# Information Technology Grade 12 P2 NSC November 2016 QP

> Grade 12 Information Technology Paper 2 question paper from the NSC November Exam 2016 (English), 16 pages. Read online or download the free PDF.

- Page: https://www.hlayiso.com/library/information-technology-p2-nov-2016-eng/0f6c5d65-6d45-4323-9401-543bf899bfcb
- Updated: 2026-09-27
- Subject: Information Technology
- Grade: Grade 12
- Document type: Question paper
- Year: 2016
- Exam period: NSC November Exam
- Paper: 2
- Curriculum: CAPS
- Pages: 16

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## About this document

Information Technology · Grade 12 · NSC November Exam · 2016. Question paper, 16 pages. Read online or download the PDF.

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## Document text

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                                  NATIONAL
                             SENIOR CERTIFICATE

                                     GRADE 12

                         INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY P2

                                  NOVEMBER 2016

MARKS: 150

TIME: 3 hours

                       This question paper consists of 16 pages.

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Information Technology/P2                     2                      DBE/November 2016
                                             NSC

INSTRUCTIONS AND INFORMATION

1.      This question paper consists of SIX sections:

        SECTION A:          Short Questions                          (15)
        SECTION B:          Systems Technologies                     (25)
        SECTION C:          Communication and Network Technologies   (25)
        SECTION D:          Data and Information Management          (25)
        SECTION E:          Solution Development                     (20)
        SECTION F:          Integrated Scenario                      (40)

2.      Read ALL the questions carefully.

3.      Answer ALL the questions.

4.      The mark allocation generally gives an indication of the number of
        facts/reasons required.

5.       Number the answers correctly according to the numbering system used in this
         question paper.

6.      Write neatly and legibly.

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Information Technology/P2                        3                          DBE/November 2016
                                                NSC

SECTION A: SHORT QUESTIONS

QUESTION 1

1.1       Various options are provided as possible answers to the following questions.
          Write down the question number (1.1.1–1.1.5), choose the answer and make
          a cross (X) over the letter (A–D) of your choice in the ANSWER BOOK.

          EXAMPLE:

         1.1.6           A           B           C           D

          1.1.1      The type of system software that can be used to perform routine
                     maintenance tasks is known as …

                     A       the database management system.
                     B       utility software.
                     C       device drivers.
                     D       communication software.                                               (1)

          1.1.2      Intellectual property rights refer to the …

                     A       permission granted to an individual to refer to a document
                             created by another author.
                     B       rights of the author of a software application, claiming
                             ownership of the idea behind the program.
                     C       rights a website has over the pictures on their site.
                     D       permission granted to an individual to copy part of a published
                             document.                                                             (1)

          1.1.3      Bandwidth in e-communication refers to …

                     A       media where one is able to surf the net and make telephone
                             calls at the same time.
                     B       the total number of files that can be transferred by one user.
                     C       the width of the cable transferring the data.
                     D       the total amount of data that can be carried from one point to
                             another in a given period of time.                                    (1)

          1.1.4      The conversion of binary number 10111 to a decimal number is ...

                     A       23.
                     B       22.
                     C       30.
                     D       11.                                                                   (1)

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Information Technology/P2                      4                             DBE/November 2016
                                              NSC

          1.1.5      How many times will the loop below be executed?

                     Q1
                     While Q > 0 do
                      …
                      QQ*3–1
                     End While

                     A      Once
                     B      Not at all
                     C      Infinitely
                     D      Three times                                                            (1)

1.2       Give ONE word/term for each of the following descriptions. Write only the
          word/term next to the question number (1.2.1–1.2.10) in the ANSWER BOOK.

          1.2.1      The unnecessary repetition of data in a database file                         (1)

          1.2.2      The process of maximising the number of visits to a particular
                     website by ensuring that the site appears high on the list of results
                     returned by a search engine                                                   (1)

          1.2.3      A software update that is designed to correct a certain or specific
                     problem/error that occurs in software that has been released or is
                     in use                                                                        (1)

          1.2.4      The type of software provided at no cost by a company where the
                     company retains all rights to the software                                    (1)

          1.2.5      A signal created and sent to the CPU that is caused by some action
                     taken by a hardware device                                                    (1)

          1.2.6      Part of an organisation's intranet that is made available to users
                     outside the organisation                                                      (1)

          1.2.7      Computing where the physical location of a person or object is
                     determined and used                                                           (1)

          1.2.8      The protocol used to transfer large files between remote computers
                     that have an Internet connection                                              (1)

          1.2.9      A copyright licence that allows one to use parts of, copy and
                     distribute work for non-profit purposes                                       (1)

          1.2.10     A system where parts of a database are spread across servers in
                     separate locations                                                            (1)

                                                                    TOTAL SECTION A:               15

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Information Technology/P2                    5                        DBE/November 2016
                                            NSC

SCENARIO

The IT class has invited interested parties and companies to exhibit business, career
and study opportunities in IT and also new developments in technology at their school.
The exhibition will take place in the school hall over a weekend.

SECTION B: SYSTEMS TECHNOLOGIES

QUESTION 2

Learners from the IT class need to man the help desk at the exhibition and answer a
variety of computer-related questions.

2.1       Users want to know whether the BIOS is still required in a computer system
          today. Motivate the need for the BIOS by stating TWO important tasks it
          performs.                                                                          (2)

2.2       How does the use of virtual memory prevent the problem of the operating
          system running out of memory when executing programs?                              (3)

2.3       The performance of a computer depends on the performance of the CPU.
          How does EACH of the following contribute to improving the performance of
          the CPU:

          2.3.1      Cache memory                                                            (3)

          2.3.2      Hyperthreading                                                          (2)

          2.3.3      Dedicated video/graphics cards                                          (2)

2.4       Users often complain that their computers initially performed well, but were
          very slow after some time.

          Give TWO possible reasons for this AND explain how to solve this problem.          (4)

2.5       Most computer users use USB flash disks which are plug-and-play compliant.

          Briefly explain what plug-and-play compliance means.                               (2)

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2.6       The reliable storage and backup of data are important in any IT environment.

          2.6.1      RAID technology is often used to improve the reliability of data
                     storage. Briefly explain the concept of mirroring used in RAID
                     technology.                                                               (2)

          2.6.2      Other than RAID technology, state TWO techniques that have
                     been introduced to improve the reliability of hard disk drives as
                     storage devices.                                                          (2)

          2.6.3      A network-attached storage (NAS) device could be used to backup
                     data on-site.

                     State TWO advantages of using network-attached storage devices
                     to backup data on-site.                                                   (2)

2.7       Software as a Service (SaaS) is used at the school.

          Motivate the use of SaaS at a school.                                                (1)

                                                                  TOTAL SECTION B:             25

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Information Technology/P2                       7                          DBE/November 2016
                                               NSC

SECTION C: COMMUNICATION AND NETWORK TECHNOLOGIES

QUESTION 3

A peer-to-peer LAN, which may be used by the exhibitors, will be provided in the
school hall. The LAN in the hall will be connected to the school's client-server network.

3.1       One advantage of using a network is that one is able to share hardware, such
          as printers.

          3.1.1      State TWO other advantages of networking computers.                           (2)

          3.1.2      Explain why a client-server network is more suitable than a
                     peer-to-peer network to host a school's administration system.                (2)

3.2       TCP/IP is one of the standard protocols currently used in networks.

          3.2.1      Briefly explain the purpose of TCP/IP.                                        (2)

          3.2.2      SMTP is one of the protocols in the TCP/IP suite. What is the
                     purpose of the SMTP?                                                          (1)

3.3       The school uses copper cables as a communication medium in their LAN.

          3.3.1      State TWO weaknesses/disadvantages of copper cables as a
                     communication medium.                                                         (2)

          3.3.2      Fibre-optic cables were installed in the area around the school as
                     part of a WAN that the school will be able to use.

                     (a)    What medium is used to transfer data in fibre-optic cables?            (1)

                     (b)    Motivate why fibre-optic cables would be advisable to use in
                            a WAN.                                                                 (1)

3.4       The school's administration data needs to be kept safe on their network.

          State TWO possible ways in which data could be tampered with on a LAN.

          Suggest a precautionary measure that could be taken in EACH case to
          prevent these problems.                                                                  (4)

3.5       The exhibitors can use laptop computers to connect to the Internet, using the
          school's wireless connection.

          3.5.1      What hardware will a laptop computer require to connect wirelessly
                     to the Internet?                                                              (1)

          3.5.2      State TWO disadvantages of wireless communication.                            (2)

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Information Technology/P2                     8                          DBE/November 2016
                                             NSC

3.6       Many visitors at the exhibition will use their mobile devices to access the
          Internet and interact with the presentations by the exhibitors.

          3.6.1      Explain the term convergence relating to mobile devices.                      (2)

          3.6.2      State TWO constraints users normally experience when using
                     mobile devices.                                                               (2)

3.7       There are several free public Wi-Fi hotspots with limited data per day that
          visitors can use in the area where the school is situated.

          3.7.1      What is a public Wi-Fi hotspot?                                               (2)

          3.7.2      Motivate the reason for limiting the data per day for the users of
                     these Wi-Fi hotspots.                                                         (1)

                                                                   TOTAL SECTION C:                25

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Information Technology/P2                      9                          DBE/November 2016
                                              NSC

SECTION D: DATA AND INFORMATION MANAGEMENT

QUESTION 4

The information on the exhibition is stored in a database.

4.1       Quality data is needed for useful information to be extracted from a database.

          List THREE characteristics of quality data.                                             (3)

4.2       While testing the database one of the users complained about an update
          anomaly that occurred.

          What is an update anomaly?                                                              (2)

4.3       The school runs their DBMS (database management system) on their server.

          What is the advantage of running a DBMS on a server?                                    (1)

4.4       Many learners are interested in careers in the database environment.

          4.4.1      What is the responsibility of a database administrator?                      (1)

          4.4.2      State TWO tasks specific to the job description of a database
                     analyst.                                                                     (2)

4.5       After extensive use of a database where the data rapidly accumulates, the
          database may become large and slow.

          Suggest a solution to scale down the size of the database without losing the
          functionality of the database.                                                          (1)

4.6       The data for the exhibition has been recorded in a database consisting of two
          tables, tblExhibitors and tblStands, in a one-to-many relationship. The
          structure of the tables and its content are shown below.

                                          tblExhibitors
                  Name of field    Data type         Description
                 ExhibitorNo      Autonumber        Unique exhibitor's number
                  CompanyName      Text              Name of company
                  ContactNo        Text              Contact number of company

          Data of four records in the tblExhibitors table:

           ExhibitorNo             CompanyName          ContactNo
           1                       Funda                0246523652
           2                       MoreDevices          0117857411
           3                       NewWiz               0121234565
           4                       BooksForAll          0164525263

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                                                NSC

                                             tblStands
             Name of field           Data type        Description
            StandNo                 Text             Unique stand number
             ExhibitorNo             Number           Exhibitor number
             PlugPoint               Yes/No           Plug point required or not
             Assistants              Number           Number of assistants required

          The tblStands table below shows all the stands allocated to the exhibitors at
          the exhibition.

                      StandNo         ExhibitorNo      PlugPoint       Assistants
                        A01                4                              2
                        A03                2                              0
                        A04                2                              1
                        B01                3                              1
                        B02                3                               0
                        C01                1                               2
                        C02                2                              2
                        C03                4                              4

          4.6.1      The organiser is concerned that the same stand might be allocated
                     to more than one exhibitor.

                     Explain why the current design of the database will not allow for the
                     same stand to be allocated to more than one exhibitor.                           (2)

          4.6.2      Use the tblExhibitors and tblStands tables above and write SQL
                     statements to perform the following tasks:

                     (a)    Display the stand numbers that require a plug point.                      (3)

                     (b)    Allocate an additional assistant to each stand.                           (3)

                     (c)    The NewWiz company has incorrectly reserved an extra stand
                            for the exhibition. Remove the stand with stand number B02
                            from the database.                                                        (2)

          4.6.3      The following SQL statement was entered:

                     SELECT CompanyName, Count(StandNo) AS NumStands,
                     Sum(Assistants) AS SumAssistants
                     FROM tblExhibitors, tblStands WHERE
                     tblExhibitors.ExhibitorNo = tblStands.ExhibitorNo
                     GROUP BY CompanyName;

                     Use the example data provided for the tblExhibitors and tblStands
                     tables and give the exact output for the SQL statement above.                    (5)

                                                                       TOTAL SECTION D:               25

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SECTION E: SOLUTION DEVELOPMENT

QUESTION 5

5.1       Exhibitors must register with the committee to ensure that no double bookings
          occur.

          5.1.1      The electronic form below was designed to be used for online
                     registration.

                     (a)    Critically comment on the layout of the components of the form,
                            by indicating TWO ways in which the layout can be improved.           (2)

                     (b)    Critically evaluate the components on the form that are used to
                            obtain data from the user. Identify TWO poorly chosen
                            components and suggest a more suitable component in EACH
                            case. Motivate EACH suggestion.                                       (2)

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Information Technology/P2                       12                           DBE/November 2016
                                               NSC

          5.1.2      The form below was designed to capture the data of a stand object
                     named objStand.

                     Using the above form, draw a UML (unified modelling language)
                     diagram for the objStand object class.

                     The diagram must contain the following:

                     • All the attributes for this object according to the specifications of a
                       UML diagram
                     • An accessor method for the 'Stall code' attribute
                     • A mutator method for the 'Plug point required' attribute                       (4)

5.2       A number of competitions will be run during the course of the exhibition.
          The IT learners are requested to assist in developing apps for these
          competitions.

          5.2.1      The answer to a mathematical sequence is required. The program
                     must randomly generate a number in the range from 1 to 10
                     (inclusive) and use this value to generate the terms of the sequence
                     and the required answer.

                     Example:

                     If the random number generated is 6, the answer must be calculated
                     as follows:

                     Write pseudocode to generate the random number and calculate the
                     answer for the sequence generated. Do NOT display the sequence
                     of terms.                                                                        (7)

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Information Technology/P2                     13                         DBE/November 2016
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          5.2.2      One of the competitions will require that the learners determine the
                     output for a program segment represented by the flowchart below.

                     Copy and complete the trace table below to determine what the
                     output of this program segment will be.

                      A          Is A>3?    B          Astring     Is B>A?    Display
                                                                                                  (5)

                                                                    TOTAL SECTION E:              20

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Information Technology/P2                        14                           DBE/November 2016
                                                NSC

SECTION F: INTEGRATED SCENARIO

QUESTION 6

The exhibition will showcase a variety of topics and new technologies. A separate
help desk will be available to assist with Internet-related aspects.

6.1       The school hosts a dynamic website and will use this website to promote the
          exhibition.

          6.1.1      Explain the difference between a dynamic website and a
                     static website.                                                                  (2)

          6.1.2      Important information regarding the exhibition will appear on the
                     school website and an RSS facility will be provided.

                     What is an RSS facility?                                                         (2)

          6.1.3      It has been suggested that a blog should be used to promote the
                     exhibition.

                     (a)    Give an example of how a blog can be used for this purpose.               (2)

                     (b)    Discuss scalability with reference to the virtual server hosting a
                            blog and the traffic reacting to a blog post.                             (2)

6.2       Each exhibitor will be issued with a wrist band containing an RFID tag to allow
          the exhibitor access to the canteen for lunch.

          6.2.1      What technology is used by RFID tags?                                            (1)

          6.2.2      Motivate the use of RFID tags instead of tickets with bar codes.                 (1)

6.3       A number of Internet-related questions were submitted to the IT learners at
          the help desk.

          6.3.1      The Internet provides various online storage facilities.

                     (a)    Briefly discuss TWO advantages of using cloud storage.                    (2)

                     (b)    Motivate why the following TWO issues would be important
                            when choosing a specific online storage facility:

                            • Speed
                            • Security                                                                (2)

          6.3.2      The Internet of Things is one solution for information overloading.

                     (a)    Briefly explain what the Internet of Things is.                           (2)

                     (b)    What is meant by information overloading?                                 (2)

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Information Technology/P2                                 15                            DBE/November 2016
                                                         NSC

          6.3.3       The graph below shows some VOD services that are available on
                      the Internet.

                                                  Movies

                               Number of titles

                                                   Netflix   Showmax   OnTapTV

                                                       VOD service

                      (a)   What is a VOD service?                                                              (1)

                      (b)   Netflix is a streaming service.

                            Differentiate between              using    a   streaming    service    and
                            downloading movies.                                                                 (2)

          6.3.4       HTML (hypertext mark-up language) and JavaScript, which is a
                      scripting language, are often mentioned in terms of web page
                      design.

                      (a)   Why does one need HTML to display web pages?                                        (1)

                      (b)   Why is JavaScript regarded as a scripting language?                                 (1)

6.4       One of the exhibitors will do a presentation on the capabilities of intelligent
          self-driven vehicles.

                     Future of travel
                     Self-driven cars

          6.4.1       State ONE essential intelligent task that the software designed for a
                      self-driven vehicle should be able to perform.                                            (1)

          6.4.2       Self-driven vehicles use GPS devices.

                      Name TWO other hardware devices that this type of vehicle should
                      have in order to perform the intelligent tasks required.                                  (2)

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          6.4.3      It has been stated that there will be fewer accidents with self-driven
                     vehicles as human error will be eliminated.

                     State ONE disadvantage of self-driven vehicles.                           (1)

6.5       A cybercrime expert will compile a poster about computer crimes committed
          by means of ICT as a tool.

          6.5.1      Give ONE example of cybercrime that affects society negatively.           (1)

          6.5.2      Discuss ONE way in which cybercrime can have a negative
                     influence on a business.                                                  (2)

          6.5.3      Explain how phishing is used in online fraud scams.                       (2)

          6.5.4      How would an audit trail assist when the hacking of a database is
                     investigated?                                                             (2)

          6.5.5      Explain what a denial-of-service attack is.                               (2)

6.6       An environmental agency requested a stand to promote the responsible use
          of computers in the environment.

          Suggest TWO ways in which the negative effects of computers on the
          environment can be minimised.                                                        (2)

6.7       The Department of Home Affairs will attend the exhibition to encourage
          people to apply for their new smart ID cards.

          6.7.1      Briefly explain what a smart card is.                                     (1)

          6.7.2      Explain the advantage for citizens to have smart ID cards.                (1)

                                                                     TOTAL SECTION F:          40
                                                                       GRAND TOTAL:            150

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