Paper 1 Algorithmic Representation Drills

These are original Paper 1-style practice questions. They use concrete algorithm representations so the answers can be checked exactly.

Detailed answers are in Paper 1 Algorithmic Representation Answers.

Revise the topic hub first:

• Algorithmic Representation

Questions

Question 1: Flowchart Symbols

Match each operation to the most suitable flowchart symbol.

Operation	Symbol
Start the algorithm
Input mark
Calculate total = total + mark
Test mark >= 50?

[4]

Question 2: Selection Trace

Trace this pseudocode for score = 72 and score = 45.

IF score >= 70 THEN
    grade <- "A"
ELSE
    grade <- "Not A"
ENDIF
OUTPUT grade

For each input, state the condition result, branch taken, and output. [4]

Question 3: Iteration Trace

Complete the trace for this pseudocode.

count <- 1
total <- 0
WHILE count <= 4
    total <- total + count
    count <- count + 1
ENDWHILE
OUTPUT total

Show the value of count and total after each loop iteration, and state the final output. [5]

Question 4: Decision Table

A user may access a resource only when all three conditions are true:

• logged_in
• paid_fee
• not_suspended

Complete this decision table.

logged_in	paid_fee	not_suspended	Action
True	True	True
True	True	False
True	False	True
True	False	False
False	True	True
False	True	False
False	False	True
False	False	False

[6]

Question 5: Pseudocode Meaning

In the pseudocode below, identify one example of sequence, one example of selection, and one example of iteration.

total <- 0
FOR i <- 1 TO 3
    INPUT mark
    IF mark >= 50 THEN
        total <- total + mark
    ENDIF
NEXT i
OUTPUT total

[3]

Question 6: Modular Decomposition

A quiz program must:

1. read five questions and answers from a file;
2. ask the user each question;
3. compare the user’s answer with the stored answer;
4. display the final score.

Suggest three suitable modules and state each module’s responsibility. [6]

Question 7: Flowchart Correction

A flowchart for validating a mark has this logic:

Input mark
Decision: mark > 0 AND mark < 100?
Yes -> accept mark
No -> input mark again

Identify two boundary-value weaknesses and give the corrected condition. [4]

Question 8: Input Validation Representation

Write pseudocode to repeatedly request mark until it is an integer from 0 to 100 inclusive. [5]

Question 9: Decision Table Limit

A decision table has five independent Boolean conditions, which is beyond the H2 Computing decision-table limit for this topic.

How many possible condition combinations are there, and why can this make the table harder to use? [2]

Question 10: Representation Choice

For each task, choose the most suitable representation from pseudocode, flowchart, or decision table, and justify briefly.

Task	Representation
show the step-by-step logic for calculating an average from a list
show whether a loan is approved based on age, income, and debt status
show a visual overview of a login loop with a retry decision

[3]

Review Checklist

After attempting these questions, check whether you can:

• identify standard flowchart symbols;
• trace selection and iteration using exact values;
• complete a decision table from stated conditions;
• choose representations based on what each representation makes clear;
• write validation pseudocode with correct boundary conditions.