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Cambridge International AS Level Information Technology

Second Edition
Endorsement indicates that a resource has passed Cambridge International Education’s rigorous quality-assurance
process and is suitable to support the delivery of a Cambridge syllabus. However, endorsed resources are not the only
suitable materials available to support teaching and learning, and are not essential to achieve the qualification. Resource
lists found on the Cambridge website will include this resource and other endorsed resources.

Any example answers to questions taken from past question papers, practice questions, accompanying marks and mark
schemes included in this resource have been written by the authors and are for guidance only. They do not replicate
examination papers. In examinations the way marks are awarded may be different. Any references to assessment and/or
assessment preparation are the publisher’s interpretation of the syllabus requirements. Examiners will not use endorsed
resources as a source of material for any assessment set by Cambridge International Education.

While the publishers have made every attempt to ensure that advice on the qualification and its assessment is accurate, the
official syllabus, specimen assessment materials and any associated assessment guidance materials produced by the
awarding body are the only authoritative source of information and should always be referred to for definitive guidance.

Our approach is to provide teachers with access to a wide range of high-quality resources that suit different styles and
types of teaching and learning.

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Chapter 1 answers
Activity 1a
The difference between data and information is that data has no meaning, whereas information is
data which has been given meaning.

Activity 1b
1 Observation is a method of data collection in which the data collectors watch what happens. The
observer is getting their information first-hand rather than from a third party.

2 Direct data is obtained first-hand whereas indirect data is obtained from a third party. Direct data
is data that is collected for a specific purpose or task and is to be used for that purpose and that
purpose only whereas indirect data is used for a purpose different to that for which it was
originally collected.

Activity 1c
1 Any two from:
Accuracy, relevance, age, level of detail and completeness of the information.
2 Measuring the quality of information is sometimes based on the value which the user
places on the information collected and therefore it can be fairly subjective. However,
judgements can be said to be objective if based on factors which are believed to affect the
quality of information. Poor data can lead to businesses making poor decisions. Inaccurate
data can cause businesses to get a poor reputation amongst customers.

Activity 1d
1 Symmetric encryption involves the sending computer, or user, and the receiving
computer, or user, having the same key to encrypt and decrypt a message.
2 Hard disk encryption is when a file is written to the disk, it is automatically encrypted by
specialised software and when it is read from the disk, the software automatically decrypts
it.
Email encryption involves the encryption of the actual connection from the email provider
then messages should be encrypted before sending them and all saved or archived

Cambridge International AS Level Information Technology Second Edition 1

messages need to be encrypted.

HTTPS website encryption uses the HTTP protocol but with SSL/TSL encryption
overlaid so that any information transferred by the client to the server, and vice-versa is
encrypted.
3 HTTP (Hypertext Transfer Protocol) is the basic protocol used by web browsers and web
servers. It is not encrypted and so can cause internet traffic to be intercepted, read and
understood. Hackers could intercept any private information including bank details and
then use these to commit fraud. HTTPS (Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure), however,
enables users to browse the world wide web securely. To do this it uses the HTTP
protocol but with encryption included.

Activity 1e
1 Verification is checking that data has been entered accurately by a human or the process
of checking that data has been transferred accurately from one storage medium to another.

2 Three from:
A presence check is to make sure data has been entered in certain fields and not been left
out.
A range check always has an upper value and a lower value which form the range of
acceptable values; if a value is entered outside this range an error message is produced.

A type check ensures that data is of a particular data type.

A length check is performed on alphanumeric fields to ensure they have the correct
number of characters

A format check checks that a certain combination of characters have been entered in a
field and if they have not, it will produce an error message.

A check digit is used on numerical data, which is stored as an alphanumeric data type. It
is only suitable for very long integers. A calculation is performed using each individual
digit in the integer and the result is a single digit which is added on to the end of the
integer. When this data is entered into a computer, it re-calculates the check digit to
identify if a match has occurred. If it does not, an error message is produced.

A lookup check compares the data that has been entered with a limited number of valid
options and if it matches one of these then it is allowed but if it does not, then an error
message is produced.

A consistency or integrity check will inspect data across two fields. An example of this
would be to check if a person’s age must be consistent with a field that contains their date
of birth.

A limit check is similar to a range check but the check is only applied to one boundary so
that if, for example, an upper limit is being used, when a value is entered which is above

Cambridge International AS Level Information Technology Second Edition 2

this upper limit then it is rejected. If a lower limit is used, when a value is entered which
is below this limit then it is rejected.

Activity 1f
1 First record in the transaction file is read
2 First record in the old master file is read
3 REPEAT
4 IDs are compared
5 IF IDs don’t match, old master file record is written to new master file
6 IF IDs match transaction is carried out
7 IF transaction is D, old master file record is not written to new master file
8 IF transaction is C, data in transaction file is written to new master file
9 IF IDs match, next record from transaction file is read
10 Next record from master file is read
11 UNTIL end of old master file

Activity 1g
ID Department Rate ($) Wages_to_date

036 Sales 20 2080

047 Buying 25 1475

165 Buying 25 1525

469 Sales 20 1960

512 Stores 15 825

545 Sales 20 1220

578 IT 30 3000

682 Sales 20 1080

778 IT 30 3120

786 Buying 25 1575

789 IT 30 3030

861 Stores 15 795

EOF End of file

Cambridge International AS Level Information Technology Second Edition 3

Activity 1h
Cust_no Balance

138 0

187 0

219 -120

451 -170

487 -260

523 -190

764 0

802 -920

834 -270

869 -540

Practice questions
1 Five from:
They are just a collection of text, numbers and symbols.

They have no meaning.

Johan’s context is they might be a person and rather than being a collection of letters it
now means it could be someone’s first name.

The context for Σ is it might be a statistical symbol and rather than being just a symbol it
could mean ‘to calculate the sum of’.

The context for $ is that it might represent a currency symbol and becomes information if
a number is written after it and therefore representing an amount of dollars.

The context for < is it might be a mathematical symbol and if a number is placed after it,
it would mean ‘less than’ that number.

The context for AND is that it might be a Boolean operator and if used to separate two
conditions this would mean both would need to be true.

2a The transaction file must be sorted into the same order as the master file.

The transaction file must be validated.

Cambridge International AS Level Information Technology Second Edition 4

2b First record in the transaction file and master file is read

They are compared

If the key fields match, the computer calculates the pay ...

... the master file record is updated and is written to new master file ...

... the next transaction file record is read

If the key fields don’t match, the old master file record is written to the new master file

Next record from master file is read

The comparison sequence is repeated until the end of the transaction file

Remaining records of the master file are written to the new master file

3a Three from:

A range check ensures that the data entered is within a given rage of values.

A type check ensures that data is of a particular data type.

A length check ensures that data has the correct number of characters.

A format check ensures that a certain combination of characters has been entered.

A check digit ensures that a long number has been entered accurately with no digits
transposed.

A lookup check ensures that only acceptable values from a certain list are accepted.

A consistency check ensures that data across two fields is consistent.

A limit check ensures that data is not below a certain value if a lower limit has been set or
not above a certain value if a higher limit has been set.

3b Three from:

A presence check is to make sure data has been entered in mandatory fields and not been
left out. Not all fields are likely to be mandatory.

With many fields it is not necessary to use a presence check/the data can be updated or
entered later.

A presence check should be used on any key/important fields ...

... if data were not entered it would be very difficult to uniquely identify records ...

Some online data input forms require certain fields to have data entered but not all of
them.

Cambridge International AS Level Information Technology Second Edition 5

A lookup check ensures that only acceptable values from a certain list are accepted.

A consistency check ensures that data across two fields is consistent.

A limit check ensures that data is not below a certain value if a lower limit has been set or
not above a certain value if a higher limit has been set.

4 Five from:

A guidance system would be necessary which would consist of inputs, processing, and
outputs.

Controlling rockets often involves the use of sensors and control systems.

Inputs would include data from the sensors in the system such as plume, gas and altitude
sensers.

The processing involves using all the input data to decide what actions, if any, are
necessary to maintain or achieve the required course.

The outputs are the actions decided upon as result of the processing ...

... uses devices such as turbines, fuel pumps, rudders to change or maintain the course.

Real time data processing gives the agency the ability to take immediate action for those
times when acting within seconds is significant.

If the rocket swerves off course the computer would immediately fire engines to correct it.

5 Three from:

Visual checking is reading the data on the screen after it has been typed in to make sure it
is the same as the source document.

Double data entry is entering data twice and the second entry is compared to the first by
the computer and the person entering the data is alerted by the computer to any
differences.

Parity check is ensuring that all bytes transferred from one medium to another have an
even number of ones so that if a one within the byte is transmitted as a zero, then the error
will be trapped by the system. This could involve an even or odd parity check.

Checksum is calculated using the number of bytes in a file, is transmitted at the end of the
file and the receiving device re-calculates the checksum and then compares it to the one it
received to make sure they are identical.

Cambridge International AS Level Information Technology Second Edition 6

Hash total is found by adding up all the numbers in a specific field, on data not normally
used in calculations and after the data is transmitted the hash total is recalculated and
compared with the original value to make sure it is the same.

Control total is found by finding how many numbers exist in a in a specific field, but on
data normally used in calculations, and after the data is transmitted the control total is
recalculated and compared with the original value to make sure it is the same.

6 Two from:

A length check could be performed to make sure it is exactly six characters.

A format check could be used to make sure it is one letter followed by 5 digits.

A type check could be used to make sure that the input is of type text/string.

7 Three from:

Because of time and cash restraints, the sample or group size may be small whereas
indirect data sources tend to provide larger sets of data.

The person collecting the data may not be able to gain physical access to particular groups
of people, whereas the use of indirect data sources allows data from such groups to be
gathered.

Using a direct data source could be difficult if the people being interviewed are not
available thus reducing sample size, whereas using indirect data sources allows the
sample size to be greater.

It may not be possible to gather original data due to the time of year e.g. summer rainfall
data may be needed but at the time of the data gathering it is winter.

To gather data from a specific sample would take a lot longer than it would with indirect
data.

By the time all the required data has been collected it may possibly be out of date
Indirect data can be of a higher quality as it has already been collated and grouped into
meaningful categories.

Compared to indirect data sources, the collection of data may be more expensive than
using an indirect data source as people may have to be paid to collect it.

Extra cost may be incurred as special equipment has to be bought such as data loggers and
computers with sensors.

There is a possibility of unconscious bias when someone is collecting the data.

Cambridge International AS Level Information Technology Second Edition 7

Chapter 2 answers
Activity 2a
1 MIPS stands for Millions of Instructions Per Second. It measures the performance speed
of a mainframe computer’s CPU. It is not always the best measure as not all instructions
are the same. MIPS are often linked to cost by calculating how much a mainframe costs
per one million instruction per second.

2 FLOPS stands for Floating Point Operations Per Second. Useful in measuring
performance of supercomputers where mainly scientific calculations need to be carried
out. Modern supercomputers performance is measured in petaflops (peta is
1,000,000,000,000).

3 A computer with fault tolerance means that it can continue to operate even though one or
some of its components have failed. It may continue to operate at a reduced level but does
not fail completely. Mainframe computers have the characteristic of being fault tolerant in
terms of their hardware. Whilst in operation, if a processor fails to function the system is
able to switch to another processor without disrupting the processing of data. By having
several processors, a mainframe can switch work to other processors if one fails. It can
also overcome software problems by having two versions of the software so if one fails to
work, the other can take over. In the event of a system breakdown, a mainframe having
great fault tolerance means that the level of throughput would not reduce as much.

Activity 2b
The increase in processing power and storage capacities of personal computers means
that many countries can now take a new approach, and many are deciding against buying
expensive mainframe computers.

Activity 2c
The calculations that need to be carried out are very complex.

There are a very large number of calculations that need to be carried out.

Activity 2d
The purpose of compilers and interpreters is to translate high level language into code
which can be executed by a computer.

Activity 2e
To act as an interface between the user and the computer.

To supply important utilities for managing the computer.

To act as an interface between an application program and the computer hardware.

To interact with application software, device drivers, and hardware to manage a

computer’s resources, such as the processor, RAM, storage space and peripherals.

Cambridge International AS Level Information Technology Second Edition 8

Activity 2f
Anti-virus software is a program or set of programs whose function is to detect and
remove viruses.

Back-up software is used to keep copies of files from a computer or copies the content of
a server’s backing storage.

Data compression is the modifying of data so that it occupies less storage space on a disk.

Defragmentation software is used to organise the data on a hard disk by moving the data
blocks of a file around to bring all the parts of a file together, so they are contiguous.

Disk formatting is the configuring of a data storage medium such as a hard disk or solid-
state drive for initial use.

File copying is creating a duplicate copy of an existing file.

The delete utility is a piece of software that deletes the pointers that tells the operating
system where to find the file.

Activity 2g
It can take a long time to develop custom written software whereas with off-the-shelf
software it is available immediately as it has already been written. However, off-the-shelf
software may not have the availability of all the featured required, whereas custom
written software will have been tailored accordingly.

There may be more bugs in custom built software as it may not have been tested as
thoroughly. Often the tests that are carried out are those which the programmer thinks are
necessary, how they think the software will be used which may not be accurate. Off-the-
shelf software is usually tested rigorously so it is highly unlikely that there will be any
bugs in it and it will have been used many more times so any bugs that there were will
have been discovered and removed.

Activity 2h
1 Any two from:
CLIs require the user to learn a lot of commands whereas GUIs are more user friendly and
reasonably intuitive.

Users with physical disabilities may be able to hold a mouse or click easier than typing
using a keyboard.
CLIs tend to be used by IT specialists and require a certain amount of IT knowledge but
this is not the case with GUIs.

Compared with a GUI, commands entered into a CLI are far more difficult to correct.

Cambridge International AS Level Information Technology Second Edition 9

2 Any two from:

Users with physical handicaps may not be able to control the movement of their limbs
accurately so a gesture-based interface would be unsuitable.

Users with physical handicaps in their limbs could still speak to control a device.

Some gestures in certain cultures might be judged to be inappropriate.

Some gestures may be unintentional but still be acted upon by a computer.

To operate a device using a gesture would require taking a hand off the steering wheel
which could be dangerous.
Gesture based interface is less successful when there are several people moving around.

Gesture based interface requires the user to be seen by the device unlike a dialogue
interface.

Practice questions
1 Three from:
The term RAS is frequently used when referring to mainframe computers and stands for
reliability, availability and serviceability.

Mainframes are the most reliable computers since the processor can check itself for errors.
The mainframe’s software is very reliable as it is thoroughly tested and updates are made
quickly to overcome any errors.

The average period that exists between failures of a mainframe during its normal
operation is quite long giving months or even years of system availability between system
failures.

If a mainframe becomes unavailable due to failure, the length of time it is unavailable is

very short.

Serviceability is the ability of a mainframe to discover why a failure occurred.

Hardware and software components can be replaced without having too great an effect on
the mainframe’s operations.

2 Five from:

A compiled program will only run on a different computer if it has the same operating
system as the computer it was originally compiled on.

An interpreted program will still be in its original source code and so it will work on any
system with the appropriate interpreter.

An interpreter translates the high-level language program one statement, or line, at a time.

Cambridge International AS Level Information Technology Second Edition 10

An interpreter translates high-level instructions into an intermediate form, which it then

executes.

An interpreter continues translating the program until the first error is met, in which case
it stops which means that errors are located by the programmer, exactly where they occur.

An interpreter has to do this conversion every time a statement is executed.

A compiler processes statements written in a high-level programming language and

converts them into machine code.

A compiler translates a high-level language program called source code into an

executable file called object code.

A compiler translates the whole program in one go.

3a A sector is a part of a track on a computer disk and normally consists of 512 bytes.

3b A block is the section of a disk that the operating system deals with and it can consist of a
number of sectors.

3c A track is circular portion of a disk surface with each surface having several tracks.

3d The track on the top disk platter together with the tracks exactly below it and forms a
cylinder of data.

4 Three from:

Software which has been specially written for a particular task.

Software developed for a specific company or business.

The company employ a programmer or outsource the development to a software house to

write software specifically to solve a particular problem.

When the software is written the company will own it and may be able to sell it to other
companies.

5 Four from:

The command line interface is a means of using commands in the form of successive lines
of text to interact with a computer.

This type of user interface is only used today by software developers, system
administrators and the more advanced users.

The CLI usually consists of a black background with white text.

There are hundreds of commands available in a CLI.

It is possible to do any action with a CLI that could be achieved with a GUI.

Cambridge International AS Level Information Technology Second Edition 11

It can take several clicks of the mouse and working through a number dialogue boxes. and
menus in a GUI to achieve the same outcome as a single line of text in a CLI.

Cambridge International AS Level Information Technology Second Edition 12

Chapter 3 answers
Activity 3a
Select appropriate sensors such as pH, moisture and temperature sensors to monitor soil
conditions. Sound sensors would be needed to monitor noise pollution. Temperature
sensors would be used so that computers can detect abnormally high temperatures. O2
and CO2 sensors would be used to monitor oxygen levels which provides an indicator of
the level of air pollution. pH sensors can be used to provide acidity readings in the air.
Ultraviolet sensors could be used to measure the amount of UV as excessive amounts can
cause skin cancer. These sensors would be connected to a computer so that the readings
can be processed. A printer or visual display would need to be connected to output graphs
and tables of data.

Activity 3b

Start

no
is system
switched on?

yes

Input temp

Stop

no
Is temp >
pre-set

yes

Send signal Send signal

to switch to switch
on fans off fans

Cambridge International AS Level Information Technology Second Edition 13

Activity 3c
1. The system is switched on

2. Input infra-red level

3. If infra-red level > pre-set value go to step 9

4. Input sound

5. If sound > pre-set value go to step 9

6. Input pressure

7. If pressure > pre-set value go to step 9

8. Go back to step 2

9. Send signal to sound alarm

10. Send signal to police station

There are other possible solutions which would work.

Activity 3d
The car’s presence would be detected by an induction loop ...

... because the electromagnetic field in the loop/coil is disturbed by a metallic object/car.

Loop sends back data to ADC which converts it from analogue to digital.

The computer/microprocessor receives the digital data.

Data is compared to pre-set value.

If different to pre-set value, the computer sends a signal to a motor to operate barrier.

The motor would cause the barrier to raise.

A light beam from one post passes across to a light sensor in the other post.

The computer/microprocessor receives a signal or not from the sensor.

If the light sensor does not send a signal the bar remains raised.

If the light sensor sends a signal computer sends a signal to the motor to lower the
barrier.

Cambridge International AS Level Information Technology Second Edition 14

Practice questions
1 Data would be collected by temperature sensors to measure the ambient temperature.

Pressure sensors to measure atmospheric pressure.

Humidity sensors to measure absolute and relative humidity.

Light sensors to measure the number of hours of sunlight.

A combination of a tipping bucket and a reed switch to measure rainfall.

Sensors to measure wind speed and direction. The sensor readings are fed back to an
analogue to digital converter and then sent to the computer.

The data is converted from analogue to digital using the ADC so that the computer can
understand and process it.

On receiving the digital data, the computer validates and stores the data in the form of a
table or data log.

Stores data in a spreadsheet or database package.

The processing might consist of calculating, for each day, the highest, lowest and mean
temperature and level of UV radiation, total rainfall, hours of sunshine, highest and lowest
value of atmospheric pressure and wind speed and direction.

These values can also be calculated to know what they are so far this month and so far, this
year.

Results are also output in the form of graphs either to a monitor or to a printer
automatically, without the need for human intervention.

2 Three from:

Humans are unable to take readings at very frequent intervals and computers can take
readings at more frequent intervals.

Computers are capable of reading more than one variable simultaneously, but humans can
only read a variable at a time.

It is very difficult for humans to keep taking readings for sustained periods whereas
computers can be left on to take readings at any time, day or night.

Computers take readings at regular intervals unlike humans who might forget to take
them.

Computers can take readings in extreme conditions or in environments that may be

unsuitable for humans to work in.

Cambridge International AS Level Information Technology Second Edition 15

It takes time for people to draw graphs, particularly if they are going to be accurate
whereas computers produce them automatically after processing the data.

Results are produced automatically after the readings are received by the microprocessor
or computer unlike a human who would take a lot of time to write them down.

Readings taken by computers tend to be more accurate than those by humans as

computers are not subject to ‘human error’.

Outlying readings by a computer can be highlighted through quicker analysis of data

received.

3 Three from:

Smart homes can lead to people becoming lazy since they can become over reliant on
microprocessor-controlled devices in the home.

They have caused a loss of manual household skills.

They can prevent people from performing simple exercise such as walking around or
using their hands and arms as much as they used to.

It may cost a lot of money to buy the system in the first place because devices used in a
smart home are much more expensive than buying a device which is not smart.

A computer-controlled system will not be able to function if there is a problem with the
computer or there is a power outage without a backup power supply.

Smart system security can be accessed from unauthorised users from outside of the home.

Cambridge International AS Level Information Technology Second Edition 16

Start

is system
switched on?

Input reading
from
Stop
induction loop

is reading >
pre-set?

Send signal to
raise barrier

has signal been

received from
light sensor?

Send signal to
lower barrier

Cambridge International AS Level Information Technology Second Edition 17

Chapter 4 answers
Activity 4a
1
INPUT number

IF number < 3

THEN

X ← number * 8

ELSE

IF number < 6

THEN

X ← number * 4

ELSE

X ← number * 2

ENDIF

PRINT X

This is not the only solution.

2
INPUT number

CASE number OF

>10 : X ← number /10

>5 : X ← number /5

OTHERWISE: X ← number /2

ENDCASE

PRINT X

Cambridge International AS Level Information Technology Second Edition 18

Activity 4b
1
WHILE system switched on
INPUT temperature
IF temperature > pre-set
THEN
IF window closed
THEN

send signal to window motor to open window

ENDIF
IF heater on
THEN

send signal to actuator to switch off heater

ENDIF
ELSE
IF window open
THEN

send signal to window motor to close window

ENDIF
IF heater off
THEN

send signal to actuator to switch on heater

ENDIF
ENDIF
ENDWHILE

Cambridge International AS Level Information Technology Second Edition 19

Cambridge International AS Level Information Technology Second Edition 20

WHILE system switched on

INPUT moisture
IF moisture < pre-set
THEN

IF sprinkler valve closed

THEN

send signal to actuator to open sprinkler valve

ENDIF
ELSE
IF sprinkler valve open
THEN

send signal to actuator to close sprinkler

valve
ENDIF
ENDIF
ENDWHILE

Cambridge International AS Level Information Technology Second Edition 21

moisture

is system
switched on?

Input
moisture Stop

is moisture <
pre-set?

is sprinkler is sprinkler
valve valve open?
closed?

send signal to send signal to

actuator to open actuator to
sprinkler valve close sprinkler

Cambridge International AS Level Information Technology Second Edition 22

WHILE system switched on

INPUT light_level
IF light_level > pre-set2
THEN
IF light_level < pre-set1
THEN
IF light source off
THEN
send signal to actuator to switch on
light
ENDIF
ELSE
IF light source on
THEN
send signal to actuator to switch off
light
ENDIF
ENDIF
ELSE
IF light source on
THEN
send signal to actuator to switch off light
ENDIF
ENDIF
ENDWHILE

Cambridge International AS Level Information Technology Second Edition 23

light

is system
switched on?

Input
light_level Stop

is light_level
> pre-set2?

is light_level is light
< pre-set1? source on?

send signal to
actuator to
is light switch off light
source off? source

send signal to
actuator to
switch on light
source

Cambridge International AS Level Information Technology Second Edition 24

Start

is system
switched on?

Call temperature
Stop

Call moisture

Call light

4
When it gets to count > 8 the first time the answer is no and so none of the other
statements will be executed, the flowchart terminates straight away.

Count > 8 should be Count <8

sum has not been initialised before entering the loop.

The box containing count ← 0 should also have sum ← 0

There is not output/print statement to output the value of sum.

Cambridge International AS Level Information Technology Second Edition 25

Practice questions
1

count ← 0

WHILE count < 10

INPUT mark

IF mark > 40

THEN

PRINT “you have passed”

ELSE

PRINT “you have not reached the pass mark”

ENDIF

count ← count + 1

ENDWHILE

count ← 0

largest ← 0

REPEAT

INPUT number

IF number > largest

THEN

largest ← number

ENDIF

count ← count + 1

UNTIL count = 5

Cambridge International AS Level Information Technology Second Edition 26

Start

count ← 0

Input number

total ← total + number

no count = 6?

yes

average ← total / count

Print average

Stop

Cambridge International AS Level Information Technology Second Edition 27

WHILE count = 0 is always true so the loop will operate continually and never exit, continuously
asking for the number to be input so change WHILE count = 0 to WHILE count < 1.

PRINT “number is invalid has no closing speech marks so change the PRINT statement to PRINT
“number is invalid”.

Insert ELSE after PRINT “number is invalid” and under ELSE put the statement count ← count
+1.

There is no ENDIF statement closing the IF condition so add it after PRINT “number is invalid”.

WHILE count < number, again will not be true if the number 1 is entered and when it is nothing
will be printed out. If a number greater than 1 is entered, then 1 x 10 is printed out but the
algorithm stops so change the statement WHILE count < number to WHILE count <= number.

After the PRINT statement put an extra statement count ← count +1.

The corrected algorithm should be:

count ← 0

WHILE count < 1

INPUT number

IF number <1

THEN

PRINT “number is invalid

ELSE

count ← count +1

END IF

ENDWHILE

WHILE count < number

PRINT count, “x 10 = “, count*10

count ← count +1

ENDWHILE

Cambridge International AS Level Information Technology Second Edition 28

mark <= 60 should be mark < 60

mark <= 40 should be mark < 40

PRINT “pass” should be PRINT “fail”

PRINT “fail” should be PRINT “pass”

mark <= 60 should be mark < 60

mark <=40 should be mark >=40

Cambridge International AS Level Information Technology Second Edition 29

Chapter 5 answers
Activity 5a
Five from:
Organisations which store personal data tend to have several computers that form
networks, many of which are connected to the Internet and firewalls are designed to
prevent unauthorised network access.

A penetration test is when companies employ somebody to deliberately attack their

computer network so that the authorised ‘hacker’ will identify the weaknesses in their
system’s security, and they can then take measures to improve it if necessary.

Authentication techniques can be used in order to prevent hackers from accessing a

computer network and can be typing in a User ID and password, inserting or swiping a
smart card and using biometric data, which is something about the user which is unique.

Different groups of users can be granted different levels of access to the data on the
network.

Network policies are sets of rules that allow companies to choose who can access their
computer network and controls their use of the network once they have gained access.

The most useful function of software updates is probably the fact they eliminate specific
security weaknesses present in an operating system which hackers can take advantage of
these to access the computer system.

Encryption ensures that data, even when illegally accessed, will not be understandable.

A website often has a digital certificate to verify ownership of the website and also
prevent fraudsters creating a fake version of the website.

Should a mobile device is lost or stolen, the owner can send a command to it using
another phone that will completely remove any data, such as personal data from it.

Activity 5b
1 The user may download malicious software which corrupt the host’s file by adding URLs
to the host’s file and corresponding IP addresses which will redirect the user to a fake
website when they enter that URL.
Another type of pharming is when the fraudster hacks into the DNS server and corrupts
the file on that computer, again, causing the user to be redirected to a fake website.

2 Four from:
Many digital security companies produce mobile protection software which users can run
in their smartphones.

Cambridge International AS Level Information Technology Second Edition 30

Users should look out for signs such as spelling and grammatical errors, messages
requiring immediate action or offering financial rewards.

Users should open the sender’s website itself rather than replying to a text with personal
information included in it.

Users should check the sender’s phone number against the phone number of the company
they claim to represent.

Users should never type in personal or banking information, other than when using the
organisation’s official website.

Receivers of a text should not click on links from senders they do not recognise.
Users should only type the URL into a browser rather than clicking on a link.

Users should not phone any number contained in the text message.

Activity 5c
1 Ransomware is a type of malware that blocks access to the user’s data until a ransom is
paid. An alternative approach is for the hacker to threaten to publish the user’s data unless
a ransom is paid. The user must pay even though they don’t want to. Scareware is a type
of malware that tricks the computer user into thinking that their computer has been
infected with a virus. The user then willingly pays the ‘provider’ to download the ant-
virus and then discovers, too late, that it is a scam.

2 A trojan horse is a malicious computer program which is used to hack into a computer. It
enables the person who created it to take control of the computer it has infected. The user
is deceived into thinking they have downloaded genuine software. Unlike worms, trojans
generally do not attempt to infect other files or replicate themselves. They are used for
several purposes. The main one is simply to gain access to a computer so that the
controller can discover the personal data of the owner. Another purpose is to delete files
from the hard disk, and it can also be used to simply corrupt the data.

A worm will often exploit security holes in networks to spread throughout the network.
Sometimes, their main purpose is to continually replicate themselves and in so doing
occupy more and more disk space until the disk is full and can no longer function. They
do not attach themselves to other programs of files. They are designed to spread by many
copies being sent to other computers in a network. This results in slowing down the traffic
in a network due to high packet congestion.

Activity 5d
Hackers can buy goods through internet shopping using the credit card details they have
obtained from individuals causing the individual to be affected financially.

Individuals can have large sums of money withdrawn from their bank account.

Individuals can have money transferred from their account to the hacker’s account.

Cambridge International AS Level Information Technology Second Edition 31

Ransomware, although usually performed on organisations can also affect the individual,
usually demanding lower sums such as $200–$400.

Because of malware, individuals must spend a great deal of money buying authentic anti-
virus software.

Personal data can be collected by hackers to the extent that a person’s identity can be
stolen.

Practice questions
1 Three from:

A name and surname which can identify an individual.

A home address which tells you where someone lives.

An email address can identify where to send a message to.

An identification card number which is unique to an individual.

An Internet Protocol (IP) address which is a group of numbers assigned to each device
connected to a computer network that uses the Internet Protocol for communication.

A cookie ID is when a web site generates a unique ID number for each visitor and stores
the ID number on each user’s machine using a cookie file.

The advertising identifier of a user’s phone Each device is assigned an ID to help

advertisers to target their potential customers.

Medical record data held by a hospital or doctor.

2 Three from:

Fraudsters who have accessed an individual’s personal data can use their login details to
access their bank accounts or commit other types of fraud, while pretending to be that
individual.

Fraudsters can take the individual’s banking information and make unauthorised
withdrawals, purchases, and transfer money between accounts.

If burglars obtain personal data such as someone’s address and whether the person is at
work then they can burgle that person’s house.

If burglars know a person is not at home it is much easier to burgle that house so people
should not post information about their holiday plans or activities on social media.

If kidnappers know a child’s school, they can more easily plan a kidnap. Students should
not post information about their school on social media.

3 Three from:

Cambridge International AS Level Information Technology Second Edition 32

Typing in a User ID and password or PIN which only the user knows.

Inserting or swiping a smart card, which belongs to the user.

Using biometric data, which is something about the user which is unique.

When using online banking additional information such as date of birth is often required.

When a customer carries out certain transactions using a smartphone some banks will send
a one-time PIN or password, in a text message, for them to enter as part of the
authentication process.

Drop down options are often used for dates or PINs to be entered as keyboard presses can
be detected by spyware.

Two-factor authentication which could include a password and then a message sent to a
personal device such as a smartphone which the user can accept or decline.

Cambridge International AS Level Information Technology Second Edition 33

Chapter 6 answers
Activity 6a
1 Three from:

The rural parts of any country have a low population, challenging geography, or limited
commercial potential ...

... making companies less willing to invest in infrastructure.

It’s more expensive for providers to offer services in those areas so those extra costs are
passed onto the customers.

A single fibre-connected cabinet in one street can connect several houses but houses tend
to be further apart in the remote rural areas so installing a single cabinet will not be able to
connect many houses ...

... meaning that people are further away from a cabinet than would be the case in a more
urban area ...

... causing longer cables to be used, which leads to slower speeds.

It can also be very difficult to lay fibre cables because rural areas often consist of
farmland, sometimes rivers or even lakes as well as hills, and sometimes mountains.

Any infrastructure that already exists tends to use a lower level of technology this makes
it difficult to install high speed broadband.

To improve the infrastructure costs a lot of money and broadband companies are reluctant
to invest such sums for so few customers.

2 Three from:
Satellite broadband

Fixed wireless

Smartphones

Bonded broadband

Activity 6b
Large supermarkets would be reluctant as they incur large costs overcoming delivery
issues such as small countries such as Tuvalu which do not have separate or identifiable
postal address for each individual the delivery of goods which were purchased online
would be difficult.

Cambridge International AS Level Information Technology Second Edition 34

In small remote countries such as Tuvalu, very few people have broadband and so would
find it too difficult to carry out online shopping meaning fewer customers for the
supermarket.

In other parts of the world billions of people do not have bank accounts and credit cards
and so could not do their shopping online so it would not be cost-effective for
supermarkets to offer online shopping to these people.

It is often the case that in many developing countries, goods bought using the Internet are
not covered by consumer-protection laws which would lead to customers not doing their
shopping, online meaning less business for the supermarkets.

Activity 6c
An important factor is an individual’s level of educational achievement and subsequent use
of IT in schools and classrooms. The lower the level of achievement the less likely they
will be to go on to successfully use IT.

Another factor is the divide that exists between educational establishments. More
successful educational institutions will have more IT equipment, faster broadband, and
greater use of IT across the curriculum.

Another factor is that the less well-educated individual appears to have little respect for the
advantages that using IT can bring to them.

Activity 6d
Older generations tend to and lack confidence when it comes to using IT, as they were not
brought up being exposed to it constantly unlike like the younger generations.
Because they lack confidence, a “fear” is developed among older generations, which
makes them avoid this technology.

Older people tend to find modern devices difficult to use, mainly because IT businesses
concentrating on younger people for their market, with very few modifications made to
modern devices, such as smart phones, to help older people use them more easily.

Older people are more likely to concentrate on friendships and being emotionally involved
with others rather than spending time on machines leading to less use of social media.

Many elderly people find it difficult to read text on a screen or use a keyboard due to visual
impairments or other physical handicaps.

Older adults tend to use well-established technologies and are slower at accepting new
ones.

Elderly people tend to only accept a new technological development after seeing that it has
been successfully used by others and they could see clear benefits for themselves.

Older adults may not have been subject to new technology which is required for their
education setting or work and may not see the clear benefits for themselves and may not
have the initial training or experience.

Cambridge International AS Level Information Technology Second Edition 35

Activity 6e
There is no need for IT companies to develop systems that would be suitable for the poor
as this would not involve making the same level of profit.

Those systems that are produced for poorer people tend to be less advanced.

Household income affects whether people use IT in general and more specifically gain the
skills used to take advantage of using the internet.

Many people in poverty often in less developed countries just cannot afford to buy their
own computer or afford the cost of a broadband connection.

IT companies focus on the development and marketing of new products rather than to
provide opportunities for poorer people to make use of unused or redundant technology.

Activity 6f
People with physical disabilities that affect movement of the hand are unable to use a touch
screen, mouse, or keyboard effectively.

The devices they need which are much easier to control can be very expensive to purchase.
People with hearing or visual problems find it difficult to listen to sound output from a
computer.

New technologies bring higher resolution screens which can cause problems with people
with visual impairments having to access small text.

Governments moving their services online sometimes forget that the platforms being used
are not favourable to those who are visually impaired.

New technology accessibility features evolve over time and therefore users with
accessibility needs may use more robust software which is tried and tested installed on
older devices.

Activity 6g
Three from:

These websites can only be accessed by individuals with the necessary IT equipment such
as a PC or laptop computer or tablet computer with broadband or perhaps a smartphone.

The websites may not be available to individuals because the equipment needed is too
expensive to buy.

People may live in remote regions which do not have fast broadband speeds.

Users may have the equipment and fast broadband, but the electricity supply may be
subject to power cuts or outages or load shedding, in which case, the individuals concerned
will not be able to access the websites.

If people live in a rural area where broadband connections are poor or non-existent it can

Cambridge International AS Level Information Technology Second Edition 36

mean that there is limited access to the websites.

Health websites may not have the necessary accessibility features which may make it
impossible for some users to access the information provided.

Activity 6h
Job hunters must have IT skills if they are to realise their hopes for a job since most jobs in
the modern world require IT skills.

Individuals will be unable to create a curriculum vitae online.

People without the internet are at a disadvantage when it comes to finding out about job
opportunities.

People without the internet are at a disadvantage when it comes to learning new career
skills.

Many people who grew up with no access to the internet lack the appropriate technology
and digital skills that modern jobs require.

People without internet access find it difficult to gain the latest information concerning job
opportunities.

Job applicants could be required to generate a curriculum vitae online and then send it
using email but without the internet they cannot do this.

Activity 6i
1 Accessing web-based course resources.

Using online resources such as spelling and grammar checkers efficiently.

Being able to participate in online discussion.

Download lesson notes and presentations as well as being able to upload homework.
Students must be able to perform these tasks as a matter of course.

Students who are unable to perform these tasks as a matter of routine will find their
progress severely limited.

Universities worldwide have taken advantage of recent advances in IT including online

submission of assignments and presentation of learning material which gives the more IT
literate students an unfair advantage compared to other students.

2 Three from:
Use online booking systems to help search and plan for holiday/vacation destinations.

Use online banking to pay bills or transfer money to another account.

Cambridge International AS Level Information Technology Second Edition 37

Shopping online where customers can compare products and prices at their leisure and
can shop at a convenient time for them.

Gaining access to news bulletins since most newspapers are now online and looking to
cease producing hard copies.

Use government websites to obtain information on statistics and government research,

download government forms or applications, to find information about government
sponsorships and visas and to pay fines online or to apply for government benefits.

Practice questions
1 Four from

Maximum two marks from each of two causes:

Geography:

Where people live affects their access to IT services.

Less economically developed countries are regarded as lacking an effective infrastructure

when compared to more economically developed countries.

This may be because more economically developed countries have more technology
because of their greater wealth.

It becomes more difficult to provide optical fibre to people living in settlements close to
mountains, as it is too difficult to build such resources under mountains.

The more rural parts of countries may not have as much access to technologies such as 5G,
or even 4G, or fibre optic internet as urban areas.

Fear of IT

People could be afraid of IT through lack of education, and thereby IT skills, and
knowledge, or simply because of age.

Older individuals will be less familiar with IT.

IT is meant to make our life easier, but sometimes it makes it more difficult.

As IT devices become more sophisticated, they tend to become harder to use and learn.

Some people believe that, when asked to use complex computers, telephone systems, or
even Automatic Teller Machines, they might have to learn and understand sets of
complicated instructions.

Most people find the complicated instructions easy to follow, but some do not.

Cambridge International AS Level Information Technology Second Edition 38

This is particularly true of older individuals who may find any type of change unsettling.

Economic

The wealth of the user will affect their ability to access IT technologies.

As technological innovations are made, each one tends to be more expensive than its
predecessor, at least in the short term.

The richer you are the easier it is to have access to new IT technologies.

It is in the interest of IT companies to have further innovations since they can sell these to
rich people thereby making money.

There is little incentive for IT companies to develop solutions that would be suitable for
the poor as this would not involve making the same amount of profit.

Developments which are produced for poorer people tend to be at a very basic level and
are less likely to increase their ICT skills, thereby widening rather than narrowing the
divide.

Disability

A cause could be the disabilities people might have.

Many people are unable to access IT as it isn’t necessarily designed with everyone in mind.

People with disabilities may need devices which are much easier to control.

Many of the easier to control devices can be expensive to purchase.

Other people who lack access to personal devices and the internet are those with hearing or
visual problems.

2 Four from

Maximum two marks from each of two causes:

More and less industrially developed aware nations

Some countries feel that they cannot afford to invest heavily in technology as they need to
improve education, access to health care as well as increasing job opportunities.

Very few people in less developed countries have broadband.

Nations with the most developed economies tend to have more efficient postal and parcel
delivery systems than developing countries, which encourages online shopping.

Cambridge International AS Level Information Technology Second Edition 39

Most of the developed countries have laws which protect the consumer when buying goods
online unlike developing countries.

Countries that have widespread access to the internet and, more specifically, broadband,
can trade with other countries far more easily than those who do not.

Poorly educated nations are unable to compete effectively in the global economy.

The educated and uneducated

Uneducated people tend not to earn enough to provide for their families which makes them
poorer, making it less likely that they will invest in IT equipment or services.

There is a divide between schools that have a lot of IT equipment, fast broadband, use of
IT across the curriculum and schools that have not.

The uneducated fail to see the need for gaining IT skills or the need to spend money on IT
equipment or broadband.

Uneducated people do not understand the importance of the internet in their everyday lives.

The old and young

Older generations tend to and lack confidence when it comes to using IT.

Older people were not brought up being exposed to IT constantly unlike like younger
people.

New technologies tend to be aimed at younger people with very few modifications made to
help older people use them more easily.

Older people are more likely to concentrate on friendships and being emotionally involved
with others rather than spending time on machines and so do not see the point of using
computers for social networking.

Older adults tend to use well-established technologies and are slower at accepting new
ones.

Socioeconomic groups

The richer you are the easier it is to have access to new IT technologies.

It is in the interest of IT companies to have further innovations since they can sell these to
rich people thereby making money.

Cambridge International AS Level Information Technology Second Edition 40

There is little incentive for IT companies to develop solutions that would be suitable for
the poor as this would not involve making the same amount of profit.

Developments which are produced for poorer people tend to be at a very basic level and
are less likely to increase their ICT skills, thereby widening rather than narrowing the
divide.

3 Four from:

People might live in remote mountainous areas where it is difficult to install the necessary
infrastructure.

The rural parts of any country have a low population.

To obtain broadband that can reach fast speeds there needs to be a slightly more advanced
infrastructure.

However, houses tend to be further apart in the remote rural areas so installing a single
fibre connected cabinet will not be able to connect many houses ...

... people are further away from a cabinet than would be the case in a more urban area ...

... so longer cables will need to be used, which leads to slower speeds.

It can also be very difficult to lay fibre cables in rural areas consisting of farmland, rivers
or even lakes as well as hills, and sometimes mountains.

Any infrastructure that already exists tends to use a lower level of technology this makes it
difficult to install high speed broadband.

To improve the infrastructure costs a lot of money and broadband companies are reluctant
to invest such sums for so few customers.

4 Six from:

People might still lack the skills to use IT.

People might not be able to afford to buy computers.

People with disabilities might not be able to afford the extra cost of adapted devices.

People might be afraid to use the IT.

People may have disabilities preventing them from accessing IT.

Uneducated people may not see the need to use IT.

Countries might not have delivery systems to encourage people to use IT in online
shopping.

Older people may not wish to use social media.

Cambridge International AS Level Information Technology Second Edition 41

Chapter 7 answers
Activity 7a
A knowledge base contains a database of facts and the rules base.

The database of facts contains all the known facts of information relating to a specific
scenario which an expert system has been created for.

The rules base consists of a series of IF...THEN statements.

Many of the components are housed within a shell such as the knowledge base editor
which is basically software that allow the knowledge engineer to edit the rules and facts
within the knowledge base to bring them up to date.

The shell contains the explanation system which explains the logical reasoning that the
expert system has used to come to its conclusions.

The user interface is the component that allows the user to interact with the computer
which stores the expert system, usually consisting of a keyboard and mouse together with a
monitor.

The inference engine performs the reasoning of an expert system using a series of
IF...THEN statements within the rules base and interrogates the database of facts in the
knowledge base.

Activity 7b
1 The amount the client wishes to invest
The level of risk the investor is willing to take

The desired rate of return

How long the investor is willing to make the investment for

2 The level of risk of insuring the person

The monthly payment costs to the insured

Rejection of the application

The length of the policy term

3 There tends to be little agreement about the facts or rules required in the knowledge base.
It is possible that a company has several delivery vehicles, each of which may be
different sizes.

Each vehicle may be available at different times.

A country of large land mass will need several distribution points.

Cambridge International AS Level Information Technology Second Edition 42

The vehicle must be loaded so that when it arrives at a distribution point, packages do not
have to be climbed over, or temporarily unloaded, to get to the order for that distribution
point.

Activity 7c
When an inference engine uses forward chaining, it explores the rules the system has been
given until it finds one which has an IF part that is true. It takes the THEN part to add new
facts. This process is repeated until a goal is achieved.

Backward chaining is when the inference engine it explores the rules the system has been
given until it finds one which has a THEN part that matches a required goal. If the IF part
of that rule is known to be true, then it is added to the list of goals.

Practice questions
1 Six from:

Questions are asked by the system.

The patient, or doctor, enters answers/symptoms using the user interface.

These responses are stored in the working memory of the system.

Questions based on the responses are asked by the system.

The inference engine compares the symptoms typed in with those in the knowledge base’s
database of existing illnesses ...

... using the IF...THEN... rules in the rules base ...

... the IF part is the symptoms part and the THEN part is the illness or disease that is
suggested.

The user interface displays a list of possible diagnoses.

The knowledge base editor allows for increasing the knowledge base by adding further
rules and data.

The explanation system clarifies how the expert system has produced its possible
diagnosis.

2 Four from:

Knowledge engineer creates the knowledge base.

Knowledge base consists of a database of facts and a rules base.

Inference engine uses the rules base part of the knowledge base to reason through the users
answers to the system’s questions.

Cambridge International AS Level Information Technology Second Edition 43

Inference engine uses the database of facts in the knowledge base to reason through the
user’s answers.

Inference engine compares the answers typed in with those in the knowledge base’s
database of facts.

Inference engine uses the IF...(THEN)... rules in the rules base in the knowledge base.

Knowledge base editor enables the knowledge engineer to edit rules and facts within the
knowledge base.

3a Three from:

Forward chaining is known as data-driven because the data entered into the system
determines which rules are selected and used.

When an inference engine uses forward chaining, it explores the rules the system has been
given until it finds one which has an IF part that is true.

It takes the THEN part to add new facts.

This process is repeated until a goal is achieved.

3b Three from:

Backward chaining is known as goal-driven.

It starts with a goal or set of goals that basically establish which rules are to be followed.

It works backwards from the goals.

When an inference engine uses backward chaining, it explores the rules the system has
been given until it finds one which has a THEN part that matches a required goal.

If the IF part of that rule is known to be true, then it is added to the list of goals.

Cambridge International AS Level Information Technology Second Edition 44

Activity 8a

TMC sheet created as specified 1 mark

Colour sheet created as specified 1 mark

Sites sheet created as specified 1 mark

All data saved as Activity_8a 1 mark

Cambridge International AS Level Information Technology Second Edition 1

Activity 8aa

Comparative line graph

Correct 3 data series 3 marks
Secondary axis added for temperatures 1 mark
Adjusted from +10 to -10 1 mark
Appropriate chart title 1 mark
Appropriate primary value axis title 1 mark
Appropriate secondary value axis title 1 mark
Appropriate legend 1 mark
Appropriate legend position 1 mark
Cambridge International AS Level Information Technology Second Edition All data and labels easy to read 1 mark 2
© Graham Brown and Brian Sargent Exported as .pdf 1 mark
Cambridge International AS Level Information Technology Student’s Book: Answers

Activity 8b

Value printout
A4 page size 1 mark
Narrow margins 1 mark
Fit to single page with no data loss 1 mark
All data fully visible within columns 1 mark
Header – automated filename… 1 mark
… with file path present (only 1 filename) 1 mark
.. centre aligned (or left if very long file path) 1 mark
Footer – appropriate introductory text … 1 mark
… author’s name 1 mark
… centre aligned in the footer 1 mark
Gridlines visible 1 mark
Row & column headings not visible 1 mark
No extra whitespace in columns 1 mark

Cambridge International AS Level Information Technology Second Edition 3

Activity 8c

Fit to single page with no extra whitespace 1 mark

All data fully visible within columns 1 mark
Header – Candidate name 1 mark
… with file name (no file path) 1 mark
… left and right aligned 1 mark
All text 100% accurate 1 mark
Cells A1:D1 merged 1 mark
Cells A3:D3 merged 1 mark
Cells A7:A8, A10:A12, A14:A16, A18:19, A21:A23 merged 1 mark
Cells B7:B8, B10:B12, B14:B16, B18:19, B21:B23 merged 1 mark
Rows 2, 4, 6, 9, 13, 17, 20 all less than ½ height of row 5 1 mark
Row 3 larger (text and row height) than row 5 1 mark
Row 1 Largest font 1 mark
Row 1 wrapped as shown 1 mark
Rows 1, 3, 5 Centre aligned 1 mark
A7:A23 right aligned 1 mark
B7:B23 & D7:D23 left aligned 1 mark
Column C centre aligned 1 mark
A7:B23 vertically aligned middle 1 mark
Gridlines visible 1 mark
Row & column headings visible 1 mark
No extra whitespace in columns 1 mark

Cambridge International AS Level Information Technology Second Edition 4

Activity 8d

Sites sheet cells all protected 1 mark

Colour sheet cells A2 to C18 protected 1 mark
TMC sheet unprotected
Password set as student name 1 mark
All data saved as Activity_8d 1 mark