A computer is designed using the von Neumann stored program concept.
Define the term stored program concept.
Mark scheme
Award one mark for any of the following up to a maximum of two marks:
- The program instructions and data are stored together in main memory/RAM (1)
- The same memory is used for both instructions and data (1)
- The instructions are fetched from main memory and executed by the CPU (1)
- The instructions are fetched and executed one at a time / in sequence (1)
- The program can be changed/replaced by loading new instructions into memory, without changing the hardware (1)
Do not accept the program is stored in secondary storage / on the hard disk.
Do not accept the program is stored in the CPU / in registers.
Example answers and how they were marked
The program instructions and the data are stored together in main memory, and the CPU fetches the instructions one at a time and executes them.
Why: Creditworthy point that instructions and data are stored in the same main memory (1) and the linked point that the CPU fetches and executes them from memory (1).
The program is held in the main memory (RAM) so that the computer can run it.
Why: Earns the point that the program instructions are stored in main memory (1), but does not say that the CPU fetches and executes them, so the second mark is not earned.
The program is stored on the hard disk and loaded into the CPU when it is run.
Why: Both parts are misconceptions named in the Do not accept lines: the stored program concept keeps the instructions in main memory, not on secondary storage or in the CPU.