Understanding a computer science concept

Practice

Recall it first, then use it — testing yourself builds the memory, where rereading the notes above only feels easier.

Recall and application shuffled together — you have to work out what each item wants before you can answer it, which is the part the exam actually tests. Both kinds feed the same spacing schedule, so anything you miss comes back sooner.

Say the answer out loud before flipping — that attempt is where the learning happens, even when you get it wrong.

Exam-style only. Instant feedback, shuffled each attempt, best score saved on this device.

What actually comes up

Only 2022 and 2025 exam-task PDFs are published (2023/2024 assessment schedules exist but not the task documents). Their wording shows a clear break: 2023's schedule still describes a self-chosen organisation and future-proofing/human-factors, while 2024's schedule already uses the "opportunity... key problems... relevant mechanisms" language that matches 2025 — so the shift happened for the 2024 assessment. Study the 2025 shape as current, but re-check before assuming it holds for a future year.

Across 3 years

The pattern — what to prepare

The 2025 paper ↗ Marking schedule ↗

Question One — Artificial intelligence

A given diagram/resource of AI sensors used in car safety systems.

• 1a(i) How does AI use the inputs from various sensors in a car? Give TWO ways in which the use of AI improves car safety. Achieved
• 1a(ii) What are some of the key problems or issues in AI car safety systems? Demonstrate clear links to computer science concepts. Excellence
• 1b Provide details of how ONE of the following is used or implemented, or occurs: natural language processing, OR neural networks. Merit
• 1c Choose ONE: explain how AI is needed in healthcare to deliver patient care, OR explain what opportunity machine learning has provided in healthcare. Merit
• 1d Choose ONE: explain, giving examples, what can be done to future-proof the use of AI-generated content in social media, OR explain, giving examples, known ethical issues from AI-generated content in social media. Excellence

Question Two — Computer encryption

A given resource on early (12-switch) vs modern encrypted garage door openers.

• 2a(i) How was security achieved with the old switch system, and how effective was it? Modern openers use encryption — how is this implemented, and what are TWO ways it improves security? Achieved
• 2a(ii) Identify and explain some of the main problems or issues with remote garage door opener security (current and/or resolved). Demonstrate clear links to computer science concepts. Excellence
• 2b Explain how ONE of the following is used or implemented, or occurs: SHA-256 (Secure Hash Algorithm), OR the key exchange problem. Merit
• 2c Choose ONE: explain how encryption has been used in healthcare to address a need, OR what opportunity has encryption provided in healthcare. Merit
• 2d Choose ONE: explain, giving examples, what can be done to future-proof AES (Advanced Encryption Standard), OR explain, giving examples, known ethical issues in privacy with encryption. Excellence

The 2022 paper ↗ Marking schedule ↗

Question One — Artificial intelligence (self-chosen NZ organisation)

Choose from THREE topics: AI, computer security, or complexity & tractability.

• 1a Name a specific NZ-based organisation that uses artificial intelligence. How does it use AI? What are at least TWO advantages of using it? Achieved
• 1b Choose TWO of: common issues developing an AI solution; an example of how an AI is trained; how to evaluate an AI's effectiveness. Merit
• 1c Choose ONE, in the context of your part (a) organisation: positive effects AI might bring in future, OR negative effects AI is currently having on people. Merit
• 1d Choose ONE: why an organisation might choose "weak AI" over "strong AI" (or vice versa), with risks/opportunities of changing; OR how likely your organisation's AI would pass the Turing test, and how relevant the test is. Excellence

Question Two — Computer security (self-chosen NZ organisation)

A separate question choice from Question One — pick ONE question total, not both.

• 2a Name a specific NZ-based organisation that has had computer security issues. What were the issues? What TWO steps did it take? Achieved
• 2c Choose ONE, in the context of your part (a) organisation: how can computer security be protected against future risks, OR what impact do people's attitudes and behaviour have on computer security? Merit
• 2d Choose ONE, in the context of your organisation: discuss the purpose of OS/driver/software/firmware updates in maintaining security, OR discuss why organisations need firewalls at both the internet entry point and on individual computers. Excellence

Question Three — Complexity and tractability

Not offered in the 2025 task — historical only.

• 3a Name a common example of complexity and tractability, and explain in detail why it is one. Achieved
• 3d Discuss the travelling salesman problem: easy with few destinations, why it becomes intractable as more are added. Excellence

The 2021 paper ↗ Marking schedule ↗

Question One — Computer security (if chosen)

Choose ONE of three topics for the whole paper. Every topic has the same shape: part (a) is about a New Zealand organisation you name yourself, and parts (b), (c) and (d) each offer a choice of prompts.

• a i–iii Name a specific New Zealand organisation that uses computer security, give at least TWO examples of ways it uses it, and say what those uses let it do that would otherwise be difficult or impossible. Achieved
• b Choose TWO of: in what ways firewalls protect an individual user's computer; what methods hackers use to get malware onto one; how regularly updating operating systems and applications improves protection against malware. Merit
• c Choose ONE, in the context of your part (a) organisation: some ways computer security can be future-proofed, OR some ways human factors influence decisions about computer security. Merit
• d Choose ONE: the challenges that several different types of update pose for an organisation and how it might deal with them, OR the issues a malware infection might cause and the steps an individual or organisation could take to resolve them. Excellence

Question Two — Encryption (if chosen)

Same four-part shape as Question One, on a self-chosen organisation.

• a i–iii Name a specific New Zealand organisation that uses encryption, give at least TWO examples of ways it uses it, and say what those uses let it do that would otherwise be difficult or impossible. Achieved
• b Choose TWO of: how private and public keys work in public-key encryption; the concerns if a website emails a user their original password after "I forgot my password"; what different encryption procedures an organisation can use to secure customers' accounts. Merit
• c Choose ONE, in the context of your organisation: some ways encryption can be future-proofed, OR some ways human factors influence decisions about encryption. Merit
• d Choose ONE: how the encryption process works when somebody on café Wi-Fi creates and logs into a new social media account, including the key problems or issues; OR, assuming usable quantum computers arrive, what problems that causes for data already encrypted and for data still to be encrypted. Excellence

Question Three — Error control (if chosen)

Same four-part shape again. Not offered in the 2022 or 2025 tasks.

• a i–iii Name a specific New Zealand organisation that uses error control, give at least TWO examples of ways it uses it, and say what those uses let it do that would otherwise be difficult or impossible. Achieved
• b Choose TWO of: name a type of barcode and the algorithms in its error control, and the purpose of using them; how automatic repeat request (ARQ) error control works in network traffic; how redundant data is used in error control. Merit
• c Choose ONE, in the context of your organisation: some ways error control can be future-proofed, OR some ways human factors influence decisions about error control. Merit
• d Choose ONE: how QR codes' Reed–Solomon error control differs from the method used in barcodes, and the advantages and limitations of each (you are not asked to explain how Reed–Solomon works); OR the role of error control in the transfer of large amounts of data across the internet. Excellence

Diagram/image-based resources (the car-sensor and garage-door-opener figures) are described from the question wording, not reproduced, since they cannot be rendered as text.

Past exams & resources

⏱ Timed opens the paper and starts a countdown matching the exam length. Official NZQA PDFs. If a link 404s, that year’s paper may sit under a slightly different code: browse the NZQA subject page.