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J277 1 Paper 1 mixed knowledge and application
Part 3 of 7 · J277 Paper 1 · Exam transition
Mixed Paper 1 application using the computers and services of a mobile science laboratory.
Students will:
- select relevant hardware, memory and network knowledge
- apply security controls to a described risk
- explain operating-system actions in context
- develop consequences for people and the environment
- justify a technical decision
Inside: 5 text sections, 1 multiple-choice activity, 2 completion activities, 8 written answers. 29 marks. Suggested time: 50–75 minutes. 1 diagram.
Includes a teacher guide with sections, timings, misconceptions and repair routes.
Series: J277 Paper 1 · Exam transition, part 3 of 7.
Shared by Coding PathwayVerified teacher
- 16 cells
- About 60 minutes
- CC BY-SA 4.0
- Shared 17 Aug 2026
- Updated 27 Oct 2026
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The whole resource, exactly as a class sees it. Answers and marking are held back.
Mixed knowledge and application
A school environmental project records observations in local parks. Students use laptops and tablets, then share files with staff at school. Choose the relevant knowledge for each task.
Apply means use the fact to explain what happens here. For example, naming a folder after an investigation helps staff find that investigation's files later. Naming a topic alone does not explain its effect.
1. Connections and shared capacity
The project needs wired connections within its base, wireless access for tablets and a link to other networks. Use the required job to choose a device.
- router
- switch
- wireless access point
- web server
- NIC
Students carry tablets between different tables while recording observations. Explain one benefit of Wi-Fi rather than an Ethernet cable for this use.
Students type their answer here.
One student can upload an image quickly. When many students upload images at once through the same connection, each upload takes longer. Explain why this can happen.
Students type their answer here.
2. Select what the processor needs
A register holds a small item currently needed by the CPU. Distinguish an address from the data stored at that address. Cache is different: it keeps frequently needed instructions/data for quick CPU access.
For performance, explain a factor's effect. More cores help only where tasks can use them; a clock-speed figure alone does not describe every part of a system.
Two laptops have the same clock speed. Laptop B has more CPU cores and a larger cache than Laptop A. Explain how these two differences could improve performance, and why they do not guarantee that every program runs faster.
Students type their answer here.
A project laptop frequently uses virtual memory while editing its recordings. Explain why this can make editing less responsive than keeping the needed data in RAM.
Students type their answer here.
The project connects a specialist USB water-quality sensor to a laptop. Describe how a device driver lets the operating system use this sensor.
Students type their answer here.
3. Protect the right thing
The next tasks concern different needs. Decide whether an answer must preserve exact data, protect its meaning or change how personal information is kept. One useful action does not automatically meet all three needs.
The project compresses a file of measured values. Every original value must be recovered exactly. Which method fits this requirement?
- ALossy compression because values can be removed
- BLossless compression because decompression restores the original data
- CEncryption because it always makes files smaller
- DDefragmentation because it deletes repeated values
The project encrypts private student records before uploading them. An attacker copies the transmission. Explain how encryption limits the harm.
Students type their answer here.
The project plans to keep named students' old contact details indefinitely, without checking whether they are still needed. Recommend one change and explain the relevant data-protection responsibility.
Students type their answer here.
4. Compare a workable plan
Staff need to work at school and at field sites. Some sites have unreliable internet, but the project's laptops and local network still work. The project can keep files on a local server, a cloud service or both. The diagram shows the routes, not automatic copies or backups.
An environmental project works at school and at field sites with unreliable internet but working laptops and a local network. Recommend local server storage, cloud storage or a combined approach. Explain one benefit and one drawback of your proposed arrangement for the project.
Students type their answer here.
Review
After feedback, choose one answer where the fact was correct but the explanation was incomplete. Add the missing link to the project, then identify a different situation where that same idea would matter.