Continuing the digitization of the 2026 Mock GCE materials, here is the formatted WordPress post for Task A: Database Systems, which focuses on First Normal Form (1NF) and Second Normal Form (2NF) normalization.

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TASK A: DATABASE SYSTEMS (18 MARKS)

In this practical scenario, we analyze a 1NF table of students and the subjects they take. This exercise tests the ability to identify attributes, primary keys, and perform database normalization.

The 1NF Data Table

SN	Name	Gender	DOB	Series	SubCode	SubName	HPW	Tutor	Grade
101	Sunday Confidence	F	12/5/2000	S1	780	Physics	10	Anthony	C
101	Sunday Confidence	F	12/5/2000	S1	710	Biology	10	Bala	A
105	Dongmo Felix	M	02/05/1999	A3	715	Math	10	Anthony	A
105	Dongmo Felix	M	02/05/1999	A3	795	Chemistry	10	Tala	D
105	Dongmo Felix	M	02/05/1999	A3	780	Physics	10	Anthony	E
104	Malah Christabel	F	08/07/2004	A2	750	Literature	10	Among	D
104	Malah Christabel	F	08/07/2004	A2	796	History	6	Kings	A

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Questions & Analysis

a) Attribute Data Types

Identify the correct data types for each attribute in the table:

Field	Data Type
SN	Integer / Number
Name	Text / Varchar
Gender	Text (Char)
DOB	Date / Time
Series	Text / Varchar
SubCode	Integer / Number
SubName	Text / Varchar
HPW	Integer / Number
Tutor	Text / Varchar
Grade	Text (Char)

b) Primary Key Selection

Question: Suggest a suitable primary key for the table.

• Answer: Since a single student (SN) takes multiple subjects (SubCode), a Composite Primary Key consisting of (SN, SubCode) is required to uniquely identify each row.

c) Normalization Level

Question: The table is not in 2NF. Justify why.

• Answer: The table contains partial functional dependencies. Non-key attributes like Name and DOB depend only on part of the composite key (SN), rather than the whole key.

d) Converting to 2NF

In an attempt to improve the design by converting it to 2NF, it was normalized into three relations:

• Table 1: Students (SN, firstName, lastName, Gender, DOB, Series)

• Table 2: Subjects (SubCode, SubName, HPW, Tutor)

Task: Write out the third table, StudentSubjects, in the format TableName(Field1*, field2...).

• Answer: StudentSubjects(SN*, SubCode*, Grade)

(Note: In this format, SN and SubCode serve as the composite primary key and foreign keys to link the Students and Subjects tables).

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Category: Computer Science / Database Systems

Tags: #Databases #Normalization #1NF #2NF #SQL #GCE2026

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