OCR GCSE Computer Science Complete Practice Exam 2025

A low-level language is primarily characterized by its proximity to machine code, which is the set of binary instructions that a computer's CPU can execute directly. This closeness allows low-level languages to provide greater control over hardware resources and system performance. Programmers can write instructions that exploit specific architecture features, making low-level languages efficient for tasks that require direct manipulation of memory or timing.

While low-level languages are efficient, they are often harder to learn and use compared to higher-level languages, which are designed to be more user-friendly and abstract away the complexities of hardware interactions. This means that learning a low-level language requires a deeper understanding of computer architecture and operations. Additionally, low-level languages tend to be less portable since they are tailored for specific types of hardware, unlike high-level languages that can run across different platforms with fewer modifications.

The characteristic of supporting abstraction is more prominent in high-level languages, which allow programmers to think in more conceptual terms rather than in terms of hardware operations. Therefore, option B accurately highlights the defining feature of low-level languages.