2.2.2 Computational Methods Exam Questions
Paper 2 · Algorithms & Programming · 9 past paper questions · 59 marks
Exam questions for 2.2.2 Computational methods
9 OCR past paper questions (59 marks) with mark schemes
Answer each question, reveal the mark scheme, then award yourself marks. Scores and answers are saved in this browser so you can see which topics need more work.
Download Questions & Mark Scheme (PDF)Past paper questions
- Question 1H446/02 · June 202412 marks
A company runs a Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) with over 10,000 schools and up to 1000 students each. Discuss how the company can use data mining to decide how to improve the VLE. Include: characteristics of data mining, benefits and drawbacks in this scenario.
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Levels of response (12 marks) Characteristics: Analyzing large datasets / Finding patterns and trends / Statistical analysis / Machine learning techniques Benefits: Identify popular/unpopular content / Track student engagement / Personalize learning / Predict at-risk students Drawbacks: Privacy concerns / Data protection issues / Correlation vs causation / May miss qualitative factorsMark yourself: how many marks did you get?/ 12 - Question 2H446/029 marks
Discuss how heuristics can be used in algorithms for a computer game. Include: purpose of heuristics, benefits and drawbacks, suitability in a computer game.
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Levels of response (9 marks) Purpose: Provide approximate solutions / Speed up decision making / Reduce computation time Benefits: Faster than exhaustive search / Good enough solutions / Suitable for real-time Drawbacks: Not guaranteed optimal / May miss best solution / Depends on quality of heuristic Suitability: Games need quick responses / Perfect solutions not always necessary / AI opponents need to make decisions quicklyMark yourself: how many marks did you get?/ 9 - Question 3H446/02 · June 20239 marks
Discuss how programmers could make use of problem recognition and problem decomposition when designing a delivery driver scheduling system.
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Levels of response (9 marks) Problem recognition: Identifying this is a scheduling/routing problem / Similar to travelling salesman / Recognizing constraints (time windows, capacity) Decomposition: Split into route planning, scheduling, driver assignment / Break down into manageable modules / Each can be solved separately Benefits: Recognition allows using known algorithms / Decomposition enables team work / Easier to test and maintainMark yourself: how many marks did you get?/ 9 - Question 4H446/02 · June 20214 marks
Amy's processor makes use of pipelining during the fetch-decode-execute cycle. The processor's pipeline consists of the following stages: • Fetching the instruction from memory • Decoding the instruction • Executing the instruction. Instructions A, B, C and D need to be processed. Identify the stage(s) and instruction(s) run during each of Pipeline 1, Pipeline 2, Pipeline 3 and Pipeline 4.
Pipeline 1 Pipeline 2 Pipeline 3 Pipeline 4 Show mark scheme
Pipeline 1: Fetch A Pipeline 2: Fetch B, Decode A Pipeline 3: Fetch C, Decode B, Execute A Pipeline 4: Fetch D, Decode C, Execute B (4 marks - 1 per correct pipeline)Mark yourself: how many marks did you get?/ 4 - Question 5H446/02 · June 20219 marks
Evaluate how Taylor can use data mining to inform future changes to improve his game with thousands of users.
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Levels of response (9 marks) How: Collect gameplay data / Analyze player behavior / Track progression / Monitor engagement metrics Benefits: Identify popular features / Find difficulty spikes / Understand player preferences Evaluation: Useful for evidence-based decisions / Must balance with player privacy / Data quality importantMark yourself: how many marks did you get?/ 9 - Question 6H446/02 · June 20192 marks
Explain how decomposition can aid the design of a computer game program.
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Breaking problem into smaller sub-problems / Each sub-problem can be solved independently / Makes the problem more manageable / Allows different team members to work on different parts / Easier to test individual components (2 marks)Mark yourself: how many marks did you get?/ 2 - Question 7H446/02 · June 20199 marks
Evaluate the use of data mining to help Benedict enhance and improve his social networking website.
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Levels of response (9 marks) Uses: Analyze user interactions / Identify trending content / Detect spam/abuse / Recommend connections Benefits: Better user experience / Targeted advertising / Identify at-risk users Drawbacks: Privacy concerns / Ethical issues with manipulation / GDPR compliance / Echo chambersMark yourself: how many marks did you get?/ 9 - Question 8H446/021 mark
Define the term 'data mining'.
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The process of analyzing large amounts of data to discover patterns and relationships / Extracting useful information from large datasets (1 mark)Mark yourself: how many marks did you get?/ 1 - Question 9H446/02 · June 20184 marks
Identify two pieces of information that data mining could provide OCRRetail about sales, and state how OCRRetail could make use of this information.
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1. Popular products/buying patterns → Stock more of these items / Create promotions 2. Customer segments/demographics → Target marketing / Personalize recommendations 3. Seasonal trends → Plan inventory / Timing of sales 4. Cross-selling opportunities → Bundle products / Recommend related items (4 marks - 1 for info, 1 for use, x2)Mark yourself: how many marks did you get?/ 4
- 1Divide and conquer: Binary search, quicksort, mergesort
- 2Backtracking: Try path, if fails backtrack, try alternative
- 3Heuristics: Approximate solution when exact impractical (e.g., TSP)
- 4Data mining: Find patterns in large datasets (e.g., supermarket sales)
- •Practice answering questions under timed conditions
- •Check your answers against the mark scheme carefully
- •Focus on understanding the marking points, not just memorising answers
- •Review past paper questions from multiple years to spot patterns