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2025
2025 May/June · Paper 12 · Q8 (b, c)5 marksValidation and verification together · Verification and proofreading
2024
2024 May/June · Paper 12 · Q13 (a)1 markVerification and proofreading
2023
2023 Oct/Nov · Paper 12 · Q96 marksValidation and verification together
2022
2022 Oct/Nov · Paper 12 · Q152 marksVerification and proofreading
2022 May/June · Paper 12 · Q13 (a, b)8 marksValidation and verification together · Verification and proofreading
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References only, not question text. Open Official paper ↗ where Cambridge publishes the paper,
or see the official Cambridge past-papers page; for other papers, ask your
school. “Paper 42” means Paper 4, variant 2.
Practice questions
Original questions written by HomiLabs in the style of the exam, with answers and mark schemes. They are not
Cambridge past paper questions and have not been reviewed by Cambridge. Try each one before opening the answer.
Q1Validation and verification together · Core · Paper 1 style · 2 marks
(a)State what is meant by validation.[1]
(b)State what is meant by verification.[1]
Show answer
(a) An automatic check by the computer that data entered is sensible/reasonable/follows set rules.
1 mark.
(b) A check that data has been copied/entered accurately from the source document (or transferred without change).
1 mark. Do not accept 'checks that data is correct'.
Q2Validation and verification together · Core · Paper 1 style · 2 marks
(a)State whether each method is a validation check or a verification method.(i) Range check(ii) Double data entry(iii) Visual check against the original form(iv) Presence check[2]
All four correct: 2 marks; two or three correct: 1 mark.
Q3Validation and verification together · Core · Paper 1 style · 5 marks
(a)A hospital uses an admission form. Name a suitable validation check for each field.(i) PatientName must not be left blank.(ii) WardNumber must be from 1 to 25.(iii) BloodGroup must be one of A+, A−, B+, B−, AB+, AB−, O+, O−.(iv) DischargeDate must not be before AdmissionDate.[4]
(b)Name one verification method that could be used when the form is typed in.[1]
Q4Validation and verification together · Core · Paper 2 style · 2 marks
A college in Lahore stores students' results in a database table. The field Grade must contain only A, B, C, D, E or U.
(a)Write a validation rule for the Grade field.[1]
(b)State the field size you would set for Grade.[1]
Show answer
(a) "A" Or "B" Or "C" Or "D" Or "E" Or "U" (accept In ("A","B","C","D","E","U"))
1 mark for all six values correctly combined.
(b) 1 (one character).
1 mark.
Q5Validation and verification together · Core · Paper 1 style · 3 marks
(a)An online shop in Lahore asks customers to type their email address twice when they register. Name the type of check this is.[1]
(b)Give two validation checks the shop could carry out on the delivery details, stating the field each applies to.[2]
Show answer
(a) Verification (double entry).
1 mark.
(b) Any two, e.g. presence check on name/address; format check on email/phone number; length check on phone number (11 digits); lookup check on city; type check that postcode contains digits.
1 mark for each check correctly matched to a field.
Q6Validation and verification together · Core · Paper 1 style · 2 marks
(a)Explain why an online shop validates data on its checkout page. Give one example of a validation check it might use.[2]
Show answer
(a) To stop unreasonable/impossible data being stored (e.g. so orders are not sent to incomplete addresses); e.g. presence check on the delivery address, or range check that quantity is at least 1.
1 mark for purpose, 1 mark for example.
Q7Validation and verification together · Standard · Paper 1 style · 4 marks
(a)A clerk is typing students' examination marks from paper mark sheets into a database. Explain why both validation and verification should be used.[4]
Show answer
(a) Validation will reject marks that are impossible/unreasonable, e.g. 112 when the maximum is 100; but validation cannot detect a reasonable but wrong mark, e.g. 67 typed as 76; verification (double entry/visual check) compares the entry with the mark sheet so it finds these copying errors; but verification does not check the data is sensible – a mark copied correctly may still be impossible if the sheet is wrong; so together they reduce errors (although neither guarantees the data is correct).
1 mark per point, max 4. Must refer to both methods.
Q8Validation and verification together · Standard · Paper 1 style · 3 marks
(a)Describe how double data entry is used to verify data.[2]
(b)Give one disadvantage of double data entry.[1]
Show answer
(a) The data is entered twice (often by two different people); the computer compares the two versions and flags/rejects any differences so they can be checked against the source.
1 mark each.
(b) Takes twice as long/costs more in staff time; if both people make the same mistake it is not detected; it does not detect errors in the source document.
1 mark.
Q9Validation and verification together · Standard · Paper 1 style · 3 marks
(a)Describe how a visual check is carried out.[2]
(b)Give one disadvantage of a visual check.[1]
Show answer
(a) After data is entered, the person compares the data on the screen with the original source document, item by item, and corrects any differences.
1 mark for comparing with the source, 1 mark for correcting differences.
(b) The person may not notice errors (tiredness/boredom); slow for large amounts of data; the person who typed the data may make the same reading error again.
1 mark.
Q10Validation and verification together · Standard · Paper 1 style · 3 marks
(a)A Pakistani CNIC number has the form 12345-1234567-1 (five digits, a hyphen, seven digits, a hyphen, one digit). Name the most suitable validation check for this field and describe what it checks.[2]
(b)Explain why a numeric type check would not be suitable for this field.[1]
Show answer
(a) Format check; it checks that the characters are in the pattern 5 digits, '-', 7 digits, '-', 1 digit (15 characters in total).
1 mark for format check, 1 mark for description.
(b) The CNIC contains hyphens, which are not numbers, so valid entries would be rejected (and a number field could not check the pattern).
1 mark.
Q11Validation and verification together · Standard · Paper 1 style · 3 marks
(a)Describe what a character check does. Give an example of a field where it could be used.[2]
(b)Explain why a name that passes the character check may still be incorrect.[1]
Show answer
(a) It checks that the data contains only allowed characters (e.g. letters, spaces, hyphens, apostrophes) and no invalid ones; e.g. a person's name field such as 'Bushra Al-Saud' should not contain digits.
1 mark for description, 1 mark for suitable example.
(b) Validation only checks the characters are allowed, not that the name is spelt correctly, e.g. 'Busra' would pass.
1 mark.
Q12Validation and verification together · Standard · Paper 2 style · 2 marks
A sports club database has a table MEMBERS. The field JoinDate stores the date the member joined. The field Surname must always be completed.
(a)Write a validation rule that prevents a JoinDate later than today's date.[1]
(b)State how you would make sure the Surname field is never left blank, and name this type of check.[1]
Show answer
(a) <=Date() (accept <=Now())
1 mark.
(b) Set the field's Required property to Yes (accept validation rule Is Not Null); presence check.
1 mark for both.
Q13Validation and verification together · Standard · Paper 1 style · 4 marks
(a)Contrast validation and verification.[4]
Show answer
(a) Validation is carried out automatically by the computer, whereas verification is often done by a person (visual check) or by entering data twice; validation checks data is reasonable/follows rules, while verification checks data has been copied accurately from the source; validation can reject impossible values (e.g. 32/13/2026) but not correctly formatted wrong data, while verification can find copying mistakes but not errors in the source; validation uses checks such as range/presence/format, verification uses double entry/visual check.
1 mark per contrasting point, max 4. Points must refer to both methods.
Q14Validation and verification together · Challenge · Paper 1 style · 4 marks
(a)A receptionist copies a patient's date of birth from a handwritten form and then checks the screen against the form. The form says 12/07/1985 but the patient actually wrote it wrongly; the correct date is 21/07/1985. Explain why the visual check did not find the error.[2]
(b)Explain why a range check would also not have found this error.[1]
(c)Suggest how the clinic could reduce this kind of error.[1]
Show answer
(a) Verification only checks that the data on screen matches the source document; the copy was accurate, but the source document itself was wrong.
1 mark for what verification compares, 1 mark for source being wrong.
(b) 12/07/1985 is a valid, reasonable date within any sensible range, so it passes validation.
1 mark.
(c) Ask the patient to check the details shown on screen/printout; check against an ID document such as a CNIC.
1 mark.
Q15Validation and verification together · Challenge · Paper 1 style · 6 marks
(a)A bank in Karachi employs staff to type customer details from paper application forms into its computer system. Explain how validation and verification can be used to reduce errors in the data. Include examples relevant to the bank.[6]
Show answer
(a) Validation: checks done by the computer as data is entered; presence check that the customer's name and CNIC number are entered; format check on the CNIC number (5 digits-7 digits-1 digit); range check on date of birth so the customer is at least 18; lookup check on branch code/account type; type check that the phone number contains only digits. Verification: double data entry – two staff type each form and the computer compares the two copies, flagging differences; visual check – the clerk compares the screen with the paper form. Validation finds unreasonable data but not wrongly copied reasonable data; verification finds copying errors but not wrong source data; neither guarantees data is correct.
1 mark per valid point with example, max 6. Max 4 if only one of validation/verification is covered.
Q16Validation and verification together · Challenge · Paper 1 style · 4 marks
(a)When creating an account on an online learning website, a student must type a new password twice. Explain whether this is validation or verification.[2]
(b)The website also rejects any password with fewer than 8 characters. Name this check and explain why the website uses it.[2]
Show answer
(a) Verification; it checks that the second entry matches the first, so the password has been typed accurately (it does not check whether the password is reasonable).
1 mark for verification, 1 mark for reason.
(b) Length check (validation); short passwords are easier to guess/crack, so a minimum length makes accounts more secure.
1 mark for length check, 1 mark for reason.
Q17Validation and verification together · Challenge · Paper 1 style · 5 marks
(a)For each error made when typing data from a paper form, state whether it would be found by validation, by verification, or by both. Give the name of a suitable check or method for each.(i) Age typed as 150.(ii) Telephone number 03001234567 typed as 03001234576.(iii) Surname field left blank by mistake.(iv) Date of birth typed as 31/02/2010.(v) Quantity 18 typed as 81 when quantities from 1 to 100 are allowed.[5]
Show answer
(a)(i) Validation (range check) – also found by verification(ii) Verification only (double entry/visual check) – passes format and length checks(iii) Validation (presence check) – also found by verification(iv) Validation (type check – a Date field rejects 31/02 because it is not a real date; a simple dd/mm/yyyy format check alone would not) – also found by verification(v) Verification only (double entry/visual check) – 81 is within range
1 mark for each correct answer with suitable check/method. Accept 'both' for (i), (iii), (iv).
Q18Validation and verification together · Challenge · Paper 1 style · 4 marks
(a)A university in Doha asks applicants to type their email address twice, and also checks that it contains an @ symbol followed by a full stop later in the address. Explain what kind of error each of these two checks can detect.[2]
(b)An applicant types ahmed.raza@gmial.com in both boxes. Explain why neither check detects the error and what effect this will have.[2]
Show answer
(a) Typing it twice (verification) detects a typing/copying slip where the two entries are different; the @ and full stop check (format check, validation) detects entries that cannot be email addresses, e.g. missing @.
1 mark for each.
(b) Both entries are identical so verification passes; the address has the correct format so validation passes; the university's emails will go to a non-existent/wrong address so the applicant will not receive them.
1 mark for why both checks pass, 1 mark for effect.
Q19Validation and verification together · Challenge · Paper 1 style · 4 marks
(a)Describe what a consistency check is. Give an example from a school database.[2]
(b)Explain how a consistency check is different from a range check.[1]
(c)Explain why data that passes all validation and verification checks may still be wrong.[1]
Show answer
(a) It checks that data in two (or more) fields agrees/makes sense together; e.g. if Title is 'Mrs' then Gender must be F; or LeavingDate must be after JoiningDate; or a student in Year 7 cannot have an age of 17.
1 mark for description, 1 mark for example.
(b) A range check compares one field with fixed upper and lower limits; a consistency check compares the value in one field with the value in another field.
1 mark.
(c) Checks only find data that is unreasonable or wrongly copied; the source data itself could be wrong (e.g. the person gave the wrong information).
1 mark.
Q20Verification and proofreading · Core · Paper 1 style · 3 marks
(a)State what is meant by proofreading a document.[1]
(b)Give two types of error that a spell checker would not find.[2]
Show answer
(a) Reading through a document carefully (by a person) to find and correct errors in spelling, grammar, punctuation, layout and content/consistency.
1 mark.
(b) Any two, e.g. a correctly spelt word used in the wrong place (their/there, form/from); missing words; wrong facts/numbers; correctly spelt names typed incorrectly; layout errors such as inconsistent fonts.
1 mark each.
Q21Verification and proofreading · Core · Paper 2 style · 3 marks
(a)Before printing a word-processed report, a student proofreads the layout. Give three layout problems the student should check for.[3]
Show answer
(a) Any three, e.g. blank pages; widows and orphans; tables split across pages/columns; headings separated from the text that follows; images overlapping text or outside margins; inconsistent styles, fonts or spacing; inconsistent bullet/numbering; text not aligned as required.
1 mark each.
Q22Verification and proofreading · Core · Paper 2 style · 5 marks
A school office types this notice:"the annual sports day will be held on on Friday 13 November at the Model town ground. Parents are welcome too attend. Refreshments will be avalable from 10:00"
(a)Identify five errors in the notice and state how each should be corrected.[5]
Show answer
(a)1. 'the' at the start should have a capital T.2. 'on on' – remove the repeated word.3. 'Model town' should be 'Model Town' (proper noun).4. 'too' should be 'to'.5. 'avalable' should be 'available'.6. A full stop is missing at the end.
1 mark each for any five correctly identified and corrected errors.
Q23Verification and proofreading · Standard · Paper 2 style · 5 marks
This sentence was typed into a newsletter: "The prize giving will be held in the mane hall on Mondey at 10 am, and all parents are invited to there celebration."
(a)Identify the three spelling or word errors in the sentence and give the correct word for each.[3]
(b)State which of these errors a spell checker would detect and explain why the others would not be detected.[2]
Show answer
(a) mane → main; Mondey → Monday; there → their
1 mark each.
(b) Only 'Mondey' would be detected because it is not in the dictionary; 'mane' and 'there' are real words, so the spell checker accepts them even though they are wrong in this context.
1 mark for Mondey, 1 mark for explanation.
Q24Verification and proofreading · Standard · Paper 2 style · 3 marks
(a)When proofreading a document you must make sure there are no widows or orphans. State what is meant by a widow and an orphan.[2]
(b)Describe one way to prevent widows and orphans in a word-processed document.[1]
Show answer
(a) Widow: the last line of a paragraph appears on its own at the top of a new page/column. Orphan: the first line of a paragraph appears on its own at the bottom of a page/column.
1 mark each.
(b) Turn on widow/orphan control in the paragraph settings (or insert a page/column break before the paragraph; keep lines together).
1 mark.
Q25Verification and proofreading · Standard · Paper 1 style · 3 marks
(a)Explain why a visual check needs the original source document.[2]
(b)Suggest why it is better for a different person to carry out the visual check.[1]
Show answer
(a) The data on screen must be compared with the original to see whether it has been copied accurately; without the source there is nothing to check it against, so only obvious errors could be spotted.
1 mark each.
(b) The person who typed the data may repeat the same misreading; a second person is more likely to spot mistakes.
1 mark.
Q26Verification and proofreading · Standard · Paper 2 style · 3 marks
(a)State two types of error that a grammar checker can detect.[2]
(b)Explain why a user should not accept every suggestion made by a grammar checker.[1]
Show answer
(a) Any two, e.g. subject–verb agreement (they was); repeated words; missing capital at the start of a sentence; incorrect punctuation/spacing; sentence fragments; some wrong word choices (your/you're).
1 mark each.
(b) The checker does not understand meaning/context and can suggest changes that make the sentence wrong or change its meaning (e.g. in technical terms or quotes).
1 mark.
Q27Verification and proofreading · Standard · Paper 2 style · 2 marks
(a)A company has a corporate house style. While proofreading a report, an employee checks that all headings, body text and line spacing match the house style. Give two reasons why this consistency is important.[2]
Show answer
(a) Any two, e.g. gives a professional appearance; makes the company's documents instantly recognisable (brand identity); makes documents easier to read/navigate; staff do not need to make layout decisions/documents from different people match.
1 mark each.
Q28Verification and proofreading · Challenge · Paper 2 style · 4 marks
(a)A student types a travel guide about Pakistan. The spell checker underlines the correctly spelt place names Peshawar, Hunza and Skardu. Explain what the student should do with each place name and why she should not choose 'Change' or 'Change All'.[3]
(b)The guide is written for a British publisher. State which dictionary language the student should set and why.[1]
Show answer
(a) Choose 'Ignore All' (or 'Add to dictionary' if the names will be used again); the names are correct but are not in the software's dictionary; 'Change'/'Change All' would replace the correct names with the suggested (wrong) words throughout the document.
1 mark for ignore/add, 1 mark for why flagged, 1 mark for danger of Change All.
(b) English (UK), so that British spellings such as 'colour' and 'centre' are accepted and US spellings are flagged.
1 mark.
Q29Verification and proofreading · Challenge · Paper 1 style · 4 marks
(a)A research organisation in Islamabad must enter the answers from 5000 paper survey forms. Compare double data entry and visual checking as methods of verifying the data.[4]
Show answer
(a) Both compare the entered data with the source to find copying errors and neither finds errors in the source. Double entry is automatic in the comparison so it finds almost all differences, whereas a visual check relies on a person noticing errors and may miss some through tiredness; double entry needs each form typed twice so costs more staff time, while a visual check is a single re-read; for 5000 forms a visual check would be very tiring, so double entry is more reliable; double entry cannot detect the same mistake made twice.
1 mark per comparison point, max 4; at least one similarity for full marks.
Q30Verification and proofreading · Challenge · Paper 2 style · 5 marks
(a)A document is set out in two columns. After proofreading, a student notices that the subheading 'Visiting Lahore Fort' is the last line of the first column while its paragraph starts at the top of the second column. Explain why this is a problem and describe how to fix it.[3]
(b)A table in the same document is split across two pages. Describe two ways to make the table easier to read.[2]
Show answer
(a) A heading should stay with the text it introduces – the reader sees it separated from its content (unprofessional/harder to read); fix by setting 'Keep with next' on the heading/heading style or by inserting a column break before the subheading.
1 mark for problem, 2 marks for a correct method described.
(b) Any two, e.g. move the table/insert a page break so it is on one page; set table rows not to break across pages/keep with next; repeat the header row on the second page.
1 mark each.
Similar questions
Questions that test the same subtopic in different years, grouped so you can work on one skill at a time.
References only: find each question in its paper (official link where available, otherwise through your school).
Validation and verification together3 questions · 3/9 sessions
