Input, output and storage

MP1 must imply more/larger amount of data

Allow
‘instructions/programs/apps/processes/tasks’ for data.

MP2 - BOD ‘no need for Virtual Memory’.

Examiner’s Comments

Most candidates were able to gain 1 or 2 marks on this question. Some confused primary with secondary saying that adding more RAM meant there was less need to use primary memory. Some confused RAM with Cache.

Allow other suitable input devices as long as they are suitable for the scenario and an input device
e.g.
thermometers, light and UV sensors, skin response sensors, magnetometers, gyrometer, ECG

No FT for use if incorrect device

Use must be related to the fitness tracker scenario

Examiner’s Comments

The majority of candidates were able to state the name of a device, but many did not apply the use of their named input device to the scenario and gave responses related to a generic use of the device for example giving a heart rate sensor or monitor and then saying the use was to monitor the heart rate with no reference to the fitness tracker. A few gave devices which were unsuitable for an embedded system carried in a shirt such as keyboard and touchscreen.

Mark across whole answer space

Expansion must relate to scenario

DNA ‘small’ on its own

DNA anything to do with capacity

Examiner’s Comments

The majority of candidates were able to give a reason such as durable/no moving parts/ small physical size. Candidates who related the reason to why it would be suitable for the fitness tracker were able to gain full marks. Some candidates did not apply their response to the question stem well and instead talked about things like smart watches.

Exemplar 2

[Image redrawn from the original mark scheme by an AI model (Gemma 4 12B). It may contain mistakes.]

A candidate's handwritten answer:

1. Flesh sausage has no moving parts so it is more shock resistant than like sausage clippers (which often require moving components to move or wire clips). This means that it would be less likely to get damaged during accidents. The moving parts of the clippers are prone to
2. Flesh sausage is also very small in size (barely at the size capacity) so the usual dance could be smaller. This would make it easier to move (i.e. it is more possible for the smaller weight and dimensions) and reduce the amount of movement in the walkers less. [M]

The candidate has clearly given two reasons with good application to the scenario.

DNA ‘boots up’ on its own

Examiner’s Comments

Many candidates were able to gain at least one or two marks for saying the BIOS finds/loads the operating system and/or checks hardware.

Examiner’s Comments

Strong candidates were able to give a use such as store the operating system and an advantage. Many though, gave a very good description of what ROM is but did not give a different use and so were unable to gain any marks. A few candidates said it could store the BIOS which had already been given in the question. A few candidates talked about microwaves and washing machines which was not relevant to this scenario

Examiner’s Comments

This question was answered well, although some candidates stated the role of cache rather than RAM.

[An examiner's marking symbol, not shown here.]

Misconception

That RAM and cache are the same thing within a computer system.

Examiner’s Comments

Most candidates achieved both of the

available marks for this question and linked the scenario in well when writing their response.

Do not accept just "multiple instructions"

Do not accept tasks/programs for
instructions

Examiner’s Comments

Many candidates were able to gain the mark here. Candidates who did not tended to be vague or repeated the question.

Examiner’s Comments

Most candidates were able to access one mark but many gave only one point. Candidates should be encouraged to look at how many marks there are for a question and make sure they provide enough points to be able to access those marks.

Accept any other valid pointsbr/>
Mark in pairs

Examiner’s Comments

This question was generally answered well with many candidates describing the number of clock cycles required to execute instructions for RISC and CISC. Some candidates were not given the marks because they did not use the correct terminology.

Examiner’s Comments

To achieve all 3 marks for this question, candidates needed to describe what parallel processing is, and then be clear as to how this would affect the computer system in the question. Many candidates were not given all the available marks as they did not make clear links between parallel processing and the scenario.

Examiner’s Comments

This question was generally answered well. Some candidates were not given the second mark as they did not make reference to the operating system.

Must be output devices.

Must be suitable for video editing.

Examiner’s Comments

Many candidates answered this question correctly, with most selecting a
monitor/screen and headphones/speakers which were both valid responses.

AO1
Magnetic Benefits:

• Lower price per GB
• As standard comes in high capacity

Magnetic Drawbacks:

• Lower R/W speed
• Higher power consumption
• Moving parts /less durable

Flash Benefits:

• Higher R/W speed
• No moving parts/more durable
• Lower power consumption
• Can have a higher capacity.

Flash Drawbacks:

• Higher cost per GB
• At higher capacities prices rise exponentially.

AO2:
Suitability of Magnetic:

• Video files are very large, benefiting magnetics low cost per GB
• Can be used to archive the different video elements after it’s been rendered
• Could possibly get damaged while being transported between the different filming sites
• Slow R/W speeds may take it longer to load into the software

Suitability of flash:

• Very fast R/W speeds therefore reducing the amount of loading time during the editing process/giving smoother playback
• If money is not a barrier, flash can be bought in sufficient capacities for videos.

AO3:
Candidates can conclude either method, but to score in the top MB must have a clear line of reasoning to justify their choice.

Examiner’s Comments

Candidates were assessed on the quality of their extended response in this question. Most candidates understood the basic differences between flash storage and magnetic storage devices, but did not make clear links to the scenario. Mid-level responses were common, with few candidates giving a balanced discussion and a conclusion with suitable justifications.

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Assessment for learning

Questions with the command word ‘discuss’ require candidates to give a balanced discussion and provided a suitable

conclusion which justifies their comments. Opportunities to practise these questions will support candidates to do better on these style questions.

AO1
CISC is a complex instruction set. The traditional approach to processor design. Lots of instructions available although some instructions in CISC will rarely get used. RISC is a reduced instruction set. A smaller number of instructions available, several instructions can be combined to perform the same tasks as CISC processors. RISC instructions are used regularly.
RISC has fewer transistors/less complex circuitry whereas CISC integrated circuits are more expensive/complicated. RISC instructions take one cycle whereas CISC may take several. RISC can only do complex things by combining multiple instructions whereas CISC is done in one line. Compilers for RISC need to be more complex than compilers for CISC

AO2
CISC processors would run the same software as the desktop machines. Would be less power efficient and require larger battery and cooling mechanisms. More expensive to purchase.
RISC processor requires software to be written specifically for it (cannot use CISC instructions). More power efficient and so requires less/no cooling and smaller battery/longer battery life. RISC devices may require greater RAM as programs tend to be larger than their CISC equivalents.

AO3
Mobile use of CISC would save money on software and increase compatibility but cost more to purchase and be physically larger (heat sink/larger battery) and/or have a shorter battery life.
RISC would require investment in software but be cheaper to purchase and give a better performance out of the office (lighter/longer battery life). Some
compatibility issues may be reduced with emulators and translators.

Examiner’s Comments
Many candidates were able to discuss the difference in reduced or complex instruction sets and gave some discussion of the increase in hardware requirements for CISC. Few talked about the software differences, and some assumed the charity would need to be programming the devices which was not relevant to the question.

Data stored by altering the magnetic field of a small section of the tape or disk; one orientation represents a binary value of 1, the opposite orientation represents a binary value of 0. Written to using a read head. Read head can then read the magnetic field and retrieve the data.
These read and write heads move across the disk or the tape moves under the heads. Solid state devices store data using semiconductors; drives can be based on NAND Flash or DRAM. No moving parts are required.
Backup involves copying potentially large amounts of data to and from storage devices at regular intervals.
Servers distribute data to client devices.

AO2
Magnetic hard drives entirely suitable for storing operating system, software and data. Large capacity, cheap (by comparison) purchasing price and reliability make them idea for heavy use in an insurance office. Solid state drives have no moving parts and offer an increase in speed and quicker access to customer records. However,

smaller capacity (in comparison) may be an issue for larger data sets.
Backup systems may be required to maximise storage whereas access speed is not so much of an issue
Limited lifespan of SSDs due to limited read/writes may restrict use in data heavy applications.
Servers will require quick access to data to serve multiple client machines but will also be extremely read/write heavy.

AO3
Both suitable for the insurance office but for different purposes.
SSDs to store operating system and program files will ensure quicker boot up and loading of programs. May be useful for both client and servers to store operating systems Magnetic hard drives to store large quantities of data provides reliability and large capacity at small (by comparison) cost. May be most suitable for storing large amounts of data on client devices and for backup systems.
Magnetic tape device may be suitable for backing up customer data as too slow for use on day-to-day basis.
Use of solid state devices for storing customer data that is frequently accessed means needing to plan for replacement of drives when read/write limit reached. Solid state devices better if used in mobile devices (e.g. for mobile insurance workers) as relatively small chance of damage if dropped as no moving parts.

Accept
More than one clock cycle for each instruction in CISC …
…one clock cycle for each instruction in RISC
For BP’s 3 and 4