = 0
total_minutes = 0
for name, marks, minutes in papers:
    rate = minutes / marks
    print(f"{name}: {rate:.1f} minutes a mark")
    for size in sizes:
        print(f"{name} {size}-mark question: {rate * size:.0f} min")
    total_marks = total_marks + marks
    total_minutes = total_minutes + minutes
print("total marks:", total_marks)
print("total minutes:", total_minutes)

Any program that meets the task's checks is marked correct in the simulator; this is one way, not the only way.