Information Technology 9626/33 October/November 2025: question paper and mark scheme

Mark scheme

1 Four from: 4 • Base station connected to public telecommunications network / service provider that connects to public telecoms (1st ) – Has antenna / receiver / transmitter (1) • Uses low power / short range • Radio / signals / wireless communications • (Each base station) has range of / 10–50 frequencies allocated • Different set of frequencies to adjacent base stations • Base station serves / covers small geographical area / terrain landscape • Base station uses towers (to increase height of antennae) • Many base stations used to cover large areas / cities • Handoff system to allow seamless movement from one base station to next (as users connect / disconnect from base stations as they move from place to place)

Mark scheme

2(a) Two from: 2 • The steps needed to complete a task / activity • The resources needed for each step • The team members / workers needed for each step • How the team members / worker interact with each other • Indication of order of tasks / jobs 2(b) Four from: 4 • Used to show critical path within a project • Used to decide / shows the order of tasks • Shows where resources should be allocated • Shows where / how / which staff / workers should be allocated • Shows when resources should be allocated / made available • Used to calculate the cost of each activity / task • Used to automatically send orders for resources • Used to generate alerts / reminders (used to link to calendar / diary of managers / team members / workers)

Mark scheme

3 Eight from: 8 Command word: Discuss – write about issues(s) or topic(s) in a structured way. Content areas could include e.g.: • Global warming due to e.g. CO 2 production • Use of smart energy meters to monitor energy use • Raise awareness of energy use / reduce energy use / reduce CO 2 production • Connecting cars / vehicles to the internet navigation services / directing them onto optimal routes • Saves car driving time fuel so less CO 2 production • Protection of wildlife / monitoring species endangerment / protection using IoT devices to track wildlife / biodiversity • Devices fixed to trees / animals to monitor wildlife activities • Remote monitoring / listening devices / cameras of conservation areas to prevent e.g. hunting / poaching • Valid example e.g. monitoring inside beehives to protect bee colonies, bees responsible for pollination / food production • Listening devices on trees to monitor (illegal) logging • Automatic management / preservation of resources e.g. heat / water / light / waste • (IoT connected devices) allow more precise control over deployment / use / removal / conservation than possible by humans • Valid example e.g.: automatic re-ordering of goods by refrigerators / remote control of heating / climate control systems / ordering of e.g. fertilisers / animals by farmers / automatic milking systems / water leak sensors • Reduction in waste of resources • Increased food security • E-waste increase due to more devices • Increase in communication traffic • IoT devices are always ‘on’ / active • Increase in use of electrical power • Smart homes use more electrical power • Technology uses more energy so increased CO 2 production • Heat output from devices • Increase in production of heat • Increase in battery use / more batteries produced / discarded • Add to landfill / disposal requirements / recycling

Mark scheme

4(a) One from: 1 • Database (table) / spreadsheet (workbook / sheet) containing related data in a file // related data in a file / database / table / spreadsheet / workbook / sheet 4(b) Four from: 4 • Manageable / same time / all in one go / simultaneous analysis of large quantities of data • Interactive analysis of data / can ‘see’ into / have insights into large amounts of data • Can generate multiple reports from single / same data set • Simple / easy / little training / specialist knowledge needed to carry out the analysis • Rapid discovery of patterns in complex data • Can work with external files / SQL generated exports of data in reports.

Mark scheme

5(a) Three from: 3 • Complete message is sent / transferred at once / in one go • Message contains destination address • Address used to send message to destination / route the message to next node • Store and forward method of transmission used (by intermediate nodes / router / switch / email servers) 5(b) Four from: 4 • Makes efficient use of available bandwidth because connections / data links / channels are shared between devices • If network fails / congestion message is not lost because messages are stored at message switches / intermediate nodes / mail servers • Networks / devices can be configured to prioritise messages so that important messages arrive first • Messages can be broadcast to several destinations at once to avoid repeating the message • Storage of message by node so message is not lost / retries of sending are possible.

Mark scheme

6 Eight from: 8 Command word: Discuss – write about issues(s) or topic(s) in a structured way. Max six from: Advantages: • No wires to cause physical / electrical hazards for customers / staff • Can be used where physical wiring is not possible / too expensive / not allowed • No installation / maintenance of physical wiring / infrastructure so costs are reduced • Cleaning / servicing (of checkout areas) is more convenient without network wiring • Checkouts / point of sale terminals can be added / removed without disrupting network connections • Checkouts / point of sale terminals can be moved / relocated without the need to alter network wiring • No need to damage / alter e.g. walls / displays / floors / infrastructure • No cables to get damaged Max six from: Disadvantages: • Requires complex / more network security / enforced security than wired connections • Range is limited / affected by obstacles / materials / goods / construction materials in store • More WAPS may be needed to cover the area / network becomes more complex • Range may restrict the placement of checkouts / point of sale terminals • More susceptible to unauthorised access / eavesdropping / cyber attacks • Range may extend beyond store perimeter so more difficult to keep secure • Susceptible to interference from other / staff / customer Wi-Fi devices • From electrical devices in the store / valid example e.g.: food freezers / TV sets.

Mark scheme

7 Six from: 6 • JS code embedded within HTML − inside < / script> tags • ALP3 is given id in line 4 • Array qp holds the text for display / ["A Level", "IT", "9626", "Paper", 3] • Variable paper declared / initialised to empty / blank / null / zero • for in used to loop / iterate through array • Variable x used to count / hold array items during loop iterations • Variable paper used to construct / hold array item plus line break − BR used to force line break on web page • Contents of variable paper written / passed back to HTML… using document.getElementById("ALP3").innerHTML = paper − HTML element with id ALP3 − initiated before script as blank − JS changes its content to contents of variable paper − displayed on web page • Iterates through array until no more items left − JS script / code terminates / stops

Mark scheme

8 Six from: 6 • Use of timeline − to decide when movement occurs − how fast movement occurs / how fast change of position occurs • Spacing / position of object within a frame − change from frame to frame − smaller spacing appears as slower movement − larger spacing appears as faster movement • Number of frames used to complete the movement − many frames appear as slow movement − few frames appear as fast movement − animating on ones / twos / threes − on 1s means fast action − on 2s means ‘normal’ movement − on 3s means slow movement • Use ‘slow in slow out’ approach − first / last few frames / spacing of movement less than middle set of frames − more realistic start / stop of movement

Mark scheme

9 Four from: 4 • A digital representation of sovereign / country’s currency • Issued by a central bank / central monetary authority − which guarantees / backs / supports the CBDC − considered to be legal tender • Value set against the flat currency / usual currency • Easily transferred using peer-to-peer networking

Mark scheme

10(a) Four from: 4 • BitTorrent client installed / used on device • Uses BitTorrent protocol to connect to other clients / devices • It is a peer-to-peer network of connected devices / devices connected into BitTorrent ‘swarm’ • Data / files are transferred between devices directly / without a central server • Connected devices use a distributed hash table (DHT) to track other clients / are tracked by others / use of a .torrent file by BitTorrent client / by tracker device • Connected devices have the IP addresses shared with all other connected devices • Tracker device does not contribute / store / send any data files • Clients search for files / files located on other clients using the DHT • Files are downloaded in bits / parts / sections • (downloaded) from multiple clients / different clients • Files are reconstructed by the client • Clients supplying files share their bandwidth to reduce time for file download to client • Clients with complete / fully downloaded files share with other clients 10(b)(i) Three from: 3 • BitTorrent protocols use a large amount of the available bandwidth which increases network traffic / slows network down • Many users all attempting to find / access / download files using BitTorrent so it makes it appear that a DDoS attack is underway • BitTorrent is based on UDP so source addresses can be ‘spoofed’ / changed / disguised • BitTorrent files can carry malware (which is distributed to all users) • It can be used to distribute / download copyright / illegal materials so can cause legal problems for the network owners • Contravenes company acceptable use policy so may be a training / disciplinary issue // not using company network for work purposes 10(b)(ii) One from: 1 • Set up a VPN • Disguise / encrypt the BitTorrent protocol as another protocol / use Message stream encryption / Protocol encryption (MSE / PE) to avoid its detection

Mark scheme

11 Eight from: 8 Command word: Discuss – write about issues(s) or topic(s) in a structured way. Max one from: • The old system is stopped and the new system starts / is used immediately / overnight Max six from: Benefits: • The benefits of the new system can be had immediately after installation / implementation − no delays / loss of work / production / service / deliveries / shipments • Fastest method of installation / implementation compared to other methods − reduced loss of profit and no loss of customers • Only one system is running at any one time − no need to have two sets of hardware / staff − reduced costs of staffing • New system is less likely to have issues / problems / bugs − as has been fully tested before deployment Max six from: Drawbacks: • Staff have to be trained before the new system is installed − staff have to be trained instead of doing real / proper job − reduced productivity by work force during training − staff cannot be trained on a live system − staff have to be trained on a simulated / training system − staff can make mistakes on a training system so get a false sense of security • Old system data has to be transferred to new system − increased risk of data loss − can be time-consuming so may introduce delays − no fallback option if new system fails − stock data may be permanently lost − deliveries / shipments / business may stop / fail • No system at all / may not be available during the point of changeover − old system is not available if the new system fails − so business may not be available to operate