Edexcel IGCSEComputer ScienceGeneral Applications6 Marks

Figure 1 shows a simple block diagram of a computer system.

(a)Identify two components typically found within the Central Processing Unit (CPU).[2]
(b)(i)Explain the purpose of the Control Unit (CU) within the CPU.[2]
(b)(ii)State one advantage of having a large amount of RAM in a computer system.[2]

This question uses a diagram from the original paper, which isn't shown here. Open the full paper from the past papers archive to see it.

Mark scheme

Marking points from the official mark scheme. The mark or mark type is shown in brackets.

**(a)**
B1 for Arithmetic Logic Unit (ALU) / Arithmetic Unit
B1 for Control Unit (CU)
B1 for Registers (any specific register, e.g. Program Counter, Accumulator, etc. also acceptable)
Max 2 marks
**(b)(i)**
B1 for manages / coordinates / directs / controls
B1 for the flow of data / instruction execution / operations within the CPU / computer system
**(b)(ii)**
B1 for more applications / programs can run simultaneously (without slowing down)
B1 for larger files / data can be processed / loaded faster / more efficiently (e.g. video editing, gaming)
Accept: faster overall performance / less reliance on virtual memory / hard disk swapping
Do not accept: 'makes the computer faster' without further explanation.

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