An employee uses a computer that has a Von Neumann architecture to complete many different tasks in their working day.

Mark scheme

Marking points from the official mark scheme (May/June 2025). The mark or mark type is shown in brackets.

1. [6] One mark for each correct component or description Component | Description Control unit // CU | It sends signals to all the components in the CPU to manage the flow of data through the CPU. Arithmetic and logic unit // ALU | It carries out all the arithmetic and logic operations in the CPU. Cache | It stores frequently used data/instructions Program counter (PC) | It stores the address of the next instruction to be fetched Clock | It controls the number of fetch-decode-execute (FDE) cycles that are performed per second. Memory data register // MDR | It stores data immediately before it is transmitted to RAM and immediately after it is received from RAM.
2. [2] Two from: • An embedded system is designed to perform a dedicated/limited/single function // computer can be used to perform many different functions. • An embedded system has dedicated hardware // computer has hardware that can be used by other devices. • An embedded system has software that is not easily updated/reprogrammed // software can easily be updated/reprogrammed on the computer. • An embedded system has a microprocessor // A computer has a CPU. • An embedded system can be part of/built into a larger device // A computer is normally standalone