gce model questions vol1 2018 computer_studies | Essay

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Question 1 View Details
Discuss the major milestones in the development of computers from the 1940s to the present day, focusing on the following aspects:
Question Parts
(a)
Explain how the transition from first‑generation (vacuum‑tube) to second‑generation (transistor) computers altered computer size, reliability and programming practice.
(b)
Analyse the impact of the microprocessor on the emergence of personal computers in the late 1970s and early 1980s.
(c)
Evaluate how the rise of cloud computing is reshaping the role of traditional hardware in modern organisations.
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Question 2 View Details
A small graphic‑design studio is planning to upgrade its workstations. Each workstation must run Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator and occasional 3‑D rendering smoothly. The budget per workstation is ₦450,000. The manager has shortlisted three configurations as shown below:
Question Parts
(a)
Using the specifications and prices given, evaluate which configuration provides the best performance‑to‑cost ratio for the studio’s needs. Justify your choice with reference to CPU, GPU and memory capabilities.
(b)
For the configuration you selected, calculate the estimated total power consumption of the workstation. Use the following typical power draws: CPU 65 W, GPU 120 W, HDD 10 W, SSD 5 W, Motherboard 30 W, Monitor 25 W, peripherals (keyboard, mouse, speakers) 10 W. Show all steps of your calculation.
(c)
Recommend any additional hardware or upgrades that would improve the workstation’s reliability or future‑proofing while keeping the total cost within the ₦450,000 budget. Explain the rationale for each recommendation.
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Question 3 View Details
A secondary school is planning to introduce a new computer‑based system to manage student records, timetabling, and communication with parents. The system must operate reliably on the school’s existing hardware and be maintainable by the ICT staff.
Question Parts
(a)
Identify and briefly explain three distinct types of software that would be required for the described student‑record system.
(b)
Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of using proprietary software versus open‑source software for this system.
(c)
Outline the main stages of the Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC) that the school should follow when commissioning a custom application, and state the purpose of each stage.
(d)
Given a limited budget, propose a cost‑effective strategy for acquiring the necessary software, justifying your recommendation.
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Question 4 View Details
A small business records its daily sales in a spreadsheet. Each record contains the fields: Transaction ID, Date, Product Code, Quantity Sold, Unit Price and Total Amount.
Question Parts
(a)
Explain how the data could be reorganised into a relational database. Specify at least two tables and identify the primary and foreign keys required.
(b)
The business wants a monthly sales report that shows total revenue for each product. Describe the steps required to produce this report using appropriate data‑manipulation techniques.
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Question 5 View Details
A small retail business is considering migrating its inventory management system to a cloud‑based solution. The current system runs on a local server with an annual maintenance cost of ₦150,000 and requires a backup process that consumes 2 hours of staff time per week. The staff member responsible for backups is paid ₦2,500 per hour. The cloud service provider offers a subscription plan costing ₦20,000 per month, which includes automated daily backups and 24/7 technical support. The business expects its data storage needs to increase by 10 % each year. Answer the following:
Question Parts
(a)
Calculate the total cost of the current system for the next three years, including maintenance and staff backup time.
(b)
Calculate the total cost of the cloud service for the same three‑year period, assuming the subscription price remains unchanged and the increase in storage does not affect the price.
(c)
Based on the calculations, discuss which option is more cost‑effective over three years, taking into account non‑financial factors such as data security, accessibility and scalability.
(d)
Recommend a decision for the business and justify it with reference to both the financial analysis and the non‑financial considerations.
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Question 6 View Details
An employee at a university discovers that the university's online portal has a vulnerability that allows unauthenticated users to download the list of registered students' email addresses. The employee reports the issue to the IT department, but the department delays fixing it for two weeks. During this period, a malicious actor exploits the vulnerability and obtains the email list, later sending phishing emails to students. Answer the following:
Question Parts
(a)
Identify the type of security vulnerability demonstrated and explain how it could be exploited.
(b)
Using the CIA triad, analyse the impact of the breach on confidentiality, integrity and availability.
(c)
Calculate the potential risk rating using a simple risk matrix where likelihood is ‘high’ (score 4) and impact is ‘severe’ (score 5). Use the formula: risk rating = likelihood × impact.
(d)
Discuss the ethical responsibilities of the employee, the IT department, and the university administration in handling the vulnerability.
(e)
Propose at least three technical measures and two policy measures that could prevent such incidents in the future.
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Question 7 View Details
A secondary school wishes to set up a computer network to support its administration block, library and three science laboratories. The following information is available: - Each classroom requires a workstation and a printer. - The administration block contains 8 workstations, a server and a network printer. - The library has 12 workstations and a public access terminal. - Each science laboratory needs 6 workstations, a specialised instrument that must be directly connected to a computer, and a printer. - The maximum distance between any two devices that will be linked by a single cable is 30 m. - The school budget allows for a maximum of 250 m of network cabling. - The network must allow all devices to communicate with the server and provide Internet access. Using this information, answer the following questions:
Question Parts
(a)
Identify two suitable LAN topologies for this school network and briefly compare their suitability with reference to cost, scalability and fault‑tolerance.
(b)
Propose a detailed network layout that satisfies the given constraints. State the type of cable you would use, the number of cable runs required and the total length of cable needed. Show your calculations and justify that the total length does not exceed the budgeted 250 m.
(c)
Explain why a router is required in this network in addition to switches, and describe the role of the server in providing Internet access to all devices.
(d)
Discuss two security measures that should be implemented on this network to protect student data and prevent unauthorised Internet usage.
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Question 8 View Details
You are required to develop a small Python utility that processes a list of integers stored in a text file. The utility must identify all prime numbers in the list and write them to a new file. Answer the following:
Question Parts
(a)
Write a Python function named `is_prime(n)` that returns `True` if the integer `n` is a prime number and `False` otherwise. Your algorithm should be efficient for numbers up to 10 000.
(b)
Using the `is_prime` function, write a complete Python program that: 1. Reads integers from a file called `data.txt` (one integer per line). 2. Stores the integers in a list. 3. Creates a new list containing only the prime numbers. 4. Writes the prime numbers to a file called `primes.txt`, one per line. Include appropriate error handling for missing files and non‑integer lines.
(c)
The following code is intended to perform the same task, but it contains three logical errors. Identify the errors and provide a corrected version of the code. ```python try: f = open('data.txt', 'r') nums = f.readlines() f.close() except: print('File not found') primes = [] for n in nums: n = int(n) if n % 2 == 0: primes.append(n) with open('primes.txt', 'w') as out: for p in primes: out.write(p) ```
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Question 9 View Details
A secondary school intends to computerise its library management system. The system must keep records of books, authors, categories, students and the borrowing transactions. Design a relational database that satisfies the requirements described below.
Question Parts
(a)
Draw a complete ER diagram for the library system. Include the entities Book, Author, Category, Student and Borrow. For each entity list appropriate attributes and indicate the primary key. State the cardinality of every relationship (e.g., one‑to‑many, many‑to‑many).
(b)
Transform the ER diagram into a set of relational tables. For each table list its fields, primary key and any foreign keys. Then explain how the tables satisfy the requirements of the third normal form (3NF), citing any functional dependencies that were eliminated.
(c)
Write an SQL statement that returns the titles of all books that are currently borrowed by students in class "SS2" and whose due date is earlier than the current date (i.e., overdue). Assume appropriate table and column names based on your design.
(d)
Discuss two advantages of enforcing referential integrity (foreign‑key constraints) in this library database, and two possible drawbacks that might be encountered in a high‑transaction environment.
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Question 10 View Details
A small retail shop wishes to manage its monthly sales using a spreadsheet and to produce a formatted performance report with a word processor. The shop sells three product categories (A, B and C). Design a solution that meets the following requirements.
Question Parts
(a)
Set up a worksheet to record daily sales with columns: Date, Category, Units Sold, Unit Price. Explain how to apply data validation so that: i) Category can only be A, B or C; ii) Units Sold must be a non‑negative integer.
(b)
Write a formula that calculates the total revenue for each row, and another formula that gives the cumulative monthly revenue up to that row (assume the data are sorted by date).
(c)
Using the same data, describe the steps required to create a pivot table that shows total revenue per category and a line chart that visualises the monthly revenue trend. Include any field settings that are essential.
(d)
Outline how to use the spreadsheet data to generate a printed monthly sales summary in a word processor using mail‑merge. The report must contain a table of total revenue per category and the line chart created in part (c).
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