Briefing Sessions on

2017 HKDSE ICT Exam

2 Ｎov 2017 &

4 Ｎov 2017

1
Rundown
Introduction
Paper 1A, Paper 1B, Paper 2B

Break
Paper 2C, Paper 2A, Paper 2D

Q&A

2
Breakdown of Elective Part
Number of Sat %

All 5,776 -5.9

2A 799 +11.7

2B 229 +12.8

2C 3,559 -12.3

2D 1,141 +0.9
3
SBA participating schools
No. of schools = 411
No. of options offered in the schools:

One = 370
Two = 40
Three = 4
Four = 0

4
Results of ICT （Ａｌｌ ｃａｎｄｉｄａｔｅｓ）
Level % (2014) % (2015) % (2016) % (2017)
5** 0.7 0.7 0.8 0.9
5*+ 2.9 3.0 3.1 3.6
5+ 7.1 7.5 7.8 8.9
4+ 23.8 25.3 26.5 27.2
3+ 48.8 50.1 51.8 52.2
2+ 77.8 77.8 80.6 80.3
1+ ９３.6 94.0 94.3 94.1
Note: L5** Top 10% of L5
L5*+ Top 40% of L5 (L5* = next 30%)
5
 Exam Paper Development
Aligned with C&A Guide
Moderation Committees
chief examiners, moderators, setters & subject managers
University academics, school teachers, curriculum officers,
subject specialists
Open invitation for nominations
Confidentiality & security measures (HKEAA Ordinance
Chapter 261)

6
 Checking & Proofreading of
Exam Papers
Language polishing of finalized draft of exam papers
Independent assessors
Proofread preliminary-camera-ready copy (PCRC) by

independent proofreaders

Proofread PCRC by senior management and an independent

colleague
Proofread by subject manager & chief examiner
Proofread film plates
Proofread printed papers by another independent

proofreader, chief examiner, subject manager

7
Marking Process
Marker recruitment: heathy turnover
Standardisation meetings: sample scripts by

examiners

Markers’ meetings
Onscreen Marking: marked by questions
1st checkmarking, 2nd checkmarking, new markers’
checkmarking, random checkmarking, a control
script for every fixed number of scripts
Termination of marking

8
Quality Check of Exam Data
Mark adjustment
Adjust markers’ marks, if necessary
Delete question items, if necessary
Equating (Elective)

9
Exam Result Queries
Rechecking & remarking
Data Access Request (DAR)

Appeal Review

10
Post-exam Review Mechanisms
External Vetting (overseas vetting annually)
Subject Committee
Public Exam Board
Internal Audit (senior management & internal
audit unit)
ISO 9001 (external agency)
Exam Paper Quality Audit (EPQA)
Internal Post-mortem Meetings
Meetings with stakeholders

11
Grading Procedures 
Sample script selection
Standardisation
Post-marking exercise
Panel of judges grading meeting

Internal meeting
Public Exam Board meeting
Refer to Grading Procedures & standards-referenced
Reporting in the HKDSE Exam (HKEAA)

12
Reminders on Marking (1)
Accept common abbreviations (terms in
C&A guide and glossary)
e.g. SSL, LAN, ROM
Answers not written in the language
medium entered would not be marked
For example, in Chinese paper
‘MP4 支換 streaming’

 ?? 

13
Reminders on Marking (2)
Marking schemes
Marking guidelines
may NOT exhaust all possible answers
Should NOT be regarded as sets of model

answers

professional discretion and judgment in

accepting alternative answers (correct and well-
reasoned)

14

Exam Irregularity
Found bad languages written on exam
papers
Standing Committee to scrutinize exam
irregularities
Possible consequences: mark deduction

15
2017 ICT Exemplars
Paper 1B: 2 exemplars (1 with annotated
note) @ Level @ language
Paper 2 – selected levels available
Uploaded to www.hkeaa.edu.hk

16
Performance – Compulsory Part
Average no. of MC items correct = 27

High correlation with Paper 2s and SBA

17
Performance – Elective Part
Equating – performance of candidates

(Elective Part) can be reflected on the

same scale (Equipercentile method )

Performance of students (Paper 1):

2D > 2A > 2C > 2B
Refer to Grading Procedures & standards-referenced
Reporting in the HKDSE Exam (HKEAA)

18
Changes in 2018 Exam
(1) All papers
The allocated number of marks for each
subquestion will be provided.
(2) Paper 2D
Mark the programming language (C, Java,
Pascal or Visual Basic) on the cover of the
question Answer Book each relevant question.
Stated in 2018 Candidates’ Handbook

19
Coming Event

Nov 11: SBA Teachers’ Seminar

Enrolment (TCS)
Lam Tai Fai College

20
Paper 1A

21
MC Statistics
The best: Q.2, 5, 14, 17,39
The worst: Q.3, 12, 26, 32, 33

Discrimination power (highest):

Q.3, 8, 9, 28, 31

22
 Q.10
In Question 10, less than half of the candidates
demonstrated basic knowledge of using a form for data
entry. Many candidates thought that a form was used to
filter data, indicating a lack of practical experience in using
a database management system.

Q.10 What is the major benefit of using a form in a

database management system?

* A. Simplifies data entry. (44%)

B. Simplifies report printing. (11%)

C. Saves storage space. (4%)
D. Filters data in a single database table. (41%)
23
 Q.9 & Q.12
Candidates demonstrated a basic understanding of data
representation in computers. In Question 9, about half of them
were able to correctly apply the binary system on a display
board.

Q.9 A black-and-white display board uses 8× 8 pixels to

illustrate a pattern. The upper left 4 pixels must be black at any
time. How many different patterns can the display board
illustrate?

A. 60 (15%)

B. 120 (12%)
C. 236 (16%)

* D. 260 (57%) 24
 Q.9 & Q.12 (cont.)
In Question 12, 39% of the candidates were able to
integrate the knowledge of two’s complement
representation and overflow errors.

Q.12 The following calculations involve 8-bit numbers

using two’s complement representation. Which one will

generate an overflow error?

A. 0001 0101 + 1000 1000 (11%)

B. 0111 0011 + 1000 1000 (12%)

* C. 1100 0110 + 1000 1000 (39%)

D. 1111 1100 + 1000 1000 (38%)

25
 Q.18
In Question 18, the majority of the candidates demonstrated sound
knowledge of the characteristic of registers in CPU. About a third of
the candidates did not realise that secondary storage commonly
refers to nonvolatile storage devices such as hard disks.

Q.18 Which of the following statements about the registers in CPU

is correct?

* A. Their read/write data transfer rates are high. (58%)

B. Their functions are the same. (4%)
C. They are used as secondary storage. (31%)
D. Their total storage size is usually larger than 1 GB. (7%)

26
Q.26
In Question 26, 36% of the candidates understood how a domain name was
defined. Weaker candidates thought that ‘goodcompany’ was the only domain
name used in the links.

Q.26 Peter is going to set up a web site for his new company so that
customers can access his web site through any one of the following links:

web.goodcompany.hk

www.goodcompany.hk

www.goodcompany.com.hk

www.goodcompany.com

web.goodcompany.com

How many domain names does he need to register?

A. 1 (23%)
B. 2 (32%)
* C. 3 (36%)
27
D. 4 (9%)
 Q.32 & Q.33
In Questions 32 and 33, about a third of the candidates were able to apply
basic analytical skills to trace the algorithms. From the response figures, it
was speculated that many candidates did not understand some
fundamental knowledge of algorithm design.

Q.32 Study the following statement:

If NOT ( X > 30 OR ( Y AND Z ) )

Then output '***'

For which of the following combinations of the values X, Y and Z will '***' be displayed?

X Y Z
A. 20 TRUE TRUE (31%)
* B. 30 FALSE FALSE (41%)
C. 40 FALSE FALSE (15%)
D. 50 FALSE TRUE (13%)

28
 Q.32 & Q.33 (cont.)
Q.33 A is an array with A[1], A[2] , ... , A[N] storing N non-zero values.
What is the purpose of the following algorithm?

Input P

K  P

While K <= N-1 do

A[K]  A[K+1]

K  K+1

N  N-1

* A. Removes the P-th value in A. (33%)

B. Increases the value of P by 1. (12%)
C. Swaps the values of A[K] and A[K+1] for K <= N-1. (41%)
D. Calculates the sum of the values in A. (14%)

29
Supplementary notes

Queries from

stakeholders

30
Queries: Paper 1B Q4c(ii)
Disadvantage to non-Chinese candidates?
Q: John needs to use Unicode instead of Big-5 code to
represent the data in STUDENT. Why?

CNAME Chinese name 王小凤

Assess:
understanding of Unicode, Big-5 code & GB code
traditional Chinese v simplified Chinese
advantages of Unicode over Big-5 code
Not necessary to recognise Chinese characters

English Candidates still outperform Chinese

candidates on this question

31

 Queries: Paper 2D Q1d

Q: (i) Give two advantages of using a graphical
user interface over a command line interface.
Users are easier to use the GUI.
The GUI has a better outlook.  acceptable answer
Q: (ii) Give two basic components of a typical
graphical user interface.
Pointer (mouse pointer) / cursor  important
Icon / window / menu / button / image

32
Reference: P.3, Ch.3, T&L materials
Comparison of User Interface

Issue Input Screen Ease of

Look
Control Peripheral Elements Use

Command By
Keyboard Text Hard Boring
Line Commands
By Text Text
Text Keyboard &
based Easy Clear
Based Mouse Tables
buttons
By icon
Mainly by
GUI based Icons Very Easy Nice
Mouse
buttons
HKDSE ICT 2017

Exam paper marking review

(Paper 1B Q1, Q2 & Q3)

Marking guideline
 Fairness
 Marker not do GUESS of student answer
 Professional
 As students are studying ICT,
 Answer should be more technical /
professional
 Others
 Not accept too general answer
 Not accept answer seems direct copy from
qu
Function of marking review

Know the Know the

suggested marking
answer flexibility

Know Enhance
candidate teaching
performance strategies
Enhance teaching strategies
Paper 1B
1B Qu 1 – Mix topics

 WAPP company develops an instant

messaging application. Mary uses the
application in her tablet computer to
communicate with her friends.
1B Qu 1a – Encryption

 (a) The application provides an

encryption function so that all messages
can be encrypted before sending. Give a
benefit and a drawback of this function.
 1B Qu 1a – Encryption
Know the

suggested answer

flexibility
Know the marking
Benefit : Better data Accept similar
security
description
Drawback : take time

Enhance teaching

Benefit :
Know candidate

Satisfactory Encryption
performance

strategies

Drawback : Fair drawback

Need decryption (x)
1B Qu 1b – Data Representation

 (b) The application allows users to send

messages with symbols such as and
. However, the symbols are not
represented as images in computer
storage. Explain how the symbols are
represented and the benefit of
representing them in this way.
 1B Qu 1b – Data Representation
Know the

suggested answer

flexibility
Know the marking
The symbols are Accept similar
encoded and sent
description
 Less storage
required

Enhance teaching

Satisfactory
Know candidate

Good performance
performance

strategies

Cannot lost mark

here
1B Qu 1c – Compression

 (c) Mary uses the tablet computer to take

a video and send it to her friend, Billy,
through the application. She finds that
the video Billy receives has a smaller file
size than the original. Give two benefits
of reducing the file size of the video.
 1B Qu 1c – Compression
Know the

suggested answer

flexibility
Know the marking
- network traffic
Accept similar
- recipient description
storage space

Enhance teaching

Fair
Know candidate

More detail answer

performance

- Speed (X)

strategies

Speed vs rate vs
bandwidth
1B Qu 1d – Health Issue

 (d) Mary regularly uses the application

with the tablet computer for four hours
continuously every day in her workplace.
Give a health problem that she may
encounter and suggest a way to
minimise the problem.
 1B Qu 1d – Health Issue
Know the

suggested answer

flexibility
Know the marking
Problem : Muscles
/ eyes Accept similar
description
Solution : take
break / ergonomic-
designed

Enhance teaching

Very Good
Know candidate

Good performance
performance

strategies

Cannot lost mark

here
1B Qu 1e(i) – Networking

 (e) WAPP company requests Mary to

store her data, such as contact list,
previous messages and multimedia files,
in its centralised servers through the
application.
 (i) Give two possible uses of the users’ data
stored in the centralised servers that can
benefit Mary.
 1B Qu 1e(i) – Networking
Know the

suggested answer

flexibility
Know the marking
- Data recovery /
Accept similar
- save tablet space
description
/ - same data for
multiple devices

Enhance teaching

Satisfactory
Know candidate

Expect more
performance

strategies

- But most are on actual benefits

data recovery
1B Qu 1e(ii) – Privacy

 (e) WAPP company requests Mary to

store her data, such as contact list,
previous messages and multimedia files,
in its centralised servers through the
application.
 (ii) Suggest two possible privacy threats
posed by this request.
 1B Qu 1e(ii) – Privacy
Know the

suggested answer

flexibility
Know the marking
- data misuse / Accept similar
- privacy / description
- attract hacking

Enhance teaching

Satisfactory
Know candidate

Good performance
performance

strategies

Cannot lost mark

here
1B Qu 2 – Video Attributes

Peter participates in a video competition

organised by Mr Wong in his school.

1B Qu 2a(i) – Video file format

 (a) (i) Mr Wong requires students to

submit videos in MP4 or AVI format.
Give two major differences between the
two video formats.
 1B Qu 2a(i) – Video file format
Know the

suggested answer

flexibility
Know the marking
- File size / Accept similar
compression /
description
quality / streaming /
use in mobile device
/ codec

Enhance teaching

Fair
Know candidate

Fact Memory,
performance

don’t expect has

strategies

mark lost
1B Qu 2a(ii) – System software

 (a) (ii) Mr Wong does not use system

software to play the videos. Why not?
Explain your answer with the functions of
system software.
 1B Qu 2a(ii) – System software
Know the

suggested answer

flexibility
Know the marking
System software is for

- manage the hardware Accept similar

resources description
- user interface
but not on application
level

Enhance teaching

Fair
Know candidate

Answer according to

- Some can only say

performance

question requirement

strategies

system software
cannot play video
1B Qu 2b – File size calculation

 (b) Peter estimates that 1-second video

takes up 25 MB of storage space. Mr
Wong only accepts videos with file sizes
not larger than 30 GB. How long is the
video that Peter could take? Show your
calculation and express your answer in
minutes.
 1B Qu 2b – File size calculation
Know the

suggested answer

flexibility
Know the marking
= 30 x 1024 / 25
Calculation ..
= about 20 min

Enhance teaching

Very good
Know candidate

Straight forward Qu,

performance

- Good understanding don’t expect has

strategies

of the difference mark lost

between 1024 & 1000
1B Qu 2c – Video attribute

 (c) Mr Wong will upload students’ videos

to a public video sharing web site.
Afterwards, the students can play their
videos from the web site, as shown in
the figure below:
1B Qu 2c(i) – Video Attribute

 (c) (i) The web site uses the streaming

method to deliver videos. What is the
major benefit of this method? Explain
briefly.
 1B Qu 2c(i) – Video Attribute
Know the

suggested answer

flexibility
Know the marking
Benefit : shorten
waiting time
Accept similar
description
Because : no need to
wait before complete
download

Enhance teaching

Satisfactory
Know candidate

Fact Memory,
performance

- Most student know

don’t expect has

strategies

what is streaming
mark lost
1B Qu 2c(ii) – Video Attributes

 (c) (ii) Why does the web site provide

different options, 1280 × 720, 720 × 405
and 240 × 135, in the video settings?
 1B Qu 2c(ii) – Video Attributes
Know the

suggested answer

flexibility
Know the marking
Let user choose Accept similar
according to
description
bandwidth / video
quality / waiting
time

Enhance teaching

Satisfactory
Know candidate

Design
performance

- Some mentioned

strategies

consideration
hardware VDU
limitation
1B Qu 2d – copyrights

 (d) Peter wants to use some videos

published to the web site for his work. In
order to avoid the infringement of
copyright, what should Peter do? Give
two examples.
 1B Qu 2d – copyrights
Know the

suggested answer

flexibility
Know the marking
- Ask owner Accept similar
permission
description
- Acknowledge
source

Enhance teaching

Good
Know candidate

Fact Memory,
- Good understanding
performance

don’t expect has

strategies

of copyright clearance
mark lost
1B Qu 3 – IPP

 A railway company develops a computer

system that installs kiosks with touch
screen display panels at stations.
1B Qu 3a – IPP

 (a) The kiosks should display the following

train information on the display panels and
help passengers look for the arrival times and
platform numbers of trains.
 Train numbers, such as 3338 and 0910
 Destination, such as Shenzhen and Tianjin
 Arrival time, such as 14:30 and 08:00
 Platform numbers, such as 3 and 12
 Design an interactive layout for the kiosks with
annotations
 1B Qu 3a – IPP
Know the

suggested answer

flexibility
Know the marking
 Display of all info Accept similar
 Interactive layout
description
 Ease of input

Enhance teaching

Satisfactory
Know candidate

More layout exercise

performance

- Most can illustrate for student

strategies

suitable design
 Display of all info

 Interactive layout

 Ease of input
 Display of all info

 Interactive layout

 Ease of input
 Display of all info

 Interactive layout

 Ease of input
 Display of all info
 Interactive layout
 Ease of input
1B Qu 3b(i) – Computer System

 (b) The data in the kiosks are stored in

Electrically Erasable Programmable Read
Only Memory (EEPROM), which is a form of
flash memory.
 (i) Give one difference between flash memory and
RAM.
 1B Qu 3b(i) – Computer System
Know the

suggested answer

flexibility
Know the marking
Flash memory Accept similar
(EEPROM) is description
non-volatile

Enhance teaching

Fair
Know candidate

Care about Qu,

performance

don’t be frightened

strategies

by “strange” term
1B Qu 3b(ii) – Computer System

 (b) The data in the kiosks are stored in

Electrically Erasable Programmable Read
Only Memory (EEPROM), which is a form of
flash memory.
 (ii) Give one difference between flash memory and
ROM.
 1B Qu 3b(ii) – Computer System
Know the

suggested answer

flexibility
Know the marking
Flash memory Accept similar
(EEPROM) is description
re-writable.

Enhance teaching

Fair
Know candidate

Care about Qu,

performance

don’t be frightened

strategies

by “strange” term
1B Qu 3c – Basic Programming

 (c) What is the estimated travel time from

station D to station G?
 1B Qu 3c – Basic Programming
suggested answer
Know the

flexibility
Know the marking
Calculation ..
9

Enhance teaching
Excellent
Know candidate

Straight forward
performance

Qu, don’t expect

strategies
has mark lost
1B Qu 3d – Basic Programming

 In the computer system, the array W with W[1],

W[2],…, W[9] is used to store the 9 estimated

travel times respectively. That is W[1]=2,

W[2]=5, and so on.

 (d) Complete the following algorithm to generate the

estimated travel times from station A to station J.

 1B Qu 3d – Basic Programming
Know the

suggested answer

flexibility
Know the marking
X1 Calculation …
Y9
T  T + W [i]

Enhance teaching

Fair
Know candidate

More effort on
performance

strategies

- Array ! “Array”
1B Qu 3e – Basic Programming

 (e) What is the major advantage of using the variables

X and Y instead of constant values in the loop?
 1B Qu 3e – Basic Programming
Know the

suggested answer

flexibility
Know the marking
flexible to Accept similar

substitute description

For easier

calculation

Enhance teaching

Poor
Know candidate

Why use variable.

performance

But not only on

strategies

how to use
Summary of teaching strategies

 Answer
 show to fit knowledge to question scenario
 should echoing the scenario of the qu

 Need to get more experience in

everyday practice
 Know answer priorities
 Grouping answers in categories and @
Cat. give 1 answer (for qu need >1 ans)
 DSE ICT 2017

Briefing Session

Paper 1B (Q 4, 5)

2.11.2017(Wed) and 4.11.2017 (Sat )

 Q4

 Brothers or sisters graduated in the same year may use the same phone number.

 CLASS + CLASSNO
 Q4

(a) (ii) Sample Scripts


CNAME + CLASS + CLASSNO 
 Q4

 Character/format/data type check for checking the

alphanumeric character at each position /
 Length check for checking the length of the entered
string (presence check) / (Completeness check)
 Check digit /
 Uniqueness check

檢查數位 / 檢查數字 
數位檢查 / 數位檢驗 / 數位校驗
檢驗數位 / 檢測數位 
 Q4
(b) Sample Scripts






 Q4

 ASCII does not include codes of Chinese characters

 There are simplified Chinese characters in the data

which can be represented by Unicode. /
 Unicode includes characters of different languages.

 As Unicode can store more characters of different

languages, more storage capacity should be required
in Unicode than that in Big-5 code. /
 Unicode uses variable-width encoding (1-4 bytes) while
Big5 uses 2 bytes only.
 Q4
(c) Sample Scripts


 Q4
(c) Sample Scripts


Q4
 Q4
(d) Sample Scripts


 Q4

Subject 科目
Registration Number 註冊編號

sum 總和

Total / 總計 
 Q4
(e) Sample Scripts





 Q5

 Browses the shopping web site.

 Do payment on the shopping web site. /

 Any kind of data that need secure transmission, e.g., ersonal
/ sensitive data (member registration, login information) /
 Secure the data transmission (e.g. HTTPS, SFTP)

 Send email to the customer services of the shopping web

site.
 Q5
Comment
• Less than a quarter of the candidates
were able to state clearly the major
difference between ‘To’ and ‘cc’.
• Moreover, they did not realise the usage
of ‘bcc’ in the group email and its effect
on the recipient.

 Senders expect actions and attention from the recipients in ‘To’

 while the recipients in ‘Carbon Copy’ receive the messages for
information only.

 The sender has put the email addresses of all recipients in

‘bcc’.
 Q5
(b) (i) Sample Scripts

0
 Q5
(b) (i) Sample Scripts

1
 Q5

 No translation for the domain name is required. /

 It is not necessary to own (or purchase) a domain name.

 It looks like a phishing web site that customers do not want to

visit it. /
 It is hard to remember the IP address when comparing with a
meaningful domain name.

Comment
• Weaker candidates gave ambiguous
answers such as ‘faster’ as a benefit
of using an IP address in the hyperlink
without further elaboration.
 Q5

 Password length: long password (8 or more characters)

 Password content: a combination of characters,
numbers and symbols / not a word in dictionary words,
not easy-to-guess password
 Client side : regularly update the password

masking the password in the password field

a limited number of login trials

SSL
security tokens, multi-factor authentication, digital certificate
 Q5
(c) Sample Scripts

1 or 2
 Q5

 Tokens store cryptographic keys (a passcode /a

password / a value) to enhance the security on top of the
current security measure (e.g. password). It can be in the
form of one-time password, hardware device, contactless
device, etc.

 what a token is
 process / use
 DSE ICT 2017

Briefing Session

Paper 2B (Q 1, 3)

2.11.2017(Wed) and 4.11.2017 (Sat )

 Q1

 It is fibre optics because it supports the transmission for a

very long distance.

Fast transmission time 

switch

router

firewall
 Q1

 Block unauthorised access from the Internet. / Prevent

hacking.

 Hardware control (NIC) / MAC filtering

 Software control (single login)
 Q1

 Set the same SSID.

 Set the same security method/password.
 Q1

 Provide temporary power supply for the server.

 Provide a steady power supply for the server.

 Database server

 Mr Li should create backup of important data. /

 Mr Li should shut down the server/database
services properly.
 Q3

 understanding of duplex communication mode

 advantage (simultaneous communication)

 understanding of synchronous transmission

 advantage (lower overhead/higher throughput)

 understanding of circuit switching

 advantage (a dedicated connection)
 Q3

 source address, destination address,

 length of the packet, checksum, identification
tag,
 priority (Quality of Service),
 hop count/TTL (Time to live),
 port number

 A checksum will be calculated for error checking.

 The data packets are reassembled in the correct
order.
 Q3

1024 – 40 = 984 bytes

2  1024 1024 / 984

= 2132 packets

(2132  1024  8) / (1000  1000)

= 17.5 s
HKDSE ICT 2017

Exam paper marking review

(Paper 2B Q2, Q4)

Marking guideline
 Fairness
 Marker not do GUESS of student answer
 Professional
 As students are studying ICT,
 Answer should be more technical /
professional
 Others
 Not accept too general answer
 Not accept answer seems direct copy from
qu
Function of marking review

Know the Know the

suggested marking
answer flexibility

Know Enhance
candidate teaching
performance strategies
Enhance teaching strategies
Paper 2B
2B Qu 2 – Bandwidth, IP, Services

 A coffee shop subscribes to a broadband connection with:

 a fixed IP address

 download speed: 300 Mbps

 upload speed: 50 Mbps

 The coffee shop has an 802.11n router with wireless connections

(54 Mbps) and wired connections (100 Mbps). A staff computer,
a public computer, an IP camera and customers’ mobile devices
are connected to the router, as shown below:
2B Qu 2a(i) – Network Bandwidth

 (a) Assume that there is no overhead

during network transmission. Estimate
the minimum time taken for each of the
following activities.
 (i) Upload 500 MB image files from a
customer’s mobile device to a server

through the Internet.

 2B Qu 2a(i) – Network Bandwidth
Know the

suggested answer

flexibility
Know the marking
Estimate some candidates do
500 × 8 / 50 detail calculation
(while question's
= 80 s requirement is
estimation only),

Enhance teaching

Poor
Know candidate

Overlook B vs b “Estimate”
performance

strategies

Overlook 54 vs 50
500 × 8 / 50 = 80 s  2 marks

Or

(500 * 1024 * 1024 * 8) / (50 * 1000 * 1000) =

83.89s  2 marks
2B Qu 2a(ii) – Network Bandwidth

 (a) Assume that there is no overhead

during network transmission. Estimate
the minimum time taken for each of the
following activities.
 (ii) Download a 1 GB video file from the
Internet through BT software in the staff
computer.
 2B Qu 2a(ii) – Network Bandwidth
Know the

suggested answer

flexibility
Know the marking
Estimate some candidates do
1024 × 8 / 100
detail calculation
(while question's
= 82 s (or 80 s)
requirement is
estimation only),

Enhance teaching

Poor
Know candidate

“Estimate”
performance

Overlook B vs b

strategies

Overlook 300 vs 100

1024 × 8 / 100 = 82 s (or 80 s)  2 marks
or
(1 * 1024 * 1024 * 1024 * 8) / (100 * 1000 * 1000) =
85.90s  2 marks
or
(1 * 1024 * 1024 * 1024 * 8) / (300 * 1000 * 1000) =
28.63s  1 mark

but
1024 × 8 / 300 = 27.31 s  0 mark
2B Qu 2b – Bandwidth

 (b) A customer tries to use his mobile

device to download some image files
through the wireless connection, but the
download speed is much slower than 54
Mbps. Give three possible reasons.
 2B Qu 2b – Bandwidth
Know the

suggested answer

flexibility
Know the marking
-Interference /
Acceptable
-max bandwidth is set / answer
-bandwidth sharing

Enhance teaching

Satisfactory
Know candidate

Answer need to
performance

some have wrote the

echo scenario

strategies

problem of server problem

which is not the question
aim
2B Qu 2c(i) – IP Address

 The IP address of the IP camera is

192.168.0.8. John, a staff member of the
coffee shop, wants to connect to the IP
camera through the staff computer and
the home computer.
 (c) (i) Which computer(s) can John use
to connect to the IP camera through the
following IP addresses?
 (1) 192.168.0.8
 2B Qu 2c(i) – IP Address
Know the

suggested answer

flexibility
Know the marking
Staff computer

Enhance teaching

Fair
Know candidate

No / low concept of Read question

performance

accessibility of false IP carefully

strategies

some involve unrelated device

(like public computer) in their
answer
2B Qu 2c(i) – IP Address
 The IP address of the IP camera is
192.168.0.8. John, a staff member of the
coffee shop, wants to connect to the IP
camera through the staff computer and the
home computer.
 (c) (i) Which computer(s) can John use to
connect to the IP camera through the
following IP addresses?
 (2) The fixed IP address of the broadband
connection
 2B Qu 2c(i) – IP Address
Know the

suggested answer

flexibility
Know the marking
Staff computer and
home computer

Enhance teaching

Fair
Know candidate

Read question
performance

No / low concept of

strategies

accessibility of false IP carefully

forget to involve staff PC but
wrote only home PC
2B Qu 2c(ii) – Info Sec

 (c) (ii) John is worried about

eavesdropping on the IP camera
although password protection is in place.
Give a security measure that can
minimise this threat.
 2B Qu 2c(ii) – Info Sec
Know the

suggested answer

flexibility
Know the marking
VPN channel / Acceptable
Encryption answer

Enhance teaching

Good
Know candidate

Sensible answer, and

performance

not release to Internet (X)

strategies

let marker know “you

Using Password (X)
know”
Anti-eavesdrop device (X)
2B Qu 2d(i) – Network Services

 (d) The coffee shop expands the existing

computer network with a proxy server.
There are two designs, as follows:

 (i) In general, which design is more

commonly used? Justify your answer.
 2B Qu 2d(i) – Network Services
Know the

suggested answer

A: The router can first scan

flexibility
Know the marking
through the incoming message so
as to  reduce the loading of the
Acceptable
proxy server.  / answer
B: The proxy server can hide the
IP addresses of the devices  so
as to provide higher security level
for the network

Enhance teaching

Poor
Know candidate

Not only know devices /

performance

Candidate not able to service function, but also

strategies

identify benefit of know its variation in diff

placing device at diff loc loc
2B Qu 2d(ii) – Network Services

 (d) The coffee shop expands the existing

computer network with a proxy server.
There are two designs, as follows:

 (ii) Explain how a proxy server can improve

customers’ Internet browsing experience.

 2B Qu 2d(ii) – Network Services
Know the

suggested answer

flexibility
Know the marking
temporarily web Acceptable
pages visited answer
re-visit ==> load
faster

Enhance teaching

Good
Know candidate

Echo question
performance

But some students not requirement

strategies

echoing “browsing
experience”, some said
“remembered the website URL”
2B Qu 2d(ii) – Network Services

 (d) The coffee shop expands the existing

computer network with a proxy server.
There are two designs, as follows:

 (iii) Give another function of a proxy server,

other than the function in (d)(ii).
 2B Qu 2d(iii) – Network Services
Know the

suggested answer

flexibility
Know the marking
Filter indecent Acceptable
web sites. / answer
Record browsing
history

Enhance teaching

Good
Know candidate

Echoing question
performance

Some candidate
requirement

strategies

mix up the ans in

this part with d(ii)

2B Qu 4 – Network Design

 Ms Chan plans to build a Local Area

Network (LAN) with four zones in a
school campus. She collects some
network specifications from the school,
as shown below:
 IP address: 192.168.0.x (0 ≤ x ≤ 255)
 Each zone is a subnet.

 There is a router that supports four subnets.

 There is a domain controller.

2B Qu 4a(i) – Network Type

 (a) (i) What is the main characteristic of a

LAN compared with a Wide Area
Network (WAN)?
 2B Qu 4a(i) – Network Type
Know the

suggested answer

flexibility
Know the marking
LAN : Acceptable
fewer hosts / answer
coverage /
complexity

Enhance teaching

Satisfactory
Know candidate

Most perform well,

performance

don’t‘ lost mark

strategies

here
2B Qu 4a(ii) – NCD

 (a) (ii) Why is a router needed for the

LAN?
 2B Qu 4a(ii) – NCD
Know the

suggested answer

flexibility
Know the marking
better routing Acceptable
control / connect answer
different subnet

Enhance teaching

Poor
Know candidate

Relate functions to

performance

Some mentioned “best different situations

strategies

route” (X), “connect LAN

to Internet” (X)
2B Qu 4b – Network Services

 (b) Give two common network services

provided by the domain controller.
 2B Qu 4b – Network Services
Know the

suggested answer

flexibility
Know the marking
Network logon,
Acceptable
access control
answer

Enhance teaching

Poor
Know candidate

Need more
performance

Little knowledge of what experience for

strategies

Domain Controller did students

(some wrote assign IP …)

2B Qu 4c(i) – Subnet

 (c) Ms Chan evenly distributes the

number of network connecting devices in
the subnets.
 (i) What is the maximum number of network
connecting devices in each subnet? Show
your calculation.
 2B Qu 4c(i) – Subnet
suggested answer
Know the

flexibility
Know the marking
256 / 4 – 2
= 62

Enhance teaching
Very poor
Know candidate

Need more L&T

performance

Seems little

strategies
knowledge about
Subnet
2B Qu 4c(ii) – Subnet

 (c) (ii) What is the subnet mask?

 2B Qu 4c(ii) – Subnet
suggested answer
Know the

flexibility
Know the marking
255.255.255.192

Enhance teaching
Very poor
Know candidate

Need more L&T

performance

Seems little

strategies
knowledge about
Subnet
2B Qu 4d – Network Layout

 In Ms Chan’s plan, there will be a

domain controller, a firewall, a router and
five 16-port switches in the network and
some devices in the zones, as shown
below:
2B Qu 4d – Network Layout

 (d) Complete the following network

design of the school campus by drawing
the necessary network connecting
devices and cable connections. Use the
following symbols to represent the
relevant network components.
2B Qu 4d – Network Layout
 2B Qu 4d – Network Layout
suggested answer
Know the

flexibility
Know the marking
Acceptable
answer

Enhance teaching
Satisfactory
Know candidate

Experience in
Except location of
performance

building up network,

strategies
Firewall, number of
note device
ports of Servers, 16-
requirement
port switch
Summary of teaching strategies

 Answer
 show to fit knowledge to question scenario
 should echoing the scenario of the qu

 Need to get more experience in

everyday practice
 Know answer priorities
 Grouping answers in categories and @
Cat. give 1 answer (for qu need >1 ans)
Briefing Session on
2017 HKDSE ICT Exam Paper 2A
Q1

Q1

 Q1

N/A or can show similar concept

Candidate Performance :
1(a) Good.
 Q1

(bi)

(bi)

(bii)

(b)(i) It can be calculated by the number of records in ROUTE.

(b)(ii) Accept “faster”.

Candidate Performance :
1(b) Poor.
Q1

(ci) “DIFF”, “RNAME” are accepted.

Candidate Performance :
1(c) Satisfactory.
Q1
0 mark

3 marks

3 marks 1 mark
Candidate Performance :
1(c) Satisfactory.
Q1

Candidate Performance :
1(d) Fair
Q1

0 mark 2 marks

1 mark – choice of sightseeing spots

1 mark – control of spots (add / delete)

1 mark – layout design (include “save”/”confirm”)

Candidate Performance :

1(d) Fair

Q2

Q2

2 marks

1 mark

Candidate Performance :
2(a) Poor.
Q2

1 mark

1 mark

1MB = 1024B or 1000B

Candidate Performance :
2(b) Satisfactory.
Q2

2 marks
Q2

0 mark

1 mark

If only write “referential integrity”, get 1 mark

Candidate Performance :
(c) Good.
Q2

1 mark

2 marks

Candidate Performance :
(d) Good.
Q2

2 marks

1 mark - Filter out the relevant information

2 mark - The pattern / association / trend
Candidate Performance :
Q3
Q3

1 mark
1 mark

Candidate Performance :
(a) Satisfactory
Q3
1 mark
1 mark

Candidate Performance :
(b) Good
Q3

1 mark
1 mark
1 mark
1 mark

Candidate Performance :
(c) Satisfactory
Q3

1 mark

1 mark 1 mark 1 mark

Candidate Performance :
(d) Poor
Q3

0 mark
1 mark
(ei) only count the first two answers.
Candidate Performance :
(e) Satisfactory
Q4

Candidate Performance :
4(a) Good

Q4

Candidate Performance :
4(b) Satisfactory
Q4

4 marks
Q4

1 mark

1 mark

1 mark

(4cii) “Name” is not accepted

Candidate Performance :
4(c) Good
Q4

0 mark

storage size for the multimedia elements, shared memory/storage issue,

concurrency/integration control, bandwidth for transferring multimedia elements,
processing time for video streaming

Candidate Performance :
4(d) Poor
1 mark

2 marks
Paper 2C

Q1

一間影樓提供拍照及列印相片的服務。顧客於拍照
後可以取得所有相片的軟副本。所有相片均是 24 位
元真彩， 其解像度為 5472 x 3648。


 
 1

(ii) 相片會在 8R 相紙（8 吋 × 10 吋） 列印。打印機的

列印質素有 600 dpi 和 2400 dpi 這兩個選項。顧客應
選擇哪個選項？ 試加說明。



600ppi – the larger the print out
1 + 1


(b) 顧客可以利用他們的相片製作 GIF 或 SWF 格式的
動畫。試舉出這兩個格式的三個主要不同之處。









 


1, 1, 1

影樓打算設計其公司的商標， 並在其網站中使用。
這個商標由兩張圖像製成， 包括一個相機圖形和
公司名稱， 如下展示：





 

 

 
1, 1

影樓發現某瀏覽器在兩部電腦內顯示其網頁有所不同，

如下展示：

1, 1








Convert the text as an image. / Recommend a version of web
browser for best view. / Recommend users to install a particular
font type on their computers.
Different versions of web browsers are used in the two computers /
A missing font type in a computer


(e) 某顧客以相同的相機及設定拍照， 並以相同的壓縮
方法儲存照片。他發現這些相片的檔案大小各有不同。
為什麼？ 試簡略說明。



  


 







Q4

- Grouping
- Use of submenu






(b) (i) 小芬計畫在這個網頁中加入元數據。為何小芬
有此計畫？ 試舉出兩個可能的原因。
description of the web page / keywords / title / author /
copyright / creation date, modification date, date of last-update /
character encoding / refresh web page / re-direction






 (ii) 小芬重新設計網站， 包含了儲存於客戶端上的曲
奇（ cookies）。試建議這個曲奇的一個應用。
Record the banner ads that were shown in the
past so that other new banner ads can be
shown for the next visit. 1 + 1
eg 可以知用戶有何需要，亦提供所需的服務。
記錄顧客較多甪的服務
曲奇可以讓用戶快速查找上次的觀看內容和偏好，
如設定語言等資料網頁、顯示百份比大小，分析用
戶偏向使用那些資訊較多
由於預約需登入，曲奇可儲存客戶的帳戶，密碼，
方便客戶登入，以及減少輸入錯誤帳戶或密碼
  




 

For each part of a tooth, create an area (a polygon) on
the image and assign the corresponding hyperlink to
that area.
1, 1






The aspect ratios of videos and the screens are different.





(ii) 試估算影片的長度， 並以秒表示。請展示你的計算。

20  1024  1024  1024 / (25  24  1280  720 / 8)

= 311

20  1000  1000  1000 / (25  24  1280  720 / 8)

= 289.35 (289, 290 or 310)

1, 1
 check the correctness of the questions
 loop for 10 times
 find the number of questions correctly answered

 a complete if-else statement

 


 


 


2017 2CQ2

44.1 × 1000 × 16 / 8 × 2 × 60 / 1024 / 1024 

= 10 MB 


優良。

佔較大比例的考生能夠正確地估算這段錄音的檔案大小。

能力稍遜的考生在單位轉換中使用 1000 而不是 1024。

Musical notes are editable. / 容易編輯 / 可編輯 (It is simple in changing
instruments/notes.)

Musical notes are input directly from electronic instrument and there is no need
to invite musicians to play the instruments.

The file has a smaller file size. x2

There is no need to process human voice. / pure music /

 壓縮
 檔案容量較少
 製作程序快、靚、方便
 


Use an electronic instrument (MIDI input) such as a digital piano to
record the school song and then edit the musical instrument/notes
accordingly.

Use MIDI editing software to input musical notes to compose the school
song.

直接在樂譜上填上音符
 Save as MIDI
 Convert to MIDI



令人滿意。

超過一半考生能夠舉出兩個理由來支持使用 MIDI 格式。

只有小部分考生使用適當的詞彙，例如「可編輯」，以
描述相關要點。

大約一半考生能夠描述如何用 MIDI 格式來製作歌曲。

能力稍遜的考生只是用「軟件」這個詞語作為他們的答
案，但並沒有進一步解說。
Reduce the sampling rate.

Reduce the number of channels. x2

Reduce the sampling size.

Increase the compression ratio.

 Reduce the duration

 壓縮
 去背景噪音
 


令人滿意。

大約一半考生能夠提出兩種減少檔案大小的方法。

能力稍遜的考生沒有意識到題目的要求，檔案格式是不可
改變的。
Display the scroll bars / menu bar / status bar / toolbar /

title bar /address field (location) /

Set the top position / Set the left position / Make it resizable

 x 3


差劣。

佔較大比例的考生連一個正確跳出式視窗的屬性也未能舉出。

有些考生將跳出式視窗的大小和位置混淆。

考生一般對如何在網站內設置一個跳出式視窗並不熟悉。
Embed the audio HTML code on the page for the lower/ upper
frame in Web Page A.



Embed the audio HTML code on the page for the lower frame
in Web Page A and set the attribute ‘loop’.

更改屬性


Embed the audio HTML code on the page that will be redirected
after login 


Embed the audio HTML code on the page for the upper frame in
Web Page A.



尚可。

大多數考生能夠描述如何將歌曲嵌入網頁，並在瀏覽網頁
時重複播放歌曲。

超過一半考生不熟悉在具有不同框的設置的網頁中，控制
播放歌曲作為背景音樂。
2C Q3

Services using both user locations and cinema locations: 

Find the closest cinemas.

Suggest routes to cinemas (time/distance/navigation). 

Navigation purposes

 Suitable language settings, street view

 finding user/cinema location only
 checking cinemas for available seats.




良好。

佔較大比例的考生能夠舉出通過使用 GPS 給顧客提供額

外服務的實例。

考生可能有相關生活經驗

能力稍遜的考生錯誤地舉出為該影院而非為顧客而設的服
務。
Server-side script -The data of the available seats is stored in the
database in the server.
(Concept of server-side  + explanation  )

 Explanation about buying tickets such as updating the seats in

database


Client-side script - The checking/response time on the client-side is
shorter. / Reduce the server loading.
(Concept of client-side  + explanation  )

 Checking the number of tickets is correct.

 Server-side scripts are not needed.
 Checking can be done by a browser only.
 Higher efficiency.


令人滿意。

大多數考生對客戶端手稿程式和伺服器端手稿程式的使用
非常熟悉。

小部分考生能夠準確地描述需要在伺服器上更新數據庫，
並且陳述在客戶端較短的回應時間。

考生一般僅限於描述與票務相關的情景，以說明他們所選
擇的手稿程式。他們應以背後的系統操作來分析各情景。
Iris scanning (iris虹膜), retinal scanning (retina視網膜), hand
geometry (hand), palm veins 掌紋 (palm), voice/speech 語音,
facial recognition (face)

 pupil, eye


Use a board with 4×4 dots. (more than 9 dots) / 
Set a minimum number of dots to be connected. /
Hide the drawn lines.

 Add passwords or other forms of authentication

 Use more complicated patterns


Hackers cannot get the password by
acquiring mouse click locations / by hand movement / 
Make sure that user is human / it is not a robot program.

 Stop key logger / hacker cannot keep trying login

 it is difficult to get the password
 increase security
 


良好。

考生熟悉驗證的概念。

能力稍遜的考生沒有意識到輸入的複雜性可以提升保安，
他們未能清楚地描述在圖案中添加點或線是怎樣提升保安。

考生需要注意生物認證的用詞，例如「虹膜」／「視網膜」
識別和「掌心」／「靜脈」識別。
Clearly display of thumbnails 
e.g. suitable resolution for thumbnails / enlarge selected thumbnails
for clear display

user-friendly navigation 
- Use suitable navigation menu (e.g. movie names, small

thumbnails, Back & Next button) /

- Use one scrollbar or scrolling in one direction only (horizontal or

vertical)

Description of the use 

- effective layout to arrange thumbnails and movie information

 movie information is shown when a thumbnail is clicked

 movie information is shown in new page when a thumbnail is
clicked



 


 





令人滿意。

大約一半考生草擬了網頁流動版本的一個良好版面設計。

能力稍遜的考生未能清楚地描述如何有效地使用他們所建
議的流動版本，以及如何改進在智能手機上網頁的導航。
Available seats: 
- Suitable design (e.g. symbol, legend) to show available or unavailable seats /

- Suitable description to alert users that the seats are available or taken by

others

Illustrate how to select seats: 

- Suitable design for simple seat selection (by clicking) (e.g. Zoom in button /

Scrolling)

 Menu/textbox for selecting the seats

show selected seats 

- Suitable design for displaying seats (display selected seat clearly, e.g. seat
numbers/symbols in seating plan)



欠佳。

考生一般能夠舉出一個版面設計來顯示可用的座位，但是
他們沒有清楚地說明在版面設計中已選擇的座位是怎樣顯
示的。

能力稍遜的考生舉出在版面設計中選擇座位的方法並不可
行，並且對於有智能手機的客戶來說並不方便。
 2017 HKDSE ICT-D

sharing workshop

2017-11-02 (pm)

2017-11-04 (am)

Candidates Range Star

Performance Poor *
Fair **
Satisfactory ***
Good ****
Excellent *****
Q1 Only 1 arrow correct
All arrows correct

***

Correct Task 4

Task 2 → Task 3 → Task 4 ***

10 ***
Q1

F T F F F
T F T F F
T T F F F

1 or 2 mistakes
****
All correct
Q1

for i from 1 to 5
for j from 1 to 5
if M[i,j] = T
print the dependency: Task i depends on Task j

****
Q1

3 2 4 1 4 3

5 1

Each error node deduce 1 mark

*****
Note: The order of the nodes is not necessary.
Q1

Users are easier to use the GUI.

The GUI has a better outlook. ***

Pointer (mouse pointer) / cursor

Icon / window / menu / button / image **
Q2

Q2

C4

C5

C3

*****
C4 C5 C3 Yes No
Q2

3 8 5 1 4 9 2

****

1 3 4 5 8 9 1

Sorting values in A in increasing order 1 ****

Q2

8 2 **

The values in array A are in increasing order and distinct. 1

****

The values in array A are in decreasing order and distinct. 1

Q2

The execution time for a complied

language is usually short than that for
an interpreted language. /
1 *

Optimisation could be done during the

compilation stage. /
1

No source code is needed. /

Translation can be done once only.

Q3

Q3

1
POP S1
PUSH S2

POP S2 1 **
PUSH S1

No action 1

A notification will be issued / 1 *

Remove the bottommost element of S2, POP S1, PUSH S2

Q3

Correct order (unit testing >> system testing >> acceptance testing) 1
use of each component 3 x 1 ****

C# or any other example 1

Fortran or any other example 1

**
Description of the following criteria: 3 x
1
Scale and modularity Readability
Reusability Utility libraries and development tools
Portability End-user interaction **
Execution efficiency Familiarity
Functional strengths Cost
Q4
Q4 3 1 ****

1 1

a b i+a-1 j+b-1

FALSE 1
TRUE 1 ****
Q4

****

K = 1 + 2 + 4 + 16 = 23 1 ****
Q4

1 1

y <- 1 1 ****

K + Multiple 1

Multiple * 2 1
Q4

4 1 ****

Calculate the K value of P and match it with the 1

values in B2 and count the number of K values. 1
Q4

24
1

No :

Sorting is required before doing the binary search. / Extra

memory storage is required. /

Binary search cannot handle multiple occurrences.

Hence, in general, the work done for sorting outreaches the

work done for sequential search.

Yes :

2
B2 is transformed into an array to which the binary search can be

applied. Hence it increases the efficiency of the searching or

***
pattern matching.