Information and Communication Technology 0417/13 October/November 2020: question paper and mark scheme
Cambridge IGCSE Information and Communication Technology (0417), Paper 1 Written, October/November 2020. Read both free below, or download them. Done the paper? Get it marked by AI against this mark scheme.
A desktop computer consists of both hardware and software. The software is either applications software or system software.
(a) Tick (3) whether the following are examples of applications software or system software.
applications system
(3) (3)
Measurement software
Linker
Database
Utility software
[2]
(b) Identify two internal items of hardware that could be found in a desktop computer.
1 ……
2 ……
[2]
Mark scheme
1(a) 2
applications system
(Π) (Π)
Measurement software Π
Linker Π
Database Π
Utility software Π
4 correct ticks = 2 marks
2 or 3 correct ticks = 1 mark
1 correct tick = 0 marks
1(b) Two from: 2
Processor
Motherboard
Random access memory (RAM)
Read only memory (ROM)
Video card
Sound card
Graphics card
A computer system uses two types of documentation: technical and user. Some items only appear in the technical documentation and other items only in the user documentation, whereas some items appear in both.
Tick (3) whether the following items appear only in Technical documentation, only in User documentation or in Both.
Item Technical User
Both documentation documentation
(3)
(3) (3)
Algorithms
File structures
Error messages
Limitations of the system
Hardware requirements
Glossary of terms
[6]
Mark scheme
2 6
Item Technical User Both
documentation documentation ()
() ()
Algorithms
File structures
Error messages
Limitations of the system
Hardware requirements
Glossary of terms
A student has produced a document for her biology project. Part of the project is shown. Answer the questions relating to the document.
Biology Project 16/02/2019 Biology Project 16/02/2019
The Kiwi making it an omnivore.
Apteryx is the scientific name for the Kiwi. The Kiwi is a burrowing bird and is the oldest of New
Zealand’s birds, having evolved 70 million years ago from a flightless ancestor from the great southern continent of
Gondwana. It is related to the Ostrich, Emu and Rhea as well as the now extinct New
Zealand Moa, all of which are much taller than the Kiwi. The Kiwi is a very secretive, nocturnal bird which is seldom seen in the wild.
There are two species of Kiwis in New
Zealand. Brown Kiwis are found in forested areas in the North Island, Fiordland, South
Westland and Stewart Island. Spotted Kiwis are found on offshore islands and forests in the north of the South Island.
The Kiwi is a tailless and flightless bird. It feeds on insects, grubs and spiders which it locates by sniffing among the leaves and rotting wood on the forest floor using its external nostrils. It is the only bird to have external nostrils. The Kiwi also eats berries,
2 3
(a) Give the name of the extra margin between the two pages of the document.
…… [1]
(b) Give the name of the space above the document, containing ‘Biology Project’ and the date.
…… [1]
(c) Name the term given to the single line of text that has overflowed on to the next page.
…… [1]
(d) Name the type of alignment used for the body text.
…… [1]
(e) The student has placed an image in the document.
Name the type of formatting used to allow the text to flow around the image.
…… [1]
When a website is created, three web development layers are used: the content layer, the presentation layer and the behaviour layer.
(a) Describe what is meant by the content layer.
…… [3]
(b) Describe what is meant by the presentation layer.
…… [3]
Mark scheme
5(a) Three from: 3
Created using HTML
Every aspect of the site’s content/information/data should be represented in
this layer
Can consist of text/images/hyperlinks/multimedia
Layer used to create the structure of the web page
5(b) Three from: 3
Usually includes media queries
Media queries changes the site’s display based on screen size and device
This is used to display and format elements within the web page/format of
the web page/customise
This layer is defined by CSS (Cascading Style Sheets)
Contain styles that indicate how the document should be displayed in a web
browser
The manager of a company is planning to create a computerised system and has asked a systems analyst to research the current system. The systems analyst could do this by using a number of different methods, but has chosen to create and send out a questionnaire to members of the company.
(a) Discuss the benefits and drawbacks of sending out questionnaires to members of the company.
…… [6]
(b) The system has been created. As the data is entered into the system it is verified.
Give two methods of verification.
1 ……
2 ……
[2]
(c) Explain why data still needs to be validated even though it has been verified.
…… [4]
Mark scheme
6(a) Six from: 6
Benefits
Faster to complete all questionnaires than using interviews
Cheaper to produce questionnaires than pay/employ an interviewer
Individuals can remain anonymous therefore they are more truthful
More people can answer the questionnaire than can be interviewed
They can fill it in in their own time therefore quicker to complete overall
Drawbacks
Tend not to be popular with users
Too inflexible cannot ask follow up questions
Users tend to exaggerate their responses as they are anonymous
As it’s anonymous people may not take it seriously
Cannot expand on their answers/limited in their responses
To gain full marks at least one benefit/drawback must be given
6(b) Visual verification 2
Double data entry
6(c) Four from: 4
Data may be out of range but verification does not pick it up
Data may be in the wrong format but verification does not pick it up
Data may be missing from a field but verification does not pick it up
Data may be of the wrong length but verification does not pick it up
Validation checks that the data is sensible which verification does not
Verification only checks that the data has been transferred correctly
Verification only checks that the data matches the original source document
Together they reduce the number of errors in the data
A house contains a microprocessor-controlled central heating system.
(a) Identify two input devices that would be used in this system.
1 ……
2 ……
[2]
(b) Describe how a microprocessor would use the data from these devices to control the central heating system.
…… [6]
Mark scheme
7(a) Two from: 2
Keypad
Temperature sensor
Override switch for timing
Touch screen
Remote control//smartphone//tablet
7(b) Six from: 6
Microprocessor reads/receives the data
The required temperature/preset value is keyed in using the devices
The microprocessor compares the data with the preset value
If the temperature is greater than or equal to the preset value then …
… a signal is sent to the actuator …
… actuator turns off the heaters
If the temperature is lower than the preset value …
… then a signal is sent to the actuator to turn on the heaters
Process is continuous
A spreadsheet has been produced showing the final places in one of the events in the 2018 Winter
Olympic Games.
A B C D E F G H I J
1
Total
2 Country Name Heat1 Heat2 Heat3 Heat4 Time Min Seconds
3 KOR Yun Sungbin 50.28 50.07 50.18 50.02 200.6 3 20.55 20.6
4 LAT Martins Dukurs 50.85 50.38 50.32 50.76 202.3 3 22.31 22.3
5 GBR Dom Parsons 50.85 51.41 49.33 50.62 202.2 3 22.21 22.2
6 OAR Nikita Tregubov 50.59 50.50 50.50 50.59 202.2 3 22.18 22.2
7 LAT Tomass Dukurs 50.88 50.58 50.65 50.63 202.7 3 22.74 22.7
8 KOR Kim Jisoo 50.80 50.86 50.51 50.81 203.0 3 22.98 23.0
9 GER Axel Jungk 50.77 51.01 50.83 50.99 203.6 3 23.60 23.6
10
The event consists of four heats. The times taken to complete each heat are added together to give the Total Time, in seconds. This is then displayed as minutes and seconds.
Two formulae form this calculation; they are stored in column H and column J.
The formula in cell H3 is: =INT(G3/60)
(a) Explain what the formula in cell H3 does.
…… [2]
The formula in cell J3 is: =ROUND(I3,1)
(b) Explain what the formula in cell J3 does.
…… [2]
At the end of the competition, the table must be sorted into ascending order of Total Time. The top athlete would be in the gold medal position, the second in silver medal position and the third in bronze medal position. The Medal and Rank columns must be added.
This display should look like this:
A B C D E F G H I
1
Total
2 Medal Rank Country Name Heat1 Heat2 Heat3 Heat4 Time
3 Gold 1 KOR Yun Sungbin 50.28 50.07 50.18 50.02 200.55
4 Silver 2 OAR Nikita Tregubov 50.59 50.50 50.50 50.59 202.18
5 Bronze 3 GBR Dom Parsons 50.85 51.41 49.33 50.62 202.21
6 4 LAT Martins Dukurs 50.85 50.38 50.32 50.76 202.31
7 5 LAT Tomass Dukurs 50.88 50.58 50.65 50.63 202.74
8 6 KOR Kim Jisoo 50.80 50.86 50.51 50.81 202.98
9 7 GER Axel Jungk 50.77 51.01 50.83 50.99 203.60
10
(c) Explain the steps that must be taken to amend the spreadsheet and to display the data in this way.
…… [6]
The heat times are measured by a computer system, but could be measured by officials with stopwatches.
(d) Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of using computers in measurement rather than humans.
…… [6]
Mark scheme
8(a) =INT(G3/60) 2
Two from:
Gives the integer part of the calculation
Works out the minutes
The calculation is G3 divided by 60//Total time divided by 60
8(b) =ROUND(I3,1) 2
Two from:
Rounds the value of I3//total time to 1 decimal place
If the 2nd decimal place figure is 5 or more it rounds up
If the 2nd decimal place figure is below 5 it rounds down//stays the same
8(c) For the sort 6
Max four from:
Highlight A3 to G9
Select Sort
Sort on Column I/Total Time
Smallest to largest//ascending order
For the display
Max four from:
Highlight columns A and B
Click Insert column to the left
Enter the titles
Enter the Rank/Medal data
8(d) Six from: 6
Advantages
More accurate
Less expensive to run
Data is more consistent
More than one variable can be measured at a time/split times
Results can be produced faster
Disadvantages
More expensive to purchase equipment/software
Maintenance can be more expensive
If the system fails/power outages could cause the computer to lose
data/sensor fails
To gain full marks at least one advantage and disadvantage is needed
Legal documents can be sent by email, as a file attachment, or by physical fax.
(a) Describe the advantages of using emails compared with physical faxing.
…… [5]
A legal document is sent as a file attachment.
(b) Explain the steps that need to be taken to ensure that if a virus is attached to the file, it cannot infect the computer.
…… [4]
A computer virus has been downloaded from an infected file.
(c) Describe three effects this could have on a computer.
1 ……
2 ……
3 ……
[3]
Mark scheme
9(a) Five from: 5
The document/attachment loads directly into the computer’s memory
therefore better security
The computer need not be switched on
The computer receives a soft copy
The fax does one thing at once therefore could be engaged
The document in an email is in digital format
Easier to send to multiple recipients
People are more likely to have email rather than fax
Print quality is better with email
More accessible as it is can be sent/received by many devices
The process of faxing is slower as the document needs to be scanned
before sending
With fax the paper could get damaged during scanning/printing
Videos and audio can be sent by email
9(b) Four from: 4
The system must have installed anti-virus software
The anti-virus software must be up to date/updated regularly//download anti-
virus
The email/attachment is scanned by the anti-virus software
The email is not opened/attachment downloaded until any virus is removed
by the anti-virus software
9(c) Three from: 3
Hard disk could be filled up
The computer is performing routine tasks a lot more slowly
Pop-ups keep appearing on the screen at random.
Random reboots
Software errors/software/computer doesn’t work properly
Recycle bin/files not working
Computer hanging
Anti-virus stops working
System lock-up
Files are being deleted
The use of ICT in organisations has changed the way in which employees work.
(a) Describe, giving an example, what is meant by compressed hours.
…… [3]
(b) Describe, giving an example, what is meant by flexible working.
…… [3]
Mark scheme
10(a) The worker completes the normal working hours per week 3
But works fewer days
For example: a 40 hour week compressed into 4 days not 5
10(b) Workers complete the same amount of hours over a working week 3
Workers can choose when to start and end in agreement with the manager
For example: Workers start at 9:30 rather than 9am to miss school run/miss
rush hour
Explanation of flexible schedule
The director of a museum in China is planning an exhibition on ancient civilisations. One of the exhibits is a full representation of a 10 000-year-old human. The Natural History Museum in
London is planning to send a complete skeleton, but it is too fragile.
(a) Describe how a computer could be used to create a 3D copy of the skeleton which will then be printed in China.
…… [5]
(b) Describe four benefits of using 3D printers.
1 ……
2 ……
3 ……
4 ……
[4]
Mark scheme
11(a) Two from: 5
The skeleton is scanned
A digital copy is made of the skeleton
Copy is saved
The data is sent via the internet to China
Three from:
Data is loaded into the software to prepare it for printing
Software slices the model into hundreds of layers
3D printer creates the model layer by layer
Binds them together
11(b) Four from: 4
Products can be customised easily on request
Speed of producing the product is faster than making it by hand
Cheaper than making it by hand due to labour costs
Parts of equipment that are no longer made can be printed without having to
manufacture them
Many copies of the original can be made
Saves the original from damage in transit
Create a fragile object from more robust materials
Autonomous vehicles such as taxis are being tested on the world’s roads. This type of taxi is able to drive between two points without the driver having control of the vehicle. The vehicles use satellite navigation and wireless technology with sensors to navigate and control the vehicle.
Evaluate the use of these technologies when navigating and controlling vehicles in this way.
…… [8]
Mark scheme
12 Eight from: 8
Examples for advantages
The taxi can be controlled safely by the computer
Navigation systems find the quickest/safest route
Data is constantly being updated in the vehicle therefore reacts quicker to
changes
Traffic efficiency improved
Fuel efficiency is improved as the vehicle finds the best way of getting from
A to B
Roads will be safer as the vehicle can react faster to situations
Decreases the amount of accidents on the road
Examples for disadvantages
Security problem of others gaining access to the vehicle …
… and can control its operation example: slam on the brakes
More expensive to set up wireless technology than manual systems
If the wireless technology malfunctions the taxi will not be able to drive
The driver must remain alert in case of problems
Problem of disconnection stopping the vehicle …
… if the wireless signal stops then the vehicle will not operate
Requires a large number of new receiving stations and this is more
expensive
Interference/weather can affect the signal and can stop the vehicle
If the system fails this can cause accidents
Higher cost of maintenance
To gain full marks at least one of each section are required
Email is a common way of communicating with other people. Netiquette is associated with emailing.
A headmistress of a school has asked the network manager to produce a document listing netiquette rules the staff and students should follow when sending emails from the school.
Describe, giving reasons, three rules that he could produce.
1 ……
2 ……
3 ……
[6]
Mark scheme
13 Matched pairs 6
Do not be abusive//be polite
Do not threaten people with violence/Do not use abusive words/Do not
cyber bully other students or incite bullying
As this will be upsetting for others
Check spelling and grammar
This sets a good impression
The points made are public
Be careful what is written as comments can be read by other people
Respect people’s privacy
Do not discuss or publish information that might embarrass
Do not use capital letters
As this is conveyed as shouting
Don’t send pornography
As it can be upsetting
Maintain your privacy
Do not send personal details
Check the email address carefully/check the names on the send list
So that emails are not sent to strangers
Checked your answers against these? Let AI mark the whole paper, on your own working.
Examiners follow the generic marking principles at the front of the scheme, then each question's points: method (M), accuracy (A) and independent (B) marks, error carried forward where the scheme allows it, and positive marking, so you're credited for what you got right.
Check your answers against it
Done this paper? Upload your script and CIE Buddy's AI marker marks it question by question against this exact scheme, puts the ticks on your own working and says what each lost mark needed.
Where can I find the 0417/13 October/November 2020 mark scheme?+
On this page, free: the mark scheme for IGCSE Information and Communication Technology 0417/13, October/November 2020 (0417_w20_ms_13), and the question paper (0417_w20_qp_13), to read or download, with each question's marking points written out underneath.
How many marks is 0417/13 out of?+
Information and Communication Technology 0417/13 for October/November 2020 is out of 100 marks, with 2 hours to answer it.
Can I get my 0417/13 answers marked?+
Yes. Upload your answers to 0417/13/O/N/20 as a PDF or photos, and CIE Buddy marks every question against this paper's official mark scheme, using Cambridge's marking rules. You get your score, each lost mark explained on your own script, and the topics to revise. It's a guide, not an official Cambridge grade.