CSEC Information Technology — Paper 2 Solutions

A peripheral device is a device added to the computer, connected to and controlled by the CPU but not part of the system unit itself.

• Motherboard ✗ — it IS the system unit (not peripheral).
• Microphone ✓ — peripheral input device.
• Monitor ✓ — peripheral output device.
• Keyboard ✓ — peripheral input device.
• Compact disc ✗ — it's a storage medium, not the device itself.
• Mouse ✓ — peripheral input device.

Circle any TWO of: Microphone, Monitor, Keyboard, Mouse.

Match each circled device to a music-industry use (1 mark each). For example:

• Microphone — used to record vocals or live instruments into recording software (e.g., recording an artist's voice in a studio).
• Keyboard — a MIDI keyboard is used to play and record melodies, basslines and synth parts directly into a digital audio workstation.
• Monitor — used to display the audio editing software (waveforms, mix levels) so the producer can see what is being recorded.
• Mouse — used to navigate, drag clips, edit waveforms and control the recording software interface.

The two main categories are impact and non-impact printers. State either one (1 mark).

State a clear distinction (1 mark for naming the feature, 1 mark for the contrast). Example:

Printing mechanism: A dot-matrix printer uses an impact mechanism — tiny pins strike an inked ribbon against the paper to form characters as a matrix of dots. A thermal printer uses a non-impact mechanism — heated pins selectively darken specially coated thermal paper (no ink, no ribbon).

Other valid contrasts: noise level (dot-matrix is loud; thermal is silent); media (dot-matrix uses ordinary paper; thermal needs coated paper); ability to print carbon copies (dot-matrix yes; thermal no); print speed and output longevity.

Any three (1 mark each):

1. Faster print speed — laser printers produce pages-per-minute much faster than inkjets, useful for printing scores, flyers and tickets in bulk.
2. Lower cost per page over time — toner cartridges last for many more pages than inkjet ink cartridges.
3. Sharper, more professional text quality — laser print does not smudge or run when wet; inkjet print can.
4. More durable output — toner is fused into the paper and resists fading better than inkjet ink.
5. Better suited for high-volume printing — laser printers are designed for higher monthly duty cycles.

The FarmID field — every farm has a unique FarmID. (Note: the FarmID values shown are 002, 192, 778, 252, 123 — all different.)

The link is between the primary key of one table and a foreign key in the other:

• FARMERS.ID No. (primary key in FARMERS)
• FARM.FarmerID (foreign key in FARM that references FARMERS.ID No.)

Each farm record points to the farmer who owns it via the matching ID number.

Marks: 1 for Table row mapping, 1 for all 5 Show ticks, 1 for placing the criterion, 1 for getting the criterion correct.

From the FARMERS table, FarmerID 1 = Jack Smith from Region 1. From the FARM table, FarmerID 1 has one farm — Banana, FarmID 002.

Mark allocation: 1 mark per correctly populated field row.

• Verification: the process of checking that data has been entered correctly (i.e., matches the source). Catches typing errors. Common method: enter the data twice and compare.
• Validation: the process of checking that data is sensible / reasonable — i.e., falls within expected limits or follows expected rules. Catches obviously wrong values regardless of where they came from.

Any one of: typing error (e.g., "23" entered as "32" — transposition); missing data (a required field left blank); wrong-type entry (typing letters into a numeric field); incorrect format (e.g., date entered as 13/13/2025).

The student is asked to type the age twice (e.g., once in "Age" and once in "Confirm Age"). The system compares the two entries — if they match, the value is accepted; if they differ, the user is prompted to re-enter, catching typing errors.

• (a) Consistency check (also known as an Inconsistency check) — the two related fields (age and DOB) must logically agree with each other; the validation flags any conflict.
• (b) Format check (also called picture check) — the entry must follow a specific pattern of letters and digits.
• (c) Length check — number of characters in the entry is checked against a required count.

1. Open the document in the word processor (e.g., Microsoft Word).
2. Click the Review tab → Word Count; or simply read the word count from the status bar at the bottom of the window. A dialog will display the total number of words (and characters, paragraphs, etc.).

(HTTP is unused but listed as a distractor.)

1. https — the protocol (HyperText Transfer Protocol Secure). It defines how the browser and server exchange data securely (encrypted with TLS).
2. www.csec.org — the domain name. It identifies the website on the Internet (csec is the second-level domain; .org is the top-level domain). The "www" is the host/subdomain.
3. /results — the path (or resource location). It tells the server which specific page or file on the site to deliver.

Difference: Hardware refers to the physical, tangible components of a computer — you can touch them. Software refers to the intangible programs and data — sets of instructions stored electronically.

• Example of hardware: keyboard, mouse, monitor, hard drive, CPU.
• Example of software: Microsoft Word, Windows 11 (operating system), Google Chrome (web browser).

Marks: 1 for the difference, 1 for each example.

Application software (specifically, custom/bespoke application software). It performs a specific task for the manufacturer — managing day-to-day operations.

The most likely cause: a page-setup or printer-driver problem — the print job is being sent with the wrong page size / orientation, or the printer is set to draft/economy mode that truncates output. (Other plausible: low ink/toner causing the printer to stop after a couple of lines; corrupt print queue; software-side margin/page break configured incorrectly.)

Any two (1 mark each):

• Easier to learn / more user-friendly — visual icons and menus replace memorising commands and syntax.
• Faster for common tasks for non-technical users — point and click instead of typing.
• Visual feedback — users see their files, folders and progress directly.
• Less prone to typing errors — selection from menus avoids mistyped commands.
• Multitasking is more intuitive — windows can be displayed side by side.

Conversion: 1 TB = 1 024 GB (binary) or 1 000 GB (decimal). CSEC commonly uses the decimal convention: 1 TB = 1 000 GB.

Total storage = 2 TB = 2 × 1 000 = 2 000 GB

Number of 5 GB files = 2 000 ÷ 5 = 400 files

Answer: 400 files (using 1 TB = 1 000 GB). Using the binary convention (1 TB = 1 024 GB) → 2 048 ÷ 5 ≈ 409 files. Either is accepted with full working shown.

1. Define the problem.
2. Propose and evaluate solutions.
3. Determine the most efficient solution.
4. Develop the algorithm.
5. Test and validate the solution.

The order follows the standard CSEC IT problem-solving cycle: define → propose/evaluate → choose → algorithm → test.

The values that are changeable during the execution of the program are known as variables, and the values set by the programmer that will never change during the execution of the program are known as constants.

The completed algorithm:

Rate ← 5
ExpectedHours ← 40
OvertimeRate ← 6

Read hoursWorked

IF hoursWorked > ExpectedHours THEN
    OvertimeHours ← hoursWorked − ExpectedHours
    Pay ← (OvertimeHours * OvertimeRate) + (ExpectedHours * Rate)
ELSE
    Pay ← hoursWorked * Rate
End IF

Mark allocation: 1 mark for OvertimeHours formula; 1 mark for Pay if overtime; 1 mark for Pay if no overtime.

The flowchart should use standard symbols. Description of the structure top-to-bottom:

1. Start (oval/terminator)
2. Process: Rate ← 5 ; ExpectedHours ← 40 ; OvertimeRate ← 6 (rectangle)
3. Input: Read hoursWorked (parallelogram)
4. Decision: hoursWorked > ExpectedHours? (diamond) — branches Yes / No
5. YES branch: Process: OvertimeHours ← hoursWorked − ExpectedHours, then Process: Pay ← OvertimeHours×OvertimeRate + ExpectedHours×Rate
6. NO branch: Process: Pay ← hoursWorked × Rate
7. Both branches re-merge below the decision
8. Output: Display Pay (parallelogram)
9. End / Stop (oval/terminator)

Marks (typical): 1 Start/End oval; 1 Input parallelogram; 1 Decision diamond with Yes/No labels; 2 Process boxes (one per branch with correct formulas); 1 Output box; 1 correct flow direction with arrows.

1 mark for each correctly categorised medium beyond the example.

Any one observable feature: bold text in the column headers; merged cells with "Logistics Hub" centred across A1:H1; bordered cells; alignment (centred / right-aligned numbers).

Reading the H column (Total) values 1112, 1101, 1009, 932, 932, 919 — the Total column is in descending order.

Sorted on: Total (column H), Descending order.

Carva Shipping is in row 3 (after the header rows). The total for the week sums Mon–Sat (columns B through G):

=SUM(B3:G3)

(Or equivalently =B3+C3+D3+E3+F3+G3.)

Wednesday is column D. The shipping data is in rows 3–7 (one per shipping line). Use:

=MIN(D3:D7)

Column chart (specifically a clustered (multi-series) column chart, since each shipping line has a column for each day of the week).

1. Highlight / select the data range including the row headers (shipping line names) and column headers (days), e.g., A2:G7.
2. Click Insert → Chart → choose Clustered Column.
3. Add a chart title ("The Logistics Hub – Activity By Week"), axis labels ("Shipping Line", numerical y-axis), and a legend showing the days.

Any two clear, ordered steps earn full marks.

A syntax error is a mistake in the rules/grammar of the programming language — code that does not follow the language's required structure (e.g., missing semicolon, mis-spelled keyword, unmatched bracket). It prevents the program from compiling/running.

1 mark each.

Start
num = 0

print "Enter a whole number:"
read num

WHILE num <> 0 DO
    IF num > 0 THEN
        print "Positive Number"
    ELSE
        print "Negative Number"
    End IF

    print "Enter another whole number:"
    read num
ENDWHILE

print "You have entered a zero. Goodbye"
Stop

Marking guide (typical): variable declaration, initial input ("priming read"), correct WHILE condition, IF/ELSE for >0 vs <0, re-input inside the loop, final farewell message after the loop. Each major construct = 1 mark.