BCS 011 key facts: June 2026
- Course code: BCS-011 (printed jointly with BCS-111)
- Subject: Computer Basics and PC Software
- Programme: Bachelor of Computer Applications (BCA old and BCA_NEW), Semester 1
- Blocks and units: 3 blocks, 12 units
- Maximum marks: 100 (weightage 75%)
- Duration: 3 hours
- Questions in the paper: 5 questions with 20 lettered parts; Q1 compulsory plus any three
- Samples shown on this page: 2 (Q1(e) and Q3(b)); all 20 parts in the paid file
BCS 011 Solved Question Paper for the June 2026 term-end exam gives you every lettered part of the official IGNOU BCS-011/BCS-111 paper answered by our subject experts. Two answers are open below so you can check the depth, layout and working before you message us on WhatsApp 9899436384 for the complete file.
1. What the June 2026 Paper Covers
BCS 011 Computer Basics and PC Software is the first-semester theory course of the IGNOU Bachelor of Computer Applications, and the June 2026 paper was set jointly for BCS-011 (BCA old) and BCS-111 (BCA new).
This paper leans on Block 3 more than usual. Six of the 20 lettered parts sit in networking and internet basics: switch versus hub, internet address types, analogue and digital signals, twisted pair cabling, a courier-based data speed sum and the full DNS lookup process.
It also carries three numericals that first-semester students often lose marks on: the recording density of a 1 metre tape, the effective data speed of a couriered 1 TB disk and a 20-bit machine instruction for 49 × 207. Programming shows up twice, once as two ways to repeat a print statement and once as a while loop.
Every question follows the 3 blocks and 12 units of the official BCS-011 course book on eGyanKosh, and each answer in our file is tagged with the unit it comes from, so revision stays tied to the syllabus rather than guesswork.
2. Two Answers Solved in Full, Eighteen Held Back
Two BCS 011 answers are shown in full below, Question 1(e) on tape recording density and Question 3(b) on the Domain Name System; the other 18 lettered parts are listed exactly as printed and answered only in the full file.
Recording density of a magnetic tape
Question 1 (e): A magnetic tape is 1 metre long. What must be the recording density of the tape in bytes/inch, if its storage capacity has to be 50 MB? (Take 1 inch = 2.50 cm) (6)
Given: tape length = 1 metre, required storage capacity = 50 MB, and 1 inch = 2.50 cm. We assume data is recorded continuously along the tape with no inter-record gaps.
- Convert the length to inches. 1 metre = 100 cm, so length = 100 ÷ 2.50 = 40 inches.
- Convert the capacity to bytes. In computer storage 1 MB = 1024 × 1024 = 1,048,576 bytes, so 50 MB = 50 × 1,048,576 = 52,428,800 bytes.
- Apply the density formula. Recording density = storage capacity ÷ tape length = 52,428,800 ÷ 40 = 1,310,720 bytes per inch.
Answer: the tape must be recorded at 1,310,720 bytes/inch, which is roughly 1.31 million bytes per inch.
Alternative convention: if 1 MB is taken as 1,000,000 bytes, then 50 MB = 50,000,000 bytes and the density = 50,000,000 ÷ 40 = 1,250,000 bytes/inch. Write down which convention you used so the examiner can follow your working.
Examiner tip: on a 9-track tape each byte is stored across the width of the tape in one frame, so bytes per inch here also equals frames per inch. On a real tape, records are separated by inter-record gaps, so the actual density would need to be higher than this figure to fit 50 MB.
Domain Name System and the address lookup process
Question 3 (b): What is the Domain Name System (DNS)? Describe the steps involved in translating a website address to the corresponding IP address. (8)
Meaning of DNS. The Domain Name System is the internet's distributed, hierarchical naming service that translates human-readable domain names such as www.ignou.ac.in into the numeric IP addresses that computers use to locate each other. It works like a telephone directory: you remember the name, and DNS looks up the number.
Structure of the domain name space. Names form an inverted tree read from right to left. At the top is the root, then top-level domains (generic ones such as .com and .org, and country-code ones such as .in), then lower levels such as ac under .in, then the organisation (ignou), and finally the host name (www).
Main components
- Stub resolver: the small DNS client inside your operating system that sends the first query.
- Recursive resolver: a server, usually run by your ISP or a public DNS provider, that does the lookup on your behalf and caches results.
- Root name servers: 13 named root server identities (A to M), run as many copies worldwide, which point to the right top-level domain servers.
- TLD name servers: servers for domains such as .in or .com that point to the servers responsible for the next level down.
- Authoritative name servers: servers that hold the actual resource records for a domain, such as A (IPv4 address), AAAA (IPv6 address), CNAME (alias), MX (mail server) and NS (name server).
Steps in translating a website address to an IP address
Taking www.ignou.ac.in as the example:
- Browser cache: the user types the address and the browser first checks whether it already holds the IP address from a recent visit.
- Operating system cache and hosts file: if the browser has nothing, the operating system checks its own DNS cache and the local hosts file.
- Query to the recursive resolver: if there is still no answer, the stub resolver sends a query, normally over UDP port 53, to the configured recursive resolver.
- Root server referral: if the resolver has no cached answer, it asks a root server, which replies with the addresses of the .in top-level domain servers.
- TLD referral: the resolver asks a .in server, which refers it, through the ac.in delegation, to the authoritative name servers for ignou.ac.in.
- Authoritative answer: the authoritative server returns the A record (or AAAA record for IPv6) holding the IP address of www.ignou.ac.in, for example 203.0.113.25 (an illustrative address).
- Caching and reply: the resolver stores the answer for its time-to-live (TTL) and sends it back to the user's computer, which also caches it.
- Connection: the browser opens a TCP connection to that IP address on port 80 (HTTP) or 443 (HTTPS) and requests the web page.
In short, the flow runs: browser and OS cache → recursive resolver → root server → .in TLD server → authoritative server → IP address returned and cached. The full file carries a labelled diagram of this lookup that you can redraw in the exam.
Recursive and iterative queries. The query from your computer to the resolver is recursive, because the resolver must return a final answer. The queries from the resolver to the root, TLD and authoritative servers are iterative, because each server only gives a referral or the final record.
Conclusion: DNS lets people use easy names while machines use IP addresses. Its hierarchy spreads the load across millions of servers, and caching at every level keeps most lookups fast, often finishing in a few milliseconds without reaching the root at all.
3. Questions Answered Only in the Full File
The 18 parts below appear exactly as printed in the June 2026 paper. Their answers, diagrams and working are in the paid file only.
Question 1 (a): Write short notes on the following. (10)
(i) VPN (ii) Assembler (iii) Job scheduling (iv) Repeater (v) Software reliability
Question 1 (b): What is a switch in networking? Explain how it is superior to a hub. (5)
Question 1 (c): What are the different types of internet addresses? Explain with the help of one example of each. (6)
Question 1 (d): Draw a diagram to represent an analogue and a digital signal. Explain the difference between the two. (5)
Question 1 (f): Describe the function of a linker with the help of a diagram. (4)
Question 1 (g): What is the function of performance enhancement utilities? Describe the working of any three of them. (4)
Question 2 (a): Draw a diagram of a twisted pair cable and explain it briefly. List two advantages and two disadvantages of twisted pair cabling as compared to other guided transmission media. (6)
Question 2 (b): You need to print the sentence "The sun rises in the east" five times. Write two program fragments to do this. Each must use a different way of achieving the desired result. (5)
Question 2 (c): Write down the steps you would follow to find out the configuration of the PC you are working on. (5)
Question 2 (d): List the steps the operating system follows to execute a program. (4)
Question 3 (a): You sent a hard disk containing 1 TB of data to your friend in another city by courier. He received it 36 hours after the time you handed it over for sending. What is the data transmission speed? (5)
Question 3 (c): Consider a hypothetical computer which has 4-bit opcodes. The multiply instruction has the opcode 0101. It takes two positive integer operands, each being from 0 to 255, which is 8 bits. Write the 20-bit machine language instruction to find 49 × 207. (7)
Question 4 (a): Define what a project is. What are the roles and responsibilities of a project manager? Describe briefly how a software project is managed. (6)
Question 4 (b): Describe the characteristics and uses of ROM. How is a PROM different from a ROM? (7)
Question 4 (c): List and describe the structure of a loop in programming. Write a program fragment to list the even numbers from 2 to 100 using a while loop. (7)
Question 5 (a): Explain the three concepts that characterize Object Oriented Programming. (6)
Question 5 (b): In Microsoft Word, explain the steps required to create a table having 7 rows and 4 columns. How can you add a new row to a table that has already been created? How can you delete a row from an existing table? (6)
Question 5 (c): What is the ASCII code? Explain its main characteristics. How does Unicode enhance the ASCII standard? Describe its features. What are the main goals of the Unicode Consortium? (8)
4. Syllabus by Block and Unit
BCS 011 is taught through 3 blocks and 12 units on eGyanKosh: five hardware units in Block 1, four software units in Block 2 and three internet units in Block 3.
| Block | Unit | Core topics | June 2026 parts |
|---|---|---|---|
| Block 1: Basics of Computer Hardware | Unit 1: Computers: Their Origin and Applications | Abacus and difference engine, computer generations, present-day applications and limits | — |
| Block 1: Basics of Computer Hardware | Unit 2: Functioning of a Computer | Von Neumann architecture, instruction execution, number systems with ASCII and Unicode | Q3(c), Q5(c) |
| Block 1: Basics of Computer Hardware | Unit 3: Memory System | RAM, ROM, PROM and cache, magnetic disk and tape, optical storage | Q1(e) (Sample 1), Q4(b) |
| Block 1: Basics of Computer Hardware | Unit 4: Input Output Devices | Keyboards, scanners and pointing devices, monitors, printer types and ports | — |
| Block 1: Basics of Computer Hardware | Unit 5: My Personal Computer | Motherboard and PC components, reading system configuration, PC performance | Q2(c) |
| Block 2: Basics of Computer Software | Unit 1: Software Evolution | System versus application software, open source and licensing, software project management | Q1(a)(v), Q4(a) |
| Block 2: Basics of Computer Software | Unit 2: Operating System | OS services, batch processing and multiprogramming, job scheduling and utilities | Q1(a)(iii), Q1(g), Q2(d) |
| Block 2: Basics of Computer Software | Unit 3: Concepts in Programming Languages | Flowcharts and control structures, loops and subroutines, compiler, assembler and linker, OOP | Q1(f), Q2(b), Q4(c), Q5(a) |
| Block 2: Basics of Computer Software | Unit 4: Computer Applications | Word processing and tables, spreadsheets, database software such as MS-Access | Q5(b) |
| Block 3: Internet Technologies | Unit 1: Networking and Internet | Transmission media and topologies, hubs, switches, repeaters and routers, IP addressing and DNS | Q1(b), Q1(c), Q1(d), Q2(a), Q3(a), Q3(b) (Sample 2) |
| Block 3: Internet Technologies | Unit 2: Web Applications-I | Browsers and search engines, e-mail folders and etiquette, internet security threats | Q1(a)(i) VPN |
| Block 3: Internet Technologies | Unit 3: Web Applications-II | E-learning, social networking, wikis and web-based collaboration tools | — |
Unit titles follow eGyanKosh; the topic column is our subject team's summary of each unit. If you want the unit books side by side with this file, our BCS 011 Study Material page groups them for quick revision.
5. Question Paper Pattern and Marks Split
The BCS 011 paper is for 100 marks in 3 hours: Question 1 (40 marks) is compulsory and you pick any three of Questions 2 to 5, each worth 20 marks.
| Question | Parts and marks | What it tests | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Question 1 | 7 parts: 10 + 5 + 6 + 5 + 6 + 4 + 4 = 40 | Short notes, switch versus hub, internet addresses, signals, tape density, linker, utilities | Compulsory |
| Question 2 | 4 parts: 6 + 5 + 5 + 4 = 20 | Twisted pair cable, two print fragments, PC configuration, OS program execution | Optional |
| Question 3 | 3 parts: 5 + 8 + 7 = 20 | Courier data speed, DNS lookup, 20-bit multiply instruction | Optional |
| Question 4 | 3 parts: 6 + 7 + 7 = 20 | Project management, ROM and PROM, while loop for even numbers | Optional |
| Question 5 | 3 parts: 6 + 6 + 8 = 20 | OOP concepts, tables in MS Word, ASCII and Unicode | Optional |
Question 3 is the most calculation-heavy option, with two of the paper's three numericals. Students who are more comfortable with theory usually pick Questions 2, 4 and 5, where marks come from definitions, diagrams and short code fragments.
The layout, one compulsory 40-mark question plus three of four 20-mark questions, has stayed the same in every recent paper we checked. You can compare it with other first-semester papers on our BCA Question Paper page.
6. Most Repeated BCS 011 Topics
Operating system services, memory types, IP address and URL questions, and internet security appeared in all four official BCS-011 papers we checked from December 2022 to June 2024.
| Topic | Dec 2022 | Jun 2023 | Dec 2023 | Jun 2024 | Papers (of 4) | June 2026 parts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Operating system role and services | 2(b) | 1(c) | 1(d) | 3(a) | 4 | Q1(a)(iii), Q2(d) |
| Memory types: RAM, ROM, PROM, cache | 1(b) | 1(a) | 2(b) | 1(a) | 4 | Q4(b) |
| IP address, URL and address translation | 1(d) | 1(g) | 4(b) | 4(b) | 4 | Q1(c), Q3(b) (Sample 2) |
| Internet security threats and perverse software | 1(f) | 5(b) | 5(b) | 4(c) | 4 | — |
| Number systems and data representation | 1(a) | — | 1(a) | 1(c) | 3 | Q3(c), Q5(c) |
| Transmission media, wired and wireless | 2(c) | 1(d) | — | 1(g) | 3 | Q2(a) |
| Utility software such as defragmenters | 4(b) | — | 5(e) | 2(d) | 3 | Q1(g) |
| Algorithms, flowcharts and control structures | 5(a) | — | 1(e) | 1(e) | 3 | Q2(b), Q4(c) |
| Disk organisation, seek and access time | — | 3(a), 3(b) | 2(b) | 2(b), 2(c) | 3 | Q1(e) (Sample 1) |
| Open source software | 3(c) | 3(c) | — | 5(b) | 3 | — |
| Network topologies | — | 1(f) | 1(g) | 1(g) | 3 | — |
| Network devices: modem, router, switch | 1(d) | — | — | 4(a) | 2 | Q1(b), Q1(a)(iv) |
| Software project management | 5(b) | — | 5(c) | — | 2 | Q4(a) |
| Word processing and mail merge | 5(c) | — | 3(d) | — | 2 | Q5(b) |
| Language translators: compiler, assembler, linker | — | — | — | 1(d) | 1 | Q1(a)(ii), Q1(f) |
Sessions used: December 2022, June 2023, December 2023 and June 2024, all from IGNOU's official webservices archive. We could not retrieve complete official copies of December 2024, June 2025 or December 2025, so this table does not claim a five-year run.
Open source software, network topologies and internet security were skipped in June 2026 even though they recur often. Keep them on your revision list, because a topic that rests for one session can easily come back in the next session's paper.
For a shortlist of likely questions across courses, see our IGNOU Solved Guess Paper collection, built from the same official archive.
7. How Our Answers Are Written and Checked
Every BCS 011 answer in our file is sized to the marks printed against it, checked against its eGyanKosh unit and reviewed before release.
A 4-mark part such as the linker gets a tight definition, a labelled diagram and three or four points, while an 8-mark part such as ASCII and Unicode gets a fuller structure with headings and a comparison. Numericals show given data, conversions and each calculation line.
Code fragments are written in simple C-style syntax that matches the BCS-011 course level, with a short line-by-line note so you can reproduce them in the exam hall. Diagram questions come with clean, labelled figures that are easy to redraw by hand in three hours.
Before writing, the team studied past BCS-011 papers to see how IGNOU phrases and marks each topic. You can browse the same papers on our IGNOU Previous Year Question Paper hub.
8. Solved File Index and the BCSL 013 Lab Note
The BCS 011 solved file answers all 20 lettered parts of the June 2026 paper: 2 are open on this page and 18 are in the full file only.
BCS-011 itself is a theory course with no practical record. The hands-on Windows, Linux and office-suite practice belongs to the separate lab course BCSL-013 Computer Basics and PC Software Lab, whose assignment carries its own lab record and viva marks. So instead of a practical index, the table below maps every question part to its unit.
| Part | Topic | Mapped block and unit | Marks | Where to find it |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Q1(a) | Short notes: VPN, assembler, job scheduling, repeater, software reliability | Blocks 2 and 3 (mixed) | 10 | Full file |
| Q1(b) | Switch versus hub | Block 3, Unit 1 | 5 | Full file |
| Q1(c) | Types of internet addresses | Block 3, Unit 1 | 6 | Full file |
| Q1(d) | Analogue and digital signals | Block 3, Unit 1 | 5 | Full file |
| Q1(e) | Tape recording density numerical | Block 1, Unit 3 | 6 | Sample 1 above |
| Q1(f) | Linker with diagram | Block 2, Unit 3 | 4 | Full file |
| Q1(g) | Performance enhancement utilities | Block 2, Unit 2 | 4 | Full file |
| Q2(a) | Twisted pair cable | Block 3, Unit 1 | 6 | Full file |
| Q2(b) | Two program fragments for repeated printing | Block 2, Unit 3 | 5 | Full file |
| Q2(c) | Finding PC configuration | Block 1, Unit 5 | 5 | Full file |
| Q2(d) | How the OS executes a program | Block 2, Unit 2 | 4 | Full file |
| Q3(a) | Courier data speed numerical | Block 3, Unit 1 | 5 | Full file |
| Q3(b) | Domain Name System lookup | Block 3, Unit 1 | 8 | Sample 2 above |
| Q3(c) | 20-bit machine instruction numerical | Block 1, Unit 2 | 7 | Full file |
| Q4(a) | Software project management | Block 2, Unit 1 | 6 | Full file |
| Q4(b) | ROM and PROM | Block 1, Unit 3 | 7 | Full file |
| Q4(c) | Loop structure and while loop program | Block 2, Unit 3 | 7 | Full file |
| Q5(a) | Three concepts of OOP | Block 2, Unit 3 | 6 | Full file |
| Q5(b) | Tables in Microsoft Word | Block 2, Unit 4 | 6 | Full file |
| Q5(c) | ASCII, Unicode and the Unicode Consortium | Block 1, Unit 2 | 8 | Full file |
The block and unit column is our subject team's mapping of each question to the eGyanKosh course book, meant as a revision aid rather than an official IGNOU classification.
9. Programmes That Include BCS 011 and BCS 111
BCS 011 Computer Basics and PC Software is a Semester 1 course of the IGNOU BCA, taught as BCS-011 in the older BCA scheme and as BCS-111 in BCA_NEW.
| Programme | Course code used | Semester 1 companions |
|---|---|---|
| Bachelor of Computer Applications (BCA, older revised scheme) | BCS-011 | BCS-012 Basic Mathematics and BCSL-013 Computer Basics and PC Software Lab; check your programme guide for the full list |
| Bachelor of Computer Applications (BCA_NEW) | BCS-111 | BEVAE-181, BEGLA-136, BCSL-013 and BCS-012 |
Because one paper serves both schemes, the same solved file works whether your hall ticket says BCS-011 or BCS-111. Read more about the degree on our IGNOU Bachelor of Computer Applications (BCA) page.
10. How to Get the Full Solved Question Paper
Send the code BCS 011 June 2026 to WhatsApp 9899436384 and our team will share the price and the complete solved PDF with all 20 lettered parts answered.
The file includes the 2 answers you have read here plus the 18 parts listed only as question text, among them the courier data speed sum, the 20-bit machine instruction for 49 × 207 and the ASCII and Unicode comparison. It arrives as a PDF you can read on your phone.
Tell us whether your hall ticket shows BCS-011 or BCS-111 so we can confirm the file before you pay. Both codes sat the same June 2026 paper, so the answers are identical.
11. BCS 011 FAQs for the June 2026 Paper
Is the June 2026 paper the same for BCS 111 students?
Yes. IGNOU printed one June 2026 paper headed BCS-011/BCS-111 for both BCA old and BCA new learners, so the questions, marks and choice rules are identical. Our solved file therefore works for either code. Question 1 carries 40 marks and is compulsory, and you then attempt any three of Questions 2 to 5, each worth 20 marks, for a total of 100.
How do I get the full solved question paper on WhatsApp?
Message WhatsApp 9899436384 with the text BCS 011 June 2026. Our team replies with the price and shares the complete PDF after payment. The file answers all 20 lettered parts of the paper, which means the 2 answers shown on this page plus the 18 parts that appear here only as question text, each mapped to its eGyanKosh unit.
Which questions are solved in full on this page?
Two parts are solved here: Question 1(e), the 6-mark tape recording density numerical, and Question 3(b), the 8-mark Domain Name System answer. We picked one numerical and one theory answer so you can judge both styles. The remaining 18 parts, including the courier data speed sum and the 20-bit machine instruction, are answered only in the full file.
Are these official IGNOU answers?
No. IGNOU publishes BCS-011 question papers but not model answers. Our answers were written by subject experts from the official June 2026 paper and the eGyanKosh course units, then reviewed before release. Treat them as a well-structured study aid for writing your own exam answers, and always check any doubt against your course book.
How many questions must I attempt in the exam?
You attempt four questions in the BCS 011 exam. Question 1 is compulsory and carries 40 marks across its parts (a) to (g). You then choose any three of Questions 2, 3, 4 and 5, each carrying 20 marks. The paper is for 100 marks, runs for 3 hours and counts for 75% of your final course result.
Does BCS 011 have a practical exam?
No. BCS 011 Computer Basics and PC Software is a theory course tested through the term-end paper. The hands-on Windows, Linux and office-suite work sits in the separate lab course BCSL-013, Computer Basics and PC Software Lab, which has its own assignment and practical examination. This solved file covers the BCS-011 theory paper only, not the lab.
Which BCS 011 topics repeat most in IGNOU papers?
Operating system services, memory types, IP address or URL questions and internet security appeared in all four official BCS-011 papers we checked, December 2022 to June 2024. Transmission media, utility software, flowcharts and disk storage appeared in three of the four. The June 2026 paper again asks about ROM and PROM, DNS lookup, twisted pair cable and performance utilities.
How are the numericals presented in the full file?
Every BCS 011 numerical in the full file shows given data, unit conversions, each calculation line and a clearly marked final answer. Where a convention matters, such as 1 MB as 1,048,576 bytes or 1,000,000 bytes, the file states the assumption. The tape density sum on this page is a direct sample of that style, so you can see the format before ordering.
12. Who Wrote and Checked the BCS 011 Answers
The BCS 011 answers were drafted by Prateek Talwar and reviewed by Sheetal Kirola at Unnati Educations.
Prateek Talwar prepares IGNOU computer-science solved papers from the course blocks and the official term-end paper. Sheetal Kirola, Academic Head (M.Ed.), checks every answer against its eGyanKosh unit, re-works each numerical and matches answer length to the marks printed against each part.