0478 is Cambridge IGCSE & O Level Computer Science. This page explains what the code covers, which papers it is examined by, and which topics carry the most marks — counted from 900 real past-paper questions set between 2023 and 2026.
0478 is the Cambridge syllabus code for IGCSE & O Level Computer Science. The same course is published under 0478 & 2210 — the same papers are set for both, so one book serves either code.
ExamYard publishes 2 question books for this syllabus, covering these papers:
Every topic in the 0478 banks, with how many questions and marks each has carried since 2023. The heaviest topics are where revision time pays back fastest.
| Topic | Questions | Marks |
|---|---|---|
| Number Systems | 111 | 247 |
| Text, Sound and Images | 23 | 77 |
| Data Storage and Compression | 45 | 94 |
| Types and Methods of Data Transmission | 48 | 154 |
| Methods of Error Detection | 31 | 97 |
| Encryption | 13 | 36 |
| Computer Architecture | 57 | 182 |
| Input and Output Devices | 39 | 62 |
| Data Storage | 48 | 157 |
| Network Hardware | 20 | 47 |
| Types of Software and Interrupts | 31 | 97 |
| Programming Languages, Translators and IDEs | 32 | 105 |
| The Internet and the World Wide Web | 35 | 131 |
| Digital Currency | 6 | 13 |
| Cyber Security | 39 | 157 |
| Automated Systems | 18 | 72 |
| Robotics | 16 | 43 |
| Artificial Intelligence | 29 | 104 |
Heaviest topic: Number Systems, 247 marks across 111 questions.
| Topic | Questions | Marks |
|---|---|---|
| Databases | 27 | 219 |
| Boolean Logic | 29 | 221 |
| The Program Development Life Cycle | 12 | 49 |
| Computer System, Sub-System and Decomposition | 9 | 24 |
| Validation and Verification | 13 | 46 |
| Test Data | 12 | 64 |
| Trace Tables to Document Dry Runs of Algorithms | 18 | 153 |
| Identifying Errors in an Algorithm | 17 | 140 |
| Writing and Amending Algorithms | 7 | 70 |
| Standard Methods of a Solution | 17 | 137 |
| Programming Concepts | 65 | 316 |
| Arrays | 24 | 360 |
| File Handling | 9 | 56 |
Heaviest topic: Arrays, 360 marks across 24 questions.
Across every 0478 paper in these banks, the three heaviest topics are Arrays (360 marks), Programming Concepts (316 marks) and Number Systems (247 marks). The first of those alone is about 10% of every mark on offer. The lightest is Digital Currency at 13 marks.
That matters because revising by whole past paper spreads your time evenly over topics the examiner does not weight evenly. Working topic by topic lets you spend the most time where the most marks are, and it shows you the handful of question shapes each topic actually uses rather than meeting one of them every few weeks.
Past papers are easiest to use when the questions are already sorted by topic, so you can finish one topic before starting the next instead of meeting it once every few papers. ExamYard prints the real Cambridge questions for IGCSE & O Level Computer Science 0478 arranged that way, with the mark scheme kept separate from the question. Chapter 1 of every book is free to read, with no account and no email address.
0478 is Cambridge IGCSE & O Level Computer Science.
The questions in these banks come from papers set between 2023 and 2026. Nothing older is included, because Cambridge changes syllabuses and older questions can test content that is no longer examined.
900 real Cambridge questions worth 3,730 marks, sorted by topic.