| Q | Answer/Indicative Content | Marks |
|---|---|---|
| 1(a) | Program Counter (PC): Holds the address of the next instruction to be fetched from memory. (1) Increments by 1 after each fetch. (1) Accumulator (ACC): Stores the results of calculations and logic operations performed by the ALU. (1) Acts as a temporary holding area for data being processed. (1) +1 mark for accurate context of Von Neumann. |
5 |
| 1(b) | Virtual Memory: A section of the secondary storage (HDD/SSD) that is used as temporary RAM when the physical RAM is full. (1) Data not currently in use is swapped out to disk. (1) Thrashing: When the system spends more time swapping data between RAM and Disk than actually executing instructions. (1) Results in a severe drop in system responsiveness/performance. (1) |
4 |
| 1(c) | Justification (e.g., Magnetic Hard Drive): - High capacity (500GB is easily/cheaply available on HDD). (1) - Low cost per GB compared to SSD/Cloud. (1) - Reliable for long-term archiving (not prone to degradation like some optical media). (1) Comparison (e.g., Optical/Cloud): - Optical is too small (e.g., 4.7GB/25GB) requiring 20-100 disks. (1) - Cloud requires a persistent high-speed connection for large uploads/downloads. (1) - SSD is significantly more expensive for high-capacity backup. (1) |
6 |
| 2(a) | LAN: Covers a small geographical area (e.g. school/office). (1) Uses owned hardware. (1) WAN: Covers a large geographical area (e.g. across cities/countries). (1) Uses third-party hardware (e.g. leased lines/satellites). (1) Examples: LAN (Home Wi-Fi), WAN (The Internet). (1) |
5 |
| 2(b) | Factors (Max 5 marks): - Bandwidth: The amount of data that can be transmitted in a given time. (2) - Number of users: More users sharing bandwidth slows down transmission. (2) - Interference: Physical barriers or electromagnetic noise (e.g. thick walls). (2) - Type of transmission media: Fiber optic is faster than copper/Wi-Fi. (2) - Network topology: Mesh can be more efficient than Star in high-traffic. (2) |
5 |
| 3(a) | Hosting is when a business (the host) provides server space for a website. (1) This allows the website to be accessible 24/7 on the internet. (1) | 2 |
| 3(b) | The Cloud refers to servers accessed over the internet (1) and the software and databases that run on those servers. (1) Benefit: Files can be accessed from any device with an internet connection. (1) / Scalability / Reduced local storage costs. |
3 |
| 3(c) | The Web Client (browser) sends a request (1) using HTTP/HTTPS (1) to the Web Server's IP address. (1) The Web Server processes the request (1) and sends back the HTML/CSS/JS files to the client to be rendered. (1) |
5 |
| 4(a) | FTP: File Transfer Protocol. Used to send/receive files between computers. (2) POP: Post Office Protocol. Used to download emails from a server and delete them from the server once downloaded. (2) IMAP: Internet Message Access Protocol. Used to access emails on a server; keeps them synced across devices. (3) SMTP: Simple Mail Transfer Protocol. Used to send/transfer emails from a client to a server or between servers. (3) |
10 |
| 4(b) | Layers: Dividing the complex task of network communication into smaller, self-contained sub-tasks. (2) Advantage: Developers can focus on one layer without worrying about how others work. (1) Interoperability between different manufacturers. (1) Changes in one layer don't break others. (1) |
5 |
| 5(a) | DoS: Flooding a server with useless traffic (1) to make it crash or become unavailable to legitimate users. (2) Data Interception: Using packet sniffers (1) to capture data as it travels across a network (1) and reading sensitive information if not encrypted. (2) |
7 |
| 5(b) | Methods (1 mark each, max 8): - Anti-malware software (1) - Firewalls (1) - Penetration testing (1) - User access levels (1) - Physical security (locks/cameras) (1) - Strong passwords (1) - Encryption (1) - Staff training (1) |
8 |
| 6(a) | Memory Management: Allocates RAM to running processes (1) and prevents one process from accessing another's memory. (1) User/File Management: Handles login/authentication (1), sets access permissions (1), and manages the file hierarchy/storage on disk. (2) |
6 |
| 6(b) | Utility software performs specific maintenance/housekeeping tasks. (2) Example: Defragmentation, compression, backup, disk repair. (2) |
4 |
| 7(a) | Open Source: Source code is free to view/edit. (1) Benefit: Highly customisable/Free. (1) Proprietary: Compiled code, source not available. (1) Benefit: Professional support/Guarantee. (1) |
4 |
| 7(b) | The Computer Misuse Act 1990. (1) | 1 |