Information Technology 9626/12 October/November 2019: question paper and mark scheme

Mark scheme

2 3 4 A motherboard has a collection of chips and controllers known as the chipset A hard disk drive usually has less storage capacity than the RAM within a computer ROM is the memory used to store documents the user is currently working on The hard disk drive is used to store application software 3 A solid state drive has no moving parts 3 RAM is memory that cannot be changed A hard disk drive uses flash memory to store data RAM stores the start up instructions of a computer even when it is switched off A PC can still work without having a CPU The arithmetic logic unit and the control unit are part of the CPU in a 3 computer

Mark scheme

3(a) Three from: 3 Costs more to pay programmers to write code specifically for the task/users’ needs/don’t share development costs with other users Testing is limited to what the programmers think may be required ... ... based on how they think the software will be used Support is limited to the team of programmers only Can take a long time to develop the software There may be a lot of bugs as it has not been tested so thoroughly/has not been used before 3(b) Three from: 3 It is designed specifically for the task/customers’ requirements There will be no unnecessary features It does not have to be adapted for use Programmers are available to make any changes required/rectify bugs Programmers will ensure that it is compatible with the existing system and software

Mark scheme

4 Four from: 4 Questions are asked by system Data/symptoms would be entered by the doctor Questions based on these would be asked by the expert system Doctor enters answers to these questions The system would reason using IF-THEN rules System produce probabilities of diagnoses/possible diagnoses The doctor chooses the most appropriate diagnosis

Mark scheme

5(a) VLOOKUP(F3,$C$6:$D$17,2,0) 5 VLOOKUP() – 1 mark (F3 – 1 mark ,$C$6:$D$17 – 1 mark ,2 – 1 mark ,0) – 1 mark $ before the column letter is optional 5(b) One mark for each step 6 In cell K3 insert a new formula Enter J3/I3 Highlight K3 and replicate down to K20 Highlight F3:K20 Click on data then click on sort Click on sort by column K Select descending order

Mark scheme

6 Eight from: 8 A private computer network used within one organisation Can only be accessed by workers within the organisation/ restricted access network Users tend to need user ids and passwords to prevent outsiders using the intranet Based on internet technologies/TCP/IP protocols There is a client-server relationship set up between computers and the servers Used to share information/send emails within the organisation Tends to be a LAN Has greater security/less susceptible to hackers/viruses than the internet Intranets have web pages about company events, health and safety policies and staff newsletters Contains forms for workers to complete such as claiming expenses/requesting holidays Extranet is a means of extending an organisation’s intranet for use by selected people (outside the organisation)/so that employees can work remotely If staff working outside the organisation can access an intranet by using a VPN this becomes an extranet Extranet is set up by providing a secure link/firewall to the intranet using the internet Examples (max 2 marks) of extranet use could be: A company could provide access to a supplier for online ordering, order tracking and inventory management A hospital providing local doctors with access to a booking system so they can make appointments for their patients Pupils could use the school’s intranet to submit work from home Employees could use the company intranet when working from home Maximum of 7 marks with no examples

Mark scheme

7(a) Application and system (software), compiler is system 1 7(b) Four from: 4 A compiler is a computer program/set of programs It translates source code/program written in a high level programming language It translates source code/program into a lower level language/assembly language/machine code/object code It creates an executable program It translates it for the computer which can only understand machine code to run It produces error messages/list of errors to help programmer debug the program

Mark scheme

8(a) 6 Attribute Data type Field Format Type of key size Invoice_number Alphanumeric 5 99999 Primary Number_of_items Numeric/integer – 9 – Item_cost Numeric/Currency – 999.99 – Customer_ref Alphanumeric 6 X9999X Foreign Delivered Boolean – –1/0 – 1 mark for all attributes correctly copied 1 mark for 4/5 data types correct 1 mark for Customer_ref field size correct 1 mark for 4/5 formats correct 1 mark for correct foreign key 1 mark for correct primary key 8(b) Six from: 6 Go to create view and select query design Load the Invoices table into the window In the query design next to ‘Field’/in the field row Type in [Number_of_items] Then next to it type in *[Item_cost] Replace Expr1 with total_cost Save the query Run the query 8(c)(i) A length check could have been used 2 6 characters is more than 5, which is the length allowed 8(c)(ii) A range check could have been used 2 12 500 is outside the range 1250–3400 and only numbers in this range are allowed 8(c)(iii) A format/picture check could have been used 2 L21789 has 1 letter followed by 5 digits when it should be 1 letter followed by 4 digits followed by 1 letter 8(c)(iv) A check digit check could have been used 2 The final digit produced would have been different because of 8 and 9 being transposed/only numbers with a correct final check digit would be allowed

Mark scheme

9 To be marked as a level of response: 8 Level 3 (7–8 marks) Candidates will describe the advantages and disadvantages of HTTPS The issues raised will be justified. The information will be relevant, clear, organised and presented in a structured and coherent format. There will be a reasoned conclusion Specialist terms will be used accurately and appropriately Level 2 (4–6 marks) Candidates will describe the advantages and disadvantages of HTTPS although development of some of the points will be limited For the most part the information will be relevant and presented in a structured and coherent format. Specialist terms will be used appropriately and for the most part correctly. Level 1 (1–3 marks) Candidates may only address one side of the argument, and give basic advantages/disadvantages Answers may be simplistic with little or no relevance. There will be little or no use of specialist terms. Level 0 (0 marks) Response with no valid content. Candidates may refer to e.g. Disadvantages HTTPS uses a lot of server resources ... ... requires processing power and memory for encryption HTTPS introduces latencies/delays SSL connections take longer to set up with more roundtrips Browser caching does not work properly Modern sites will run slowly without browser caching Need to buy an SSL certificate issued by certificate authorities It is possible to make your own certificate but other users will not trust it so you need to buy one Warnings can arise that despite using SSL a web page is partially serving insecure content The browser may not want users to think a site is totally secure but warning can be off-putting to many users There are proxy caching problems Everything is encrypted including packet headers and content Any caching that might have happened between the points at which data is encrypted and decrypted is blocked 9 Advantages Messages can’t be read by any third-party A certificate guarantees the information a browser is receiving originates at the expected domain It’s a guarantee that when a user sends sensitive data, it’s being sent to the right place, and not to a malicious third party HTTPS connections make man-in-the-middle attacks much more difficult to execute Search engines list HTTPS websites higher than sites without HTTPS The green padlock indicates that your site provider takes security seriously and this gives users confidence

Mark scheme

10 Max five from: 6 Data resources such as databases Hardware resources of a system People management and project management applications Decision support systems/computer program applications used by managers to gather information to support problem solving and decision making Executive information systems/a reporting tool that provides quick access to summarised reports coming from all departments Marketing Information Systems/systems designed specifically for managing the marketing aspects of the business Accounting information systems for accounting functions Human resource management systems/systems used for personnel aspects of an organisation/storing records/information about employees Office automation systems automate workflow, eliminating bottlenecks School Information Management Systems cover school administration Max three from: MIS manager analyses business problems MIS manager designs and maintains computer applications to solve the organisation's problems MIS manager is responsible for training employees to use the system

Mark scheme

11(a) Three from: 3 She could use carbon copy paper (which requires less filling of the sheet feeder) She could use continuous stationery which would require less human interaction/doesn’t run out of paper as quickly as inkjet The ink ribbon lasts longer/cheaper to buy than an inkjet cartridge, saving costs When the ink runs out on an inkjet printout is less legible, whereas with a dot matrix printer the print gets fainter but is still legible 11(b) Three from: 3 The striking of the heads causes a lot of noise which would be distracting in an office environment The quality of output is not so good with a maximum of 240 dpi whereas inkjets output at 1200 dpi The speed of output is not as high as an inkjet printer, with the fastest dot matrix only approaching the speed of the slowest inkjet The cost of a dot matrix printer to buy is far more expensive than a typical inkjet Dot matrix has a more limited character set.

Mark scheme

12 Eight from: 8 Advantages Easier for workers to share work/files in projects Can access work from any computer Easier for network manager to roll out new software Easier for managers to monitor workers' progress Peripherals can be shared so fewer needed, leading to lower cost in the future Company can have an intranet for workers to access If a server is used workers do not need to worry about making backups Disadvantages A server may be required to cope with extra computers, so more expensive Extra network points/cabling may be needed, which leads to more cost If the server breaks down company projects might become inaccessible Viruses are easier to transmit from one computer to another Easier for disgruntled employees to hack into colleagues' work A network manager/administrator may need to be employed, leading to extra costs Must have at least two of each to gain full marks Needs to be a proper discussion to gain full marks