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Cambridge Assessment International Education

Cambridge International Advanced Subsidiary and Advanced Level

COMPUTER SCIENCE 9608/12

Paper 1 Written Paper October/November 2017
MARK SCHEME
Maximum Mark: 75

Published

This mark scheme is published as an aid to teachers and candidates, to indicate the requirements of the
examination. It shows the basis on which Examiners were instructed to award marks. It does not indicate the
details of the discussions that took place at an Examiners’ meeting before marking began, which would have
considered the acceptability of alternative answers.

Mark schemes should be read in conjunction with the question paper and the Principal Examiner Report for
Teachers.

Cambridge International will not enter into discussions about these mark schemes.

Cambridge International is publishing the mark schemes for the October/November 2017 series for most
®
Cambridge IGCSE , Cambridge International A and AS Level components and some Cambridge O Level
components.

® IGCSE is a registered trademark.

This document consists of 12 printed pages.

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 9608/12 Cambridge International AS/A Levelwww.dynamicpapers.com
– Mark Scheme October/November
PUBLISHED 2017

Question Answer Marks

1 1 Mark for stating the management task 6

1 Mark for a corresponding description
Maximum 2 marks for each task
Maximum 3 tasks

Process / Task Management

• Allocation of processor time
• Scheduling of processes or tasks / multi-tasking / multi-programming etc.
• By example – e.g. round-robin, shortest remaining time first etc.
• Resolution of conflict when two or more processes require the same resource

Secondary Storage management

• Storage space divided into file allocation units
• Space allocated to particular files
• OS maintains a file directory and FAT
• Provides file naming conventions
• Controls access.

Peripheral / Hardware / Device / Input/output Management

• Installation of appropriate driver software
• Controls access to data being sent to/from hardware/peripherals
• Controls access to hardware/peripherals
• Manages communication between devices / hardware and software

Provision of a User interface

• Allows user interaction with the computer system// Facilitates human computer
communication
• Hides the complexity of the hardware from the user
• Or by example – e.g. GUI, command line etc.

Interrupt Handling
• Halts the execution of the current process
• Stores the values of the current process on the stack
• Loads and executes the appropriate ISR code
• Use of priorities for handling simultaneous interrupts
• Saves data on power outage

Security Management
• Makes provision for recovery when data is lost
• Provides usernames and passwords / encryption / user accounts
• Prevents unauthorised access
• Ensures privacy of data

Provision of a software platform / environment

• On which other programs / applications can be run

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Question Answer Marks

2(a) 1 Mark for each correct connection 4

2(b)(i) 1 Mark per bullet, max 2 2

• Once translated the compiler software is not needed to run the program
• Compiled code should execute faster
• Compiler produces an executable file
• The executable file produced by a compiler can be distributed without users
having sight of the source code // source code is kept secure // users are unable
to make changes to the program
• Cross-compilation is possible

2(b)(ii) 1 Mark per bullet, max 2 2

• Easier de-bugging
• The interpreter stops when error encountered
• error can be corrected in real time
• The interpreter translates a statement then executes it immediately
• Parts of the program can be tested, without all the program code being available.

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Question Answer Marks

3(a)(i) 1 Mark per bullet, max 3 3

• Security is keeping the data safe
• From accidental / malicious damage /loss
• By example of need for security

• Privacy is the need to restrict access to personal data

• To avoid it being seen by unauthorised people
• By example of need for privacy

3(a)(ii) 1 Mark for a suitable example 1

For example: Personal data of students / staff

3(b) 1 Mark for stating the security measure 4

1 Mark for a corresponding description
Maximum 2 marks for each measure
Maximum 2 measures

Physical measures
• Locked doors/keyboards etc.
• Secure methods of access, keypads/ biometric scans etc.

Backup of data
• Regular copies of the data are made
• If the data is corrupted it can be restored

Disk-mirroring
• All activity is duplicated to a second disk in real time so that if the first disk fails
there is a complete copy available

Access rights
• Different access rights for individuals/groups of users
• To stop users editing data they are not permitted to access
• By example

Encryption
• If accessed, data cannot be understood by unauthorised personnel
• Accessed only by those with the decryption key

Firewall
• To stop unauthorised access/hackers gaining access to the computer network

Use authentication methods such as passwords and usernames

• Passwords should be strong / biometrics
• To prevent unauthorised access to data

Anti-malware program
• To detect / remove / quarantine viruses / key-loggers etc.
• Carrying out regular scans

Concurrent Access Controls // Record locking

• Closes a record to second user until first update complete
• To prevent simultaneous updates being lost

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Question Answer Marks

3(c) 1 Mark per bullet, max 2 2

• Checking that the data entered matches / is consistent with that of the source.
• Comparison of two versions of the data
• Examples include double entry, visual checking, proof reading etc...
• In the event of a mismatch – the user is forced to re-enter the data
• By example, e.g. creation of a password
• Does not check data is sensible/acceptable

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Question Answer Marks

4(a) 1 Mark for each correct answer 5

A – General purpose registers
B – System clock
C – ALU
E – Control bus
F – Address bus

4(b) 1 Mark per bullet, max 2 2

• The clock sends out a number of pulses in a given time interval (clock speed)
• Each processor instruction takes a certain number of clock cycles to execute
• The higher the clock frequency, the shorter the execution time for the instruction
// Increasing the clock frequency improves performance

4(c)(i) 1 Mark per bullet 3

Maximum 2 for Macro
Maximum 2 for Directive
Maximum 3 in total

Macro
• A group of instructions given a name // subroutine
• A group of instructions that need to be executed several times within the same
program
• The statements are written once and called using the name whenever they need
to be executed
• Macro code is inserted into the source file at each place it is called
• By example

Directive
• An instruction that directs the assembler to do something
• A directive is not a program instruction
• It is information for the assembler
• By example

4(c)(ii) 1 Mark for a suitable example 1

For example: State the start address for the program //tell the assembler to set aside
space for variables // include an external file etc.

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Question Answer Marks

4(d) Mark as shown 5

ACC Offset OUTPUT

10
50 2
10
11 11 1 Mark for these two values, as first instructions
65 1 Mark for this value, in any row
A 1 Mark for this value, in any row
11 1 Mark for this value, after 65, nothing in between
12 12 1 Mark for the rest
89 Y
12
13 13
32

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Question Answer Marks

4(e) Mark as follows: 6

Table entries:
1 Mark per bullet, max 4
• EndProg
• 2 × Unknown
• 9
• 14
• 8

Numbering:
1 Mark per bullet, max 2

• Relative address of Value is numbered 6

• Number given for EndProg is next number in sequence to relative address of
Value
• All numbers correct – award 2 marks

7 9

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Question Answer Marks

5
Public

Incident A Client & Employer

Incident B Product
Ethical

Incident C Judgement

Incident D Management
Unethical
Incident E Profession

Incident F Colleagues

Self

5(a) Mark as follows: 2

Unethical: C and E 1 Mark
Ethical: A,B, D and F 1 Mark

5(b) Mark as follows: 4

A – Public interest 1 Mark
B – Self 1 Mark
D – Profession 1 Mark
F – Product 1 Mark

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Question Answer Marks

6(a) 1 mark for each correct row 3

Application Input device Output device

Capture the text from a paper
Flatbed scanner /
document, in order that the text
Digital camera
can be word-processed
Producing a replica of a small
plastic component from a washing 3D Printer
machine
A museum has interactive Touch screen /
Touch screen /
information facilities throughout touch pad /
speakers etc.
the building microphone etc.

6(b) 1 Mark per bullet to max 4 4

• The hard disk has one or more platters made of aluminium or glass
• Each surface of the platter/disk is ferrous-oxide which is capable of being
magnetised
• The platters/disks are mounted on a central spindle
• The disks are rotated at high-speed
• Each surface of the disk has a read/write head mounted on an arm positioned
just above the surface
• Electronic circuits control the movement of the arm and hence the heads
• The surface of the platter/disk is divided into concentric tracks and sectors
• One track in one sector is the basic unit of storage called a block
• The data is encoded as a magnetic pattern for each block
• When writing to disk, a variation in the current in the head produces a variation
in magnetic field on the disk
• When reading from disk, a variation in magnetic field produces a variation in
current through the head

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Question Answer Marks

7(a)(i) 1 Mark for correct primary key identified in both STAFF and CLIENT 3
STAFF(StaffID, StaffName, Department)
CLIENT(ClientName, Address, Town)

1 Mark for correct primary key identified in VISIT

VISIT(ClientName, VisitDate)

1 Mark for correct primary key identified in INTERVIEW

INTERVIEW(ClientName, VisitDate, StaffID, SpecialistFocus,
InterviewText)

7(a)(ii) 1 Mark for each correct relationship 3

CLIENT VISIT

VISIT INTERVIEW

INTERVIEW STAFF

7(b) 1 Mark for correct answer 1

Add attribute VisitReportText to table VISIT

7(c)(i) 1 Mark for each correct line 3

UPDATE CLIENT
SET ClientName = 'Albright Holdings'
WHERE ClientName = 'ABC Holdings';

7(c)(ii) 1 Mark per bullet, max 2 2

• Referential integrity should be maintained // Referential integrity could be

violated

• Data becomes inconsistent

• There may be records in the VISIT and INTERVIEW tables / other tables with
client name ABC Holdings

• The ClientName in the VISIT and INTERVIEW tables / other tables might not
be automatically updated

• Records in the VISIT and INTERVIEW tables / other tables will become
orphaned

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Question Answer Marks

7(d) 1 Mark for each correct line 3

SELECT StaffID FROM INTERVIEW

WHERE ClientName = 'New Age Toys'
AND VisitDate = '13/10/2016'; (Accept clauses other way round)

7(e) 1 Mark for a correct answer 1

Add a suitable attribute, for example, EuropeTraveller to the STAFF table // Add
a suitable attribute, for example, Country to the CLIENT table

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