Total marks: 80 · Duration: 150 minutes
Instructions to candidates
• Answer ALL questions in both Section A and Section B. • Write your answers in the spaces provided on the Question Paper. • You may use an HB pencil for any diagrams or graphs. • Calculators may be used. • Section A carries 48 marks. Section B carries 32 marks. • The number of marks is given in brackets [ ] at the end of each question or part question.
Paper
Section A — Structured Questions (48 marks)
Question 1
A sports club uses a database to store information about its members.
Part of the database table MEMBERS is shown below:
| MemberID | FirstName | Surname | DateJoined | Sport | MonthlyFee | Active |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| M001 | Sarah | Ahmed | 12/03/2019 | Tennis | 45.00 | TRUE |
| M002 | James | Chen | 08/11/2020 | Swimming | 38.50 | TRUE |
| M003 | Priya | Kapoor | 15/06/2018 | Tennis | 45.00 | FALSE |
| M004 | Michael | O'Brien | 22/01/2021 | Football | 42.00 | TRUE |
| M005 | Emma | Williams | 04/09/2019 | Swimming | 38.50 | TRUE |
(a) State the data type that would be most appropriate for the field Active. (1 mark)
(b) Explain why the data type Currency would be more appropriate than Text for the field MonthlyFee. (2 marks)
(c) The sports club manager wants to create a query to find all members who:
- play Tennis
- AND joined before 01/01/2020
Write the search criteria that would be entered for the fields Sport and DateJoined. (2 marks)
(d) The manager creates a report showing total monthly income from active members only.
Describe the steps needed to calculate this total in the report. (3 marks)
(e) The database includes validation rules to ensure data is entered correctly.
Suggest a suitable validation rule for the field MonthlyFee and explain why this rule is appropriate. (3 marks)
Question 2
A travel agency uses a spreadsheet to calculate holiday package costs.
[Screenshot description: A spreadsheet showing columns A-F with the following structure:
- Row 1: Headers (Destination | Base Cost | Insurance | Excursions | Discount% | Total Cost)
- Row 2: Maldives | 1850 | 95 | 240 | 10 | [formula]
- Row 3: Iceland | 1420 | 85 | 180 | 5 | [formula]
- Row 4: Morocco | 980 | 65 | 120 | 0 | [formula]]
(a) The formula in cell F2 should calculate: (Base Cost + Insurance + Excursions) − discount
The discount is calculated as a percentage of the Base Cost only.
Write the formula that should be entered in cell F2. Use cell references in your answer. (2 marks)
(b) Explain why the formula in F2 would need to be edited before it is copied to cells F3 and F4, or explain why it would not need to be edited. (2 marks)
(c) The travel agency wants to use a lookup function to automatically assign insurance costs based on the Base Cost.
The lookup table shows:
| Base Cost Range | Insurance Cost |
|---|---|
| 0 - 999 | 65 |
| 1000 - 1499 | 85 |
| 1500+ | 95 |
Describe how a lookup function would work in this context. (3 marks)
(d) The spreadsheet will be used by multiple staff members who have different levels of experience.
Describe two features that could be used to prevent inexperienced users from accidentally changing important formulae. (4 marks)
Question 3
A school magazine is produced using desktop publishing (DTP) software.
(a) State two features of DTP software that make it more suitable than word processing software for creating a magazine layout. (2 marks)
(b) The magazine includes photographs taken by students. These photographs are stored as bitmap images with a resolution of 4000 × 3000 pixels and a colour depth of 24 bits.
Calculate the file size of one photograph in megabytes (MB). Show your working. (3 marks)
(c) The editor needs to reduce the file size of photographs before including them in the magazine.
Describe two different methods of reducing the file size and explain one disadvantage of each method. (6 marks)
(d) The magazine includes a contents page with hyperlinks to different sections.
Explain how hyperlinks improve the usability of the digital version of the magazine. (2 marks)
Question 4
An online retailer uses mail merge to send personalized letters to customers.
The data source contains these fields: CustomerID, Title, FirstName, Surname, EmailAddress, PurchaseAmount, DiscountCode
(a) Explain what is meant by the term mail merge. (2 marks)
(b) The retailer wants to send letters only to customers whose PurchaseAmount is greater than £500.
State the term used to describe the process of selecting only these records. (1 mark)
(c) The letter includes the merge field <
Describe one problem that could occur if the Title field contains no data for some customers and suggest how this problem could be avoided. (3 marks)
(d) The retailer decides to send the personalized letters by email instead of postal mail.
Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of using email instead of postal mail for this purpose. (4 marks)
Question 5
A conference organizer uses presentation software to create a slide show for an event.
(a) Describe two features of master slides and explain why using master slides improves consistency across a presentation. (4 marks)
(b) The organizer embeds a video file into one of the slides.
Compare embedding a video file with linking to an external video file. (4 marks)
(c) The presentation will be delivered in a large auditorium with 500 attendees.
Suggest three design features that would make the slides more readable for a large audience and explain why each feature is important. (6 marks)
Section B — Extended Response (32 marks)
Question 6
A medical practice currently stores patient records using a paper-based filing system. The practice manager is considering replacing this with an electronic database system.
The database would store:
- Personal details (name, address, date of birth, contact numbers)
- Medical history (previous conditions, allergies, medications)
- Appointment records (date, time, doctor seen, reason for visit)
- Prescription history
- Emergency contact information
The practice has 8 doctors, 12 nurses, 6 administrative staff and approximately 15,000 registered patients. The practice is open 12 hours per day, 6 days per week.
Evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of replacing the paper-based system with an electronic database system. You should consider:
- Data storage and retrieval
- Security and confidentiality
- Initial and ongoing costs
- Training and staff adaptation
- Backup and disaster recovery
Make a recommendation about whether the medical practice should implement the electronic database system. (15 marks)
Question 7
Many organizations now allow employees to work from home (teleworking) rather than travelling to a central office. These employees use a range of communication technologies including:
- Email and instant messaging
- Video conferencing
- Cloud storage and collaborative document editing
- Virtual Private Networks (VPNs)
Discuss the impact of teleworking on both employees and employers. In your answer you should consider:
- Communication and collaboration
- Productivity and work-life balance
- Technology requirements and costs
- Security and data protection
- Social and environmental impacts
You must include both positive and negative impacts in your answer. (17 marks)