Level:
Correct: 0
Incorrect: 0
Marks: 0/0
Exam Practice
Subject:
Topics:
Cambridge IGCSE Computer Science (Paper 1) Smart practice A mixed round aimed at your weak spots
Unit 1
Data representation
Number systems
Binary, denary and hexadecimal conversions
0%
Uses of hexadecimal
0%
Binary addition and overflow
0%
Logical binary shifts
0%
Two's complement
0%
Text, sound and images
Character sets: ASCII and Unicode
0%
Representing sound
0%
Representing images
0%
Data storage and compression
Data storage units and file size calculations
0%
Data compression
0%
Unit 2
Data transmission
Types and methods of data transmission
Packets and packet switching
0%
Methods of data transmission
0%
The USB interface
0%
Methods of error detection
Parity, checksum and echo check
0%
Check digits and ARQ
0%
Encryption
Encryption
0%
Unit 3
Hardware
Computer architecture
The CPU, Von Neumann architecture and the FDE cycle
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Cores, cache and clock speed
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Instruction sets and embedded systems
0%
Input and output devices
Input devices
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Output devices
0%
Sensors
0%
Data storage
Primary storage: RAM and ROM
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Secondary storage: magnetic, optical and solid-state
0%
Virtual memory and cloud storage
0%
Network hardware
Network hardware: NIC, MAC and IP addresses, routers
0%
Unit 4
Software
Types of software and interrupts
System software, application software and operating systems
0%
Firmware and interrupts
0%
Programming languages, translators and IDEs
High-level languages, low-level languages and assembly language
0%
Compilers and interpreters
0%
Integrated development environments (IDEs)
0%
Unit 5
The internet and its uses
The internet and the world wide web
The internet, the world wide web, URLs and HTTP(S)
0%
Web browsers, locating web pages and cookies
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Digital currency
Digital currency and blockchain
0%
Cyber security
Cyber security threats
0%
Keeping data safe: security solutions
0%
Unit 6
Automated and emerging technologies
Automated systems
Automated systems
0%
Robotics
Robotics
0%
Artificial intelligence
Artificial intelligence
0%
Avg
score:
–
Topics
done:
0/39

Output devices

Practise 29 exam-style questions on Output devices for Cambridge IGCSE Computer Science (Paper 1). Write your answer as you would in the exam and get it marked in seconds against the mark scheme, point by point, with an AI tutor on hand if you get stuck.

  • 29 questions
  • 1–6 marks each
  • Instant marking
  • No sign-up needed
20 questions, marked as you go

Sample questions with model answers

Here are 4 of the questions in this topic, each with a model answer, an explanation of why it earns the marks and the mark scheme an examiner would use.

Question 1

1 mark

An architect has designed a new building using computer-aided design (CAD) software. She wants a solid scale model of the building to show to her client.

Identify the most suitable output device for producing the model.

Model answer

A 3D printer.

Explanation

A 3D printer takes a CAD design and builds a solid object layer by layer. Be careful not to confuse it with a 3D scanner, which is an input device that captures the shape of an existing object.

Mark scheme
  1. 1 mark

    3D printer

    do not accept '3D scanner' or 'printer' on its own

Question 2

2 marks

A solicitors' office prints several hundred pages of black-and-white legal documents every day.

Give two reasons why a laser printer would be suitable for this office.

Model answer

A laser printer prints a whole page at a time, so it can produce hundreds of pages quickly. Its toner cartridges last for thousands of pages, so the cost per page is low and staff do not need to keep replacing ink.

Explanation

Laser printers are designed for high-volume printing: they are fast, toner lasts a long time and the cost per page is low, and the printed text is sharp and does not smudge. Answers should be linked to the large volume of printing; 'it is better' or 'it is cheap' is too vague to earn a mark.

Mark scheme
  1. 1 mark

    Fast printing / prints many pages per minute (prints a whole page at a time)

    max 2

  2. 1 mark

    Toner cartridges last for many pages / large paper trays, so suitable for high-volume printing with less refilling

  3. 1 mark

    Low cost per page

    do not accept 'cheap' on its own

  4. 1 mark

    Produces sharp, high-quality text that does not smudge

  5. 1 mark

    Quiet in operation (suitable for an office)

Question 3

3 marks

Inkjet printers use either thermal bubble technology or piezoelectric technology to force droplets of ink onto the paper.

Describe how one of these technologies forces ink onto the paper.

Model answer

Thermal bubble: tiny resistors in the print head heat the ink in a nozzle so that it vaporises and forms a tiny bubble. The bubble expands and forces a droplet of ink out of the nozzle onto the paper. When the bubble collapses it creates a vacuum that draws more ink into the nozzle from the cartridge, ready for the next droplet.

Explanation

Both technologies push out tiny droplets of ink, one from each nozzle, but in different ways: thermal bubble uses heat to make a bubble, piezoelectric uses a crystal that vibrates when an electric charge is applied. Only one method is asked for, so the marks come from one description; mixing the two (for example a heated crystal) does not earn credit.

Mark scheme
  1. 1 mark

    Thermal bubble: tiny resistors heat the ink (in the nozzle)

    max 3 from ONE technology only

  2. 1 mark

    Thermal bubble: the ink vaporises/boils, forming a tiny bubble

  3. 1 mark

    Thermal bubble: the bubble expands and forces a droplet of ink out of the nozzle onto the paper

  4. 1 mark

    Thermal bubble: as the bubble collapses it creates a vacuum which draws more ink into the nozzle from the cartridge

  5. 1 mark

    Piezoelectric: a crystal is located at the back of the ink reservoir of each nozzle

  6. 1 mark

    Piezoelectric: the crystal is given a tiny electric charge/current

  7. 1 mark

    Piezoelectric: the crystal vibrates/changes shape, forcing a droplet of ink out of the nozzle onto the paper

  8. 1 mark

    Piezoelectric: more ink is then drawn in from the cartridge for the next droplet

Question 4

4 marks

Describe how a liquid crystal display (LCD) projector produces a full-colour image on a screen.

Model answer

A bulb inside the projector produces a powerful beam of white light. The beam is sent to a set of special mirrors that split it into red, green and blue light. Each colour then passes through its own LCD panel, whose pixels either let the light through or block it to form that colour's part of the image. A prism combines the three coloured images into one full-colour image, which passes through a lens and is projected onto the screen.

Explanation

An LCD projector uses three LCD panels, one for each primary colour of light, and combines their images with a prism. This is the older technology; a DLP projector instead uses a single chip of micromirrors and a colour wheel. Mixing the two descriptions (for example micromirrors and a prism) is a common error.

Mark scheme
  1. 1 mark

    A powerful beam of white light is produced by a bulb/lamp

    max 4

  2. 1 mark

    The light is sent to special (dichroic/chromatic-coated) mirrors which split it into red, green and blue light

  3. 1 mark

    Each colour passes through its own LCD panel (three LCD panels)

  4. 1 mark

    The pixels of each LCD panel let light through or block it, forming the red, green and blue parts of the image

  5. 1 mark

    The three images are combined using a (special) prism into one full-colour image

  6. 1 mark

    The image passes through a lens which projects it onto the screen

Ready to try the rest? Every answer you write is marked against the mark scheme, so you can see exactly where the marks are.

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