Edexcel GCSE Computer Science (1CP2) Exam Questions

Award one mark for any of the following:

• To make/keep a copy of files/data (1)
• To store the copy separately from the original, e.g. on a different device/in a different location (1)
• So that data can be restored if the original is lost/damaged/corrupted (1)

Do not accept "to save files" on its own, as saving is normal file management and does not make a separate copy.

Do not accept answers that describe a different utility, such as scanning for malware/viruses (anti-malware software).

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:

• Manages user accounts/profiles/logins (1)
• Authenticates users when they log in (through passwords/biometrics) (1)
• Controls what each user is allowed to access (access rights/permissions) (1)
• Sets which files/folders/resources a user can use (1)
• Gives different levels of access to different users (e.g. administrator/standard user) (1)

Allow 'decides which users can use the computer' for the manage user accounts/logins mark.

Allow references to access to files/folders/resources for the access rights mark, as this is part of user management, not file management.

Do not accept 'manages users' on its own.

Do not accept 'controls user access' on its own, as it is unclear whether this means logging in or access rights.

Do not accept 'manages files' or 'manages peripherals' (these are other operating system functions).

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

• Updates/changes the location/path stored for the file (1) so the file can be found in its new folder/location (1)
• Removes the file's entry/reference from the old folder (1) so the file no longer appears/is listed there (1)
• Adds/creates an entry/reference for the file in the new folder (1) so the file appears/is listed in its new location (1)
• Updates the folder/directory listing/structure (1) to show the file's new location/path (1)

Do not accept descriptions of copying the file or leaving a duplicate in the old folder.

Do not accept deleting and recreating the file, or moving the file's data to a different physical location on the disk; the marks are for updating the folder/directory structure.

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

• The start and end address/size of the block allocated to each program is recorded (1) so the operating system knows which areas of main memory are in use and which are free (1)
• The record is checked before memory is allocated (1) so memory already in use is not given to another program/is not overwritten (1)
• The record is searched for a free block that is large enough (1) so a newly loaded program is placed in a suitable area of main memory (1)
• The record is updated when a program ends/closes (1) so the memory it was using is marked as free for other programs (1)

Allow the record to be called a memory map/memory table/allocation table.

A response that only says the operating system keeps a record/list of the memory each program is using, without saying what the record contains, earns 0 marks.

A response that states what the record contains, e.g. the addresses/the start and end address of each block, earns 1 mark even if it does not say how the record is used.

Do not accept responses about saving programs/files to secondary storage or about moving programs to virtual memory, as these are not uses of this record.

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

• The memory can be reused/allocated to another program (1) so other programs have enough main memory to run (1)
• Freeing the memory stops main memory becoming full (1) so the computer can load/run new programs (1)
• The closed program's data is no longer needed (1) so keeping it would waste main memory (1)
• The operating system can give the freed memory to a program that needs more (1) so that program can continue to run (1)

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

Do not accept 'to make the computer faster' on its own without saying how freeing memory helps.

Do not accept 'to delete the program' or 'to save the program' because closing a program does not remove it from secondary storage.

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

• A process is created for the program (1) so that its instructions can be loaded into RAM (1)
• The process is put into the ready state (1) so that it can wait for the CPU to become available (1)
• The operating system adds the process to a queue of ready processes (1) so the scheduler can choose it when the CPU is free (1)
• The operating system allocates the resources the process needs (1) so that it can start running when it is given CPU time (1)

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

Allow 'main memory' for RAM.

Do not accept 'the browser is downloaded/loaded from the internet'.

Do not accept 'the program is run immediately on the CPU' without the ready step.