A student has purchased a new laptop.

Mark scheme

Marking points from the official mark scheme (May/June 2023). The mark or mark type is shown in brackets.

1. [2] 1 mark each to max 2 Examples: • Interrupt • Timing • Read • Write
2. [4] 1 mark for description; 1 mark for corresponding explanation Examples • Increase number of cores • Each core can independently carry out a process at the same time // so that more instructions are performed in parallel • Increase RAM capacity • ... allowing more applications to reside in memory at the same time, saving disk access times • Increase cache memory • More data can be stored in fast access so less time is spent accessing from RAM • Increase clock speed • More Fetch-Decode-Execute (FDE) cycles can run each second / per unit time
3. [1] 1 mark for a correct answer • 1 bit is transferred at a time • Can be synchronous or asynchronous • USB-3 is full duplex and earlier versions are half-duplex
4. [1] 1 mark for identification of a suitable port Examples • HDMI • DisplayPort
5. [5] 1 mark each to max 5 • Manages the scheduling of processes // decides which order to run processes • Manages which resources the processes require • ... such as allocating memory • Enables processes to share data • Prevents interference between processes // resolution of conflicts • Handles the process queue • It allows multi-tasking / multi-processing • ... by ensuring fair access, handling priorities and handling interrupts
6. [2] 1 mark each to max 2 • To help users to set-up / configure / analyse / optimise / maintain the computer • ... by for example, making memory allocation more efficient • ... by for example, checking the system for faults