1(a) One role of an operating system is to manage the computer’s memory.

Two types of memory management are paging and segmentation.

Describe one difference between paging and segmentation.

[2]

© OCR 2024. You may photocopy this page. 1 of 26 Created in ExamBuilder

 (b) Different computing devices in Arnold’s home use different processor architectures.

One processor architecture is the Harvard architecture.

(i) Describe the Harvard architecture.

[2]

(ii) Arnold has a smart washing machine.

Explain why the Harvard architecture is suitable for a device like this.

[2]

© OCR 2024. You may photocopy this page. 2 of 26 Created in ExamBuilder

 (c) One role of an operating system is the Interrupt Service Handler. This allows processes being executed by the
CPU to be interrupted.

(i) One example of an interrupt would be removing an external hard disk drive from a computer.

State why this would need to interrupt the current fetch-decode-execute cycle of the CPU.

[1]

(ii) Interrupt Service Handlers make use of a stack data structure.

Describe how a stack is used when handling interrupts.

[2]

2(a) Charlie owns a veterinary surgery in her local town. She has purchased a new computer for her business so she
can complete her accounts, write letters to her customers and keep a record of her customers’ personal and
appointment details.

She intends to install application software and utility software.

Charlie will install database application software on her computer.

State one additional type of application software Charlie could install and give an example of what she might use
it for.

[2]

© OCR 2024. You may photocopy this page. 3 of 26 Created in ExamBuilder

 (b) Charlie’s computer has firewall utility software already installed.

Explain two other pieces of utility software that Charlie should install on her computer.

[4]
(c) * Charlie will use database management software to store customers’ personal and appointment details. Charlie
is considering both open source and closed source database software.

Compare the differences between open source software and closed source software and recommend which type
of database software Charlie should use.

You should refer to the following in your answer:

• Cost
• Usability
• Extensibility
• Security
• Support available

© OCR 2024. You may photocopy this page. 4 of 26 Created in ExamBuilder

 [9]

© OCR 2024. You may photocopy this page. 5 of 26 Created in ExamBuilder

 3(a) Modern computer systems use networking in order to share hardware, software and data.

Networking uses protocols such as TCP/IP.

State what is meant by the term ‘protocol’.

[1]

(b) The protocol TCP/IP uses a 4-layer stack.

(i) Complete the table below to show the 4 layers in the TCP/IP stack.

Application

Link
[2]

(ii) Explain one advantage of using layers in the protocol TCP/IP.

[2]

© OCR 2024. You may photocopy this page. 6 of 26 Created in ExamBuilder

 4(a) Arnold has several computing devices around his home. Each device has an operating system installed.

Arnold has a PC which has a Basic Input Output System (BIOS).

Describe what is meant by the term ‘BIOS’.

[2]

(b) Arnold has a router. It will receive data packets from other computers on Arnold’s network or the internet and
then route them on to the next step.

The scheduling algorithm Arnold’s router uses is First Come First Served.

(i) State the name of one other scheduling algorithm.

[1]

(ii) Explain why First Come First Served is a suitable scheduling algorithm for Arnold’s router.

[2]

© OCR 2024. You may photocopy this page. 7 of 26 Created in ExamBuilder

 5(a) State two different programming constructs and give an example of how Ruhail could use each construct when
creating his program code.

[4]
(b) Ruhail will make use of an Integrated Development Environment (IDE).

State the purpose of an IDE.

[1]

© OCR 2024. You may photocopy this page. 8 of 26 Created in ExamBuilder

 (c) Ruhail has been told to make use of reusable components when creating his program code.

Explain two benefits of using reusable components when writing program code.

[4]

© OCR 2024. You may photocopy this page. 9 of 26 Created in ExamBuilder

 6(a) Trudi would like to sort an array of numbers into order.

The numbers before they have been sorted can be seen here.

89 25 75 37 45

Trudi will use a bubble sort to put these numbers into order from smallest to largest.

Show the first pass of the bubble sort. You should clearly show each comparison made.

[4]

(b) Trudi has written a procedure, bubbleSort.

01 procedure bubbleSort(numbers)
02 do
03 sorted = true
04 for count = 0 to numbers.length -2
05 if numbers[count] > numbers[count+1] then
06 temp = numbers[count+1]
07 numbers[count+1] = numbers[count]
08 numbers[count] = temp
09 sorted = false
10 endif
11 next count
12

© OCR 2024. You may photocopy this page. 10 of 26 Created in ExamBuilder

 until sorted == true
13 endprocedure

(i) Identify a line in the procedure bubbleSort where a decision is taken.

[1]

(ii) Identify the name of the parameter used in the procedure bubbleSort.

[1]

(iii) Describe the purpose of the temp variable in the procedure bubbleSort.

[2]

(iv) Describe the purpose of the sorted variable in the procedure bubbleSort.

[2]

© OCR 2024. You may photocopy this page. 11 of 26 Created in ExamBuilder

 7(a) Given the following procedure:

01 procedure generate(number)
02 a = 0
03 while number > 0
04 if number MOD 2 == 0 then
05 a = a + 2
06 print(a)
07 number = number – 2
08 else
09 a = a + 1
10 print(a)
11 number = number – 1
12 endif
13 endwhile
14 endprocedure

Explain why = is used on line 11 of the procedure generate instead of ==.

[2]

(b) State the values printed by the procedure generate when number = 8.

[1]

(c) State the values printed by the procedure generate when number = 7.

[1]

© OCR 2024. You may photocopy this page. 12 of 26 Created in ExamBuilder

 END OF QUESTION PAPER

© OCR 2024. You may photocopy this page. 13 of 26 Created in ExamBuilder

 Mark Scheme

Question Answer/Indicative content Marks Guidance

1 a 1 mark per bullet up to a maximum of 2 2 (AO1.2) Answer must cover paging and
marks, e.g: (2) segmentation for 2 marks.

Paging uses physical addressing….

….Segmentation uses logical
addressing Do not accept data instead of memory
Paging uses fixed size memory
blocks…. Examiner’s Comments
…. Segmentation uses variable length To get both marks, candidates need to be
memory blocks clear that paging and segmentation are
about allocating memory. Many candidates
were not clear on this and discussed
managing data or packets. Candidates
should be careful to use the correct
terminology for questions of this type in
particular.

b i 1 mark per bullet up to a maximum of 2 2 (AO1.1) Accept unit instead of blocks (BP1)
marks, e.g: (1)
(AO1.2) Examiner’s Comments
Uses separate memory blocks for (1) Some candidates were vague in their
instructions and data response and were not clear that Harvard
Has separate buses (data and has separate memory blocks. Candidates
address) for data and instructions must be specific in their response.
Has fixed memory sizes for data and
Instructions
Instruction memory may be ROM

ii 1 mark per bullet up to a maximum of 2 2 (AO2.1) Examiner’s Comments

marks, e.g: (2) This question was not answered well.
Any 2 Many candidates repeated their response
Fixed instruction size (Max 2) to the previous question and did not
No need for memory to be shared answer the question correctly. Candidates
between data and instructions need to read questions carefully.
Removes need for secondary storage
Instructions would never be changed

c i 1 mark for any of the following points, e.g: 1 (AO2.1) Allow other suitable alternative answers.
(1)
GUI will need to remove open file Examiner’s Comments
manager windows Very few candidates achieved a mark here.
OS will need to remove open Many mentioned that the CPU would be
files/release locks busy but were not specific enough to gain
Inform the CPU to cease transferring the mark. In questions of this type,
files examples need to be specific to the
question.

© OCR 2024. You may photocopy this page. 14 of 26 Created in ExamBuilder

 Mark Scheme

Question Answer/Indicative content Marks Guidance

ii 1 mark per bullet up to a maximum of 2 2 (AO1.2) Examiner’s Comments

marks, e.g: (2) Few candidates gained both marks for this
question. The concepts of pushing and
Stacks use LIFO/FILO storage popping items was mentioned by many
As processes are halted by an ISR candidates although this was often too
they are pushed on the stack vague and didn’t link to the question.
When they are returned, they are Candidates needed to use the correct
popped from the top of the stack terms for accessing items from a stack to
So they are returned to in correct order gain the marks in this question.

Total 9

© OCR 2024. You may photocopy this page. 15 of 26 Created in ExamBuilder

 Mark Scheme

Question Answer/Indicative content Marks Guidance

2 a 1 mark per bullet up to a maximum of 2 2 (AO1.1) 1 Mark for a suitable package and 1 mark
marks, e.g: (1) for a relevant example for that package.
(AO2.1)
Word Processing (1) Do not allow:
Writing letters to customers
Spreadsheets Non-business software (E.g. games)
Completing accounts Brand names (e.g Word/ Excel)
Presentation Software Database software
Create\Show business plans
DTP Examiner’s Comments
Creating marketing literature This question was generally answered
Graphics Package well. Several candidates wrote brand
Editing photographs of names which was not an acceptable
procedures/marketing photos answer. Some candidates gave an
example of a utility which was required for
Question 2 (b).

To gain both marks, candidates were

required to choose a suitable application
type which would be useful in the given
scenario.

Candidates are reminded not to use brand

names for questions of this type.

b 1 mark per bullet up to a maximum of 2 4 (AO1.1) 1 Mark for a suitable utility and 1 mark for a
marks, e.g: (2) relevant example for that utility.
(AO1.2)
Disk Defragmentation… (2) Do not accept task manager
…To keep optimal r/w speed for her
HDD Accept:
File management…
…To allow easy access to her file Compression Software …
system … to make the file size smaller
Disk Drivers… Backup Software …
… To allow her to use new peripheral … to make copies of files
devices
System Clean-up… Examiner’s Comments
… to keep her system free of This question was generally answered well
redundant files although many candidates achieved 2
Anti-Virus/Malware… rather than 4 marks. Commonly, two
… to find and remove/quarantine utilities were correctly identified but the
viruses/malware (A worms/trojans etc) explanation to accompany the utility was
too vague. Candidates were required to
give examples of how the utilities could be
used with the given scenario.

© OCR 2024. You may photocopy this page. 16 of 26 Created in ExamBuilder

 Mark Scheme

Question Answer/Indicative content Marks Guidance

c Mark Band 3–High Level 9 (AO1.1) Knowledge:

(7-9 marks) (2) Cost
The candidate demonstrates a thorough (AO1.2) Open Source
knowledge and understanding of open and (2)
closed source software; the material is (AO2.1) (generally) free to use
generally accurate and detailed. (2) May have to purchase maintenance
The candidate has covered all 4 sections (AO3.3) contracts
of cost, usability, security and Support (3) Staff training if “non-standard”
available and for the top of this mark band
will have covered all 4 well. Closed Source
Evidence/examples will be explicitly
relevant to the explanation. (sometimes) have to pay to license the
software
There is a well-developed line of reasoning If paid will (usually) it will come with
which is clear and logically structured. The some level of support
information presented is relevant and
substantiated. Usability/extensibility
Open Source
Mark Band 2-Mid Level
(4-6 marks) Tends to have a lower focus on UI
The candidate demonstrates reasonable Source code released (under license)
knowledge and understanding of open and Source can be edited
closed source software; the material is Can be redistributed (under license)
generally accurate but at times
underdeveloped. Closed Source
The candidate has covered all at least 2 of
the 4 sections of cost, usability, security Professionally developed
and Support available. Distributed with a restrictive license
Evidence/examples are for the most part Only executable/object code is
implicitly relevant to the explanation. distributed//source code not distributed
Cannot be redistributed
There is a line of reasoning presented with
some structure. The information presented Security
is in the most part relevant and supported Open Source
by some evidence.
potentially massive bank of volunteer
Mark Band 1-Low Level developers working on the product
(1-3 marks) Many of the contributors may not be
The candidate demonstrates a basic professional
knowledge of how the layers of open and Code available to be scrutinised by
closed source software; the material is anyone…
basic and contains some inaccuracies. …but this may include people with
The candidate makes a limited attempt to malicious intentions
apply acquired knowledge and
understanding to the context provided. Closed Source
The candidate provides nothing more than
an unsupported assertion. Closed teams of developers
More work scrutiny for code
The information is basic and security fixes usually addressed

© OCR 2024. You may photocopy this page. 17 of 26 Created in ExamBuilder

 Mark Scheme

Question Answer/Indicative content Marks Guidance

communicated in an unstructured way. The quicker

information is supported by limited
evidence and the relationship to the Support Available
evidence may not be clear. Open Source

0 marks Source code released (under license)

No attempt to answer the question or Source can be edited
response is not worthy of credit. Open communities mean lots of
support options could be available

Closed Source

Support may be available from the

company producing the software.

Application:
Cost
Open Source

Lower overheads to company

Extra staff training and hardware cost
could lead to total cost of ownership
being higher

Closed Source

Support from vendor can lead to

quicker fixes.

Usability
Open Source

The ability to edit source code means

bespoke functionality can be
developed in house
Lower focus on UI can mean a harder
to use product (leading to higher
training costs)

Closed Source

Due to professional development,

finish tends to be a higher standard
As the organisation protects their IP
they generally tend to be less buggy as
the organisation reputation/business
model will rely on it
Lack of source code means extra
features can only be developed by the
vendor.

© OCR 2024. You may photocopy this page. 18 of 26 Created in ExamBuilder

 Mark Scheme

Question Answer/Indicative content Marks Guidance

Security
Open Source

Tends to be less secure as more

people working on it, not always under
rigorous oversight
No paid developers mean people may
not work on security fixes straight away

Closed Source

Developers work under tighter

standards
Code being scrutinised more will mean
less likely to be ship with bugs
Professional standards lead to quicker
turnaround of bugs

Support Available
Open Source

Editable source code means could self-

support
Open communities mean there is vast
amounts of knowledge available.

Evaluation:
Open Source

Open source would lead to potential

cost savings if Charlie looked to self
support by using online communities or
handling the code herself.

Closed Source

If Charlie lacked technical skills, the

better UI design from professional
developers may make the UX
smoother
Charlies would have a legal obligation
to the data stored for her business.
Closed source tighter security may
strengthen this
Charlies business will rely on the
uptime of her system. Professional
support offered by the developers may
mean less downtime in the case of
software issues.

© OCR 2024. You may photocopy this page. 19 of 26 Created in ExamBuilder

 Mark Scheme

Question Answer/Indicative content Marks Guidance

Examiner’s Comments
Candidates were assessed on the quality
of their extended response in this question.
Most of the candidates were clear on the
basic difference between open and closed
source software but did not link this in with
the scenario. Mid-level responses were
common with few candidates having a
balanced discussion with coverage of all
four of the required sections.

Total 15

3 a A set of rules (for communication) 1 (AO1.1) Do not accept instructions instead of rules
(1)
Examiner’s Comments
This question was answered well.

b i 1 mark for each completed row up to a 2 (AO1.1)

maximum of 2 marks: (2) – Accept in any order
– Accept Internet instead of Network

Application Examiner’s Comments

Transport Most candidates achieved both marks for
Network this question. The order of the layers was
Link not important to get both marks and many
candidates gave “Transport” and “Network”
as the two missing layers. Some
candidates gave “Internet” in place of
“Network” which was also acceptable.

ii 1 mark per bullet up to a maximum of 2 2 (AO1.2) Examiner’s Comments

marks, e.g: (2) This question was generally not answered
well. Candidates that did gain marks,
Allows different layers to be worked on focused on the concept of layers being
independently independent. Many candidates missed this
Allows layers to be replaced/upgraded concept and did not achieve the marks.
without affecting others
Allows for layers from different Candidates should be careful to use the
providers to be used interchangeably correct terminology for questions of this
type.

Total 5

© OCR 2024. You may photocopy this page. 20 of 26 Created in ExamBuilder

 Mark Scheme

Question Answer/Indicative content Marks Guidance

4 a 1 mark per bullet up to a maximum of 2 2 (AO1.2) Accept description of POST/Power On Self

marks, e.g: (2) Test for BP2

Stored in ROM
Tests hardware/components (are Accept loads up instead of boots up (BP3)
working)
Boots up the operating system Examiner’s Comments
This was generally answered well,
although some candidates were vague in
their response. The concept of the BIOS
booting up the Operating System was
missed by some, but most candidates
mentioned the BIOS checking that the
hardware is operational (POST).

Exemplar 1

Exemplar 1 was given full marks. The

candidate achieved the first mark for being
clear that the BIOS checks hardware and
has provided a suitable example. The
second mark has been awarded for
explaining that the BIOS loads the
operating system. Although it was not
essential to mention POST (Power-On-Self-
Test) this is useful to explain the process
that occurs.

b i 1 mark for any of the following bullet 1 (AO1.1) Do not Allow:

points: (1)
First come First Served
Round Robin
Multi-level feedback queues Examiner’s Comments
Shortest job first Round Robin was the most popular answer
Shortest time remaining by far. Most candidates achieved the mark
although some used the example in the
question. Candidates should be reminded
to read the questions carefully here and to
not repeat answers already provided.

© OCR 2024. You may photocopy this page. 21 of 26 Created in ExamBuilder

 Mark Scheme

Question Answer/Indicative content Marks Guidance

ii 1 mark per bullet up to a maximum of 2 2 (AO2.1) Accept processed instead of dispatched

marks, e.g: (2) (Bp1)

Jobs dispatched on a FIFO basis Do not accept task/data instead of jobs

Each job/packet is equal priority (BP1 to 3)
Each job/packet switch has the same
processing time Examiner’s Comments
Few candidates achieved both available
marks and most missed the concept of
jobs/packets having equal priority.

Total 5

© OCR 2024. You may photocopy this page. 22 of 26 Created in ExamBuilder

 Mark Scheme

Question Answer/Indicative content Marks Guidance

5 a 1 mark per bullet up to a maximum of 2 4 Award 1 mark for stating a construct and
marks for each construct (4 marks in total), (AO1.2) then 1 mark for a suitable example that is
e.g.: (2) relevant to the context.
(AO2.1)
Sequence… (2) Award a maximum of two marks for each
…e.g. display payment details once a programming construct.
room has been selected
…e.g. send confirmation email after Examiner’s Comments
successfully entering payment details Most candidates had factual knowledge of
Selection… the specification point that lists sequence,
…e.g. if payment details are successful iteration and branching as types of
then send confirmation email programming construct. However, many
…e.g. if a valid date has been entered candidates found it more difficult to
then display a list of available rooms demonstrate computational thinking skills
Iteration…. to logically break down the problem given
….e.g. repeat code until a date has in the stem of the question to give relevant
been entered examples.
….e.g. repeat code until a room has
been selected Several candidates did confuse
programming constructs with either
computational thinking concepts such as
abstraction and decomposition or with
other elements of programming such as
procedures, functions or classes.

b 1 mark for any of the following bullet 1 Examiner’s Comments

points: (AO1.1) Most candidates showed good recall of
(1) knowledge stating that an IDE was used to
To write programming code. develop code.
To debug programming code.
To compile/interpret code.

© OCR 2024. You may photocopy this page. 23 of 26 Created in ExamBuilder

 Mark Scheme

Question Answer/Indicative content Marks Guidance

c 1 mark per bullet up to a maximum of 2 4 Award a maximum of two marks for each
marks for each advantage (4 marks in (AO1.1) advantage.
total), e.g.: (2)
(AO1.2) Allow other suitable examples.
Saves times (1) as code does not need (2)
to be rewritten (1) Examiner’s Comments
Code may already be tested (1) which Many candidates did not give a clear
will therefore save explanation for a point made, and there
development//debugging time (1) were a number of ‘cheaper’ or ‘quicker’
More efficient code (1) which will use type responses that had no qualification for
less memory//be easier to maintain (1) what was being alluded to as ‘cheaper’ or
May require less technical knowledge ‘quicker’.
(1) as code can used rather than
written (1) Exemplar 1

A response that shows a clear point being

made with a detailed explanatory
expansion for both benefits.

Total 9

© OCR 2024. You may photocopy this page. 24 of 26 Created in ExamBuilder

 Mark Scheme

Question Answer/Indicative content Marks Guidance

6 a 1 mark for each correct row up to a 4 Marks should be awarded for correct
maximum of 4 marks. (AO2.1) swapping of adjacent items that are out of
(4) order. Therefore if the previous step is
incorrect but the candidate has followed
through with the correct answer then marks
89 25 75 37 45 should be awarded.
25 89 75 37 45 1 mark
25 75 89 37 45 1 mark Examiner’s Comments
25 75 37 89 45 1 mark There were a number of responses that
25 75 37 45 89 1 mark included clear diagrams illustrating the first
pass of a bubble sort on the given data.
Very few candidates confused bubble sort
with other types of sorting algorithm so
most achieved full marks for this question.

b i Line 5 1 Allow line 4 and 12

(AO2.1)
(1) Examiner’s Comments
Most candidates had little difficulty
identifying line 05 as the obvious
response, but some candidates did choose
the decision taking place at the end of the
do..until loop in line 12.

ii numbers 1 Examiner’s Comments

(AO2.1) Nearly all candidates correctly identified
(1) numbers as the correct parameter name.

iii 1 mark per bullet up to a maximum of 2 2 Examiner’s Comments

marks, e.g.: (AO1.2) Candidates found it difficult to articulate a
(2) response that broke the purpose of the
To temporarily hold data… temp variable down in lines 06 to 08 into
…To allow the contents of two logical steps with reasons. Many
variables to be swapped candidates identified it as a temporary
…to ensure that data is not overwritten store, but few could explain that it allowed
the contents of the two array positions to
be swapped without erroneously
overwriting either value.

© OCR 2024. You may photocopy this page. 25 of 26 Created in ExamBuilder

 Mark Scheme

Question Answer/Indicative content Marks Guidance

iv 1 mark per bullet up to a maximum of 2 2 Examiner’s Comments

marks, e.g.: (AO1.2) Many responses to this question were
(2) generalised answers that stated that the
signifies whether or not any swaps sorted variable determined whether the
have been made in a pass data was sorted or not. This could be an
if still set to true at the end of a pass, indication that candidates did not have
then the list is sorted practical experience of implementing a
bubble sort with a swap flag. Most
candidates did not appreciate the function
of the variable during each pass of the
bubble sort. Candidates need to be well
versed in the different ways of
implementing a bubble sort.

Total 10

7 a 1 mark per bullet up to a maximum of 2 2 Accept:

marks, e.g.: (AO1.2)
(2) = is an assignment operator
= is used as the number variable is == is a comparison operator.
being assigned a value…
…== is not used as the program is not Examiner’s Comments
checking if the variable is equal to a Most candidates were correctly able to
value distinguish between assignment and
equality.

b 2,4,6,8 1 Examiner’s Comments

(AO3.3) In many cases candidates gave the
(1) response 2 and did not iterate through the
loop until the initial loop condition was
false.

c 1,3,5,7 1 Examiner’s Comments

(AO3.3) Candidates who answered the previous
(1) part of the question generally went on to
score full credit for a second trace of the
algorithm with a different calling argument
value.

Total 4

© OCR 2024. You may photocopy this page. 26 of 26 Created in ExamBuilder

Powered by TCPDF (www.tcpdf.org)