Paper 3 – May/Nov 2022

The paper is normally written on the same day as Paper 2 and has a duration of 1 hour, with a maximum mark of 30, counting for 20% of the total subject grade. The paper will be broken down like this:

1	a	Basic concepts of the case study likely to refer to the additional terminology.	2 marks
	b	Likely command terms: Define, State, Outline.	2 marks
2	a	More in-depth question about one of the main technical points.	4 marks
	b	Look for how the question structure. Likely command terms: Describe, Explain.	4 marks
3		Often constructing code or applying some algorithm.	6 marks
4		An essay question based on one or some of the Challenges Faced.	12 marks

Every year, it is a based on a case study or scenario that changes. Here is the case study for the May/November 2020 exams.

The topic is Genetic algorithms.

Guidelines

To prepare for the 2022 Paper 3, please make sure you have done the following:

1. Know the key terms
   Ensure that you have found your own definitions for all terms in the ‘additional terminology’ on page 8 of the case study.
2. Do the research
   Make sure that you’ve done detailed research on each section of the case study, including:
   • Introduction
   • The travelling salesman problem
   • Genetic algorithms
   • Initialization
   • Evaluation
   • Selection
   • Crossover
   • Partially mapped crossover (PMX)
   • Order crossover (OX)
   • Cycle crossover (CX)
   • Mutation
   • Discussion
   • Challenges faced
3. Rehearse possible challenge answer
   Practice writing longer responses to the 5 challenges faced towards the end of the case study. These questions will usually be assessed using the Question 3/4 marking bands grid.

Unit outline