Cambridge A Level Information Technology (ICT): Database and file concepts (9626) – Practice Questions

These are original questions written for Marlbridge, for revision and practice on this content. They are not reproduced past-paper questions, and they do not replicate the exam’s exact structure, question count or mark tariffs – examination boards hold copyright in their own papers. Use these alongside the official past papers from your board or school.

These questions cover topic 10, Database and file concepts, of Cambridge International AS & A Level Information Technology (9626), following the syllabus for examination in 2025, 2026 and 2027 (version 3), sections 10.1 to 10.4. It is an AS Level topic, assessed in Paper 1 (Theory) and Paper 2 (Practical); Paper 4 may also include tasks from sections 8–10. Practical skills are tested here on paper. No calculator is needed.

Learn the content in the study guide and revision notes. Course hub: Cambridge A Level ICT. Checklist: 9626 checklist. Key definitions are practised in the Data Processing practice questions.

Answers show one acceptable response, [1] per creditworthy point. This is indicative marking, not an official mark scheme; other valid points also earn credit.

Questions 5 to 9 use this Ticket table from a theatre box office.

TicketID	Show	PerfDate	Area	Price	Member
T01	Glasshouse	06/11/2026	Stalls	40	No
T02	Red Kite	06/11/2026	Circle	25	Yes
T03	Glasshouse	07/11/2026	Circle	25	No
T04	Tidewater	07/11/2026	Stalls	40	Yes
T05	Red Kite	13/11/2026	Stalls	40	No
T06	Glasshouse	13/11/2026	Stalls	40	Yes
T07	Tidewater	14/11/2026	Circle	25	Yes
T08	Red Kite	14/11/2026	Circle	25	No
T09	Glasshouse	14/11/2026	Circle	25	Yes
T10	Tidewater	20/11/2026	Stalls	40	No

Questions

1. A gym stores member data. State a suitable data type and field size or format for each field: MemberID (for example GM0412), DateJoined, MonthlyFee, HasLocker. [4]

2. A clerk tries to delete a customer from the Customer table while that customer still has records in the Booking table. Explain what referential integrity does here and why it matters. [3]

3. A book can have several authors.

(a) State the relationship between Country and CapitalCity. [1] (b) State the relationship between Author and Book. [1] (c) Explain how the relationship in (b) is built in a relational database. [2] (d) Describe what a designer adds when moving from a conceptual ERD to a logical ERD, and then to a physical ERD. [3]

4. In the Ticket table, TicketID is always “T” followed by two digits.

(a) Describe a validation rule and a suitable error message for TicketID. [2] (b) Explain why TicketID entry should also be verified, and name one method. [2]

5. State the TicketIDs returned by each search.

(a) Area = “Stalls” AND Member = Yes [1] (b) Show = “Red Kite” OR PerfDate >= 14/11/2026 [2] (c) NOT Show = “Glasshouse” AND Price < 40 [1] (d) Show like “T*”, where * matches any characters [1]

6. (a) The manager wants to type a show name each time a query runs. Name this query type and explain why it suits the task. [2] (b) Give one example of a static parameter query on the Ticket table. [1] (c) Query 1 selects tickets where Member = Yes. Query 2 is based on Query 1 and selects Area = “Circle”. Name this type of query and state the TicketIDs it returns. [2]

7. Members pay 80% of the Price.

(a) Describe a calculated field, Charged, and state its value for T04 and T07. [3] (b) A report is grouped by Show with a calculated control in each group footer that totals Charged. State the total for Glasshouse, showing working. [2] (c) State one difference between a calculated field and a calculated control. [1]

8. (a) Draw a cross-tab that counts tickets with Show down the side and Area across the top. [3] (b) The table is sorted by Show ascending, then Price descending. State the first four TicketIDs. [2]

9. (a) Name the action query for each task: (i) copy all November tickets into a new table; (ii) add December’s tickets to that table; (iii) add 5 to every Stalls price; (iv) remove tickets for a cancelled performance. [4] (b) Describe how duplicate customer records could be found and removed. [2]

10. A booking form is being designed.

(a) Suggest a suitable control for Area and for Show, with a reason for each. [2] (b) Explain what a linked subform would show on a Customer form. [1] (c) State the purpose of a switchboard. [1] (d) Describe two settings checked when importing bookings from a csv file. [2]

11. A vet clinic stores data in this unnormalised form:

Visit(VisitID, VisitDate, PetID, PetName, OwnerID, OwnerName, {TreatmentCode, TreatmentName, Cost})

Each treatment has a fixed cost.

(a) Explain why the data is in UNF. [1] (b) Normalise the data to 3NF, showing 1NF, 2NF and 3NF and marking the primary keys. [7] (c) Give one advantage and one disadvantage of normalising this data. [2]

12. (a) Explain why indexed sequential access suits a clinic’s monthly billing run and also its customer enquiries. [2] (b) A direct access file uses address = key mod 40. State the address for key 2614. [1] (c) Explain why generic file formats are needed, and why open-source formats are needed. [2] (d) Compare a relational and a hierarchical DBMS for the clinic. [2] (e) Describe how a chain of clinics could use a management information system. [2]

Answers

1. MemberID: alphanumeric/text, size 6 [1]. DateJoined: date, dd/mm/yyyy [1]. MonthlyFee: currency (or decimal, 2 d.p.) [1]. HasLocker: Boolean, yes/no [1]. Examiner insight: a data type with no size or format, where one is asked for, usually earns nothing for that field.

2. Referential integrity means every foreign key value in Booking must match a primary key in Customer [1]. So the database blocks the deletion (or, if set to cascade, deletes the bookings too) [1]. This prevents orphan bookings linked to no customer, which would make reports wrong [1]. Examiner insight: a definition alone caps at one mark; the rest needs what the database does and what that prevents.

3. (a) One-to-one [1] (b) Many-to-many [1] (c) Create a link table (AuthorBook) holding AuthorID and BookID as its key [1], giving two one-to-many relationships, from Author and from Book [1]. (d) Logical adds attributes and primary/foreign keys [1]; physical adds table and field names as built [1], with data types and field sizes [1]. Examiner insight: in (c) “add a table” is not enough; name the two one-to-many links.

4. (a) Rule: first character “T” and the next two characters are digits (length exactly 3) [1]. Message: “TicketID must be T followed by two digits, e.g. T07” [1]. (b) A valid but wrong ID (T01 for T07) passes validation; verification checks it matches the source [1]; method: visual check against the document, or double entry [1]. Examiner insight: an error message must tell the user what valid data looks like; “Invalid entry” alone does not earn the mark.

5. (a) T04, T06 [1] (b) Red Kite: T02, T05, T08 [1]; dates from 14/11 add T07, T09, T10, giving six tickets [1]. (c) T02, T07, T08 [1] (d) T04, T07, T10 [1] Examiner insight: one extra or missing ID loses that mark.

6. (a) Dynamic parameter query [1]; the user enters a different show each time, so one query serves every show [1]. (b) For example, a query with Area = “Circle” fixed in its design [1]. (c) A nested query [1]; T02, T07, T09 [1]. Examiner insight: “parameter query” alone is too vague in (a); the static or dynamic type must be named.

7. (a) Charged = IF Member = Yes, then Price × 0.8, otherwise Price [1]. T04: 40 × 0.8 = 32 [1]. T07: 25 × 0.8 = 20 [1]. (b) 40 + 25 + 32 + 20 [1] = 117 [1] (c) A calculated field is created in a query for each record; a calculated control is on a form or report and displays a result, such as a group total [1]. Examiner insight: allow follow-through in (b) from wrong Charged values in (a) if the correct four records are added.

8. (a)

Show	Stalls	Circle
Glasshouse	2	2
Red Kite	1	2
Tidewater	2	1

Layout, Show as rows and Area as columns [1]; Glasshouse and Red Kite rows [1]; Tidewater row [1]. (b) T01 and T06 (either order, both 40) [1], then T03 and T09 (either order) [1]. Examiner insight: a cross-tab with fields swapped can still earn the count marks but not the layout mark.

9. (a) (i) make-table [1]; (ii) append [1]; (iii) update [1]; (iv) delete [1]. (b) Run a find-duplicates query on fields that should be unique together, such as name and date of birth [1]; check each match, then delete the extra record [1]. Examiner insight: make-table and append are often swapped; make-table creates a table, append adds to one that exists.

10. (a) Area: radio buttons, because there are only two fixed options [1]. Show: drop-down menu, for a longer list without misspellings [1]. (b) All the bookings for the customer currently displayed (the “many” side) [1]. (c) To give users a menu of buttons that open forms, queries and reports [1]. (d) The delimiter (comma) separating fields [1]; whether the first row holds field names, or each field’s data type [1]. Examiner insight: “make it look nice” earns nothing; each design mark needs a named feature and a reason.

11. (a) It contains a repeating group: one visit has several treatments [1]. (b) 1NF: Visit(VisitID, VisitDate, PetID, PetName, OwnerID, OwnerName) [1]; VisitTreatment(VisitID, TreatmentCode, TreatmentName, Cost) [1]. 2NF: TreatmentName and Cost depend only on TreatmentCode, part of the key [1], so Treatment(TreatmentCode, TreatmentName, Cost) and VisitTreatment(VisitID, TreatmentCode) [1]. 3NF: PetName and OwnerID depend on PetID, and OwnerName on OwnerID, which are non-key fields in Visit [1]. Pet(PetID, PetName, OwnerID) [1]; Owner(OwnerID, OwnerName) and Visit(VisitID, VisitDate, PetID) [1]. (c) Advantage: each owner’s name is stored once, so it is updated in one place [1]. Disadvantage: five tables, so queries need joins [1]. Examiner insight: tables shown without primary keys, or with a missing foreign key, lose the table mark even if the grouping is right.

12. (a) Records are in key order, so the billing run reads every record sequentially [1]; the index lets an enquiry jump near one record quickly [1]. (b) 14 [1] (c) Generic formats open in many different programs, so data can be shared [1]; open-source formats have a public specification, so files stay readable without one company’s software [1]. (d) Relational: flexible queries across owners, pets and visits [1]; hierarchical: fast on a fixed owner → pet → visit tree, but many-to-many treatments are hard to model [1]. (e) It combines all clinics’ data into regular summary reports [1], so managers compare branches over time and plan [1]. Examiner insight: in (d) a comparison needs a point about each type; describing only one caps the answer at one mark.

Where marks are usually lost

• Giving a data type without the size or format asked for.
• Treating many-to-many as a direct link.
• Missing or adding one record when listing query results.
• Writing “parameter query” without static or dynamic.
• Swapping make-table and append.
• Leaving primary keys unmarked in normalised tables.
• Removing a non-key dependency at 2NF, not 3NF.

Next steps

• Recap with the revision notes.
• Re-read weak sections in the study guide.
• Pivot table practice: Spreadsheets practice questions.
• See the full course on the course hub and tick off the 9626 checklist.
• Try all free 10-minute diagnostics.
• Book a free trial class.

Official syllabus

Cambridge International AS & A Level Information Technology 9626, syllabus for examination in 2025, 2026 and 2027, version 3, Cambridge University Press & Assessment. Topic 10: Database and file concepts (10.1 Creating a database; 10.2 Normalisation to third normal form (3NF); 10.3 Data dictionary; 10.4 File and data management).