Chap 1 What is an I(C)T System?

• What is Data / Information (the difference?)
  
• What is IT / Computer Studies (the difference?)
  
• What are the 3 stages of Computing?
  
• Describe an Automated Information System ((dis)advantages)
  
  

Chap 2 Components of an IT system - Micro / Mini / Mainframe / OS

• Diagram of a Computer System (4 components) and name them
  
• Why are computers useful (why not)
  
• CPU (what is it, what can you find in it, explain the functions)
  
• 3 Types of Computers
  
• What is a Microprocessor
  
  

Chap 3 Input and output devices/methods

• Input Devices / Output Devices (list a few, know their characteristics)
  
• MICR / OMR / OCR (how does it work, who / why will use it?)
  
• Chip / Magnetic cards (how does it work, who will use it?)
  
• Turnaround documents (how does it work, who will use it?)
  
• POS / EPOS - VDU / GDU
  
• Types of Printers (Matrix / Laser / Plotter) and where used
  
• Robots
  
  

Chap 4 Storing data - CPU bit/byte, HD, Tape , RAM and ROM

• RAM / ROM (what is it, where can you find it, used for what?)
  
• Backstore devices (list them, how do they work, (dis)advantages)
  
  

Chap 5 Software - Compiler Programming

• What is Software
  
• What are User Interfaces, describe the 2 main ones (Command - GUI)
  
• What are: Applications / Utilities
  
• Differences between Tailor-Made software and Packages (ready-made)
  
• What Programming languages are there?
  
• Why are Compilers and Interpreters needed? What do they do?
  
• Why is the difference between Compilers and Interpreters?
  
• Why is there a difference between High-Level and Low level languages?
  

Chap 6 Collecting Data

• Why is Data sometimes Coded?
  
• What is OCR? / OMR / MICR / Barcode reading?
  
• Describe a Control Application
  
• What are Sensors used for?
  
• What are ADC’s?
  
• What are Turnaround documents?
  
  

Chap 7 Checking of Data (Validation, errors)

• What is the difference between Data Validation and Verification?
  
• Mention / Describe 4 Validation methods (with examples!)
  
• How does a Check-Digit work?
  
• (Not: hash total, parity)
  
  

Chap 8 Data Storage (Databases) structures

• What are Databases?
  
• What are the 3 logical structures of a Database? (File / Record / Field)
  
• Being able to describe a database system used in practice. Mention the keyfield and describe a record.
  
• What is the Grand-Father-Son backup principle?
  
• What logical actions can you do with records in a database? (Update etc.)
  
• How does the Master-File work together with a Transaction File?
  
• What is the difference between the 2 (Describe, example!)
  
  

Chap 9 Types of Computer operation - Realtime/Multitasking

• What is Real-time Processing? (Explain , give example)
  
• What is Batch Processing? (Explain , give example)
  
• What is Multi-Tasking / Multi programming?
  
• What is Time-Sharing, how does it work?
  
• What is Multi-Processing?
  
• What is a Multi-User system?
  
  
  

Chap 10 Data transfer - Ascii / Bit / Bytes

• What are ASCII files?
  
• What is the difference between analogue and digital data?
  
• What is file compression?
  
• What is ADC, why needed?
  
  

Chap 11 Presenting Data -Multimedia Computers

• What is CAL? CAD? MIDI? VR?
  
• What is required for a multimedia computer?
  
  

Chap 12 Describing Systems (Flowchart)

• What are Data Flowcharts,
  
• What are System flowcharts.
  
• Know the symbols (input / output if/then/else etc.)
  
• You must be able to describe a system, e.g. producing an electricity bill!
  
  

Chap 13 System analysis

• What are the 8 main steps in Systems Analysis?
  
• Explain what is done for each step
  
• What types of Documentation are there?
  
• What can you expect to find in a feasibility study?
  
• What 2 ways are there to implement (introduce) a new system?
  
  

Chap 13 DATA logging (Weather forecast)

• What is Data Logging? (Characteristics + advantages!)
  
• Where will it be used (example!)
  
• Why do you need Sensors?
  
• What is ADC in this case?
  
  

Chap 15 Transferring Data around -Networks (LAN / WAN)

• What is a LAN?
  
• What is the function of a Fileserver?
  
• What is a WAN? Difference?
  
• What is the difference. between Star and Bus-topology? (Advantages!)
  
• What are: WWW, E-mail, EDI?
  
• What are ISDN / ISP / ADSL?
  
• What are protocols and handshakes used for?
  
  

Chap 16 System Security

• What 2 types of Security are important? (Hardware / Physical security and Software security)
  
• What is a Virus? What 2 things can you do for protection?
  
• What is Encryption of data?
  
• What is (the difference) between data security and data integrity?
  
  

Chap 17 Data and You - Law and Data act principles

• What are the 8 main rules of common Data Protection Acts / Principles?
  
  

Chap 18 Computers and Law

• What is Computer crime? Are you able to describe an example?
  
• What is EFT?
  
• What are Smart (Chip) cards?
  
• What is software piracy? What is Electronic fraud?
  
• What are ATM’s?
  
  

Chap 19 Social effects of IT

• What are the main positive and negative social effects on our society?
  
• What are the main ethical effects on our society?
  
  

Chap 20 Controlling Things

• What makes up process control (key characteristics)?
  
• What are the main advantages?
  
• What is data logging?
  
• Must be able to describe 2 examples of logging / controlling
  
  

Chap 21 Computers and Health

• What are typical diseases linked to IT?
  
• What can you basically do to prevent them?
  
  

Chap 22 Electronic Office

• E-mail / Fax
  
• OCR (using scanner - hardware and OCR software) - practical example
  
• Barcodes - where used?
  
• EDI - electronic payments
  
• Intranet (local Internet, only available in-house)
  
• Databases (shared with file servers)
  
• Optical imaging (of scanned documents)
  
• Video conferencing
  
• Tele working
  
  

Chap 23 Simulations

• What are simulations
  
• Practical example
  
• Advantages (why are they used)
  
• What is modelling (what is the difference to Simulations)
  
• Practical example
  
• What is an Expert system
  
• Practical example
  
• What are the 2 main parts of any Expert System (Artificial Intelligence)
  
  

Chap 27 Wordprocessing

• Advantages of Wordprocessing
  
• Key elements of WP (margins, copy/paste, insert, text next to graphical objects, inserting graphs and other images, spell/grammar check, layout functions, header/footer, footnotes, page number etc.)
  
• How to set Page Margins, how to set Header / Footer / Page-number. How to use the TAB-key (instead of using spaces)
  
• How to set Justification (e.g. center text)
  
• How to let Text wrap around an object (e.g a picture or pasted screen shot)
  
  

Chap 28 Spreadsheet Applications

• Key elements of a spreadsheet (cell, mathematical functions, logical functions (if/the/else), charts, what-if analysis, absolute ($) and relative cell references
  
• Must be able to set-up a spreadsheet with calculations, functions (sum / total / if/then/else, average)
  
• Must be able to produce a chart (all in Microsoft Excel, the spreadsheet standard)
  
  

Chap 29 DTP Desktop Publishing

• What is DTP?
  
• What hardware and software is needed? DTP program, laser printer
  
• What are key-elements of DTP? (rotate, fill patterns, repeat layouts, change borders, margins, text flow functions, exact colour schemes etc.)
  

Chap 31 Measurement and Control

• Check out the 2 LOGO websites (you can try LOGO there) on:
  
• http://www.scottforesman.com/investigations/turtle.html
  
• http://homepage.mac.com/troy_stephens/TinyJavaLogo/TinyJavaLogo.html
  
  

Don’t forget:
on the http://go.to/igcse website (go to Exams) you can find many, many exam questions on-line (most in PDF-format). Why not trying out a couple of them!! (They use them too! (Big hint!)