Cambridge IGCSE™

* 1 6 1 7 9 3 6 7 6 4 *

COMPUTER SCIENCE 0478/13

Paper 1 Theory October/November 2021

1 hour 45 minutes

You must answer on the question paper.

No additional materials are needed.

INSTRUCTIONS
● Answer all questions.
● Use a black or dark blue pen. You may use an HB pencil for any diagrams or graphs.
● Write your name, centre number and candidate number in the boxes at the top of the page.
● Write your answer to each question in the space provided.
● Do not use an erasable pen or correction fluid.
● Do not write on any bar codes.
● Calculators must not be used in this paper.

INFORMATION
● The total mark for this paper is 75.
● The number of marks for each question or part question is shown in brackets [ ].
● No marks will be awarded for using brand names of software packages or hardware.

This document has 12 pages.

DC (PQ/FC) 202714/5
© UCLES 2021 [Turn over
 2

1 (a) Xia has three files stored on her computer.

Tick (3) one box to show which is the largest file size.

Tick
File size
(✔)
999 kB

1 MB

850 000 bytes

[1]

(b) Denise has three files stored on her computer.

Tick (3) one box to show which is the smallest file size.

Tick
File size
(✔)
4000 MB

2 GB

2 500 000 kB
[1]

© UCLES 2021 0478/13/O/N/21

 3

2 A sports stadium has an electronic counter that counts each person that enters the stadium.

The count is stored as binary in a 16-bit register.

A denary value of the count is displayed on a screen at the entrance.

(a) The screen currently displays:

0 0 7 1

Give the binary value that is stored in the register to display the count shown.

Binary value: .............................................................................................................................

Working space

...................................................................................................................................................

...................................................................................................................................................

...................................................................................................................................................
[2]

(b) More people enter the sports stadium and the screen now displays:

0 2 5 7

Give the binary value that is stored in the register to display the count shown.

Binary value: .............................................................................................................................

Working space

...................................................................................................................................................

...................................................................................................................................................

...................................................................................................................................................
[2]

© UCLES 2021 0478/13/O/N/21 [Turn over

 4

(c) After everyone has entered the stadium, the register stores the binary value:

0000001000000100
Show what the screen will display when this binary value is stored.

Display:

[1]

Working space

...................................................................................................................................................

...................................................................................................................................................

...................................................................................................................................................

...................................................................................................................................................

(d) Sensors are used at the entrance to count the number of people entering the stadium.

(i) Identify two sensors that could be used to count the number of people entering the
stadium.

Sensor 1 ............................................................................................................................

Sensor 2 ............................................................................................................................
[2]

(ii) Tick (3) one box to show if a sensor is an example of an input device, storage device or
output device.

Tick
Device
(✔)
input

storage

output
[1]

© UCLES 2021 0478/13/O/N/21

 5

3 Five statements are given about error-checking methods.

(a) Tick (3) to show whether each statement applies to Automatic Repeat reQuest (ARQ), check
digit or checksum. Some statements may apply to more than one error-checking method.

ARQ Check digit Checksum

Statement
(✔) (✔) (✔)

checks for errors on data entry

uses a process of acknowledgement and

timeout
compares two calculated values to see if an
error has occurred
may resend data until it is confirmed as
received
checks for errors in data after transmission
from a computer to another
[5]

(b) Identify one other error-checking method.

............................................................................................................................................. [1]

© UCLES 2021 0478/13/O/N/21 [Turn over

 6

4 Frederick prints a document that he has typed.

The printer begins to print the document, but then a message is displayed on Frederick’s computer
to say that the paper has jammed.

(a) Describe the role of an interrupt in generating a message on the computer that the paper has
jammed.

...................................................................................................................................................

...................................................................................................................................................

...................................................................................................................................................

...................................................................................................................................................

...................................................................................................................................................

...................................................................................................................................................

...................................................................................................................................................

............................................................................................................................................. [4]

(b) Give two other examples of when an interrupt signal could be generated.

1 ................................................................................................................................................

2 ................................................................................................................................................
[2]

(c) The type of data transmission between the computer and the printer is serial half-duplex data
transmission.

(i) Describe how data is transmitted using serial half-duplex data transmission.

...........................................................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................................................

..................................................................................................................................... [4]

© UCLES 2021 0478/13/O/N/21

 7

(ii) Explain why the data transmission needs to be half-duplex rather than simplex.

...........................................................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................................................

..................................................................................................................................... [2]

5 In a Von Neumann model for a computer system, a Central Processing Unit (CPU) contains a
number of different components.

The table contains the name of a component or a description of their role in the fetch-execute
cycle.

Complete the table with the missing component names and descriptions.

Component name Description

............................................................................................................
Memory Address
Register (MAR) ............................................................................................................

............................................................................................................

............................................................................................................
Program Counter (PC)
............................................................................................................

............................................................................................................

This is a register that is built into the arithmetic logic unit. It

......................................
temporarily holds the result of a calculation.

This is a register that holds data or an instruction that has been

......................................
fetched from memory.

............................................................................................................
Control Unit (CU)
............................................................................................................

............................................................................................................

...................................... This carries addresses around the CPU.

[6]

© UCLES 2021 0478/13/O/N/21 [Turn over

 8

6 The paragraph describes an MP3 file, MP4 file and a MIDI file.

Complete the paragraph using the list of terms. Not all terms in the list need to be used.

• can
• cannot
• compressed
• image
• microphone
• MIDI
• MP3
• MP4
• notes
• pixels
• speaker
• should
• uncompressed

................................................................. files are a multimedia format that stores video and audio.

................................................................. files are only used as a digital recording of sound; they

are created using a ................................................................. and recording software. The data in

the file is ................................................................. .

................................................................. files contain instructions on how to create the

sound. They are created using digital instruments. The file stores individual

................................................................., each one ................................................................. be

changed in this type of file.

[7]

© UCLES 2021 0478/13/O/N/21

 9

7 Julius creates a computer application that calculates how many years it will take to pay for a
house.

(a) Julius uploads his application to his website for people to download. Before he uploads the
application, he translates the code using a compiler.

Explain why Julius uses a compiler, rather than an interpreter, to do this.

...................................................................................................................................................

...................................................................................................................................................

...................................................................................................................................................

...................................................................................................................................................

...................................................................................................................................................

...................................................................................................................................................

...................................................................................................................................................

............................................................................................................................................. [4]

(b) Julius also creates videos to explain how to use the application that he has created. He
reduces the file size of the videos using lossless compression.

(i) Describe how lossless compression reduces the file size of the video.

...........................................................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................................................

..................................................................................................................................... [3]

(ii) State why Julius uses lossless compression, rather than lossy compression.

...........................................................................................................................................

..................................................................................................................................... [1]

© UCLES 2021 0478/13/O/N/21 [Turn over

 10

(c) Julius wants to distribute his application to a wider audience. He is considering distributing it
as freeware or free software.

(i) Describe freeware and free software.

Freeware ...........................................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................................................

Free software ....................................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................................................
[4]

(ii) Julius also considers distributing a trial version of the application.

Identify the type of software he could use to distribute his application as a trial version.

..................................................................................................................................... [1]

(d) Julius makes sure that all data transmission to and from his website is secure.

One way a user can check if his website uses secure data transmission is to check its
certificate.

Give two other ways that a user can identify if his website uses secure data transmission.

1 ................................................................................................................................................

...................................................................................................................................................

2 ................................................................................................................................................

...................................................................................................................................................
[2]

© UCLES 2021 0478/13/O/N/21

 11

8 Consider the following logic statement:

X = (((A OR B) AND (NOT(B XOR C))) OR NOT C)

(a) Draw a logic circuit to represent the given logic statement.

Do not attempt to simplify the logic statement. All logic gates must have a maximum of two
inputs.

B
X

[6]

(b) Complete the truth table for the given logic statement.

Working space
A B C X

0 0 0

0 0 1

0 1 0

0 1 1

1 0 0

1 0 1

1 1 0

1 1 1
[4]

© UCLES 2021 0478/13/O/N/21 [Turn over

 12

9 A parity check is used to check for errors after transmission on the four given binary values.

All four values are transmitted and received correctly.

Identify whether each 8-bit binary value has been sent using odd or even parity by writing odd or
even in the type of parity column.

Binary value Type of parity

10011001

01111110

11100000

00111001

[4]

10 (a) A denial of service (DoS) attack is a type of Internet security risk.

State the purpose of a denial of service attack.

...................................................................................................................................................

............................................................................................................................................. [1]

(b) Phishing and pharming are also types of Internet security risk. They have the same purpose.

State the purpose of phishing and pharming.

...................................................................................................................................................

............................................................................................................................................. [1]

(c) Identify three other types of Internet security risk.

1 ................................................................................................................................................

2 ................................................................................................................................................

3 ................................................................................................................................................
[3]

Permission to reproduce items where third-party owned material protected by copyright is included has been sought and cleared where possible. Every
reasonable effort has been made by the publisher (UCLES) to trace copyright holders, but if any items requiring clearance have unwittingly been included, the
publisher will be pleased to make amends at the earliest possible opportunity.

To avoid the issue of disclosure of answer-related information to candidates, all copyright acknowledgements are reproduced online in the Cambridge
Assessment International Education Copyright Acknowledgements Booklet. This is produced for each series of examinations and is freely available to download
at www.cambridgeinternational.org after the live examination series.

Cambridge Assessment International Education is part of the Cambridge Assessment Group. Cambridge Assessment is the brand name of the University of
Cambridge Local Examinations Syndicate (UCLES), which itself is a department of the University of Cambridge.

© UCLES 2021 0478/13/O/N/21