IGCSE ICT: Databases — Practice Questions

These questions cover Cambridge IGCSE ICT 0417 Topic 18: creating a database structure (18.1), manipulating data (18.2) and presenting data (18.3). Theory points such as keys, flat-file and relational databases and form design appear in Paper 1; the practical skills are tested in Paper 2, so Section C sets practical-style tasks.

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 — Cambridge International holds copyright in its own papers. Use these alongside the official past papers available through your school or Cambridge directly.

Related: Databases revision notes · Databases study guide

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Section A: short answers

1. State what is meant by a primary key. [1]

2. Give the most suitable data type for each field: TelephoneNumber, DateJoined, MembershipFee, Paid. [4]

3. State what the wildcard criterion LIKE "*ton" would find in a Town field. [1]

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Section B: structured questions

4. A library stores data in two tables.

Books: BookID, Title, Author, Genre Loans: LoanID, BookID, MemberID, DateOut

(a) Identify the primary key of the Books table. [1] (b) Identify the foreign key in the Loans table that links it to Books, and explain how it creates the relationship. [2] (c) Explain two advantages of storing this data in a relational database rather than a single flat file. [4]

5. A data entry form is being designed for new library members.

(a) Describe three features of good form design. [3] (b) Membership type can be Adult, Child or Senior. Explain why a drop-down menu or radio buttons should be used for this field. [2]

6. A shop’s Products table has the fields ProductName, Category, Price, StockLevel.

(a) Write the criteria to find products in the Garden category that cost less than $15. [2] (b) Write the criteria to find products whose category is Garden or Kitchen. [2] (c) Write the criterion to find all products not in the Toys category. [1] (d) Describe how to sort the results by Category ascending and then by Price descending. [2]

7. A report is produced from the Products table.

(a) State where each item should appear: the title Stock Report; the column headings; the page number; the total value of all stock. [4] (b) Describe how the Price field should be formatted and aligned. [2]

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Section C: practical-style tasks

8. Import a .csv file of products. Set ProductID as the primary key, Price as currency with 2 decimal places and InStock as a Boolean field displayed as a checkbox. [4]

9. Create a query that shows only products where InStock is true and the ProductName begins with “S”, with a calculated field VAT equal to Price × 0.2. Sort by ProductName A–Z. [5]

10. Produce a tabular report from the query with the title S Products in Stock, all labels and data fully visible, prices right-aligned, and the average price shown at the end of the report. [4]

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Worked answers

1. A field that holds a unique value for every record, used to identify each record. [1]

2. TelephoneNumber: text (1); DateJoined: date/time (1); MembershipFee: currency (numeric) (1); Paid: Boolean/logical (1). [4]

3. All towns whose names end in “ton”, for example Brighton or Luton. [1]

4. (a) BookID. [1] (b) BookID (in Loans) (1); it holds the primary key values of Books, so each loan record can be matched to exactly one book record (1). [2] (c) Two explained advantages, 2 marks each:

• Less duplicated data (1): book titles and authors are stored once, not on every loan, saving storage (1).
• Fewer inconsistencies (1): a change, such as correcting an author’s name, is made in one place and applies to every related loan (1).
• More flexible queries (1): data from both tables can be combined, for example listing all loans by genre (1). [4]

5. (a) Any three: fields in a logical order matching the paper form; clear labels next to each field; appropriate font style and size; sensible spacing and white space; field boxes sized to fit the data; a clear title and instructions; navigation or save buttons. [3] (b) The user chooses from fixed options instead of typing (1), so spelling errors and invalid values are avoided and data entry is faster (1). [2]

6. (a) Category: =“Garden” (1) AND Price: <15 (in the same criteria row) (1). [2] (b) Category: =“Garden” OR =“Kitchen” (1 mark for both values, 1 mark for using OR). [2] (c) Category: NOT “Toys” (or <>“Toys”). [1] (d) Set Category as the first sort field, ascending (1), and Price as the second sort field, descending (1). [2]

7. (a) Title: report header (1); column headings: page header (1); page number: page footer (1); total value: report footer (1). [4] (b) Currency format with the symbol and 2 decimal places (1), right-aligned (decimal aligned) so the values line up (1). [2]

8. 1 mark each: data imported with correct field names; ProductID set as primary key; Price is currency with 2 decimal places; InStock is Boolean displayed as a checkbox. [4]

9. 1 mark each: InStock = true (Yes); ProductName LIKE "S*"; both criteria applied together (AND); calculated field VAT = Price × 0.2 correctly named; sorted by ProductName ascending. [5]

10. 1 mark each: tabular layout with title S Products in Stock in the report header; all labels and data fully visible; prices right-aligned; average price calculated in the report footer. [4]

Frequently asked questions

Why is a telephone number stored as text? It may begin with 0 or contain spaces or a plus sign, and it is never used in calculations. A numeric field would drop leading zeros.

What is the difference between a calculated field and a calculated control? A calculated field is created in a query and calculates a value for each record. A calculated control is placed on a form or report, for example to show a total or average.

Official syllabus

Cambridge International, Cambridge IGCSE Information and Communication Technology (0417) syllabus for 2026, 2027 and 2028, Version 3, Topic 18 “Databases” (18.1 Create a database structure, 18.2 Manipulate data, 18.3 Present data).