OCR GCSE Computer Science Paper 2 Practice 2026 - Free Practice Questions and Study Guide

A compiler processes the source code written in a high-level programming language and translates it into machine code or an intermediary code that can be executed directly by a computer's processor. This translated output is known as compiled code. Compiled code is typically in the form of an executable file, which the system can run without needing the original source code again.

The other options around this are related but do not accurately describe the direct output of a compiler's process. A source file refers to the original code written by the programmer, interpreted code refers to what a different type of language processor does (which is to execute code line by line without creating a separate file), and a script file suggests a specific type of code usually associated with interpreted languages that may not involve compilation at all.