Award up to two marks for a linked description such as:
- The user enters a username/user ID and password/PIN (1) which is compared with the account details the operating system has stored (1)
- The operating system keeps a file/list/database of users and their passwords (1) to check the login details the user enters against (1)
- The operating system compares the entered details with the details stored for that user (1) and if they do not match, access is refused/denied (1)
- The entered details are checked against the access rights stored for that user (1) so access is only allowed when the details are correct (1)
Do not award for 'it asks for a password' on its own, without saying what the password is checked against.
A stored list/file of users and passwords with no check of the login details earns one mark only.
Do not accept responses about file management, such as finding or opening the user's files.