Cambridge IGCSE Information and Communication

Technology 0417
Sample Questions for Examination Paper 1

The following questions have been reproduced by permission of University of

Cambridge Local Examinations Syndicate:
Cambridge IGCSE Information Technology 0418
Paper 1 Q1, 2 and 4 (June 2007)
Paper 1 Q3, 4, 5 and 6 (June 2005)
Paper 1 Q3, 4, 5, 6 and 7 (November 2007)
Paper 1 Q10 (June 2006)
Paper 1 Q9 and 10 (June 2008)
Paper 1 Q11, 12, 13 and 18 (November 2008)

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 Sample Questions for Examination Paper 1

1 Name the devices A, B, C, D and E using the words from the list.

A B C

D E

Microphone Digital Camera Joystick Keyboard

Light pen CD ROM drive Memory stick MICR

Mouse Numeric keypad Remote control Trackerball

A _______________________________ B _______________________________

C _______________________________ D _______________________________

E _______________________________

2 Ring two items which are output devices.

Plotter DVD ROM Robot arm

Keyboard Hard disk Scanner

3 Tick true or false next to each of these statements.

True False
Spreadsheet software would be used to create a burglar
alarm system.
A measuring program would be used to record the
temperature of a cooling liquid.
Control software is used to store information about
workers in a factory.
MICR is used for reading data from the bar code on a food
item.
Use of an ergonomic keyboard will lead to RSI.

(Q1, 2 and 4 from Cambridge IGCSE IT 0418/01 June 2007)

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 Sample Questions for Examination Paper 1

4 Tick whether the following statements are true or false.

True False
Viruses can be transmitted by opening email attachments.
MICR is used to read data from bar codes.
Hard disks can store more data than DVDs.
Regular use of computers can cause chest coughs.

5 Give three health problems which can be caused by the regular use of
computers.
1 __________________________________________________________________
2 __________________________________________________________________
3 __________________________________________________________________

6 A teacher wants to use mailmerge to create a standard letter to send to

parents. Circle the two types of application software which she would be best
advised to use.

Control Data handling Desktop publishing

Measuring Modelling Word processing

7 Students can use sensors in science lessons to measure the temperature of a

liquid. Give three reasons why it is better to use computers and sensors rather
than manually taking the temperature readings.
1 __________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
2 __________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
3 __________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
(Q3–6 from Cambridge IGCSE IT 0418/01 June 2005)

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 Sample Questions for Examination Paper 1

8 Draw five lines on the diagram to match the computer application to who
would use it.
Application User
CAD a payroll office worker
MICR an aircraft designer
OMR a bank worker
Touch screen an exam paper marker
Batch processing system a shop worker

9 For each type of network fill in the communication lines.

(a) Ring network (b) Star network

(c) Bus network

10 A floor turtle can use the following instructions:

Instruction Meaning
FORWARD n Move n mm forward
BACKWARD n Move n mm backward
LEFT t Turn left t degrees
RIGHT t Turn right t degrees
PENUP Lift the pen
PENDOWN Lower the pen

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 Sample Questions for Examination Paper 1

230

75

100

20 30 80 25

Start Finish

Complete the set of instructions to draw these shapes by filling in the blank lines.
PENDOWN ___________________ ___________________
LEFT 90 ___________________ ___________________
FORWARD 30 ___________________ ___________________
____________________ ___________________ ___________________
___________________ ___________________ ___________________
___________________ ___________________ ___________________

11 Tick true or false next to each of these statements.

True False
Use of an anti-glare screen can help to prevent headaches.
DTP would be used to monitor a patient’s condition in a
hospital.
Control software is used with computerised traffic light
systems.
MICR is used for reading data from pencil marks on a form.
Floppy disks hold more data than memory sticks.

12 Complete each sentence below using one item from the list.

A bank cheque A trackerball A dot matrix printer

A DVD A floppy disk A laser printer
A monitor A mouse An OMR sheet

(a) _________________________ is an example of an optical storage medium.

(b) _________________________ is an example of a magnetic storage medium.
(c) _________________________ is an output device which produces high
quality hard copy.
(d) _________________________ is an input device used mainly by people with
disabilities.
(Q3–7 from Cambridge IGCSE IT 0418/01 November 2007)

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 Sample Questions for Examination Paper 1

13 Computers are now widely used in libraries.

This is part of the database of books in the library.

Paperback or Borrower Date due

Code number Title Name of author
Hardback number back
780140082043 The Great Gatsby F Scott Fitzgerald P 15234 1 Jun 06

780670865284 Jane Austen – A life Claire Tomalin H 11356 2 Jun 06

Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s
781856134033 J K Rowling H 16582 26 May 06
Stone
780590660549 Northern Lights Philip Pullman P 12982 28 May 06

This is part of the borrowers’ database

Borrower Name of Borrower phone

Address of borrower
number borrower number
11356 Tobias Ahendra 658, Uhura Highway, Box 2809 72 34 45 67

16582 Carlos Moyes 12, Avenue de Lupin, Box 65432 24 17 39 81

(a) The data files are stored on a hard disk. State the type of access needed to
retrieve a single record quickly.
________________________________________________________________

(b) The records in the book file are to be sorted in descending order of code
number. What will be the title of the book in the first record in the
database after it has been sorted?
________________________________________________________________

(c) When a book is borrowed the borrower presents the book and his card to
the librarian. Name an input device, other than a keypad, which would be
most suitable for entering the details from the borrower and the book.
Borrower ________________________________________________________
Book ____________________________________________________________

(d) Give two reasons why these methods are better than typing the number in.
1 _______________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
2 _______________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________

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 Sample Questions for Examination Paper 1

(e) Give two validation checks that could be carried out on the code number
field.
1 ______________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
2 ______________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________

(f) Give the name of a field that contains a Boolean data type.
_______________________________________________________________

(g) Identity the data type used in the borrower phone number field.
________________________________________________________________

(h) Write down the field in the database of books which should be used as the
key field.
________________________________________________________________

(i) The date is 27th May 2006. Using the example files given above, describe
how the computer will automatically identify overdue books and send out
letters to those borrowers.
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
(Q10 from Cambridge IGCSE IT 0418/01 June 2006)

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 Sample Questions for Examination Paper 1

14 A systems analyst has been asked by a travel agent to computerise the records
she keeps about available holidays.
(a) The systems analyst must produce a screen input form which the travel
agent could use for typing in the details of each holiday. Design a suitable
screen input form for inputting the details of one holiday.

(b) After the travel agent has typed in the data it will need to be verified.
Describe two ways in which this could be done.
1 ______________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
2 ______________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________

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 Sample Questions for Examination Paper 1

(c) Explain the differences between validation and verification, giving two
examples of validation checks.
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
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________________________________________________________________

(d) After the system is designed it will need to be implemented. Discuss

methods by which the system could be implemented and give reasons why
the systems analyst might choose one of the methods and not the others.
________________________________________________________________
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 Sample Questions for Examination Paper 1

(e) After the system is implemented the travel agent will be given documentation
to go with it. This will consist of technical documentation and user
documentation. Explain the purpose of each item of documentation and
identify two different items that each type of documentation will contain.
Technical documentation
Purpose ________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
Item 1 _________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
Item 2 _________________________________________________________

User documentation
Purpose ________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
Item 1 _________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
Item 2 _________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________

15 Robotics are now used in the production of motor cars. Describe the effects
this had on the workers who used to manually produce cars.
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________

(Q9 and 10 from Cambridge IGCSE IT 0418/01 June 2008)

16 Put a tick in the column which best describes the type of processing used in the
following applications.

Online Batch
Booking a holiday
Producing electricity bills
Using an ATM
Producing monthly payrolls

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 Sample Questions for Examination Paper 1

17 A sports shop owner uses a spreadsheet to calculate his profits. This is part of
the spreadsheet.

A B C D E
1 Item Cost price Selling Price Profit per item Number in stock

2 Kino Trainers $40 $45 $5 126

3 Goalagame Boots $38 $44 $6 145

4 Melchester Rovers shirt $65 $78 $13 104

5 IOM football $42 $51 $9 56

6 Beckett shinpads $32 $40 $8 101

(a) Give the cell reference of the cell that contains 126.
________________________________________________________________

(b) Give the cell reference of a cell that contains text data.
________________________________________________________________

(c) Write down the formula which should go in cell D2.

________________________________________________________________

(d) When the spreadsheet was created a similar formula had to go in cells D3
to D6. Describe how to enter these formulae without typing them.
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________

(e) How many rows are shown in the spreadsheet?

________________________________________________________________

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 Sample Questions for Examination Paper 1

(f) The spreadsheet is an example of a financial model. Give two examples of

computer models, other than financial models.
1 ______________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
2 ______________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________

(g) Give two reasons why computer models are used rather than the real thing.
1 ______________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
2 ______________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________

18 A doctor’s surgery uses an expert system. Describe the input, output and
processing of this system.
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________

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Sample Questions for Examination Paper 1

19 Many people are now using the internet for banking, shopping, booking
holidays and theatre tickets. Discuss this development and its effect on the
general public.
____________________________________________________________________
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(Q11, 12, 13 and 18 from Cambridge IGCSE IT 0418/01 November 2008)

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