Edexcel GCSE Computer Science (1CP2) Exam Questions

Award one mark for any of the following up to a maximum of two marks:

• Receives input from/sends output to peripheral devices (1)
• Communicates with/controls a peripheral using its device driver, including installing the driver for a new device (1)
• Manages the print queue/buffer so that print jobs are sent to the printer in turn (1)
• Reports the status of a device/a device error to the user, e.g. out of paper (1)

Allow answers that name a specific peripheral, as long as they also say what the operating system does with it, e.g. 'it controls the printer using its driver'.

Do not accept 'manages peripherals'/'controls the hardware' on its own, as this repeats the question.

Do not accept 'managing files' or 'managing users' (file management and user management are other functions of an operating system).

Award one mark for any of the following up to a maximum of two marks:

• Creating/deleting user accounts (1)
• Storing usernames and passwords (1)
• Checking login details/authenticating a user at login (1)
• Setting access rights/permissions for each user, e.g. restricting which files/folders/programs/drives they can access (1)

Allow logging in as an example of checking login details.

Do not accept managing users on its own.

Do not accept provides a user interface, as this is not user management.

Do not accept managing files or managing processes, as these are other functions.

Do not accept stopping hackers/protecting from malware, as this is security, not user management.

Award up to two marks for a linked description such as:

• The file's entry is removed from the folder/directory (1) so the file no longer appears in the list of files/is no longer listed (1)
• The (disk) space used by the file is marked as free/available/unused (1) so another file can be saved/stored in that space (1)
• The file's data/contents are not erased/removed (1) so the file may still be recovered until the space is overwritten (1)

A point stated without development, e.g. 'the file is removed from the folder', earns one mark only.

For the first mark, accept that the file's entry is removed from the folder/directory; the second mark must state that the file no longer appears/is listed.

Do not accept 'stays on disk' alone for the third point; accept 'data is not erased' or 'contents remain'.

Do not accept 'the file is wiped from the disk straight away' or 'the data is destroyed and can never be recovered'.

Do not accept 'the file is moved to the recycle bin/bin' or 'the file is deleted from the hard drive' on its own, as this does not describe what happens to the file or the disk space.

Do not accept responses about moving the file to another folder.

Award up to two marks for a linked description such as:

• The memory (that was) used by the program is freed/released/marked as free (1) so it can be allocated/reused by another program/process (1)
• The operating system's memory allocation table/record (of memory in use) is updated (1) to show that the program's memory locations/blocks are now free/available (1)
• The program's instructions/data are removed/overwritten in main memory (1) so the space they used is no longer reserved for that program (1)
• The memory pages/blocks allocated to the program are returned to the list of free pages/blocks (1) that can be used when the next program is loaded (1)

For both marks, the expansion must follow/associate with the statement.

Do not award two marks for the same idea described twice (e.g. the memory is freed and added to a list of free blocks); the two marks must come from two different linked descriptions.

Do not accept responses about closing the program window, stopping/terminating the program/process, saving the file or deleting the program from secondary storage/the hard disk.

Ignore statements that main memory is 'managed'/'cleaned up' with no development.

Award up to two marks for a linked explanation such as:

• It allows the operating system/OS to communicate with the device/printer (1) because it translates the commands into signals the device understands (1)
• It contains/sends the instructions/commands needed by a particular device (1) so the device carries out the correct actions (1)
• It controls the device/printer (1) by sending commands/signals to it (1)
• Different devices need different commands (1) so each one needs its own driver to work with the operating system (1)

For both marks, the expansion must follow/associate with the statement.

Do not accept 'it drives/controls the device' on its own without saying how, e.g. by sending commands/signals.

Do not accept hardware/a physical device (a device driver is software).

Do not accept 'it connects the printer to the computer' or 'it installs the printer' without saying that it provides the instructions/commands for the device.