“Give” — what the examiner wants
How to answer a Cambridge Computer Science question that starts with Give (2210, 0478 & 9618): Cambridge's definition, what a full-mark answer contains, the mistake that loses the mark, and how often the word has come up in 254 current-syllabus past-paper questions.
Cambridge's definition
“produce an answer from a given source or recall/memory”
What earns full marks
Recall or read off the answer. "Give two examples" wants two distinct items, each different in kind.
What loses the mark
Giving two examples that are really the same thing ("a mouse and a trackball" for two types of input device) — the second scores nothing.
A question that uses it
Give two benefits of using an interpreter while writing a program.
In real past papers
Current-syllabus questions only (2210 / 0478 from 2023, 9618 from 2021); a question set under both 2210 and 0478 counts once.
254
questions
356
parts open with it
2
median marks a part
By paper
- 2210 / 0478 Paper 1119 of 210 questions · 57%
- 2210 / 0478 Paper 235 of 262 questions · 13%
- 9618 Paper 151 of 270 questions · 19%
- 9618 Paper 234 of 251 questions · 14%
- 9618 Paper 315 of 353 questions · 4%
Typical marks per part: 2 marks (38%), 1 mark (37%), 3 marks (18%), 4 marks (5%).
Topics where “Give” comes up most
- O Level / IGCSEData Representation39 questions
- O Level / IGCSEHardware23 questions
- AS LevelProgramming20 questions
- O Level / IGCSEDatabases18 questions
- O Level / IGCSEData Transmission16 questions
- O Level / IGCSESoftware16 questions
- AS LevelInformation Representation14 questions
- AS LevelDatabases13 questions
Recent questions that use it
Open any one to read it and mark your answer against the official mark scheme.
Marks shown as “a / b”: a = marks in parts that open with “Give”, b = the whole question.
Don't confuse it with
The definition follows the command-word table in the Cambridge syllabus; the guidance is ZAK's. Statistics come from the real past-paper question bank (command words are read from each question's wording). Command words and past papers are © Cambridge Assessment International Education.