gce model questions vol1 2024 computer_studies | Essay

Prepare for your exams with gce model questions vol1 questions? Reviewing past/model questions is one of the most effective ways to guarantee a high score. This practice hub features authentic 2024 computer_studies (Essay) questions designed to simulate the real exam environment.

Practice these randomly selected questions to test your readiness.

Question 1 View Details
The evolution of computers from early mechanical devices to modern micro‑processors has profoundly changed how societies function.
Question Parts
(a)
Compare the characteristics and limitations of first‑generation (vacuum‑tube) computers with those of second‑generation (transistor) computers.
(b)
Explain how the introduction of the micro‑processor in the 1970s impacted personal computing and the software industry.
(c)
Evaluate two major social or economic effects of the widespread adoption of personal computers in the 1990s.
Detailed Essay Solution & Marking Scheme Available

Get the step-by-step mathematical proofs, key points required by examiners, and a comprehensive breakdown from our AI Tutor.

Reveal Answer
Question 2 View Details
A small design studio requires a desktop computer that can run office applications smoothly, handle occasional video‑editing tasks, and store at least 2 TB of data securely.
Question Parts
(a)
Propose a complete hardware configuration (CPU, RAM, storage, GPU, motherboard, power‑supply unit and cooling) that meets the stated requirements. Justify each component choice.
(b)
Using the power ratings below, calculate the estimated total power consumption of the proposed system and recommend an appropriate PSU rating, including a 20 % safety margin. Component power ratings: - CPU (TDP): 65 W - GPU (if used): 150 W (otherwise 0 W) - Motherboard: 30 W - RAM (each 8 GB module): 5 W - SSD: 3 W - HDD: 7 W - Each case fan: 5 W (two fans) - Miscellaneous (USB, LEDs, etc.): 10 W
(c)
Identify two potential hardware bottlenecks in the proposed configuration and suggest practical mitigation strategies.
Detailed Essay Solution & Marking Scheme Available

Get the step-by-step mathematical proofs, key points required by examiners, and a comprehensive breakdown from our AI Tutor.

Reveal Answer
Question 3 View Details
A small retail business is evaluating its options for managing inventory and sales transactions. The owner can either purchase an off‑the‑shelf inventory management package or commission a custom‑built software solution. The owner seeks a thorough analysis before deciding.
Question Parts
(a)
List three advantages of using an off‑the‑shelf package compared with a custom‑built solution.
(b)
Identify three key factors the owner should consider when choosing between the two options.
(c)
Based on the analysis, recommend either the off‑the‑shelf package or the custom solution and justify your recommendation with reference to the factors identified in part (b).
Detailed Essay Solution & Marking Scheme Available

Get the step-by-step mathematical proofs, key points required by examiners, and a comprehensive breakdown from our AI Tutor.

Reveal Answer
Question 4 View Details
A secondary school plans to introduce a digital system for storing and retrieving student academic records. The current paper‑based system is slow and prone to errors.
Question Parts
(a)
Explain the difference between data and information in the context of the school’s record‑keeping system.
(b)
Propose a suitable method of storing the student records electronically and justify why it is appropriate for the school.
(c)
Outline three practical steps the school should take to ensure the integrity and security of the electronic records.
Detailed Essay Solution & Marking Scheme Available

Get the step-by-step mathematical proofs, key points required by examiners, and a comprehensive breakdown from our AI Tutor.

Reveal Answer
Question 5 View Details
A small retail shop wants to computerise its inventory management. The shop records each sale with the following information: Transaction ID, Date, Product Code, Product Description, Unit Price, Quantity Sold, Total Sale Amount, Supplier Name, Supplier Contact, and Stock Level after the sale. The owner wants the data stored in a relational database that avoids redundancy and supports easy updating of product and supplier details.
Question Parts
(a)
List the functional dependencies that exist among the attributes given in the scenario.
(b)
Using the functional dependencies, decompose the data into tables that are in Third Normal Form (3NF). State the primary key for each table.
(c)
Explain two advantages of storing the data in the 3NF structure you have proposed.
Detailed Essay Solution & Marking Scheme Available

Get the step-by-step mathematical proofs, key points required by examiners, and a comprehensive breakdown from our AI Tutor.

Reveal Answer
Question 6 View Details
A medium‑size company experienced a phishing attack in which several employees received an e‑mail that appeared to be from the senior manager, requesting urgent transfer of ₦250,000 to a new supplier. Two employees complied, and the money was lost. An internal investigation later revealed that the e‑mail address was spoofed and that the employees had not verified the request through any other channel.
Question Parts
(a)
Identify the weaknesses that allowed the phishing attack to succeed.
(b)
Recommend three technical controls and two policy measures that the company should implement to reduce the risk of similar attacks, providing a brief justification for each.
(c)
Discuss the ethical responsibilities of an IT professional when handling information about the breach.
Detailed Essay Solution & Marking Scheme Available

Get the step-by-step mathematical proofs, key points required by examiners, and a comprehensive breakdown from our AI Tutor.

Reveal Answer
Question 7 View Details
A small office employs 30 staff members. Each staff member requires a desktop workstation. In addition, the office needs one file server, one network printer and a Wi‑Fi access point for mobile devices. The manager wants a network that is easy to expand, reliable and cost‑effective, and the office will be connected to the Internet through a single public IP address provided by the ISP. Using this context, answer the following:
Question Parts
(a)
Compare the star, bus and mesh topologies for the above scenario. Discuss each topology in terms of scalability, fault tolerance, cabling cost and performance.
(b)
Design an IP‑addressing scheme using the private network 192.168.0.0/24. Apply Variable Length Subnet Masking (VLSM) to allocate separate subnets for (i) the workstations, (ii) the server, (iii) the printer and (iv) the Wi‑Fi access point. For each subnet give the network address, subnet mask, usable host range and broadcast address.
(c)
Explain how Network Address Translation (NAT) will allow the internal private addresses to communicate with the Internet using the single public IP address supplied by the ISP. Outline the steps performed by a typical NAT router.
(d)
Identify two security measures that should be implemented in this network design and justify why they are appropriate for a small office environment.
Detailed Essay Solution & Marking Scheme Available

Get the step-by-step mathematical proofs, key points required by examiners, and a comprehensive breakdown from our AI Tutor.

Reveal Answer
Question 8 View Details
You are required to develop a small Python utility that analyses a text file containing the raw marks of students in a single subject. Each line of the file holds one mark (an integer between 0 and 100). The file may contain blank lines or lines with non‑numeric characters due to data‑entry errors. Answer the following:
Question Parts
(a)
Write a Python function `compute_stats(filename)` that reads the file, ignores blank lines, skips any non‑numeric entries, and returns a tuple containing (i) the arithmetic mean, (ii) the median, and (iii) the population standard deviation of the valid marks. Do **not** use any external libraries such as `statistics` or `numpy`.
(b)
Explain how you would modify the function so that it records the line numbers of all invalid entries and reports them to the user after processing the file.
(c)
Using the function from part (a), write a short program that reads a file named `scores.txt`, prints the mean, median and standard deviation, and then prints a grade report. The grading scale is: A ≥ 70, B = 60‑69, C = 50‑59, D = 40‑49, F < 40. The report should list each valid mark together with its corresponding grade. Include error handling for the case where `scores.txt` cannot be opened.
(d)
Analyse the time complexity of your solution (including the function and the reporting program). Suggest one improvement that could reduce the overall running time or memory usage.
Detailed Essay Solution & Marking Scheme Available

Get the step-by-step mathematical proofs, key points required by examiners, and a comprehensive breakdown from our AI Tutor.

Reveal Answer
Question 9 View Details
A small online bookstore maintains information about its customers, books, and purchases. The following facts are recorded: - Each customer has a unique CustomerID, a name, an email address and a residential city. - Each book has a unique ISBN, a title, an author, a price and a stock quantity. - A purchase records the CustomerID, the ISBN of the book bought, the quantity purchased, the date of purchase and the total amount (price × quantity). - A customer may purchase many books and a book may be bought by many customers. - The store wants to keep a record of the last purchase date for each customer. Using this scenario, answer the following questions:
Question Parts
(a)
Draw (describe) a complete ER diagram for the scenario. Identify all entities, their key attributes, any non‑key attributes, and the relationships with appropriate cardinalities.
(b)
Convert the ER diagram into a set of relational tables. For each table list its primary key and any foreign keys.
(c)
Normalise the tables obtained in part (b) to Third Normal Form (3NF). State any functional dependencies that required decomposition and describe the anomalies eliminated.
(d)
Write an SQL query that lists the CustomerName, BookTitle, PurchaseDate and TotalAmount for all purchases made in the last 30 days by customers whose city is Lagos. The result should be ordered by PurchaseDate descending.
(e)
Discuss two advantages of creating an index on the PurchaseDate column of the Purchases table. Include the effect on query performance and any possible drawbacks.
Detailed Essay Solution & Marking Scheme Available

Get the step-by-step mathematical proofs, key points required by examiners, and a comprehensive breakdown from our AI Tutor.

Reveal Answer
Question 10 View Details
A secondary school wants to use a spreadsheet to record the scores of its students in three subjects (Mathematics, English and Science) and then generate individual report cards in a word‑processing document. The spreadsheet contains the following columns: - Column A: StudentName - Column B: MathsScore (out of 100) - Column C: EnglishScore (out of 100) - Column D: ScienceScore (out of 100) Using this data, answer the following:
Question Parts
(a)
Write the formula to place in cell E2 that calculates the total score for the student in that row. Write the formula for cell F2 that calculates the percentage (out of 300). Explain the difference between relative and absolute cell references in these formulas.
(b)
Define a conditional formatting rule that highlights the entire row in red when the total score (column E) is less than 150. State the formula used in the rule.
(c)
Describe the steps to create a pivot table that shows the average score for each subject. Explain how the resulting pivot table should be interpreted.
(d)
Explain how to link the spreadsheet table into a Microsoft Word document so that any change made to the spreadsheet automatically updates the table in the Word file.
(e)
Outline the procedure for using mail‑merge to produce an individual report card for each student. Specify the required data fields and the main steps involved.
Detailed Essay Solution & Marking Scheme Available

Get the step-by-step mathematical proofs, key points required by examiners, and a comprehensive breakdown from our AI Tutor.

Reveal Answer

Master the Exam!

You've seen a preview, but there are thousands more questions plus AI tutor to break down complex solutions.

Unlock Full Access Available for Android & Windows
Help others prepare! Share this practice hub:
Chat with Support