AS COMPUTER SCIENCE Specimen Assessment Materials 5

Candidate Name Centre Number Candidate Number

AS COMPUTER SCIENCE

COMPONENT 1

Fundamentals of Computer Science

SPECIMEN PAPER

2 hours

INSTRUCTIONS TO CANDIDATES

Answer ALL questions.

Write your name, centre number and candidate number in the spaces at the top of this page.

Write your answers in the spaces provided in this booklet.

INFORMATION FOR CANDIDATES

The number of marks is given in brackets at the end of each question or part-question. You
are advised to divide your time accordingly.

The total number of marks available is 100.

You are reminded of the need for good English and orderly, clear presentation in your
answers.

No certificate will be awarded to a candidate detected in any unfair practice during the
examination.

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AS COMPUTER SCIENCE Specimen Assessment Materials 6

Answer all questions

1. Below is an incomplete diagram of a typical Von Neumann architecture computer.

CPU

Input Register Output

A

Memory

(a) Identify and explain the function of components A and B above. [4]

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 AS COMPUTER SCIENCE Specimen Assessment Materials 7

(b) The following data is stored in a 16-bit register.

1001 0110 1101 1011

Name the logical operation and draw the truth table required to clear this register.
Include a worked example of clearing the register with the data above. [3]

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AS COMPUTER SCIENCE Specimen Assessment Materials 8

2. (a) Describe the importance of standard network protocols. [2]

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(b) Describe the use of the following protocols: [3]

(i) IMAP: …………………………………………………………………………….

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(ii) DHCP: ……………………………………………………………………………

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(iii) UDP: ……………………………………………………………………………..

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 AS COMPUTER SCIENCE Specimen Assessment Materials 9

3. Related data stored on a computer system can become fragmented over time.

(a) Explain what is meant by the term fragmentation and give one possible effect.
[2]

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(b)Discuss the issues surrounding the defragmentation of a Solid State Drive (SSD).
[3]
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AS COMPUTER SCIENCE Specimen Assessment Materials 10

4. (a) Different data transmission methods are used by computer systems. Identify
the most suitable transmission method for the following scenarios and explain
their suitability.
(i) Sending sound to a speaker system. [3]
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(ii) A video conferencing call. [3]

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(b) Describe what is meant by the terms multiplexing and switching. [3]
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(c) Identify three typical items contained in a TCP/IP packet and describe their
purpose. [6]
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 AS COMPUTER SCIENCE Specimen Assessment Materials 11

5. (a) Using binary addition, calculate the number that would result from adding
00100101 and 00111100

Convert the result into hexadecimal. [2]

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(b) Assuming that 1 is used to indicate a negative number, show how the negative
number -1310 will be represented using sign/magnitude in an 8 bit register. [1]

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(c) Integers can also be represented using two’s complementation.

Describe, using an example, how the two’s complement of a binary number is

derived. [2]

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AS COMPUTER SCIENCE Specimen Assessment Materials 12

(d) (i) Give an advantage and disadvantage of using floating point form rather than
integer form. [2]

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(ii) Real numbers stored in floating point form can be stored using 16 bits as
shown below:

Mantissa Exponent
(12 bits in two’s complement form. The binary (4 bits in two’s
point in the mantissa is immediately after the left complement form.)
bit.)

Convert the number 63.25 into this floating point form. [2]

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(iii) In a different computer system, the following is a floating point representation

of a number, using an 8 bit mantissa and a 4 bit exponent:

0•1011000 0101

Calculate the mantissa, exponent and decimal equivalent of the number. [3]

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 AS COMPUTER SCIENCE Specimen Assessment Materials 13

6. Using Boolean algebra, simplify the following:

(A + C).(A.D + A.D) + A.C + C

[7]

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AS COMPUTER SCIENCE Specimen Assessment Materials 14

7. When writing a program, a programmer could use a low level language or a high
level language.

Give three advantages for each of these approaches.

[6]

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 AS COMPUTER SCIENCE Specimen Assessment Materials 15

8. Scientists monitoring the level of a pollutant in the air take a number of readings and
use a computer to analyse the data.

Write an algorithm, using pseudo-code, with the following inputs:

 the number of readings to be analysed
 the readings themselves as whole numbers

The algorithm should read the readings into an array then output:
 the mean of the readings
 how many readings were above the mean
 the highest reading

Your algorithm must be written using self-documenting identifiers.

[7]
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AS COMPUTER SCIENCE Specimen Assessment Materials 16

9. Explain the role of an Integrated Development Environment (IDE). Describe the

purpose of three typical features of an IDE. [4]

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10. (a) Explain how a bubble sort operates. [2]

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(b) An algorithm is written for a bubble sort in one particular application. The
input to the algorithm is a set of 6 positive integers.

One set of data which would test this algorithm is:

BubbleSortArray
45 32 5 35 19 62
(0) (1) (2) (3) (4) (5)

Write down two other sets of data which will more fully test the algorithm. [2]

DataSet1

(0) (1) (2) (3) (4) (5)

DataSet2

(0) (1) (2) (3) (4) (5)

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AS COMPUTER SCIENCE Specimen Assessment Materials 18

11. Summarise how an operating system manages computer resources. [8]

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 AS COMPUTER SCIENCE Specimen Assessment Materials 19

12. An organisation is responsible for paying its employees and calculating their tax and
national insurance. Each employee is paid a different hourly rate.

The employee pay details, including their hourly rate are stored in a master file. The
number of hours each employee works each month is entered and stored in a
transaction file.

At the end of each month the hours worked by the employee and the hourly rate are
used to calculate the month’s pay, tax and national insurance.

(a) Explain why sequential file organisation is the most suitable for the master file
and why serial file organisation is the most suitable for the transaction file. [2]

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(b) Give one item of data that would appear in both the transaction file and the
master file. [1]

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(c) Draw a clearly labelled diagram below which shows how the transaction file
and the master file are used to produce a pay slip for every employee. [4]

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AS COMPUTER SCIENCE Specimen Assessment Materials 20

13. Before new computer systems are introduced in an organisation, different methods of
changeover are considered.

Compare two methods of changeover and consider processes that would protect the
security and integrity of data during changeover.

You should draw on your knowledge, skills and understanding from a number of
areas across your Computer Science course when answering this question. [13]
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 AS COMPUTER SCIENCE Specimen Assessment Materials 21

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