[C017/SQP009]

Higher Time: 2W hours NATIONAL

Computing QUALIFICATIONS
Specimen Question Paper

Attempt all questions in Section I.

Attempt four questions in Section II

Question 1 and Question 2
and either Question 3 or Question 4
and either Question 5 or Question 6

Attempt one Sub-Section of Section III. In this Section there are four Sub-Sections, one for each
of the Optional Units
Computer Programming — Page seven
Artificial Intelligence — Page ten
Computer Networking — Page thirteen
Multimedia Technology — Page fifteen

For the Optional Unit chosen, attempt

Question 1 and Question 2
and either Question 3 or Question 4.

Note: for Multimedia Technology, attempt Questions 1 to 5 and either Question 6 or

Question 7.

Read all questions carefully.

Write your answers in the two answer books provided. One answer book should be used for
Sections I and II and the second answer book must be used for Section III.

Do not write on the question paper.

Write as neatly as possible.

©
 SECTION I

Attempt all questions in this section

Marks
1. Name a software development environment with which you are familiar. Give an example of a
complex condition in your software development environment. 2

2. State three characteristics you would expect to find in a well designed HCI. 3

3. Design notation is an essential tool within a design methodology that is used to represent
software design. Describe, by means of an example, two design notations with which you are
familiar. 4

4. The software development process is described as being iterative. State what is meant by this
term. 1

5. A program is to be written that will read in a list of student marks, check that each mark is
within an acceptable range, and determine the highest mark.
Which two of the following algorithms will be used in this program?
Counting occurrences
Minimum
Linear search
Input validation
Maximum 2

6. Describe a situation where an error would be generated from the operating system during the
run-time of a program. 1

7. At the end of a sponsored walk, all the contestant data is entered into a file. Which algorithm
from the list below will be required to evaluate the slowest time taken to complete the walk?
Counting occurrences
Minimum
Linear search
Input validation
Maximum
Give a reason for your answer. 2

8. (a) One method of representing a negative integer in a computer is by using the two’s
complement of the corresponding positive integer.
Which of the following is the 8 bit two’s complement representation of –7?
(i) 00000111
(ii) 10000111
(iii) 11111001 1
(b) Describe one way of storing a real number in computer memory. 1

Page two
 Marks
9. A small business buys a desktop computer system with a multi-scanning monitor and a scanner.
(a) What main feature distinguishes a multi-scanning monitor from a single frequency
monitor? 1
(b) The scanner is used to scan a 5 in by 7 in photograph at 600 dpi in 256 colours.
(i) How much memory would be required to store the scanned image?
(ii) Name two storage devices which could be used to store the image. 3
(c) The desktop computer has an operating system which uses a GUI.
Describe three functions of this type of interface. 3
(d) The desktop computer is to be connected to a network.
(i) What hardware needs to be installed in the computer?
(ii) Describe one network topology which might be used in an office. 2

10. (a) Give one example of a communications protocol. 1

(b) Why are protocols necessary in computer communications? 1

11. Programming languages may be classified by the type of problem which they are designed to
solve.
(a) Name two programming languages which are designed to solve different types of problem.
For each language, state the type of problem it is designed to solve. 1
(b) Give an example of the use of a scripting language in a GPP. 1
(30)

[END OF SECTION I]

Page three
 SECTION II
Attempt FOUR questions in this Section
Question 1 and Question 2
and either Question 3 or Question 4
and either Question 5 or Question 6 Marks
1. A microcomputer has a 300 MHz processor, 64 MBytes of RAM, serial, parallel and USB
interfaces and a 6 GByte hard disk. It is used to create on-line tutorials for software packages.
(a) State two reasons why a computer needs interfaces to connect peripheral devices to the
processor. 2
(b) Clock speed is not the only way to express the throughput of this computer.
Explain how each of the following can affect the throughput of this computer:
(i) amount of memory installed;
(ii) choice of hard disk drive. 3
(c) A printer has to be added to the system. State two characteristics of a printer which you
would consider when making a purchase. Explain why your chosen characteristics are
important. 2
(d) The computer system is to be used to create on-line tutorials for software packages.
(i) Suggest two types of software which might be used for creating on-line tutorials.
(ii) State the purpose of your chosen software. 3

2. A security system is to be developed for a local insurance company. Each employee will be
issued with a security card upon which will be encoded their personal details and a four digit
Personal Identification Number (PIN). A photograph of the employee will also be displayed
on each card.
When keyed in, the PIN will be used by the system to check access rights to particular sections
of the insurance building.
The design of the security card is illustrated below.

ULTRASAFE INSURANCE
Employee
Image of
Name: A Person 1 square
Designation: A Job Type inch
Security Section: Section Code

(a) List, in correct order, the stages involved in the development of software for this security
system. 2
(b) Identify two distinct objects and their corresponding operations that will be needed to
produce the security cards. 2
(c) It is particularly important that the security system is reliable. State what is meant by the
term reliable. 1
(d) At the design stage, it is decided that a database will hold all employee information. The
company currently employs 650 people.
(i) Suggest a suitable input device that could be used to digitise the employee
photograph.
(ii) The selected digitiser produces an image of 300 dpi resolution and 256 levels of grey
scale. Calculate the amount of storage required to hold the employee photograph.
State clearly any assumptions that you make. 3
(e) Suggest two further measures that could be taken to increase security and, for each
measure, identify any additional hardware or software requirements. 2

Page four
 Attempt either Question 3 or Question 4
Marks
3. The structured chart below represents a section of a stock control system. The stock control
system operates by increasing or decreasing stock levels according to information held in a stock
transaction file. The stock transaction file contains a unique identifier for each stock item and
an indicator of whether the stock should be increased or decreased in level.

Stock
control

Get stock Get stock Update

identifier indicator stock level

(a) A module is written for each of the processes labelled in the above structured diagram.
Each module will make use of parameter passing. Explain how the use of parameter passing
can improve the portability of the software. 2
(b) For each of the modules, Get stock identifier, Get stock indicator and Update stock level,
identify the type(s) of parameter that would be needed. 4
(c) When testing software it is desirable to use systematic testing. Describe the steps that you
would take to systematically test the stock control program above. 2
(d) A 16 bit computer is used to develop this program. The stock code is represented as an
integer in the high level language used. What is the maximum stock code value that can be
represented in this system? State any assumptions that you make. 2

4. At Strictview Academy, students are awarded an overall course pass or fail. They need to
achieve at least fifty percent (50%) in all examinations to get a course pass. This is illustrated in
the table below.

Name Mark 1 Mark 2 Mark 3 Result

Jane 32 52 60 Fail
James 45 67 83 Fail
John 52 63 65 Pass

Total Passes 1

The Head of Department asks you to develop a computerised solution to this problem.
(a) Identify two distinct objects and their corresponding operations required to solve the
problem above. 2
(b) Name a software development environment with which you are familiar. Describe how the
complex condition required to determine a course pass would be written in the software
development environment you have named. 2
(c) The solution to this problem could be developed in a High Level Language. Alternatively a
higher level language such as a Fourth Generation Language or a General Purpose Package
could be used.
Compare and contrast the use of a High Level Language and a higher level language to
solve the problem at Strictview Academy. Your answer should refer to:
• customisation of the user interface;
• input validation. 4
(d) Outline a counting occurrences algorithm that would determine the Total Passes in the
table above. You may write the algorithm in textual or graphical form. 2
Page five
 Attempt either Question 5 or Question 6
Marks
5. (a) List four functions of a single user operating system. 2
(b) Most modern microcomputers have an operating system which supports multitasking.
(i) Explain why multitasking is required in modern microcomputers.
(ii) What additional functions must an operating system have in order to support
multitasking? 4
(c) Describe in detail the processes carried out by a network operating system when a user logs
on at a microcomputer on a local area network. 4

6. A computer system has been created which allows the user to keep a record of bills which have
been paid to various companies. Details of each bill are entered using the following input
screen organisation.

Screen 1

Date 3/5/99
Company T H Jones
Item Electrical
Amount £ 50.99

A list of all payments to the same company are then displayed as follows.
Screen 2
Date Company Item Amount
5/6/99 British Telecom Phone Bill £ 108.00
3/3/99 British Telecom Phone Bill £ 110.00
20/2/99 British Telecom Install extra line £ 45.00

Total £ 263.00

(a) Database software has been used to implement this system. Describe two features of
database software which have been illustrated in the above diagram. 2
(b) It was intended that the list in screen 2 should have been arranged in order of date. This
has not happened even though the computer operator sorted on the date field.
Explain why the list might not have been sorted as required. 2
(c) The users of the system would like it to be expanded to include more facilities. It has been
suggested that a High Level Language be used to create a new program which would satisfy
all the users’ needs.
Give one advantage and one disadvantage of using a High Level Language to develop a
solution to this problem. 2
(d) (i) At what stage in the software development process would the developers decide on
whether to use a High Level Language?
(ii) What information would a developer need to help make this decision? 2
(e) After the new system is developed, information from old files will need to be transferred to
the new system. Describe how the use of standard data formats would help in this process. 2

[END OF SECTION II]

Page six
 SECTION III
Attempt ONE of the Optional Units in this Section
SECTION III—Computer Programming
Attempt Question 1 and Question 2
and either Question 3 or Question 4
Marks
1. Software development environments offer a range of tools to support the programmer.
(a) A text editor, rather than a word processor, is used to alter program code. Describe two
features of a dedicated text editor not found in a word processor that would support the
editing of a program. 2
(b) Give an example of a language in each of the following classes:
(i) imperative language;
(ii) declarative language;
(iii) a language embedded in an application package;
(iv) object-oriented language. 2
(c) Describe how the following are used to detect errors in program code:
(i) a trace debugging tool;
(ii) breakpoints. 4
(d) Compare the use of paper based debugging tools, such as a trace table, with on-line tools
such as a trace facility. 2

2. Data structures allow problems to be modelled so that data processing can be carried out
efficiently.
(a) Describe the data structures queue and stack. 2
(b) The stack data structure is associated with two main operations, pop and push. Describe in
pseudocode or in another suitable form, the pop operation. 3
(c) Describe one situation where a queue data structure could be used, and one situation
where a stack data structure could be used. 2
(d) Sequential files can be stored on magnetic disc or magnetic tape. These files can then be
searched for particular values.
Explain how you would choose between a linear search or a binary search if you were
required to search for an item in a sequential file. 3

Page seven
Computer Programming (continued)

Attempt either Question 3 or Question 4

Marks
3. HStill Academy has 2050 pupils. All pupil data is held centrally and can be accessed for a
variety of purposes. Here is an example of a pupil record in record card format.
Forename Fred
Surname Smith
Date of Birth 10.2.84
Class 3A3
Course English, Maths, French, Computing, Latin
(a) (i) State two methods of representing the date of birth information in a program.
(ii) Explain which of these methods would be more efficient of processor time if two
records were being compared. 4
(b) The records must frequently be searched on the Surname field. The entire set of pupil data
is held in main memory for this operation. The binary search algorithm is used for the
search operation.
(i) What conditions must be satisfied by the data if a binary search algorithm is used for
the search operation?
(ii) Outline in pseudocode (or in some suitable form) the structure of the binary search
algorithm in this case. 4
(c) Name two sort algorithms which could be used to sort this data while it is held in a main
memory. Compare these algorithms in terms of their efficiency in the use of memory and
of processor time. 2

Page eight
 Marks
Computer Programming (continued)

4. A college requires a program to process test results for classes of students. Classes consist of up
to 40 students.
Here is a sample of the input data. Data will be input from the keyboard.

Student Code Test 1 Test 2 Test 3 Test 4 Test 5 Test 6 Test 7 Test 8
1004 23 19 –1 79 –1 6 47 –1
1234 0 90 89 78 54 67 –1 23
1579 50 50 51 80 91 50 52 29
1921 87 100 89 76 93 67 56 50

Results for each test are in the range 0–100, representing the scores achieved. A result of –1
indicates that the student did not sit a test.
The final grade is decided in the following way.
If the student has sat at least 6 tests, the final result is the average of the tests sat with grades being
awarded according to the following table:
Result Grade
0–39 6
40–49 5
50–59 4
60–69 3
70–79 2
80–100 1
If the student has sat less than 6 tests, Result is set to –1 and a final grade of 7 is awarded.
It is required to produce three files. A Raw Data file which contains a copy of the input data, a
Results file which contains the students’ numbers and grades, and a Text file which contains
lines of the following format:
Student 1004 has achieved a grade 7
Student 1234 has achieved a grade 4.
Several data structures are required to solve this problem along with file handling.
(a) Describe how
(i) a two dimensional array and
(ii) an array of records
could be used to store this information in main memory. You may illustrate your answer
with a variable or type declaration in a language with which you are familiar. 2
(b) Which representation would allow the programmer to produce more readable code?
Explain your answer. 1
(c) Describe how the calculation of a student’s grade would be carried out for one of the two
representations mentioned in part (a). You may use pseudocode or program code if you
wish. 4
(d) State which of these representations will allow the writing of the Raw Data file to be carried
out with greater efficiency in terms of processor time. Explain your answer. 3

Page nine
 SECTION III—Artificial Intelligence
Attempt Question 1 and Question 2
and either Question 3 or Question 4
Marks
1. (a) Three main components of an expert system are the knowledge base, the inference engine
and the explanatory interface. Describe the function of each component. 3
(b) An expert system is being developed to help members of expeditions in remote tropical
regions to diagnose and treat medical conditions. The expert system is to be built using
rules such as:
IF temperature > 36
AND skin colour is orange
AND symptoms include weakness
THEN problem might be Orange Marsh fever
(i) In this rule, the words “might be” indicate that there is some doubt about the
diagnosis. How could the rule be adapted to deal with this? 1
(ii) Rules are not the only way to represent knowledge in an expert system. Describe one
other way of representing the knowledge contained in the above rule. 2
(iii) Once the knowledge engineer has implemented the expert system, what further stages
in the development process would be required before the software could be released
commercially? 2
(iv) Advice rules suggesting appropriate treatment will also be added to the expert system.
Write advice rules to represent the following information.
“The best treatment for Orange Marsh fever is 25 mg of orthomyolite 3 times daily, or
15 mg if the patient is under 16 or over 70.” 2

Page ten
 Marks
Artificial Intelligence (continued)

2. (a) A programmer is developing software to solve a problem in Artificial Intelligence. She

could choose to use a declarative language (like Prolog) or an algorithmic language (like
Pascal).
(i) How is knowledge represented in a declarative language?
(ii) Why is a declarative language particularly appropriate for solving AI problems? 3
(b) The following is part of a knowledge base about Europe.

1 is_in (paris france)

2 is_in (berlin germany)
3 is_in (vienna austria)
4 is_in (london england)
5 is_in (edinburgh scotland)
6 is_in (scotland uk)
7 is_in (england uk)

8 currency (france franc)

9 currency (germany mark)
10 currency (austria schilling)
11 currency (uk pound)

12 can_use (Y X) if currency (X Z)
13 can_use (Y X) if is_in (X Z)
and can_use (Y Z)
At the moment, the program will not fully answer the query
is_in (X uk)
as a human might expect.
(i) Explain why the program will not answer this query correctly.
(ii) Write down one rule which could be added to the program which would enable the
program to find all solutions to the above query. 2
(c) Assuming that a depth first search is used, explain how the program would find the solution
to the query 3
can_use (pound scotland)
(d) Explain why the program cannot find solutions to the query
NOT (can_use (pound X)) 2

Page eleven
Artificial Intelligence (continued)

Attempt either Question 3 or Question 4

Marks
3. The ability to understand “natural language” is one aspect of human intelligence which
Artificial Intelligence (AI) researchers have attempted to model.
(a) State two other aspects of human intelligence which Artificial Intelligence (AI) research
has attempted to model. 1
(b) Describe the difference between natural language processing and voice recognition. 2
(c) Describe a practical application of natural language processing. 2
(d) Describe two difficulties which are encountered when attempting to implement natural
language processing. 2
(e) Hardware developments have allowed some areas of AI research to become more successful
over the last 10 years. Describe one such hardware development, and explain how it has
contributed to the success of a particular area of AI research. 3

4. Pattern recognition is an important area of development in Artificial Intelligence.

(a) State one application area where pattern recognition of visual input is used. 1
(b) State one application area where pattern recognition of sound input is used. 1
(c) Describe how system hardware constraints can limit the effectiveness of computer based
pattern recognition. 2
(d) Describe how the input data can affect the effectiveness of computer based pattern
recognition. 2
(e) A pattern recognition application will probably use some brute force search method to
search its database. Describe briefly one brute force search method, and explain how
heuristics could be used to improve the efficiency of the search. 4

Page twelve
 SECTION III—Computer Networking
Attempt Question 1 and Question 2
and either Question 3 or Question 4 Marks
1. Doctors in a health centre are considering installation of a local area network. There will be a
terminal in each of the six doctors’ rooms and one computer in the administrator’s office. Each
terminal will have access to the local hospital’s database and its on-line medical information
system. The network must allow for future expansion.
(a) A bus topology and a star topology are being considered.
For each topology, state one advantage and one disadvantage in this situation. 2
(b) The doctors often require access to worldwide on-line information systems.
(i) Explain why a gateway may be required to enable this access.
(ii) Give two reasons why medical personnel might consider it worthwhile to subscribe to
such on-line systems. 3
(c) The doctors hope to make use of video conferencing facilities once the network is
established.
Describe the term video conferencing. Your description should include details about the
transmission media and multimedia hardware required. 3
(d) Explain why video conferencing gives better results when used with a point to point direct
connection rather than by using the Internet. 2

2. (a) State the meaning of the term “internetwork”. 1

(b) Name a piece of equipment which is required in an “internetwork” but not in a network. 1
(c) International data transmission standards are necessary when designing communication
systems.
(i) Explain why there is a need for international data transmission standards. 2
(ii) Describe two benefits which might arise from not adopting international standards. 2
(d) The OSI model is a standard for computer to computer dialogue which divides the
communications process into seven layers. Describe the functions carried out by:
(i) the transport layer;
(ii) the network layer. 4

Page thirteen
Computer Networking (continued)

Attempt either Question 3 or Question 4

Marks
3. Some companies set up intranets, rather than allowing workers direct access to the Internet.
(a) State one advantage and one disadvantage for the company of using an intranet rather than
the Internet. 2
(b) What is the purpose of a network operating system? 1
(c) Describe the following terms in the context of an intranet:
(i) peer to peer network;
(ii) client server relationship;
(iii) distributed processing. 3
(d) “Communications systems are impersonal and mean that less human contact is
experienced.”
Discuss this view giving two points for and two points against. 4

4. (a) Describe how a firewall is used to provide security for a school network which is directly
connected to the Internet. 3
(b) Explain what is meant by the URL
ftp://ftp.somesite.sch.uk/names.doc 3
(c) Describe in technical detail how a file is transferred between two computers on a network
using the TCP/IP protocol. 4

Page fourteen
 SECTION III—Multimedia Technology

Attempt all Questions on this page

and either Question 6 or Question 7
Marks
1. Describe how data is stored and organised on a CD-ROM. You should mention how the
system is designed to cope with small defects in the fragile medium. 4

2. When you attempt to scan a black and white clip art item using a flatbed scanner at
2400 ´ 2400 dpi resolution, the resulting image is almost entirely white. There is no fault in the
hardware.
(a) State two reasons why the image has not been captured as you might have hoped, and
describe how you could use the scanner software to correct the problem. 4
(b) Text capture using a scanner is one method of text input. There can be problems with this
method, even when the text image is scanned correctly. Describe two problems which are
associated with this method of text capture. 2

3. Name two facilities which you would expect to find in a professional Desktop Publishing
package but not in a full-featured Word Processing package. 2

4. When elements of a multimedia presentation are printed to a laser printer for distribution to the
audience, images must be transformed so that they can be printed using a black and white (not
grey scale) output device.
Outline how this process is carried out by the computer software. 3

5. An Educational software company wishes to produce a language learning package with the
following facilities:
• display of text in English and in the language being learned
• display of still graphical images in multiple colours
• short video and audio sequences to demonstrate the language being learned
• the ability to have the user repeat spoken phrases and to have this compared with the
original so that they can have feedback on their progress.
Specify in technical detail a computer system which could readily support such an
application. 5

Page fifteen
Multimedia Technology (continued)

Attempt either Question 6 or Question 7

Marks
6. JPEG and GIF are common file formats used for graphic images. Both use a form of data
compression.
(a) State the types of graphic image to which each format is best suited. 1
(b) Outline the method of data compression used in either JPEG or GIF format files. 2
Music is an important part of multimedia.
(c) Describe how music data is represented:
(i) in a MIDI file;
(ii) in a file containing music captured using a sound input card and a microphone. 4
(d) Outline how you would go about transferring music from an audio cassette tape recording
to audio CD (on CD-R media) using multimedia hardware and software. You should give
details of all data formats used. 3

7. A computer based learning package about driving a car will contain moving images. These
could either be video or an animated sequence. The software used limits the size of the moving
images to 5 cm square.
(a) Describe the characteristics of each of these forms of moving image representation in terms
of their storage requirements, data representation and data input methods. 5
(b) What advantages could there be for the user of the training package if an animated sequence
were used instead of video? 2
(c) Computer training packages like this can be enhanced by creating 3 dimensional effects.
Describe any one technique which can produce 3D effects on a computer system. 3

[END OF QUESTION PAPER]

Page sixteen
[C017/SQP009]

Higher NATIONAL
Computing QUALIFICATIONS
Specimen Marking Instructions

©
Higher Still Computing

Higher level

Marking Instructions
The outline marking instructions below indicates the level of response required of candidates to achieve the
marks available. It is not a comprehensive list of all possible valid responses. In many cases alternate or
additional valid responses will be possible. These would be accepted as long as they achieve the standard
indicated below.

Candidates may choose to illustrate responses with examples from particular computer systems, languages or
software packages with which they are familiar. While it is helpful if candidates identify these, appropriate
exemplification will be accepted. In examples, minor syntax errors will be ignored, except where correctness is
specifically required.

Page 2
 Section 1

1 Any valid complex condition 1 mark

Correct syntax for named software development environment 1 mark 2 marks
2 Three stated from: 1 mark for
consistent format; meaning full feedback; easy reversal eg undo;verification for each of 3
destructive action; amount of info be memorised by user; good organisation of points
commands; help facilities; simple/meaningful commands; rapid assimilation;
meaningful error messages; consistency of labels, abbreviation and codes; minimal
input actions
provision for multiple language levels. 3 marks
3 structured chart + example 1 mark for
pseudocode + example each of 2
data flow diagrams + example notations
flowcharts + example 1 mark for
corresp.
example 4 marks
4 Valid description such as 1 mark
revisiting a stage in the SDP to modify it in the light of experience gained at a later stage.
1 mark
5 input validation 1 mark for
maximum each 2 marks
6 run-time - divide by zero; I/O errors 1 mark 1 mark
7 Minimum 1 mark for
comparing of times held in file to find min. value each 2 marks

8a iii) 11111001 1 mark 1 mark

b Real numbers are stored as mantissa and exponent 1 mark 1 mark
9a A monitor that can operate at different refresh rates 1 mark 1 mark
b 5 x 7 x 600 x 600 x 1 byte (1 260 000 bytes) 1 mark
2 of High density (1.44Mb) floppy disc, Zip disc, Hard disc drive 2 x 1 mark
CD-ROM not allowed, but allow CD-R, CD-RW 3 marks
c designed for the user; 1 mark
consistent display 1 mark
ease of use for non-expert 1 mark 3 marks
d hardware - network card 1 mark
topology - bus/star/ring with brief description 1 mark 2 marks
10a Any valid COMMUNICATIONS protocol, eg FTP, http, X25 1 mark 1 mark
b without protocols data could not be comprehensibly received by computer system 1 mark 1 mark
11a Any two valid pairs eg
Prolog – AI 0.5 mark for
Cobol – Commercial each pair
Pascal – Teaching programming 1 mark
b A brief description of such a use, eg Word Basic in MS Word 1 mark 1 mark

Page 3
 Section 2

1a Any two of 1 mark each

Compensate for different speeds for two
Compensate for different data encoding points
Buffer data transfer
Compensate for different signal characteristics 2 marks
b i) larger RAM allows more programs/data to be held in memory, reducing the need 1 mark
for slower access to disks.
ii) affected by interface bus width, rotation speed, bus speed 2 x 1 mark 3 marks
c Any two valid characteristics, eg

Interface type (serial, parallel, USB, network)

print method (ink jet, laser, …) 2 x 0.5 mark

print speed (ppm) 2 x 0.5 mark
Brief explanation of each 2 marks
d eg 2 x 0.5 for
Scanner software – to capture images software
Authoring software – to construct presentation 2 x1 mark
for purpose
Purpose stated must be valid in context 3 marks

2a analysis 1 mark for

design completeness
implementation
testing 1 mark for
evaluation correct order
documentation 2 marks
b object operation 1 mark each
of two object/
employee digitise/adjust threshold/place etc.. operation
image pairs
text position/resize/ etc..
PIN magnetically encode

Accept any other valid object/operation 2 marks

c Reliable is how well a program operates without stopping due to design faults. 1 mark 1 mark
d(i) scanner or digital camera 1 mark
d (ii) 300x300x1 inch=> 90,000 pixels 1 mark
256 greys = 8 bit depth => 90,000 bytes 1 mark 3 marks
e voice print - microphone 1 mark
sound digitisation and recognition 1 mark
or
thumb print - scanner 1 mark
image digitisation and matching 1 mark 2 marks
any other valid security mechanism with accompanying hardware requirements.

Page 4
3a Parameter passing reduces a module’s dependency on global variables 1 mark
Modules can therefore be reused without change 1 mark 2 marks
b Module Input Output
1 StockIdentifier: integer 1 mark
2 StockIdentifier: integer StockIndicator:integer 1 mark
3 StockIdentifier, StockIndicator: integer Stocklevel:integer 2 x 1 mark 4 marks
Accept expression as PROCEDURE headings etc
c Bottom-up (test each module logic individually and integrate) 1 mark
Top-Down (test data flow and control with empty modules) 1 mark 2 marks
d It is likely that an integer will be represented in 16 bits. 1 mark for
Integers are usually represented in two’s complement notation. assumption
The largest value is 32767. 1 mark for
Accept also 65535 (if number assumed to be positive integer). value 2 marks

4a Mark – integer value Insert/centre 1 mark for

Result Calculate each obj/op
Total Passes Calculate pair 2 marks
b Eg Pascal 1 mark for
If ((Mark[1,1]>50) and ((Mark[1,2]>50) and ((Mark[1,3]>50)) then comparisons
eg Clarisworks Spreadsheet 1 mark for
And ((B2>0.5); ((C2>0.5); ((D2>0.5)) AND
No marks simply for identification of a SDE. 2 marks
Accept any valid response, allow minor errors in syntax
c eg Comparison based on HLL and GPP (Database) Examples of valid points.
Programming in a HLL would allow complete flexibility using the entire resources of
the Operating System (GUI etc), whereas use of a GPP would only allow access to a
limited subrange of features.
Graphical features might be available, but mouse-over context sensitive help might
not, in a GPP.
Input validation is possible in many GPPs, but tailored user feedback on errors would
be easier to implement in a HLL
On the other hand, learning time for a HLL is typically greater than in a GPP. 4 x 1 mark 4 marks
d For each student result do 1 mark
if result = ‘pass’ then 0.5 mark
add 1 to count 0.5 mark 2 marks

Page 5
5a
manage User Interface 0.5 marks

manage Filing system per

manage memory allocation to applications/processes function

manage peripheral I/O
Accept component functions of these eg maintain FAT or similar. Accept references to
file locking, but NOT to aspects of multi-user file or memory management.
2 marks
b(i) users expect to run multiple programs/GUIs require multitasking to detect events/

(ii) eg more sophisticated memory management, more sophisticated file handling 4 marks
c User enters username and password
Data is encrypted and sent to server
Server validates against user database
Message set from server to client machine to confirm or reject login. 4 x 1 mark 4 marks

6a Two from
Calculated fields ; reporting with subtotalling ; screen layout design 2 x 1 mark 2 marks
b The field has been created as Text and not as a Date type
this would result in a sort that is not in the expected order. 2 x 1 mark 2 marks

c Advantage – total flexibility of data structures, user interface, etc 1 mark

Disadvantage – Higher cost of production due to longer development cycle 1 mark 2 marks

d (i) Implementation stage 1 mark

(ii) Need to know the programming expertise of the development team OR 1 mark 2 marks
need to know whether data types and data structures can be supported in the target
language

e Production systems use proprietary binary file format for efficiency.

Utilities typically exist or can be written which can convert these into standard
formats such as Comma Separated Values. 1 mark
Exporting from the GPP into eg CSV, and then translating the CSV into the new
binary format will allow this transfer to take place 1 mark 2 marks

Page 6
 Section 3 Computer Programming

1a Automatic line numbering in languages which require it 1 mark for

Highlighting of keywords / reserved words eg making them bold or differently each of two
coloured items
Automatic layout of program structures, such as indenting the contents of a procedure
or an IF structure. 2 marks
b imperative language - Pascal, Cobol, Fortran 0.5 mark
declarative language - Prolog 0.5 mark
a language embedded in an application package - Word basic 0.5 mark
object oriented language - C++, Small talk 0.5 mark 2 marks
c i) Trace debugging tool allows inspection of variables and logical execution of 2 x 1 mark
code on a line by line basis
ii) Breakpoints – allow the program to be run normally, and to stop when the
breakpoint is reached. Values of variables, stack etc are available for that point
in the execution of the code. 2 x 1 mark 4 marks
d Trace facility on-line allows the tracking of values of variables, exits from procedures,
transfer of control as the program is executed, giving information on screen as program
is executed. 1 mark
Trace table - manual calculation of variable content at each stage of program execution.
Relies on the programmer following the code exactly as a computer would do and
calculating manually the variable values. Room for human error. 1 mark 2 marks

2a Queue - Description of first in-first out list 1 mark

Stack - description of last in-first out list 1 mark 2 marks
May refer to specific implementation or to related operations
b (checking value at top of stack, stack assumed to build from 0 up)
if top of stack pointer = 0 then stack empty 1 mark
else item to be popped = item pointed to by top of stack pointer 1 mark
reduce top of stack pointer by 1 1 mark 3 marks
end
c Queue - ‘Job queue’ or fill/empty a buffer or … 1 mark
Stack - store return address when a subroutine is called or … 1 mark 2 marks
d Linear search can be applied to any list structure 1 mark
Binary search requires items to be in order and addressable 1 mark
Binary search is more efficient, but could only be applied to a file if the criteria were 1 mark 3 marks
satisfied.

Page 7
3a i)record structure with components for each item of date 2 x 1 mark
text (string) of ASCII characters
integer – numerical offset from some reference date

ii) eg record vs string : strings could not be compared for alphabetical order because of 2 x 1 mark 4 marks
the structure required so would have to be converted to another form, whereas records
could be compared by year then month then day.
b i) The records must be stored in alphabetical order of surname 2 x 0.5
The list structure must be addressable ( ie array rather than linked list ) marks
ii)
ask for name to be searched for
repeat {0.5 mks include until here} 0.5 mark
determine midpoint of list 0.5 mark
check value of midpoint for target name (target found) 0.5 mark
else
test if whole list searched (search space exhausted) 0.5 mark
else
test if midpoint value is less than target (still possible to find target) 0.5 mark
and set lower pointer to middle + 1 else
set upper pointer to middle - 1 0.5 mark 4 marks

end of repeat when item found or end of list reached.

c eg bubblesort, quicksort 1 mark
Bubblesort is economical of memory but may require much processor time 1 mark 2 marks
Quicksort requires less processor time on average, but is very demanding of memory

Page 8
4a eg

Type
Student List = ARRAY [1..40][1..9] of integer; 1 mark

Type
Student Rec = RECORD
Student ID : integer ;
Test Results: ARRAY [1.8] of integer ;
END;
Student List = Array [1..40] of Student Rec ; 1 mark 2 marks

b Array of records, because it uses sensible identifiers to represent the different 1 mark 1 mark
components of each record.

c Set total mark to zero, set number of tests to zero 0.5 mark

For each of the test marks 0.5 mark

If the mark is valid
Add mark to total mark
Add 1 to number of tests
End if 1 mark
End for
Calculate average 0.5 mark
If number of tests is less than 6 then
Set grade to 7 0.5 mark
Else
Case average of
0 - 39 Set grade to 6
40 - 49 Set grade to 5
50 - 59 Set grade to 4
60 - 69 Set grade to 3 1 mark 4 marks
70 - 79 Set grade to 2
80 - 100 Set grade to 1
end case
end if
d eg
Writing the two dimensional array could require a nested FOR loop to write the
individual integers, while 1 mark
Writing the records would require a simple loop 1 mark
So the Record representation would require less write-to-file operations and would be
more efficient 1 mark 3 marks

But other valid arguments can be made depending on implementation language.

Page 9
Section 3 Artificial Intelligence

1a Knowledge Base - The special knowledge stored here written in a knowledge 1 mark
representation language e.g rules or frames + database
Inference Engine - reasoning part. The IE determined which question to ask the user in 1 mark
which order, then matches the users answers with the KB
Explanatory Interface - (user interface) communicate with the user. Must ask the user 1 mark 3 marks
appropriate questions in an easy manner and explain why question asked and how
answer obtained.
b i) using a certainty factor 1 mark
ii) To represent this knowledge as a fact 1 mark
has_condition(orange marsh fever, orange, weak, high temperature) 1 mark
iii) The software must be tested; 1 mark
The software must be evaluated 1 mark
iv) ADVISE 25mg orthomyolite three times daily
IF patient_age >=16 AND patient_age<=70
AND disease is Orange Marsh Fever 1 mark
ADVISE 15mg orthomyolite three times daily
IF patient_age <16 OR patient_age>70
AND disease is Orange Marsh Fever 1 mark 7 marks

2a i) as a set of facts and rules 1 mark

ii) programs in declarative languages require a description of the problem rather than a 1 mark
method of solution, as in imperative languages.
In AI, problems tend to suit being described rather than being solved by a 1 mark 3 marks
predetermined list of instructions
b
a human would expect the names edinburgh and london in the responses but the 1 marks
program as written will not return this

is_in (x z) if is_in (x y) and is_in(y z) 1 mark 2 marks
c Attemps to use rule 12, instantiating Y to pound and X to scotland, 0.5 mark
but fails as there is no corresponding currency() rule 0.5 mark
Attempts to use rule 13, so attempts to satisfy sub-goals 0.5 mark
•is_in() is satisfied by rule 6 0.5 mark
•can_use – attempts rule 12 again. 0.5 mark
Subgoal currency() succeeds at rule 11 0.5 mark 3 marks
So the query succeeds

d Solution to rules 11 and 12 without NOT are x=UK, Edinburgh, Scotland, England, 1 mark
and these solutions would simply be negated by the NOT.
If you wanted to establish which places you could not use the pound you would need a 1 mark
new rule. 2 marks

Page 10
3a Eg Visual identification of objects 0.5 mark 1 marks
Deductive reasoning (eg diagnosis) 0.5 mark
b Speech recognition involves translating spoken symbols (words) into corresponding 1 mark
written symbols while
Natural language processing involves the semantic analysis of sequences of words 1 mark 2 marks
c eg automated translation between human languages 1 mark
Where rather than just translate word by word, the meaning of whole phrases and
sentences is translate. 1 mark 2 marks

d Words with more than one meaning (record) 1 mark

Words which can be more than one part of speech (bearing) 1 mark 2 marks
e Parallel Processing 1 mark
Use of more than one processor to process task 0.5 mark
Each task divided into discrete subtasks 0.5 mark
Speeds up either computer vision or neural networks 1 mark 3 marks

4a person identification 1 mark 1 mark

b speech recognition 1 mark 1 mark
c Pattern recognition requires a large database of references to be searched quickly.
Insufficient RAM will reduce the size of the database which can be searched
Insufficient processor speed (or throughput0 will reduce the rate at which the database 1 mark
can be searched 1 mark 2 marks
d Input data can differ from what is stored in the database, eg an object may be viewed 1 mark
from a different angle.
Depending on the programming of the pattern recognition system, the object may not 1 mark 2 marks
be recognised.
e • A brute force method would carry out an exhaustive search 1 mark
• trying to match, pixel by pixel, the search item against every image in the
database. 1 mark
• heuristics attempts to cut down the search by applying a rule of
thumb 1 mark
• quickly reduce comparisons - in this example you might count
the colour codes of the source and target quickly eliminate
mismatches and avoid further in-depth image comparisons. 1 mark 4 marks

Page 11
Section 3 Computer Networking

1a Bus: 2 x 0.5 mark for

Advantages one advantage
• easy to attach new nodes at any point of cable and one
• cheaper than other options; disadvantage
• one node out of action doesn’t affect the rest of the network
Disadvantages
• Common cable - if it breaks, channel failure, whole network doesn’t
work
• single collision zone may reduce overall bandwidth
2 x 0.5 mark for
one advantage
Star: and one
Advantages disadvantage
• all links connect directly to central node;
• high overall bandwidth possible depending on central node type;
Disadvantages
• entire network is dependent on the central node working 2 marks
• if line goes down only one node affected, but if central node fails, whole
network will fail
• higher cabling costs
b i)Transfer of data between two (or more) networks involving change of protocols 1 mark
ii) up to date information on the most recent research
communication with other practitioners to exchange ideas.
2 x 1 mark 3 marks
c video conferencing is the live connection of two or more people (at 1 mark for
different sites) using computer networks to transmit audio and video description/
data. definition
Hardware - Each participant has a video camera, microphone and
speakers mounted on their computer. As the two participants speak to 2 x 1 mark for
one another, their voices are carried over the network and delivered two points of
to the other’s speakers and whatever images appear in front of the h/w and s/w
camera appear in a window on the other participant’s monitor. To
overcome the bandwidth and latency limitations of current networks,
video compression is often used. ISDN is a set of protocol and
interface standards that effectively constitute an integrated (voice,
video and data) telephone network. These standards promote global
availability and compatibility of ISDN products and services. JPEG
compression of still pictures; MPEG compression and storage of moving 3 marks
pictures.

d point-to-point - data is transmitted directly to receiver. Little interference. Speed 1 mark

of data transfer since in real time. Require little delay
internet - Transfer not direct so time delay. Speed/accuracy of data transfer 1 mark 2 marks
slower/greater

Page 12
2a A network of interconnected networks organised so that communication is possible. 1 mark 1 mark
b Router (but allow gateway) 1 mark 1 mark
c • standards allow signals to be interpreted in the same way at sender and
receiver, allowing standard hardware to be used; 1 mark
• standards allow data/messages to be interpreted the same way at sender and
receiver 1 mark
• Not using standards might give greater security as signals would not be recognised 1 mark
Not using standards allows the tailoring of transmission characteristics to one’s own
data transmission needs 1 mark 4 marks
d Transport layer provides two-way, reliable, cost effective, end to end exchange of data; 2 x 1 mark
may involve multiplexing and re-sizing of blocks. Flow control and sequencing of the for two
data blocks is performed at this level. points for
Network layer takes packet-sized data blocks from the transport level and maps the each layer
addresses to network addresses. If routing required, then responsibility for this is also
taken here. 4 marks

3a Advantages 1 mark for

• reduced cost (no wide area communications costs, no modems required, no any valid
subscriptions necessary) point
• dedicated pages of information may be set up;
• valuable time not wasted browsing unnecessarily
• no external security threats

Disadvantages 1 mark for

• information may be too restricted any valid
• not as up to date as Internet point
• lack of communication in a global market

Allow some latitude in expression. Other valid answers possible. Points must be non-
trivial. 2 marks
b Network operating system controls the processes of communication between the host 1 mark 1 mark
computers, all of which may be very different from one another.
c peer to peer network 3 x 1 mark
simple networking strategy, not involving a dedicated server where any station can
make its resources available to the rest of the stations on the network.
client/server
stations do not have equal status - it is either a client or a server; the user (client) is
allocated privileges which permit/deny access to certain resources. The server
contains info of user IDs and privileges.
distributed processing refers to a variety of systems that use more
than one computer or processor to run an application. A LAN may be
designed so that a single program can run simultaneously at various
sites. Most distributed processing systems contain sophisticated
software that detect idle CPUs on the network and parcels out programs 3 marks
to utilise them.
d Response should be balanced 2 x 1 mark
for points
for
2 x 1 mark
for points
against 4 marks

Page 13
4a Expect answers in terms of packet filtering types of firewall, wide variety of responses 3 x 1 mark
possible. Typical units of response will include: for valid
• firewall computer will only transfer packets for particular ports units of
• firewall computer may accept/reject packets from certain IP addresses response
• firewall rules may force client computers to route traffic via more secure “bastion
hosts”
Annotated diagrams are acceptable. 3 marks
b The URL describes 3 x 1 mark
The transfer protocol, in this case ftp
The name of the remote host, in this case ftp.somesite.sch.uk
The file or resource on the remote computer, in this case names.doc 3 marks
c It is not expected that the actual codes used by the ftp client and server programs would 4 x 1 marks
be used, but correct listing of these would be acceptable. for four
• connection is established between the two computers points – (*)
• the transfer protocols, eg binary or text transfer, are established must be
• the existence and permissions of the requested file are verified one of the
• the file is transferred in small chunks, each chunk is acknowledged (*) four
• completion of transfer is acknowledged and the connection is terminated
Note that processes such as reassembly of packets into correct order occur below the 4 marks
level of the ftp application and gain no marks in this question

Page 14
Section 3 Multimedia Technology

1 Mention of:
Pits and Lands 4 x 1 marks
Spiral arrangement with sectors in sequence (or single track…) for each of
Sectors of 2048 bytes 4 valid
Mapped by software to 512 byte sectors points
ECC code after each sector to help protect data against corruption 4 marks

2a Contrast on original image is actually poor (eg pencil drawing) 2 x 1 marks

Threshold value set wrongly in scanning software 4 marks
b Similar looking characters confused 2 x 1 marks
Software attempts to interpret graphics as text
Software fails to interpret text layout correctly (eg columns not recognised)

Allow failure to recognise words in different language (since some packages allow
setting target language) 2 marks

3 Eg
Kerning; control of positioning of images/text to very fine tolerances; Text wrap
around graphics; Image cropping; colour separation of output. 2 x 1 mark 2 marks

4 The process seeks to avoid “blobs” of black and white corresponding to colours in
images.
Images are analysed for colour and intensity/texture.
A range of half tone patterns is substituted for these colours/textures in the output
image by the printing software 3 x 1 mark 3 marks

5 • Min 15” Video display, 640X480 pixels in 16 bit colour, with hardware acceleration 1 mark
• 200 mHz Pentium with hardware assisted MPEG1 capability 1 mark
• Minimum RAM 64MB to support speech recognition 1 mark
• Hard Disk space 1GB 1 mark
• Sound Card output quality, 44.1kHz, 16 bit sampling rate 1 mark 5 marks

Page 15
6a JPEG best for photographic type images 2 x 0.5 1 mark
GIF best for images with little colour gradient (eg cartoons) marks
b Indication of compression algorithm 1 mark
Indication of how data to be compressed is selected 1 mark 2 marks
c Note that the question refers to storage of data in files 2 x 1 marks
MIDI – Sequence of Descriptions of each note, with values for each characteristic for 2 valid
One value identifies separate channel for each instrument points
Information for generating sounds of different instruments held in separate library file
Digitised sound – sequence of values (pairs of values if in stereo)
Each value is a sample of the total sound for a small, constant interval of time 2 x 1 marks
Typically 16 bits per channel, with sample rates around 22 or 44 kHz for 2 valid
points

4 marks
d • audio tape is input via sound card line input,
• digitised to AIFF format file – each track is a separate file
• CD-R software used to generate audio CD, one file per track with separators 3 x 1 mark 3 marks

7a video 3 x 1 mark
storage requirements - 100 ppi, 40ppcm 5x5 = 25x1600 = 40000 pixels x 24 =
120kbytes per uncompressed frame
data representation - MPEG 1 ( i-frames, p-frames and b-frames)
input methods - digital camcorder delivers MPEG bitstream (e.g. Firewire) OR
camcorder + video card + MPEG encoder (might be on card)

animated sequence
storage requirements - see above 2 x 1 mark
data representation - Quicktime,
input methods - via some art package, and assembled in eg Macromedia Director 5 marks
b animation which consists of large areas of flat colour, but uses relatively small 1 mark
numbers of colours could be designed much more clearly than live video which
could be visually noisy and messy (compression artefacts).

This would make it easier for the user to assimilate information. 1 mark 2 marks
Small videos on a low-resolution monitor do not look very good.

c • 3D modeller 1 mark
• 3D renderer to generate image frames (GIF, TIFF) 1 mark
• Put into Director as cast members to generate image sequence (quicktime). 1 mark
Select MPEG for 3D-image output from Director. 3 marks

[END OF MARKING INSTRUCTIONS]

Page 16