Languages, translators and IDEs — GCSE Computer Science practice questions

Question 1

A school coding club is writing a quiz app in a high-level language.

Which of these is a benefit of using a **high-level** language rather than a low-level language?

Accepted Answer

B: The program can run on different types of processor once it has been translated for each one. High-level languages are machine independent (portable): the same code can be translated for and run on different types of processor. They are also easier to write, read and debug. Direct control of the hardware and efficient use of memory are benefits of low-level languages, and high-level code must always be translated.

Question 2

Ana compiles a program. It has syntax errors on lines 8, 15 and 40.

What happens?

Accepted Answer

D: The compiler checks the whole program and reports all three errors, and no executable file is produced. A compiler translates the whole program before it runs. It gives an error report listing all the errors it found after checking the program, and it cannot produce an executable file until they are fixed. Stopping at the first error is how an interpreter behaves.

Question 3

Engineers are writing the program for the controller chip in an insulin pump. The chip has very little memory, and the program must control the pump's motor directly.

Which choice, with its reason, is best?

Accepted Answer

C: A low-level language, because it can manipulate the hardware directly and use memory efficiently. Low-level code can manipulate the hardware directly and can be written to use very little memory, which suits a tiny chip that drives a motor. Portability does not matter here because the program runs on one chip. Low-level code is harder, not easier, to debug, and high-level code usually uses more memory.