Data storage can be magnetic, solid state or optical.

Mark scheme

Marking points from the official mark scheme (May/June 2021). The mark or mark type is shown in brackets.

1. [1] no moving parts are used to store data: Solid state (✔)
2. [1] pits and lands are used to store data: Optical (✔)
3. [1] data is stored on platters: Magnetic (✔)
4. [1] flash memory is used to store data: Solid state (✔)
5. [1] parts are rotated to store data: Magnetic (✔)
6. [1] data can be stored permanently: Magnetic (✔), Solid state (✔), Optical (✔)
7. [1] Hard disk drive // HDD
8. [1] Magnetic tape
9. [1] CD
10. [1] DVD
11. [1] Blu-ray disk
12. [1] Type of storage: Magnetic // HDD OR Solid-state // SSD
13. [1] Justification (for Magnetic): (Web server) is likely to receive many requests a day AND (Web server) will likely need to store a lot of data and magnetic is high capacity OR Magnetic is cheaper to buy for storage per unit than solid state OR Magnetic is capable of more of read/write requests over time // has more longevity // SSD has more limited number of read/write requests (before it is no longer usable) OR No requirement for it to be portable, so moving parts does not matter
14. [1] Justification (for Solid-state): (Web server) is likely to receive many requests a day AND (Web server) will likely need to store a lot of data and solid-state is high capacity OR Solid-state is more energy efficient OR Solid-state runs cooler so will not overheat OR Solid state has faster read/write speeds to handle volume of traffic
15. [1] Data is flashed onto (silicon) chips
16. [1] Uses NAND/NOR technology // can use flip-flops
17. [1] Uses transistors/control gates/floating gates ... to control the flow of electrons
18. [1] It is a type of EEPROM technology
19. [1] When data is stored the transistor is converted from 1 to 0 / 0 to 1
20. [1] Writes (and reads) sequentially