Computer Science · May / June 2026 · Paper 21 · Question 12

Use the tables for AO2 and AO3 below to award a mark in a suitable band using a best fit approach Then add up the total.

Marks are available for:

Data Structures required names shown underlined must be used as given in the scenario arrays or lists Sunshine, MonthDays

(Year and Month may be seen but no requirement to store)

Requirements (techniques)

R1 input year, calculates if leap year, updates MonthDays[] if appropriate, input month name (selection and input)

R2 inputs and validates the daily minutes for the month, calculates the total minutes and finds the highest daily sunshine (validation, iteration, selection, totalling)

R3 outputs the year, month, highest daily sunshine for the month, calculate and output the total sunshine in hours and minutes (output)

Example 15-mark answer in pseudocode.

// programming techniques of iteration, selection, totalling, and output are used

Hours ← 0

Minutes ← 0

MaxHours ← 0

MaxMinutes ← 0

Max ← 0

Days ← 0

Total ← 0

// R1

/////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// OUTPUT "Please enter a year"

INPUT Year

IF MOD(Year, 4) = 0 // updating array if leap year

THEN

MonthDays[2] = 29

ELSE

MonthDays[2] = 28

ENDIF

// entering a month and assigning the

// number of days to variable

OUTPUT "Please enter a month"

INPUT Month

Month1 ← LCASE(Month) // converting to lowercase for use in case // statement – keeping original for output

// R2

///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// CASE OF Month1

"january" : Days ← MonthDays[1]

"february" : Days ← MonthDays[2]

"march" : Days ← MonthDays[3]

ENDCASE

FOR Count ← 1 to Days // inputting sunshine for each day and validating REPEAT // in a valid range

OUTPUT "Please enter sunshine for day in minutes ", Count

INPUT Sun

UNTIL Sun >= 0 AND Sun <= 1440

Sunshine[Count] ← Sun // storing in array

Total ← Total + Sun // totalling sunshine

IF Sun > Max

THEN

Max ← Sun // updating highest daily

ENDIF

NEXT Count

// R3

///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// Hours ← DIV(Total, 60) // converting to hours and minutes for total and Minutes ← MOD(Total, 60) // daily

// MaxHours ← DIV(Max, 60) // if learner converts highest daily

// MaxMinutes ← MOD(Max, 60)

// outputting results

OUTPUT "The sunshine for ", Month, " in the year ", Year

OUTPUT "Total sunshine was ", Hours, " hours and ", Minutes, " minutes" OUTPUT "The highest daily sunshine was ", MaxHours, " hours and ",

MaxMinutes, " minutes"

Marking Instructions in italics

AO2: Apply knowledge and understanding of the principles and concepts of computer science to a given context, including the analysis and design of computational or

programming problems

1–3

4–6

7–9

0

No creditable

At least one programming

Some programming

The range of

response.

technique has been used.

techniques used are

programming techniques Any use of selection,

appropriate to the

used is appropriate to the iteration, counting,

problem.

problem.

totalling, input and output.

More than one technique

All criteria stated for the seen applied to the

scenario have been scenario, check the list of

covered by the use of techniques needed.

appropriate programming techniques, check the list of techniques needed. Some data has been

Some of the data

The data structures stored but not

structures chosen are

chosen are appropriate appropriately.

appropriate and store

and store all the data Any use of variables or

some of the data

required.

arrays or other language

required.

The data structures used dependent data

More than one data

store all the data required structures e.g. Python

structure used to store

by the scenario. lists.

data required by the

scenario.

Marking Instructions in italics

AO3: Provide solutions to problems by:

1–2

3–4

5–6 0

No creditable

Program seen without

Program seen with some

The program has been response.

relevant comments.

relevant comment(s).

fully commented. Some identifier names

The majority of identifiers

Suitable identifiers with used are appropriate.

used are appropriately

names meaningful to their Some of the data

named.

purpose have been used structures used have

Most of the data

throughout.

meaningful names.

structures used have

All of the data structures meaningful names.

used have meaningful names.

The solution is illogical.

The solution contains

The program is in a parts that may be

logical order.

illogical.

The solution is inaccurate

The solution contains

The solution is accurate. in many places.

parts that are inaccurate.

Solution logically Solution contains few

Solution contains lines of

performs all the tasks lines of code with errors

code with some errors

given in the scenario. that attempt to perform a

that logically perform

Ignore minor syntax task given in the

tasks given in the

errors.

scenario.

scenario. Ignore minor

syntax errors.

0

1-2

3-4

5-6

The solution attempts at

The solution meets most

The solution meets all the least one of the

of the requirements.

requirements given in the requirements.

Solution contains lines of

question.

Solution contains lines of

code that perform most

Solution performs all the code that attempt at least

tasks given in the

tasks given in the one task given in the

scenario.

scenario.

scenario.