Types and methods of data transmission: past paper questions

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• Question 4May/June 2026, paper 11Structured11 marks

  An optical mouse is connected to a computer using a universal serial bus (USB) cable. State the purpose of the optical mouse.

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• Question 7Oct/Nov 2025, paper 11Structured5 marks

  A theatre has a microphone on stage that is connected by cables to several speakers around the theatre. A person speaks into the microphone and their voice is output from the speakers. Identify the most appropriate data transmission method for this purpose.

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• Question 4Oct/Nov 2024, paper 11Structured11 marks

  A company decides to create a network for its devices. All the company devices are within a single room. The employees will need to use their devices to send data to each other and share files.

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• Question 4Oct/Nov 2023, paper 11Structured7 marks

  Data is transmitted between a computer and a printer. The data is transmitted one bit at a time down a single wire. The computer can transmit data to the printer and the printer can transmit data to the computer, using the same connection.

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• Question 5Oct/Nov 2025, paper 12Structured10 marks

  A computer system has a mouse. An interrupt is sent to the CPU every time a button on the mouse is clicked. Identify the name of this type of interrupt.

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• Question 5Oct/Nov 2024, paper 12Structured12 marks

  A barcode scanning system uses a check digit to check for errors in data on input. Explain how the barcode scanning system operates to check for errors.

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• Question 7Oct/Nov 2023, paper 11Structured4 marks

  Complete the statements about data packets and packet switching.

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• Question 2May/June 2026, paper 13Structured15 marks

  Data is transmitted across a network. The bits of data are divided into sections that are each transmitted independently across the network to their destination. Identify the name given to these sections of data.

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• Question 3Oct/Nov 2025, paper 13Structured14 marks

  Data is split into packets before it is transmitted across a network. The diagram shows a packet with three sections. Complete the diagram by writing the name of each section of the packet.

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• Question 2Oct/Nov 2024, paper 13Structured24 marks

  An employee has a report that they need to email to their employer. The employee compresses the report file before emailing it. State the effect the compression has on the report file.

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• Question 6Oct/Nov 2023, paper 12Structured4 marks

  The table contains descriptions about data transmission methods. Complete the table by identifying which data transmission methods are described.

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• Question 4May/June 2025, paper 11Structured12 marks

  A restaurant has an electronic ordering system. The system allows customers to select the food they want to order. The data for the order is transmitted across their network to a computer in the restaurant kitchen.

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• Question 4May/June 2024, paper 11Structured7 marks

  Data packets are transmitted across a network from one computer to another computer. Describe the structure of a data packet.

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• Question 2May/June 2023, paper 11Structured10 marks

  A student has a sound file that is too large to be stored on their external secondary storage device. The student compresses the sound file to make the file size smaller. The compression method used reduces the sample rate and the sample resolution of the sound file.

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• Question 3May/June 2025, paper 12Structured22 marks

  A programmer writes a program to store and sort all the data for the books in her home library. The programmer uses a high-level language to write the program.

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• Question 2May/June 2024, paper 12Structured7 marks

  Data can be transmitted from one device to another. Tick (✓) one box to show which of the terms is not a method for transmitting data.

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• Question 4May/June 2023, paper 12Structured9 marks

  A student uses a mobile phone to take photographs for a school project. The student needs to transmit the photographs to their computer. They could use serial data transmission or parallel data transmission to transmit the photographs.

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• Question 6May/June 2025, paper 13Structured15 marks

  A weather station uses automated systems to collect and analyse data about the weather. The automated system uses sensors. Give one other component that would be part of the automated system.

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• Question 7May/June 2024, paper 13Structured18 marks

  A company has a network that includes a web server. Data is transmitted across the network using serial half-duplex data transmission. Draw and annotate a diagram to show how the data is transmitted using serial half-duplex data transmission.

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• Question 5May/June 2023, paper 13Structured4 marks

  Complete and annotate the diagram to demonstrate how packet switching is used to transmit data across a network, including the use of routers, from Device A to…

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