0417/01/O/N/09

Describe four features of a well-designed input screen

Data fills the screen

Clearly defined input area for each record
Appropriate spacing for each field
Back button/arrow/previous record facility
Forward button/arrow/next record facility
Number of record is on screen
Submit button/facility
First record button/facility
Last record button/facility
An easy to read font/font size/
A sensible font colour/background colour
Easy to follow instructions for completing screen/help icon
No overlapping of items
Exit button/return to homepage button/facility

A car repair centre uses an expert system to help diagnose car engine faults. Describe the inputs, outputs
and processing of this system.

Interactive user screen appears

Details of car type are entered
Questions about engine problems are asked/on-board computer connected to
expert system
Answers to questions/engine problems are typed in
Inference engine searches
Searches the Knowledge base
using the Rules (base)
Suggested probabilities of faults are output
In the form of a report to the mechanic/on screen output

Describe how the microprocessor uses data from the sensors to control the washing machine.

Microprocessor continually monitors sensors

Data is converted from analogue to digital/ADC is used
Compares water level with pre-programmed value
If water level reached microprocessor switches off valve
Else valve left on/switched on
Compares temperature with pre-programmed value
If temperature higher microprocessor switches off heater
Else heater left on/switched on
Compares weight of clothes with pre-programmed value
If clothes too heavy microprocessor sounds alarm/stops machine/motor stops
running
Else cycle continues/motor starts

There are many microprocessor controlled devices in the modern home. Describe the effects of these on
peoples lifestyles.

Microprocessor controlled devices do much of housework

Do not need to do many things manually
Do not need to be in the house when food is cooking
Do not need to be in the house when clothes are being washed
Can leave their home to go shopping/work at any time of the day
Greater social interaction/more family time
More time to go out/more leisure time/more time to do other things/work
Are able to do other leisure activities when convenient to them
Can lead to unhealthy eating due to dependency on ready meals
Can lead to laziness/lack of fitness
Can encourage a healthy lifestyle because of smart fridges analyzing food
Constituents

Describe the differences between a WAN and a LAN

WAN is a wide area network

WAN covers a large geographical area/worldwide
The Internet is a WAN
LAN is a Local Area Network
LAN covers a small area such as one building/A school network is a LAN
A WAN consists of connected LANs
More difficult to share peripherals using a WAN

On-line banking is used by many customers. Describe three methods of making sure that the data
transferred is secure.
User ID/Passwords/PIN

User ID/Password/PIN entered is compared with that held on system/never

tell anyone your password/regularly change password/make it not easy to guess/only person who
knows password can access account

Encryption

Data is scrambled up/key must be known to unscramble it/prevents people from understanding
data

Firewall

Prevents unauthorised users/computers from accessing network

Digital certificates

Transactions are digitally signed/authenticated/transaction is linked to the PC being used to carry

out online banking

Anti Spyware

Prevents spyware from invading your computer and gaining personal information
Make sure website is secure
Locked padlock is present on display

A school encourages its students to use the Internet for research purposes. Discuss the issues relating to
such use with reference to the reliability and desirability of the information.
Drawbacks:

Not all information is accurate

Some information is purely for advertising/selling purposes
Might need proxy server to prevent access to certain types of site
Some information is pornographic
Anyone can put information on the Internet
Much of the information on the Internet is not filtered
Need to identify the validity of the author
Need to be careful about whether information is fact or opinion
Information can be biased
Results from search engine could be skewed because of sponsorship/marketing
Internet is not policed
So much information available which might be unreliable

Benefits:

Wide range of information to select (desirable/reliable information)

Able to search quickly (using search engines) to find (reliable/desirable) information
Information can be downloaded and edited (to make it desirable/reliable)
Can use the final part of a URL to identify reliability
Information can be up to date/real time so reliable
.ac, .gov, .org are usually fairly reliable
Can compare information from sites to see if it is reliable

0417/11/O/N/10
When a new system is implemented, documentation is provided with it. Explain why two different types of
documentation are produced.

Technical documentation has to be produced for systems analysts/programmers

Without technical documentation analysts programmers would not know how the system works
Without technical documentation analysts/programmers would not be able to update/improve
system
Without technical documentation analysts/programmers would not be able to repair system when
it malfunctions
User documentation needs to be phrased in a way that the average non-expert can understand
Without user documentation users would not be able to operate/use the system

A group of car mechanics has decided to buy a new printer for their workshop. Discuss the different
options which are available in terms of a laser printer, inkjet printer and dot matrix printer.

Laser printer/Inkjet printer higher quality output than Dot matrix printer
Laser printer/Inkjet printer faster output than Dot matrix printer
Laser printer/Inkjet printer are relatively quiet compared to Dot matrix printer
Laser printer has limited sizes of paper available/Inkjet has greater sizes of paper available/Dot
matrix is unlimited in size in one direction only
Laser printer/Inkjet printer is susceptible to break down in oily/dirty conditions/Dot matrix printer
less likely to break down in oily/dirty conditions

Laser printer/Inkjet printer more expensive running costs than dot matrix
Laser printer/Inkjet printer cheaper to buy than dot matrix
Inkjet printer cheaper to refill ink than laser/more expensive to refill than dot matrix printer
Laser printer/Inkjet printer needs regularly refilling with paper/Dot matrix printer has continuous
paper feed available
Dot matrix printer/Laser printer ink needs changing less often than Inkjet printer
Dot matrix printer has fewer colour options than laser printer/Inkjet printer
Dot matrix printer produces instantaneous copies
Noise is not a problem in this environment

0417/12/O/N/10
Aysha wants to collect details of new customers for entry into a database. She has asked her friend Ali to
design a paper-based data capture form for customers to complete.
Describe four features of the layout of the form that Ali will need to consider to make it easy for the
customer to use.

Adequate space for response/individual character boxes

Fonts/font size should be easy to read
Instructions how to complete form/clearly labelled field names
Logical order of questions
Questions spaced out/group relevant fields together
Not too much text
Sensible colour scheme
Use of tick boxes
Strike throughs
Appropriate white space
Provide box/place to sign in

VOIP is an example of an internet telephony service. Describe four advantages of using VOIP rather than
sending messages using email.

You get immediate feedback/You can ask questions immediately based on feedback
You can be sure the person has received the message
You know you have the right address/number
Less impersonal/less risk of upsetting recipient/can detect emotions
Can make yourself understood more easily
You can see the other persons reaction

0417/13/O/N/10
Give three features of a relational database that are not found in a flat file database.

More than one table/file

Tables are linked
Primary keys
Foreign keys
Less duplication of data
Data from more than one table can be used in the same report

An oil company is investigating whether they are likely to find oil at a certain site. They will use an expert
system to help them. There are a number of inputs and outputs used with such a system. List four
examples of these.

Questions appear on screen

Questions about geological profile are asked
Geological profile is typed in
Answers to questions are typed in
Further questions appear on screen
Suggested probabilities of oil are output
Suggested depths of likely deposits are output
Predictions of geological strata/contour maps are output
Probabilities of finding oil are output

Describe what is meant by live data and how it is used to test a system

Data that has already been used in the previous system

Data that has known results
A table of expected results is drawn up
Live data is input to the system
Actual results are recorded
The results are compared
Any resulting differences will highlight limitations of the system

A payroll office, which prints out large numbers of payslips every month, has decided to install a new
printer. Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of using a laser printer, an inkjet printer or a dot matrix
printer in this office.
Laser printer advantages

Fast output
Relatively quiet
Cheap to buy compared to dot matrix printer

Laser printer disadvantages

More expensive running costs than dot matrix

Inkjet printer advantages

Faster output than dot matrix printer

Relatively quiet compared with dot matrix printer
Cheap to buy

Inkjet printer disadvantages

Ink more expensive than dot matrix

Ink needs changing regularly on long print runs
Difficult to print a sealed secure payslip

Dot matrix printer advantages

Cheaper running costs

Continuous paper feed available
Can print multi part forms

Can print through a payslip cover

Can produce carbon copies
High quality is not needed when printing payslips

Dot matrix printer disadvantages

More expensive to buy

Noisy
Relatively slow

Describe four advantages to businesses of using email to send messages to other businesses rather than
using fax machines.

Less likely to go to the wrong address/number

Personal data unlikely to be intercepted by another office worker/no need to do printouts
therefore more secure
Quicker/Easier to transmit message/Received quicker by person addressed to
Attached documents are better quality
Multimedia attachments can be sent
You can send from anywhere there is an internet connection
Easier to send to several recipients at the same time
Email has lower running costs such as paper/ink
Email is more environmentally friendly
Email attachments can be edited by recipient easier than fax
More people have access to email than fax machines

0417/11/O/N/11
Describe the role of a proxy server when a LAN is connected to the internet.

Can act as a web server

Can act as a buffer (between internet and LAN)
Server passes on requests to the internet
Passes the requested web pages to individual computers
Can cache/store the webpages
Subsequent requests for that/those web page(s) are responded to more quickly
Can be used to monitor internet usage
Can block certain sites

The results will be stored in a spreadsheet. The head teacher wants a word processed report. The report
will contain a description of the weather and will use the spreadsheet results. Describe how the report will
be created.

Save spreadsheet in suitable format

Create graphs
Load word processing software
Frames could be created
Insert spreadsheet/ import spreadsheet/copy and paste spreadsheet/embed spreadsheet
Insert/copy and paste graphs
Type in text/description of weather
Edit text/description of weather
Import/insert pictures
Format report

A supermarket uses POS terminals. The stock levels in the supermarket are updated automatically.
Describe the steps involved in updating the stock level of a product when the bar code is read.

The stock file is searched

Until a match is found with the entered bar code
The number in stock of the matching record is read
One/number purchased is subtracted from the number in stock
The number in stock is compared with the re-order number
If it is equal to/less than the re-order number then more goods are automatically re-ordered
The new value of number in stock is written back to the file
Next bar code is read

0417/12/O/N/11
A school uses a computer-controlled greenhouse to grow plants. Describe the computer processing that
is required to maintain the correct growing conditions.

Computer monitors sensors

Temperature is compared with preset value
If lower than preset value computer switches on heater
If lower than preset value computer shuts windows
If higher than preset value computer switches heater off
If higher than preset value computer switches fan on
If higher than preset value computer opens windows
Humidity is compared with preset value
Moisture level is compared with preset value
If lower than preset value computer switches on sprinkler
If higher than preset value computer switches off sprinkler
Light is compared with preset value
If lower than preset value computer switches on light bulb
If higher than preset value computer switches off light bulb

0417/13/O/N/11
Explain the differences between a command line interface and a graphical user interface

A graphical user interface has icons to help the user identify applications/folders
A GUI has a system of menus to help the user choose options
A GUI has windows to enable user to multi task
A GUI has a pointer/pointing device to help navigate around the screen/to click to open
files/software
A CLI only allows you to type in commands
With CLI syntax has to be precise
Commands difficult to edit once entered
Have to learn a lot of commands exactly/have to be familiar with the commands

Chip and pin systems are used at ATMs. A customer wishing to withdraw cash inserts their card. The ATM
checks to see if the card is valid and, if so, asks the customer to type their PIN. Describe the computer
processing which takes place from this point.

Customer is asked if they want a receipt

The PIN number is compared with that stored in the chip
If they are the same the transaction proceeds

If they are not the same the customer is asked to re-enter PIN
If three attempts transaction rejected and card withheld
The customer is asked which service is required
The customer selects required service (cash)
The customer is asked how much money they want to withdraw
The customers account is checked to see if it has sufficient funds
The amount is checked against the card limit
If there are sufficient funds (and the amount is within the card limit) the transaction is authorised/
if not transaction is rejected
The amount is deducted from the customer account
The bank notes are issued
The card is returned (by the computer)
If required receipt is printed