AS & A Level Information Technology 9626 · Topic 2

Hardware and software: past paper questions

180 real questionsasked in 8 of the last 10 exam series2019–2025usually: Describe, Explain, Discuss, Define, Justify

Real questions on hardware and software

The newest 20 of 180 written questions. Open one to see it on the real paper.

9626/11 · October/November 2025 · Q6[3]
Describe what utility software is and why it is needed on a computer system.
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9626/11 · October/November 2025 · Q9[4]
A programmer is developing a new piece of software. The programmer has decided to write code that needs to be interpreted so that it will run. Justify the programmer’s decision.
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9626/11 · October/November 2025 · Q11[4]
Describe four characteristics of a supercomputer.
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9626/11 · October/November 2025 · Q12[2]
Describe what is meant by the term MIPS.
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9626/12 · October/November 2025 · Q4[4]
Identify and explain two drawbacks of using a spreadsheet for computer modelling.
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9626/12 · October/November 2025 · Q10[4]
Describe four characteristics of a mainframe computer.
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9626/12 · October/November 2025 · Q12[4]
Describe how an operating system manages data on a hard disk.
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9626/13 · October/November 2025 · Q6[3]
Describe what utility software is and why it is needed on a computer system.
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9626/13 · October/November 2025 · Q11[4]
Describe four characteristics of a supercomputer.
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9626/11 · May/June 2025 · Q2[6]
The manager of a gymnasium wishes to keep records of all the members’ details including performance results. She is unsure whether to use a spreadsheet or a database. Discuss the benefits and drawbacks of using a spreadsheet to undertake this task.
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9626/11 · May/June 2025 · Q5[6]
A manager can either choose off‑the‑shelf software or custom‑written software for their company. Explain why the manager would choose off‑the‑shelf software.
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9626/11 · May/June 2025 · Q11[8]
Discuss the benefits and drawbacks of using an interpreter to convert a program written in a high‑level language into a low‑level language.
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9626/11 · May/June 2025 · Q12[6]
A spreadsheet is to be used to store students’ examination results. Each examination is marked out of 60, with the lowest mark being 0. Only whole marks are allowed. Each mark is validated using this validation rule >=0 and <=60 Complete the table for the three types of test data. For each mark the developer enters, su...
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9626/12 · May/June 2025 · Q3a[2]
User interface
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9626/12 · May/June 2025 · Q4[4]
A company finance director could use either off-the-shelf or custom-written software to help manage the company’s finances. Contrast these two types of software.
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9626/12 · May/June 2025 · Q7[5]
A school stores records of its students in alphabetical order of family name. It uses indexed sequential access to locate a student record. Explain what is meant by indexed sequential access.
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9626/12 · May/June 2025 · Q12[3]
Banks process a large number of transactions simultaneously. They use mainframe computers for transaction processing. Explain why mainframe computers are used by banks for this type of processing.
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9626/13 · May/June 2025 · Q8a[4]
Describe the functions of device drivers.
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9626/13 · May/June 2025 · Q8b[4]
Justify the use of an interpreter.
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9626/31 · May/June 2025 · Q8[6]
A shopper is using the internet to look at the website of an online store. A web browser is used to fetch and display web pages from the store’s web servers. Explain how the web server provides the web browser with the content of the store’s web pages.
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What examiners said

When considering cost as a difference, most candidates understood that off-the-shelf software was targeted at a mass audience and so the product was mass produced, but explanations tended to stop there.
— Examiner report, October/November 2023, 9626/11 Q3(a) (Cambridge)

For the level of support, most candidates were aware that off-the-shelf software was likely to have more support than custom written software, but a large subgroup felt that custom written software allowed complete and unfettered access to the programmer, and so support was going to be excellent for these software titles. Due to the nature of the project and the scale of production of custom writt...
— Examiner report, October/November 2023, 9626/11 Q3(b) (Cambridge)

For the degree of testing comparison, few candidates realised that off-the-shelf software, due to the number of sales, was very likely to have far more testing than custom written software.
— Examiner report, October/November 2023, 9626/11 Q3(c) (Cambridge)

Practise this topic

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Practise hardware and software

In the syllabus

2.1 Mainframe computers and supercomputers

Characteristics of mainframe computers and supercomputers, including: – longevity – reliability, availability and serviceability (RAS) – security – performance metrics (MIPS and FLOPS) – volume of input, output and throughput – fault tolerance – operating system – number of processors – heat maintenance
Uses of mainframe computers, including: – census – transaction processing – industry statistics – consumer statistics
Uses of supercomputers, including: – weather forecasting – climate research – quantum mechanics
Advantages and disadvantages of mainframe computers and supercomputers

2.2 System software

Types and functions of system software, including: – compilers – interpreters – linkers – device drivers – operating systems – utilities
Uses of system software, including: – how a high-level language is translated to run on different computer systems using: ○ interpreters ○ cross compilers
Advantages and disadvantages of different types of system software

2.3 Utility software

The need for utility software, including: – anti-virus – back-up – data compression – disk defragmentation (including understanding the structure of hard disk storage) – formatting (including low-level, partitioning and high-level) – file copying – deleting files
Types of utility software, including: – file management systems – disk management systems – data compression utilities
Uses of the different types of utility software
Advantages and disadvantages of different types of utility software

2.4 Custom-written software and off-the-shelf software

Custom-written software – uses by individuals and organisations
Off-the-shelf software – uses by individuals and organisations
Advantages and disadvantages of different types of custom-written and off-the-shelf software, including: – degree of testing – level of support – cost – adaptability
Proprietary and open-source software

2.5 User interfaces

Types of user interfaces, including: – command line interface – graphical user interface – dialogue interface – gesture-based interface
Uses of the different types of user interfaces
Advantages and disadvantages of different types of user interfaces

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