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IB DIPLOMA PROGRAMME N05/5/COMSC/HP2/ENG/TZ0/XX/M+

PROGRAMME DU DIPLÔME DU BI
PROGRAMA DEL DIPLOMA DEL BI

MARKSCHEME

November 2005

COMPUTER SCIENCE

Higher Level

Paper 2

12 pages
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This markscheme is confidential and for the exclusive use

of examiners in this examination session.

It is the property of the International Baccalaureate and

must not be reproduced or distributed to any other person
without the authorisation of IBCA.

If you do not have a copy of the current Computer Science Guide, please request one
from IBCA.
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General Marking Instructions

After marking a sufficient number of scripts to become familiar with the markscheme and
candidates’ responses to all or the majority of questions, Assistant Examiners (AEs) will be
contacted by their Team Leader (TL) by telephone. The purpose of this contact is to discuss
the standard of marking, the interpretation of the markscheme and any difficulties with
particular questions. It may be necessary to review your initial marking after contacting
your TL. DO NOT BEGIN THE FINAL MARKING OF YOUR SCRIPTS IN RED
INK UNTIL YOU RECEIVE NOTIFICATION THAT THE MARKSCHEME IS
FINALIZED. You will be informed by e-mail, fax or post of modifications to the
markscheme and should receive these about one week after the date of the examination. If
you have not received them within 10 days you should contact your Team Leader by
telephone. Make an allowance for any difference in time zone before calling. AEs WHO
DO NOT COMPLY WITH THESE INSTRUCTIONS MAY NOT BE INVITED TO
MARK IN FUTURE SESSIONS.

You should contact the TL whose name appears on your “Allocation of Schools listing” sheet.

Note:
Please use a personal courier service when sending sample materials to TLs unless postal services
can be guaranteed. Record the costs on your examiner claim form.
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General Marking Instructions

1. Follow the markscheme provided, do not use decimals or fractions and mark only in RED.

2. Where a mark is awarded, a tick (9) should be placed in the text at the precise point where it
becomes clear that the candidate deserves the mark.

3. Sometimes, careful consideration is required to decide whether or not to award a mark.

Indeed, another examiner may have arrived at the opposite decision. In these cases write a
brief annotation in the left hand margin to explain your decision. You are encouraged to
write comments where it helps clarity, especially for moderation and re-marking.

4. Unexplained symbols or personal codes/notations on their own are unacceptable.

5. Record subtotals (where applicable) in the right-hand margin against the part of the answer to
which they refer. Show a mark for each part question (a), (b), etc. Do not circle sub-totals.
Circle the total mark for the question in the right-hand margin opposite the last line of the answer.

6. Where an answer to a part question is worth no marks, put a zero in the right-hand margin.

7. Record the mark awarded for each of the five questions answered in the Examiner Column on
the cover Sheet.
Add up the marks awarded and enter this in the box marked TOTAL in the Examiner Column
on the cover sheet.

8. After entering the marks on the cover sheet check your addition of all marks to ensure that
you have not made an arithmetical error. Check also that you have transferred the marks
correctly to the cover sheet. We have script checking and a note of all clerical errors may
be given in feedback to all examiners.

9. Every page and every question must have an indication that you have marked it. Do this by
writing your initials on each page where you have made no other mark.

10. A candidate can be penalized if he/she clearly contradicts him/herself within an answer. Once
again make a comment to this effect in the left hand margin.
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Subject Details: Computer Science HL Paper 2 Markscheme

Mark Allocation

Candidates are required to answer ALL questions ([30 marks] for question 1, [30 marks] for
question 2 and [15 marks] for the remaining three questions). Maximum total = [105 marks].

General

A markscheme often has more specific points worthy of a mark than the total allows. This is
intentional. Do not award more than the maximum marks allowed for part of a question.

When deciding upon alternative answers by candidates to those given in the markscheme, consider
the following points:

y Each marking point has a separate line and the end is signified by means of a semi-colon (;).

y An alternative answer or wording is indicated in the markscheme by a “/”; either

wording can be accepted.

y Words in ( … ) in the markscheme are not necessary to gain the mark.

y The order of points does not have to be as written (unless stated otherwise).

y If the candidate’s answer has the same “meaning” or can be clearly interpreted as being
the same as that in the mark scheme then award the mark.

y Mark positively. Give candidates credit for what they have achieved, and for what they
have got correct, rather than penalising them for what they have not achieved or what
they have got wrong.

y Remember that many candidates are writing in a second language; be forgiving of

minor linguistic slips. Effective communication is more important than grammatical
niceties.

y Occasionally, a part of a question may require a calculation whose answer is required

for subsequent parts. If an error is made in the first part then it should be penalized.
However, if the incorrect answer is used correctly in subsequent parts then follow
through marks should be awarded. Indicate this with “FT”.
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1. (a) Award [1 mark] for each of the following:

definition or ID/key field;
string for name;
unsigned integer for size; [3 marks]

(b) For example:

procedure selectsort
declare i, j, min integer
declare temp datatypefrompreviousanswer
for i <--0 to 99 do
if TRANSACTION[i].FILENAME = nil then
i <-- 99
else
min <-- i
for j <--i to 99 do
if TRANSACTION[j].FILESIZE = nil then
j <-- 99
else if TRANSACTION[j].FILESIZE<TRANSACTION[min].FILESIZE then
min <-- j
endif
endfor
temp <-- TRANSACTION(min)
TRANSACTION(min) <-- TRANSACTION(i)
TRANSACTION(i) <-- temp
endif
endfor
endprocedure selectsort

There maybe some differences but the sort must be a selection sort.
Award marks as follows:

declaration of variable 1
correct outer loop 1
test for nil filename and action 2
set minimum place value 1
correct inner loop 1
test for nil filename and action 2
correct comparison and min reset 2
values swapped correctly 2
[11 marks max]
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(c) For example:

procedure merge
declare LST, MAS, TRA, TMP integer
declare OK boolean
MAS = TRA = LST = 0
repeat
LST = LST + 1
until master[LST] = nil
OK <-- true
while OK
if master[MAS] > transaction[TRA] then
TMP <-- LST
repeat
master[TMP] <-- master[TMP-1]
TMP <-- TMP - 1
until TMP = MAS
master[MAS] = transaction[TRA]
LST = LST + 1
TRA = TRA + 1
if transaction[TRA] = nil or LST = 200 then
OK = false
endif
endif
MAS = MAS + 1
endwhile
endprocedure merge

Award [1 mark] for each of the following:

Declaration of variables;
Initialisation of variables;
Check through MASTER until nil to determine size;
Set up loop to continue till end of merge;
Compare MASTER and TRANSACTION filesize;
If TRANSACTION smaller;
Shuffle down MASTER records;
Write TRANSACTION record to MASTER;
Adjust position in TRANSACTION file;
Check for end of TRANSACTION file;
If end exit check for MASTER fault;
Adjust position in MASTER file;
Check for end of MASTER file;
Write rest of TRANSACTION to MASTER if so; [12 marks max]

This is a difficult algorithm but the above scheme should allow candidates to gain credit for a
reasonable attempt. Accept writing to a new master file.

(d) • If TRANSACTION is empty;

• write nil values to all records;
• else shuffle all remaining records to the front of the queue;
• and write nil values from the end of the new queue to the end of the
array; [4 marks]
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2. (a) Award [2 marks] for employers advantages and [2 marks] for employee advantages.

Employers
Employers need fewer workers;
and therefore reduce costs;
employers can give skilled workers more responsibility;
and therefore improve performance;

Employees
Employees can work fewer hours;
and therefore have time for development;
or holidays; [4 marks max]

(b) Although costs are measurable;

benefits are less measurable;
for example corporate image (or any other reasonable example);
can also improve the overall performance of a business; [4 marks]

(c) Award [1 mark] for each of the following up to [2 marks max].

Complex systems can develop emergent properties;

which, because they are unpredictable;
cannot be planned for; [2 marks max]

(d) Award [1 mark] for any of the following up to [4 marks max].

Businesses who hold information about people need to ensure that it is not used for the
wrong purpose;
Or hacked by someone else;
When information is held electronically it is easier for it to be used without anyone
knowing that it has been tampered with;
Who does the information belong to?;
What about the ease of plagiarism?;
etc. [4 marks max]

(e) (i) 1. Problem

2. Design / Analysis
3. Implement
4. Evaluate
5. Goto 1 with new problem [3 marks]

Award [2 marks] for the four stages and [1 mark] for the cycling back to the beginning.

(ii) prototype has the same cycle back to beginning [2 marks]

but also includes a second inner cycle at the design stage;
where user tests the prototype;
which generates feedback;
and loops until satisfied; [5 marks max]
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(f) A prototype is designed to elicit user information;

It is not designed as an end product;
The final design should not be developed from the prototype because its design may not
be optimal for a final design;
To start from scratch enables final design criteria to be incorporated; [4 marks]

(g) Award [2 marks] for any two of the following.

End user development [1 mark] is risky [1 mark]
Off the shelf [1 mark] may not mesh [1 mark]
Outsourcing [1 mark] relinquishes control [1 mark] [4 marks max]
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3. (a) To find a memory block the read/write head [1 mark] has to locate the correct track
[1 mark] this is called the seek time [1 mark] then the head has to wait until the target
block rotates around to it [1 mark] this is the latency. Then the data has to be read or
written. The sum of all these times is the access time [1 mark]. [5 marks]

(b) (i) Award [1 mark] for each of the following:

As a disk is used and fills up, data may not be stored in contiguous blocks;
because a contiguous space is not available;
therefore instead of accessing one contiguous location the disk has to access
several;
thus “increasing” the access time; [2 marks max]

(ii) Award [1 mark] for each of the following:

Disk is scanned for files which are not stored in contiguous blocks;
Data rearranged so that different parts of the same file are stored together;
Empty space caused by previously deleted files used bring blocks together;
[2 marks max]

(c) (i) Award [1 mark] for each of the following:

RAM is accessed directly;
via address buses;
and data buses; [2 marks]

(ii) Award [1 mark] for each of the following:

disk has moving parts;
RAM has no mechanical movement involved;
hence faster; [2 marks max]

(d) Award [1 mark] for each of the following:

Interrupt register holds flag for each call to interrupt the CPU;
each cycle the CPU examines register and calls highest priority position flag to react to;
[2 marks]
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4. (a) Handshaking; [1 mark]

(b) Award [1 mark] for each gate connected correctly and [1 mark] for all symbols correct.

Paper
Ink
Reply
Exg Job

New Job

[5 marks]
(c) Award [1 mark] for each correctly drawn and connected gate.

Q4b

AND

NOR

[3 marks]
OR

(d) Award [1 mark] for connections and [1 mark] for correct symbol.
Q4c

Ink
Paper

[2 marks]
OR

(e) Award [1 mark] for advantage and [1 mark] outline.

For example:
Can be re-programmed [1 mark] so if changes are needed no need to make new circuit
[1 mark].

Award [1 mark] for disadvantage and [1 mark] outline

For example:
If speed is important a circuit can react more quickly [1 mark] than a program which is
executing instructions [1 mark]. [4 marks]
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5. (a) Test data would be selected;

to test for normal;
abnormal;
extreme;
If the program does not react to all data correctly the relevant code should be redesigned
and re-tested; [5 marks]

(b) Testing should be planned as soon as possible after the user requirements have been
identified [1 mark] so that design and implementation do not influence it [1 mark] and
testing should address requirements as well as design [1 mark]. [3 marks]

(c) Analyst for same reasons as Q5b. [1 mark]

Both for [1 mark].

(d) Award [2 marks] for validation and [2 marks] for verification.

For example:

Validation checks to see if a data item is reasonable or not. [1 mark]

e.g. the grade should be in the range 0 – 100. [1 mark]

Verification checks to see if an item of data is really what the user wants [1 mark] e.g.
double entry of the grade [1 mark]. [4 marks]

(e) Validation should come first [1 mark] because if it fails verification will not be required
[1 mark]. [2 marks]