#20 Jun 2025 Q1(a) 6 marks 1.2.4 sound digitisation (6-gap cloze) Inferred

Question

Lead-in: A student is creating a presentation containing images and sound. One of the files is an audio recording.

(a) Complete the description of how a computer stores sound. Fill in the gaps using the given list of terms. Not all terms will be used.

analogue colour depth higher repeated smaller binary digital lower sample rate unique bit depth height measuring sampling byte hertz recording seconds

An 1  sound wave needs to be converted into a digital sound wave.

Sound 2  is when the amplitude of the sound wave is measured at set intervals.

The 3  is the number of times a second the sound wave is measured. This is given in Hertz.

Each amplitude is given a 4  binary number. The number of bits allocated to each sample is the 5 .

The 6  the number of bits, the wider the number of amplitudes can be measured.

[6]

Why this question is tricky

INFERRED — no Jun 2025 examiner report yet. Cross-referenced to Jun22 Q6(a)(i) sampling misconception (ER lines 327-331, see rank 11) and Jun24 Q3(b) cloze pattern (rank 18). Two historically hard formats stacked: cloze + sound sampling.
MS complexity 7/10: Strict terminology match across 6 gaps. Cross-topic sample-rate + bit-depth + Hertz.

Full-marks model answer

An analogue sound wave needs to be converted into a digital sound wave.

Sound sampling is when the amplitude of the sound wave is measured at set intervals.

The sample rate is the number of times a second the sound wave is measured. This is given in Hertz.

Each amplitude is given a unique binary number. The number of bits allocated to each sample is the bit depth.

The higher the number of bits, the wider the number of amplitudes can be measured.

Mark allocation (6 marks — 1 per gap)
  • Gap 1: analogue — converted to digital, so source must be analogue.
  • Gap 2: sampling — not "recording" or "measuring".
  • Gap 3: sample rate — measured in Hertz.
  • Gap 4: unique — each amplitude maps to its own binary number.
  • Gap 5: bit depth — bits per sample.
  • Gap 6: higher — more bits = wider range of amplitudes.

Watch out for...

MS-derived only — no examiner-report guidance yet. Never put "frequency" anywhere — frequency is a property of the sound wave (pitch); sample rate is measured in Hertz but is a different concept. Gap 4 is unique, not "binary" or "repeated" — each amplitude maps to its own distinct code.