Algorithm Design and Problem Solving · 4 question types
Past paper frequency (2018 to 2024)
This topic accounts for approximately 7% of your exam marks.
Bubble sort traces and binary search descriptions appear in nearly every paper. 4 to 6 marks.
A side-by-side comparison is a frequent exam question.
| Feature | Linear search | Binary search |
|---|---|---|
| Does the list have to be sorted? | No | Yes |
| How it works | Checks every item in order, one at a time | Halves the search range each step |
| Speed on small lists | Roughly the same | Roughly the same |
| Speed on large lists | Slow (up to n comparisons) | Fast (up to log₂ n comparisons) |
| Simplicity | Very simple to write and understand | More complex; needs care with indices |
| Memory required | Minimal | Minimal |
| Best for | Short or unsorted lists; one-off searches | Long, sorted lists; repeated searches |