#16 Jun 2023 Q5(a)(i) 2 marks 1.2.1/1.2.2 primary AND secondary storage

Question

Lead-in: An artist has a computer that they use to create images. The hardware includes primary and secondary storage.

(a)(i) Explain why a computer needs both primary and secondary storage.

[2]

Why this question is tricky

Some candidates found this question challenging and often gave examples of each type of storage instead of answering why both are required... A common misconception was that secondary storage is used when primary storage is full, or that it is only used as a backup.— J277_01_ER_Jun2023.txt lines 302-307

MS complexity 3/10: Strict — "Secondary NBOD 'to backup data' without reference to the long-term / permanence". Cross-topic 1.2.1 + 1.2.2.

Full-marks model answer

Primary storage is needed to hold the active data, instructions and operating system that the processor needs to access immediately — without primary storage the computer would not be able to start up or run any software.

Secondary storage is needed to store data and files long-term / permanently so that the user's files are kept when the power is turned off — primary storage (RAM) is volatile and would lose this data.

Mark allocation (2 marks)
  • Primary (1): "to store (active) data/instructions/software/OS that the processor needs to access // without primary the computer won't be able to start up".
  • Secondary (1): "to store data/files long-term/permanently // without secondary the user's files will not be stored when the power is turned off".

Watch out for...

Don't give examples of storage devices (RAM, hard drive). Answer why both are needed. For secondary you must mention long-term or permanent storage — "backup" alone is not enough.