OCR Level 2 Information Technology (Cambridge Nationals) Past Papers

Essentials of IT questions reward precise technical vocabulary. Know the key hardware components and their roles: CPU executes instructions (measured in GHz clock speed); RAM provides temporary working storage (faster access, volatile); hard drive/SSD provides permanent storage (slower access, non-volatile); GPU handles graphical processing. The relationship between CPU, RAM, and storage is a common question: more RAM allows more applications to run simultaneously; a faster CPU processes instructions more quickly; an SSD dramatically speeds up file access compared to an HDD. Networking questions often confuse students between hardware types. A router connects different networks and forwards data packets between them (typically connects your home network to the internet); a switch connects devices within the same network; a wireless access point provides Wi-Fi connectivity. A modem converts digital signals to analogue for transmission over telephone lines (or fibre optic signals — know that different modem types exist for different connection technologies). For Essentials of Cyber Security, know the specific characteristics of each malware type: a virus attaches to legitimate files and spreads when files are shared; ransomware encrypts files and demands payment for the decryption key; spyware secretly monitors user activity and sends data to an attacker; a Trojan masquerades as legitimate software to gain system access. Social engineering exploits human psychology rather than technical vulnerabilities — phishing targets users via fake emails; vishing via fake phone calls; smishing via fake SMS messages. For each, know the technical and human controls: email filters + user training for phishing; MFA + strong passwords for account compromise.