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:

• Fingerprint scan (1)
• Face recognition (1)
• Iris/retina scan (1)
• Voice recognition (1)
• Palm print/vein scan (1)
• Smart card (1)
• Security token (1)
• Authenticator app (1)

Allow one-time passcode (OTP) for authenticator app.

Do not accept password (given in the question).

Do not accept username/user ID (it identifies the user but does not authenticate them).

Do not accept 'two-factor authentication' on its own (it is a combination of methods, not a method itself).

Do not accept 'encryption'.

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

• The program (and its data) is copied/loaded from secondary storage into main memory/RAM (1) so that the CPU can fetch/execute its instructions (1)
• An area of main memory is allocated/reserved for the program (1) that is large enough to hold the program and its data (1)
• The operating system checks that there is enough free main memory (1) before the program can be started/loaded, otherwise it cannot run/an error is reported (1)
• The operating system keeps a record of the memory addresses used by the program (1) so that its instructions and data can be found when it runs (1)

Allow 'loaded into RAM', 'stored in memory' and 'put into main memory' as equivalent to copied into main memory.

A single statement that the program is loaded/stored in main memory, with no linked development, can be given one mark only.

Do not accept descriptions of the CPU fetching/executing instructions that do not refer to the operating system loading or allocating memory.

Do not accept responses about virtual memory (moving processes to secondary storage) or about which process runs next on the CPU.

Do not accept the program being run from secondary storage/hard disk.

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

• It keeps a record of which memory addresses/areas belong to each program and to the operating system (1) so it knows which addresses a program is allowed to use (1)
• Each program is given its own area of main memory (1) so a program cannot write to the addresses used by another program or by the operating system (1)
• The memory used by the operating system is marked as protected/reserved (1) so a program that tries to write to it is blocked/causes an error (1)
• The address a program writes to is checked against the record of its allocated area (1) and the write is stopped if the address is outside that area (1)

Allow the memory being protected to be that of the operating system or of another program.

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

Do not award generic answers such as 'the operating system manages memory' or 'the operating system keeps track of memory'.

Do not award responses about stopping programs using too much memory or allocating memory, as these are not about protecting memory being overwritten.

Do not award responses about virtual memory, paging or moving processes to secondary storage.

Do not award responses about firewalls, antivirus software or passwords.

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.