Page | 1

1ac 9618 S21 P12_13 –

2 Bingwen’s computer comes with an Operating System and utility software.
(a) Draw one line from each utility software to its correct description. [4]
Utility software Description
Scans software for errors and repairs
the problems

Moves parts of files so that each file is

Disk formatter
contiguous in memory

Creates a copy of data that is no

Defragmentation
longer required

Sets up a disk so it is ready to store

Back-up
files

Creates a copy of data in case the

Disk repair
original is lost

Scans for errors in a disk and corrects

them

(b) Identify four key management tasks that the Operating System will perform.
1 ................................................................................................................................................
2 ................................................................................................................................................
3 ................................................................................................................................................
4 ................................................................................................................................................ [4]
Page | 2
Page | 3
2b 9618 W21 P12 –
7 A computer has system software.
(a) The Operating System handles interrupts.
Tick (✓) one box in each row to identify whether each event is an example of a hardware interrupt or
a software interrupt. [3]
Event Hardware interrupt Software interrupt
Buffer full
Printer is out of paper
User has pressed a key on the keyboard
Division by zero
Power failure
Stack overflow

(b) Describe the file management tasks that an Operating System performs.
...................................................................................................................................................
...................................................................................................................................................
...................................................................................................................................................
...................................................................................................................................................
...................................................................................................................................................
...................................................................................................................................................
...................................................................................................................................................
............................................................................................................................................. [4]
(c) Identify two utility programs that can be used to improve the performance of a computer and state
how they improve the performance.
1 ................................................................................................................................................
...................................................................................................................................................
...................................................................................................................................................
...................................................................................................................................................
2 ................................................................................................................................................
...................................................................................................................................................
...................................................................................................................................................
................................................................................................................................................... [4]
Page | 4
Page | 5
2ac W21 P11 P13 –
4 Francis is starting his first job as a software developer for a multinational company.
(b) Francis is shown the software he will be working on. He is unfamiliar with the Integrated
Development Environment (IDE) he is required to use.
(ii) A typical IDE provides debugging tools to support the testing of a program.
Identify three other tools or features found in a typical IDE to support the writing of the program.
1 ........................................................................................................................................
2 ........................................................................................................................................
3 ........................................................................................................................................ [3]
(d) Francis’s team use language translators.
Complete the descriptions of language translators by writing the missing words.
............................................... are usually used when a high-level language program is complete.
They translate all the code at the same time and then run the program.
They produce ............................................... files that can be run without the source code.
............................................... translate one line of a high-level language program at a time,
and then run that line of code. They are most useful while developing the programs because
errors can be corrected and then the program continues from that line.
Assemblers are used to translate assembly code into ............................................... . [4]
Page | 6
3a 9618 S22 P11 - 5 A programmer uses an Integrated Development Environment (IDE) to develop a
program.
(a) Draw one line from each IDE feature to its correct description. [4]
IDE feature Description
Executes one line of the program and then
Context-sensitive prompt
stops

Underlines or highlights statements that do

Dynamic syntax check
not meet the rules of the language

Outputs the contents of variables and data

Breakpoint
structures

Single stepping Stops the code executing at a set line

Displays predictions of the code being

Report window
entered

(b) The programmer wants to allow users to edit, improve and redistribute the program.
Identify two different types of software licence that the programmer could use.
1 ................................................................................................................................................
2 ................................................................................................................................................ [2]

(c) Explain the benefits to the programmer of using program libraries.

...................................................................................................................................................
...................................................................................................................................................
...................................................................................................................................................
...................................................................................................................................................
...................................................................................................................................................
...................................................................................................................................................
...................................................................................................................................................
............................................................................................................................................. [3]
Page | 7
Page | 8
3b 9618 S22 P12
6 A programmer uses language translators when writing and testing a program.
(a) Describe the operation of a compiler.
...................................................................................................................................................
...................................................................................................................................................
...................................................................................................................................................
............................................................................................................................................. [2]
(b) Describe the operation of an interpreter.
...................................................................................................................................................
...................................................................................................................................................
...................................................................................................................................................
............................................................................................................................................. [2]
(c) Explain how a programmer can make use of a typical Integrated Development Environment (IDE) when
writing and testing a program.
Writing .......................................................................................................................................
...................................................................................................................................................
...................................................................................................................................................
...................................................................................................................................................
Testing ......................................................................................................................................
...................................................................................................................................................
...................................................................................................................................................
................................................................................................................................................... [4]
Page | 9

3c 9618 S22 P13

4 A computer has system software including an operating system.
(a) Describe the key management tasks of an operating system.
...................................................................................................................................................
...................................................................................................................................................
...................................................................................................................................................
...................................................................................................................................................
...................................................................................................................................................
...................................................................................................................................................
...................................................................................................................................................
...................................................................................................................................................
...................................................................................................................................................
...................................................................................................................................................
Page | 10
............................................................................................................................................. [4]
(b) Utility software is a type of system software.
(i) Describe the purpose of back-up software and defragmentation software.
Back-up software ..............................................................................................................
...........................................................................................................................................
...........................................................................................................................................
...........................................................................................................................................
Defragmentation software .................................................................................................
...........................................................................................................................................
...........................................................................................................................................
........................................................................................................................................... [4]
(ii) Give one other example of utility software.
..................................................................................................................................... [1]
Page | 11

4a 9618 w22 P11

7 (a) State two benefits to a programmer of using Dynamic Link Library (DLL) files.
1 ................................................................................................................................................
...................................................................................................................................................
2 ................................................................................................................................................
................................................................................................................................................... [2]
(b) Memory management is one of the tasks performed by an Operating System (OS).
Describe the ways in which memory management organises and allocates Random Access Memory (RAM).
...................................................................................................................................................
...................................................................................................................................................
...................................................................................................................................................
............................................................................................................................................. [2]
Page | 12