OCR GCSE Computer Science Exam Questions

1.1 Systems Architecture

1.1 question 21

Kerry is comparing a single‑core and a dual‑core computer.

Explain why having a dual‑core processor might improve performance.

MARKS

Mark scheme

Two cores allow parallel processing: separate instructions/threads can be executed at the same time → improved multitasking/performance (where software supports it).

Exam guidance

Needs notion of simultaneous processing. Do not award ‘more instructions per second’ without ‘at the same time’.