OCR Computer Science A Level: 1.1.1 Structure and Function of The Processor

OCR Computer Science A Level
1.1.1 Structure and Function of the Processor

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What does the Arithmetic and Logic unit
do?
What does the Arithmetic and Logic unit do?
The ALU completes all the arithmetical

and logical operations.
What is the Control Unit?
What is the Control Unit?
A part of the processor which directs

operations inside the CPU.
What are registers?
What are registers?
Small memory cells that operate at high

speeds.
Where do all the arithmetic, logic, or shift
operations occur?
Where do all the arithmetic, logic, or shift operations
occur?
They occur in registers.
What does the Program Counter (PC)
do?
What does the Program Counter (PC) do?
The Program Counter holds the address

of the next instruction.
In which register do all calculations take
place?
In which register do all calculations take place?
The Arithmetic and Logic Unit (ALU).
Where are intermediate arithmetic and
logic results stored?
Where are intermediate arithmetic and logic results
stored?
In the accumulator (ACC).
What does the Memory Address Register
do?
What does the Memory Address Register do?
Holds the address of a location that is to

be read from or written to.
What does the Memory Data Register
do?
What does the Memory Data Register do?
Temporarily stores the data that has just

been read from or the data needs to be
written.
What does the Current Instruction
Register do?
What does the Current Instruction Register do?
Holds the current instruction divided up

into opcode and operand.
What is a Bus?
What is a Bus?
A set of parallel wires connecting two or

more components together.
What is the system bus?
What is the system bus?
The collection of the data bus, address

bus, and control bus is called the system
bus.
What is the width of a bus?
What is the width of a bus?
The number of parallel wires it has.
What is the data bus?
What is the data bus?
A bidirectional bus used to transport data

and instructions between components
What is the control bus?
What is the control bus?
The bi-directional bus used to transmit

control signals between internal and
external components.
What is the address bus used for?
What is the address bus used for?
Used to transmit the memory address

specifying where data is to be sent from
or retrieved from.
What does adding a wire to the address
bus do to the number of addressable
locations?
What does adding a wire to the address bus do to
the number of addressable locations?
It doubles the number of addressable

locations
What does the Bus Request indicate?
What does Bus Request indicate?
indicates a device is requesting access

to the data bus.
What does Bus Grant indicate?
What does Bus Grant indicate?
Indicates the CPU has granted access to

the data bus.
What does memory write do?
What does memory write do?
Causes the data on the data bus to be

written into the addressed location
What does memory read do?
What does memory read do?
Causes the data from the addressed

location to be placed onto the data bus.
What does the interrupt request control
signal indicate?
What does the interrupt request control signal
indicate?
Indicates that a device is requesting

access to the CPU.
What is the clock control signal used for?
What is the clock control signal used for?
It is used to synchronise instructions.
What is Assembly Language?
What is Assembly Language?
Assembly Language is a programming

language where mnemonics are used to
represent instructions.
What is opcode?
What is opcode?
Opcode is used to determine the type of

instruction and what hardware to use to
execute it.
What is the operand?
What is the operand?
The operand is the address of where the

operation is performed.
What occurs during the fetch phase?
What occurs during the fetch phase?
- The address from the PC is copied to the MAR,
- Instruction held at that address is copied to the
MDR by the data bus, simultaneously the
contents of the PC is increased by 1,
- The value of the MDR is copied to the CIR
What occurs during the decode phase?
What occurs during the decode phase?
The contents of the CIR is split into

operand and opcode.
What occurs during the execute phase?
What occurs during the execute phase?
The opcode is executed on the data.
What is the clock speed?
What is the clock speed?
The number of clock cycles completed

per second.
What is cache memory?
What is cache memory?
Cache memory is the CPU’s onboard

memory which can be accessed a lot
faster than main memory
A-Level only
What is pipelining?
What is pipelining
The process of completing the fetch,

decode and execute of three separate
files simultaneously.
What is Von Neumann architecture?
What is Von Neumann architecture?
Architecture in which there is a single

shared memory and shared data bus for
both data and instructions.
What is Harvard architecture?
What is Harvard architecture?
Architecture in which there is two

separate memory and data buses for
data and instructions.
What is contemporary processing?
What is contemporary processing?
Processing in which Von Neumann

architecture is used for main memory.
Cache uses Harvard architecture, divided
into instruction cache and data cache
1.1.2 Types of Processor
Flashcards
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What does RISC mean?
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What does RISC mean?
Reduced Instruction Set Computer
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What does CISC mean?
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What does CISC mean?
Complex Instruction Set Computer
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What are the properties of RISC?
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What are the properties of RISC?
- Small instruction set

- Each instruction is one line of machine
code
- Used in everyday devices
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What are the properties of CISC?
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What are the properties of CISC?
- A large instruction set

- Instructions are built into hardware
- Used in embedded systems and
microprocessors
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What are the benefits of RISC
processors?
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What are the benefits of RISC processors?
Pipelining is possible since each

instruction takes one clock cycle.
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What are the benefits of CISC
processors?
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What are the benefits of CISC processors?
- Compilers have to do less work,

- They require less RAM since
instructions are smaller
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What is a graphics processing unit?
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What is a graphics processing unit?
A co-processor made up of lots of

independent parallel processors.
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What are GPUs used for now?
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What are GPUs used for now?
GPUs are used for image processing

and machine learning.
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What are multi-core systems?
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What are multi-core systems?
Systems where there are multiple cores

that separate fetch-execute cycles.
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What are parallel systems?
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What are parallel systems?
Systems where multiple instructions can

be completed at any given time, doesn’t
require multiple cores, it can use
threading and pipelining instead.
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1.1.3 Input, Output and Storage
Flashcards
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Give two types of magnetic storage
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Two from:
● Hard disk drive
● Floppy disk
● Magnetic tape
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Give three examples of input devices
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Give three examples of input devices
Three from:
Keyboard Touchpad
Mouse Barcode reader
Microphone Magnetic stripe reader
Webcam Etc.
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Give an example of a device which is
used for both input and output
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Give an example of a device which is used for both
input and output
Touchscreen
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What name is given to the areas on a
CD’s surface which have been burned
into grooves by a laser?
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What name is given to the areas on a CD’s surface
which have been burned into grooves by a laser?
Pits
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What does CD stand for?
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What does CD stand for?
Compact Disc
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Give three examples of output devices
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Give three examples of output devices
Three from:
Speaker
Monitor
Printer
Projector
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Which has the highest typical storage
capacity: CD, DVD or Blu-Ray?
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Which has the highest typical storage capacity: CD,
DVD or Blu-Ray?
Blu-Ray
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In a hard disk drive, what is mounted at
the end of the actuating arm?
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In a hard disk drive, what is mounted at the end of
the actuating arm?
Read / write head
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Two from:
● Hard disk drive
● Floppy disk
● Magnetic tape
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Which storage device has typical
capacities in the range 500GB-5TB?
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Which storage device has typical capacities in the
range 500GB-5TB?
Hard disk drive
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Give two disadvantages of SSDs
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Give two disadvantages of SSDs
● High cost per GB

● Limited lifespan
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What does ROM stand for?
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What does ROM stand for?
Read only memory
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Describe the structure in which
information is stored in flash memory
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Describe the structure in which information is stored
in flash memory
Information is stored in blocks, which

are combined to form pages.
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What is meant by non-volatile?
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What is meant by non-volatile?
A non-volatile storage medium does

not lose its information when power is
lost.
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Which two types of logic gate are used in
flash storage?
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Which two types of logic gate are used in flash
storage?
NAND and NOR
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Give three advantages of SSDs
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Give three advantages of SSDs
● High transfer speeds

● Lightweight
● No moving parts
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Is ROM volatile or non-volatile?
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Is ROM volatile or non-volatile?
Non-volatile
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Which form of storage device uses
silicon semiconductors to store
information?
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Which form of storage device uses silicon
semiconductors to store information?
Flash
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Give three disadvantages of CDs
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Give three disadvantages of CDs
● They are easily damaged by scratches

● They have relatively low capacities
● They have relatively slow transfer speeds
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1.2.1 Systems Software
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What is an operating system?
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What is an operating system?
A collection of programs that work

together to provide an interface between
the user and computer
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Give 3 functions of an operating system.
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Give 3 functions of an operating system.
Three from:
- Memory management - Security
- Resource management - User interface
- I/Output management - Utility software
- Interrupt management
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What are the similarities and differences
between paging and segmentation?
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What are the similarities and differences between
paging and segmentation?
Both: Are used when RAM space is insufficient, can cause

disk thrashing
Paging: Uses equal-sized sections called pages
Segmentation: Uses variable-sized, logical sections called

segments
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Describe how virtual memory is used
when there is not enough RAM.
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Describe how virtual memory is used when there is
not enough RAM.
A section of the hard drive is used to act as RAM
Sections of programs not currently being used are temporarily

moved into virtual memory through paging.
This frees up memory for other programs in RAM.
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What is an interrupt?
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What is an interrupt?
A signal generated by software or

hardware to indicate to the processor
that a process needs attention.
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Explain the stages of the Interrupt
Service Routine.
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Explain the stages of the Interrupt Service Routine.
● Interrupt register checked at the end of each Fetch-Decode-Execute cycle.

● If there is an interrupt exists with a higher priority to the current process, the current contents of the registers
in the CPU are transferred into a stack.
● The relevant interrupt service routine (ISR) is loaded into RAM.
● A flag is set to signal the ISR has begun.
● The flag is reset once the ISR has finished.
● Interrupt register checked again. If interrupts are of a higher priority, the process is repeated.
● If there are no interrupts with a higher priority, the contents of the stack are popped and place back into the
special memory registers
● The fetch-Decode-Execute cycle renews as before
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Are these scheduling algorithms
pre-emptive or non pre-emptive?
FCFS, SRT, SJF, MLFQ, RR
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Are the scheduling algorithms pre-emptive or non
pre-emptive?
Pre-emptive: RR, SRT, MLFQ

Non-preemptive: FCFS, SJF
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What are the advantages and
disadvantages of using Multilevel
Feedback Queues for scheduling?
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Give one advantage and disadvantage of using
Multilevel Feedback Queues for scheduling.
Advantage: Services most urgent

interrupts first
Disadvantage: Hard to implement
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Define a real-time operating system and
when it may be used.
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Define a real-time operating system and when it may
be used.
Real-time operating systems perform a task
within a guaranteed time frame. They are used in
systems were a response within a given time
frame is critical eg. life support systems,
self-driving cars, power systems.
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Describe three functions of the BIOS.
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Describe three functions of the BIOS.
Running tests upon the computer’s start-up:
● POST (Power-on self test) which ensures that all

hardware is correctly connected and functional
● Checking the CPU clock, memory and processor
● Testing for external memory devices
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What is the role of a device driver?
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What is the role of a device driver?
Enable the operating system to interact

with hardware devices.
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Describe an instance in which a Virtual
Machine may be used.
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Describe an instance in which a Virtual Machine may
be used.
● Testing programs
● Protection from malware
● Running software compatible with different
versions and types of operating systems
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Give one advantage and one
disadvantage of intermediate code.
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Give one advantage and one disadvantage of
intermediate code.
Advantage: Platform independent,

portable
Disadvantage: Slower execution
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1.2.2 Applications Software
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What is the difference between
applications and systems software?
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What is the difference between applications and
systems software?
Applications software is utilised directly

by the end-user whereas systems
software ensures the high performance
of the computer.
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Give 3 examples of utilities
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Give 3 examples of utilities
Three from
- Compression - Automatic backup
- Disk defragmentation - Automatic updating
- Antivirus
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Give one advantage of using closed
source code
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Give one advantage of using closed source code
- Thorough, regular and well-tested updates

- Expert support and user manuals from company
- High levels of security as it is developed in a professional,
controlled environment
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State two features of open source code
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State two features of open source code
- Does not require a license to be used

- Distributed with the source code
- Can be modified and sold on
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Give two advantages of using compiled
code over interpreted code
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Give two advantages of using compiled code over
interpreted code
- Faster to execute
- Does not require compiler to run
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Give two advantages of using interpreted
code over compiled code
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Give two advantages of using interpreted
code over compiled code
Two from:
- Is platform independent
- Runs instantly without time waiting for compilation
- Useful for debugging
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What is assembly language?
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What is assembly language?
A low-level language that has almost a

one-to-one relationship with machine
code. It is platform specific.
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What are the stages of compilation?
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What are the stages of compilation?
● Lexical analysis
● Syntax analysis
● Code generation
● Optimisation
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What happens during syntax analysis?
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What happens during syntax analysis?
- Tokens are compared to the rules of the

programming language
- Syntax errors are identified
- Symbol table updated with more details
- Semantic analysis (finding logic errors)
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What are the similarities and differences
between static and dynamic linkers?
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What are the similarities and differences between
static and dynamic linkers?
Similarities: Both link external modules and libraries to main

program
Static: Library code copied into the file. File size increased.
Dynamic: Addresses of libraries included within file. External

updates automatically feed through to main program.
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Give three advantages of using libraries.
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Give three advantages of using libraries.
- Error-free
- Save time
- Re-usable
- No need to ‘reinvent the wheel’
- Designed by experts
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Describe the function of a loader
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Describe the function of a loader
Provided by the operating system, a loader

retrieves the library or subroutine from the given
memory location.
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What is the purpose of the optimisation
stage of compilation?
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What is the purpose of the optimisation stage of
compilation?
● Reduce execution time

● Reduce inefficient sections of code
● Remove redundant code
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1.4.1 Data Types
Flashcards
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What data type should be used for
storing a phone number like
07886756443?
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What data type should be used for storing a phone
number like 07886756443?
String
Numeric types would omit the leading 0.
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Perform an AND mask on the binary
numbers:
10101101
01011011
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Perform an AND mask on the binary numbers
00001001
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Which data type stores a
collection of characters?
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Which data type stores a collection of characters?
String
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Add the two binary numbers:
01011011
00111010
Give your answer in decimal

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Add the two binary numbers 01011011 and
00111010, giving your answer in decimal
149
0 1 0 1 1 0 1 1
+ 0 0 1 1 1 0 1 0
1 0 0 1 0 1 0 1
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What is the decimal 45 in binary?
Give your answer as a byte
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What is the decimal 45 in binary?
00101101
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What is the hexadecimal 2E in decimal?
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What is the hexadecimal 2E in decimal?
(2×16) + (14×1) = 46
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What is the hexadecimal 45 in binary?
Give your answer as a byte
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What is the hexadecimal 45 in binary?
01000101
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Which data type stores
just True and False?
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Which data type stores just True and False?
Boolean
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What is -5 in sign magnitude binary?
Give your answer as a nybble
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What is -5 in sign magnitude binary?
1101
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What does the binary 01101100
represent in hexadecimal?
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What does the binary 01101100 represent in
hexadecimal?
6C
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What is the effect of a logical
shift left by one place?
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What is the effect of a logical shift left by one place?
The value is doubled
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What is the two’s complement binary
10101101 in decimal?
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What is the two’s complement binary 10101101 in
decimal?
-83
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The binary 0011010000110 is a floating
point number with a single-bit sign, 8-bit
mantissa and 4-bit exponent.
What is the number in decimal?
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52
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Perform a logical shift right by two places
on the binary number 01101010 and
convert your result to decimal.
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Perform a logical shift right by two places on the
binary number 01101010 and convert your result to
decimal.
26.5
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Perform an XOR mask on the binary
numbers:
01010101
10111011
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Perform an XOR mask on the binary numbers
11101110
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Which of the following is not a character?
A: 8 C: %
B: R D: 43
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Which is not a character?
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The binary 1100110000011 is a floating
point number with a single-bit sign, 8-bit
mantissa and 4-bit exponent.
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-9.5
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1.4.2 Data Structures
Flashcards
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What is an array?
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What is an array?
An ordered, finite set of elements of a

single type.
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What type of array is a linear array?
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What type of array is a linear array?
A one-dimensional array.
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How can you visualise a two-dimensional
array?
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How can you visualise a two dimensional array?
As a spreadsheet or table.
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How can you visualise a three
dimensional array?
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How can you visualise a three dimensional array?
A three dimensional array can be

visualised as a multi-page spreadsheet.
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What is a record also known as?
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What is a record also known as?
A row in a file
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What is a record made up of?
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What is a record made up of?
A record is made up of fields.
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How can you select a field from a record
using pseudocode?
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How can you select a field from a record using
pseudocode?
recordName.fieldName
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What is the definition of a list?
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What is the definition of a list?
A data structure consisting of a number

of items in which the items can occur
more than once.
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What are the main differences between
arrays and lists?
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What are the main differences between arrays and
lists?
- Lists can store data non-contiguously

whereas arrays store data in order.
- Lists can store data of more than one
data type.
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What is a tuple?
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What is a tuple?
An immutable, ordered set of values of

any type.
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What is the difference between a tuple
and an array?
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What is the difference between a tuple and an array?
Tuples are initialised using regular

brackets instead of square brackets.
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What is a linked list?
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What is a linked list?
A dynamic data structure used to hold an

ordered set of items which are not stored
in a contiguous locations.
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What is the name given to the items in a
linked list?
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What is the name given to the items in a linked list?
Nodes
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What does each item in a linked list
contain?
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What does each item in a linked list contain?
It contains a data field and another

address field called a link/pointer
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What is a data field in a linked list?
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What is a data field in a linked list?
A field that stores the actual data.
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What is a pointer field in a linked list?
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What is a pointer field in a linked list?
A field that contains the address of the

next item in the list.
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What is a graph?
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What is a graph?
A graph is a data structure consisting of

a set of vertices/nodes connected by
edges/arcs.
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What is a directed graph?
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What is a directed graph?
A graph in which the edges can only be

traversed in one direction.
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What is an undirected graph?
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What is an undirected graph?
A graph in which the edges can be

traversed in both directions.
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What is a weighted graph?
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What is a weighted graph?
A graph in which the arcs/edges have a

cost to traverse
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Give two ways of representing graphs so
that they can be understood by
computers.
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What two data types can a computer understand a
graph?
Adjacency Matrix, Adjacency List
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What are the advantages of using an
adjacency matrix?
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What are the advantages of using an Adjacency
Matrix?
- Convenient to work with

- Easy to add new nodes to
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What are the advantages of using an
Adjacency List?
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What are the advantages of using an Adjacency
Matrix?
Space efficient for large sparse networks
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What is a stack?
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What is a stack?
A LIFO (‘last in first out’) data structure,

where items can only be removed from
and added to the top of the list.
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Give an example of where stacks may
be used.
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Give an example of where stacks may be used.
- Back button in a web page

- Undo buttons
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What is a queue?
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What is a queue?
A FIFO (‘first in first out’) data structure,

where items are added to the end of the
queue and removed from the front of the
queue.
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What is a tree?
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What is a tree?
A data structure which has a root node,

and child nodes connected with
branches.
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What is a node?
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What is a node?
A node is any item in a tree
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What is an edge?
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What is an edge?
An edge is the connection between two

nodes
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What is the root node?
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What is the root node?
The node which doesn’t have any

incoming nodes, at the top of the tree
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What is a child?
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What is a child?
Any node which has an incoming edge
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What is a parent?
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What is a parent?
Any node which has outcoming edges
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What is a subtree?
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What is a subtree?
A section of the tree which consists of a

parent and all the children of that parent
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What is a leaf?
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What is a leaf?
A leaf is a node which has no children
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What is a binary tree?
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What is a binary tree?
A type of tree in which each node has a

maximum of two children
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What is the purpose of a binary tree?
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What is the purpose of a binary tree?
A binary tree is used to search for values

quickly.
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What is a hash table?
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What is a hash table?
A hash table is an array which is coupled

with a hash function
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What is a collision? (hashing)
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What is a collision? (hashing)
A collision is where two inputs result in

the same hashed value
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What properties does a good hashing
algorithm have?
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What properties does a good hashing algorithm
have?
A good hashing algorithm must have a

low chance of collision and must be fast.
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What is pre-order traversal?
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What is a pre-order traversal?
Traversal algorithm in which you traverse

the root node, followed by the left
subtree then the right subtree.
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What is in-order traversal?
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What is in-order traversal?

the left subtree, the root node, then the
right subtree.
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What is post-order traversal?
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What is post-order traversal?

the left subtree, the right subtree
followed by the root node.
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What does the operation isEmpty() do?
(Lists)
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Checks if the list is empty
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What does the operation append(value)
do? (Lists)
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What does the operation append(value) do?
It adds the given value to the end of the

list.
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What does the operation remove(value)
do? (Lists)
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What does the operation remove value do?
It finds the first instance of the given

value and removes it
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What does the operation search(value)
do? (Lists)
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What does the operation search(value) do?
Searches for the given value in a list
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What does the operation length() do?
(Lists)
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What does the operation length() do?
Returns the length of the list
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What does the operation index(value)
do? (Lists)
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What does the operation index(value) do?
Returns the index of a value in the list.
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What does the operation insert(position,
value) do? (Lists)
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What does the operation insert(position, value) do?
Adds the value to the position in the list.
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What does the operation pop() do (Lists)
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What does the operation pop() do?
Returns and removes the last value in

the list
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What does pop(position) do? (Lists)
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What does pop(position) do?
It returns and removes the value at the

given position in the list.
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(Stacks)
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Checks to see if the stack is empty
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What does the operation push(value)
do? (Stacks)
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What does the operation push(value) do?
Adds the given value to the top of the

stack
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What does the operation peek() do?
(Stacks)
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What does the operation peek() do?
Returns the top value of the stack
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(Stacks)
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Returns and removes the value at the

top of the stack
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What does the operation size() do?
(Stacks)
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What does the operation size() do?
It returns the size of the stack
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What does the operation isFull() do?
(Stacks)
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Checks to see if the stack is full.
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What does the operation
enQueue(value) do? (Queue)
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What does the operation enQueue(value) do?
Adds the givn value to the end of the

queue
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What does the operation deQueue() do?
(Queue)
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What does the operation deQueue() do?
Removes the item from the end of the

queue
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(Queue)
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It checks to see if the queue is empty
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(Queue)
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Checks to see if the queue is full
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1.4.3 Boolean Algebra
Flashcards
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Which logic gate is this?
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Which logic gate is this?
Exclusive Disjunction (XOR)
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What is the equation symbol
for conjunction?
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What is the equation symbol for conjunction?
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Which is the truth table for AND?
A B C D
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Which was the truth table for AND?
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What will the value of Y be
in this logic circuit?
1 0
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What would be the value of Y in the logic circuit?
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State De Morgan’s laws
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State De Morgan’s laws
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Simplify the Boolean expression
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Simplify the Boolean expression
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Apply one of De Morgan’s laws to the
Boolean expression .
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Apply one of De Morgan’s laws to the Boolean
expression
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What is the purpose of a D-type flip flop?
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What is the purpose of a D-type flip flop?
To store the value of a single bit
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When is the stored value in a
D-type flip flop updated?
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When is the stored value in a D-type flip flop
updated?
On the rising edge of the clock signal
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What is the logic circuit for a half adder?
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What is the logic circuit for a half adder?
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Apply a distributive rule to the
Boolean expression
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Apply a distributive rule to the Boolean
expression
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Complete the truth table for a full adder
A B Cin Cout Sum
0 0 0
0 0 1
0 1 0
0 1 1
1 0 0
1 0 1
1 1 0
1 1 1
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Complete the truth table for a full adder
A B Cin Cout Sum
0 0 0 0 0
0 0 1 0 1
0 1 0 0 1
0 1 1 1 0
1 0 0 0 1
1 0 1 1 0
1 1 0 1 0
1 1 1 1 1
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2.1.1 Thinking Abstractly
Flashcards
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What is representational abstraction?
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What is representational abstraction?
A technique in which excessive details are

removed to arrive at a representation of a
problem that consists of only the key
features.
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Which form of abstraction involves
grouping together similarities within a
problem to identify what kind
of problem it is?
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Which form of abstraction involves grouping together
similarities within a problem to identify what kind of
problem it is?
Abstraction by generalisation
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What is meant by data abstraction?
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What is meant by data abstraction?
A form of abstraction in which details

about how data is being stored are
hidden.
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What kind of problems make use of
multiple levels of abstraction?
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What kind of problems make use of multiple levels of
abstraction?
Large, complex problems
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How does abstraction allow non-experts
to make use of a system?
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How does abstraction allow non-experts to make use
of a system?
Hides complex and irrelevant information

in abstract models.
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State two advantages of using
abstraction in software development
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State two advantages of using abstraction in
software development
Two from:
- Easier for programmers to focus on core elements

- Reduces the time needed to be spent on the project.
- Prevents program from getting unnecessarily large.
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Give two applications of
layers of abstraction
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Give two applications of layers of abstraction
- Networking (TCP/IP layer)

- Programming languages
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State two advantages of using
abstraction in programming languages
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State two advantages of using abstraction in
programming languages
- Easier to remember syntax in high-level

languages as it is closer to natural language
- Coding becomes accessible to beginners
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How does object-oriented
programming use abstraction?
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How does object-oriented programming use
abstraction?
Objects are an abstraction for real-world entities.
Attributes are an abstraction for the characteristics of
an object.
Methods are an abstraction for the actions a
real-world object is able to perform.
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What is the difference between
abstraction and reality?
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What is the difference between abstraction and
reality?
Abstraction is a simplified representation

of reality
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2.1.2 Thinking Ahead
Flashcards
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What is the purpose of thinking ahead?
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What is the purpose of thinking ahead?
To make programs easy and intuitive for

users to use.
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Define inputs.
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Define inputs.
Any data that is required to solve a

problem, usually entered into the system
by the user.
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Define outputs.
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Define outputs.
The results that are passed back once

the inputs have been processed and the
problem solved.
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What three considerations do
programmers need to make regarding
inputs and outputs when thinking ahead?
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What three considerations do programmers need to
make about inputs and outputs when thinking
ahead?
- Method of input/output (device used)
- Data structures used
- Data types used
- Order of data
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Identify the inputs and outputs that are
likely to be used in a book reservation
system i.e. at a library.
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Identify the inputs and outputs that are likely to be used
in a book reservation system i.e. at a library.
Inputs Outputs
Book details: name, author Expected waiting time
ISBN Confirmation
Borrower details: name, library card Availability at other libraries

number
Collection point
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What are preconditions?
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What are preconditions?
Requirements which must be met before

a program can be executed.
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Where can preconditions be defined?
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Where can preconditions be defined?
Within the code or within documentation.
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Give an example where preconditions
are required.
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Give an example where preconditions are required.
- Stack functions
- Check that a stack is not empty when popping an element from a stack
- Check that a stack is not full when pushing an element onto a stack
- Factorial function
- The number passed to the function cannot be negative
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State two advantages of including
preconditions within the documentation
accompanying a subroutine.
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State two advantages of including preconditions
within the documentation accompanying a
subroutine.
- Reduces the length of the program
- Reduces the complexity of the program
- Saves time needed to debug and maintain a longer program
- Makes subroutine more reusable
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A Level only
Define caching.
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Define caching.
The process of storing instructions or values in

cache memory after they have been used, as they
may be used again.
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A Level only
How is caching used in storing web

pages?
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How is caching used in storing web pages?
Web pages that a user frequently

accesses are cached, so the next time
one of these pages is accessed, content
can be loaded without any delay.
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A Level only
What are the advantages of caching web

pages?
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What are the advantages of caching web pages?
- Content can be loaded without delay

- Images and text do not have to be downloaded again multiple
times
- Frees bandwidth for other tasks on a network
- Less time is spent waiting
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A Level only
What is the name given to the technique

in which instructions are fetched based
on algorithms which predict which
instructions are likely to soon be used?
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What is the name given to the technique in which
algorithms are used to predict which instructions are
likely to soon be used?
Prefetching
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A Level only
Give a limitation of caching.
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Give a limitation of caching.
- Accuracy of the algorithms used

- Effectiveness of algorithm in managing the cache
- Size of the cache
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Give three advantages of using reusable
program components.
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Give three advantages of using reusable program
components.
- More reliable than new components, as they have
already been tested.
- As developing from scratch is not required, this saves
time, money and resources.
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Give two examples of reusable program
components.
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Give two examples of reusable program
components.
- Abstract data structures eg. queues and stacks
- Classes
- Subroutines
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2.1.3 Thinking Procedurally
Flashcards
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What is the first stage of thinking
procedurally?
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What is the first stage of thinking procedurally?
Taking the problem defined by the user

and breaking it down into its constituent
parts
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What is the purpose of problem
decomposition?
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What is the purpose of problem decomposition?
To make complex problems easier to solve

and more manageable by allowing tasks to
be divided between a group of people
according to individual skill sets.
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State another name given to top-down
design.
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State another name given to top-down design.
Stepwise refinement
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What is the purpose of top-down design?
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What is the purpose of top-down design?
Continually break problems down into

subproblems until each subproblem can
be represented as a single task and
ideally a self-contained subroutine.
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What are the benefits of using top-down
design?
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What are the benefits of using top-down design?
● Problems can be solved and modules

developed by different people.
● Tasks can be tested separately.
Modules are self-contained
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What sort of problems is top-down
design suited to?
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What sort of problems is top-down design suited to?
Large, complex problems
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What is the second stage of thinking
procedurally in software development?
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What is the second stage of thinking procedurally in
software development?
Identifying components of a solution
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How can the lowest level subproblems in
top-down design in code?
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How can the lowest level subproblems in top-down
design in code?
As self-contained modules or subroutines
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What do software developers need to
consider when recombining components
of a solution?
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What do software developers need to consider when
recombining components of a solution?
The order in which subroutines are

executed, and how they interact with
each other, based on their role in solving
the problem.
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What must a software developer do
before designing a subroutine to solve a
particular problem?
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What must a software developer do before designing
a subroutine to solve a particular problem?
See whether it is possible for an already existing

subroutine or module to be used.
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State two advantages of utilising
reusable components.
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State two advantages of utilising reusable
components.
● More reliable than newly-coded components, as

they have already been tested.
● This saves time, money and resources.
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2.1.4 Thinking Logically
Flashcards
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What is a decision?
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What is a decision?
A decision is a result reached after

consideration.
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When are decisions made?
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When are decisions made?
A decision is made whenever you have

to choice to make.
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What is the shape used to indicate a
decision in a flow chart?
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What is the shape given to a decision icon in a flow
chart?
A diamond
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In a flow chart how many many options
stem from a decision?
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In a flow chart how many options can you pick from
a decision?
2 different options - yes or no/ true or

false.
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How do you make effective decisions?
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How do you make effective decisions?
By evaluating the importance of different

factors and selecting options which
satisfy the needs of the task the most
appropriately
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How does the result of a decision affect
the flow of a program?
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Does the result of a decision affect the flow of a
program?
The program will follow a different route

depending on the decision made by the
user.
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2.1.5 Thinking Concurrently
Flashcards
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What is concurrent thinking?
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What is concurrent thinking?
Concurrent thinking is completing more

than one task at any given time.
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Are concurrent processing and
concurrent thinking the same thing?
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Are concurrent processing and concurrent thinking
the same thing?
No
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What is parallel processing?
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What is parallel processing?
Parallel processing is completing

multiple tasks simultaneously at any
given time.
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What is concurrent processing?
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What is concurrent processing?
Concurrent processing is giving a slice of

processor time to tasks to give the
illusion of parallel processing.
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What are the benefits of concurrent
processing?
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What are the benefits of concurrent processing?
- More tasks can be completed in a

given time
- Other tasks can be completed while
waiting for an input/ user interaction
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What are the drawbacks of concurrent
processing?
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What are the drawbacks of concurrent processing?
If lots of users are requesting for tasks to

be completed, it takes longer for
everyone to complete their task.
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OCR Computer Science A Level: 1.1.1 Structure and Function of The Processor

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OCR Computer Science A Level: 1.1.1 Structure and Function of The Processor

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1.1.1 Structure and Function of the Processor

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The ALU completes all the arithmetical

A part of the processor which directs

Small memory cells that operate at high

They occur in registers.

The Program Counter holds the address

The Arithmetic and Logic Unit (ALU).

Holds the address of a location that is to

Temporarily stores the data that has just

Holds the current instruction divided up

A set of parallel wires connecting two or

The collection of the data bus, address

The number of parallel wires it has.

A bidirectional bus used to transport data

The bi-directional bus used to transmit

Used to transmit the memory address

It doubles the number of addressable

indicates a device is requesting access

Indicates the CPU has granted access to

Causes the data on the data bus to be

Causes the data from the addressed

Indicates that a device is requesting

It is used to synchronise instructions.

Assembly Language is a programming

Opcode is used to determine the type of

The operand is the address of where the

The contents of the CIR is split into

The opcode is executed on the data.

The number of clock cycles completed

Cache memory is the CPU’s onboard

The process of completing the fetch,

Architecture in which there is a single

Architecture in which there is two

Processing in which Von Neumann

Reduced Instruction Set Computer

Complex Instruction Set Computer

- Small instruction set

- A large instruction set

Pipelining is possible since each

- Compilers have to do less work,

A co-processor made up of lots of

What are GPUs used for now?

GPUs are used for image processing

Systems where there are multiple cores

Systems where multiple instructions can

Read / write head

Hard disk drive

● High cost per GB

Read only memory

Information is stored in blocks, which

A non-volatile storage medium does

NAND and NOR

● High transfer speeds

● They are easily damaged by scratches

A collection of programs that work

Both: Are used when RAM space is insufficient, can cause

Paging: Uses equal-sized sections called pages

Segmentation: Uses variable-sized, logical sections called

Sections of programs not currently being used are temporarily

This frees up memory for other programs in RAM.

A signal generated by software or