A student uses a desktop computer at home. (a) The student stores her work on the hard disk drive (HDD) of the computer. (i) State two characteristics of an HDD. (ii) Explain one difference between an HDD and a Solid State Drive (SSD). (b) The student also uses a cloud storage service to back up her work. (i) Explain one advantage of using a cloud storage service. (ii) Explain one disadvantage of using a cloud storage service.

Mark scheme

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

1. 11(a)(i) Up to two of: B1 for each characteristic.
2. Magnetic (storage) (1)
3. Uses spinning platters / disks (1)
4. Uses read/write heads (1)
5. Large storage capacity (1)
6. Cheaper per GB (1)
7. Slower access speed (than SSD) (1)
8. More fragile / susceptible to damage (than SSD) (1)
9. 11(a)(ii) Up to two of: B1 for one difference clearly explained with both sides of the comparison.
10. HDD uses magnetic storage / moving parts (platters, read/write heads) (1) whereas SSD uses flash memory / no moving parts (1)
11. HDD is slower to access / boot / load programs (1) whereas SSD is faster (1)
12. HDD is cheaper per GB (1) whereas SSD is more expensive (1)
13. HDD is more susceptible to damage / less durable (1) whereas SSD is more durable (1)
14. HDD is noisier (1) whereas SSD is silent (1)
15. 11(b)(i) Up to two of: B1 for advantage, B1 for explanation.
16. Access from anywhere with internet (1) (so can work on different devices) (1)
17. Automatic backup / no need to manually backup (1) (saves time / effort) (1)
18. High storage capacity (1) (more space for files) (1)
19. Reliable / secure storage (1) (data less likely to be lost / damaged) (1)
20. Shared access / collaboration (1) (easy to share files with others) (1)
21. 11(b)(ii) Up to two of: B1 for disadvantage, B1 for explanation.
22. Requires internet connection (1) (cannot access files offline) (1)
23. Security / privacy concerns (1) (data could be hacked / accessed by others) (1)
24. Subscription fees (1) (can be expensive over time) (1)
25. Limited control over data (1) (dependent on provider) (1)
26. Slow upload/download speeds (1) (can take a long time to access large files) (1)