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computer science paper 1 our helppp

for the wired q, I said that wired connections are less prone to interception instead of INTERFERENCE!!!! Would I get the 2 marks? I think it is still a valid point but idk if it will qualify. I def contextualised and explained secutrity advantages for the airport. Pls help :frown:
Reply 1
Original post by Anonymous
for the wired q, I said that wired connections are less prone to interception instead of INTERFERENCE!!!! Would I get the 2 marks? I think it is still a valid point but idk if it will qualify. I def contextualised and explained secutrity advantages for the airport. Pls help :frown:

ocr exam board, not our (thread title.) Typo, sorry!!!
Reply 2
well, you're correct, wired connection are less easy to hack than wireless, so I think you'd get the mark
(edited 9 months ago)
Reply 3
Original post by Anonymous
for the wired q, I said that wired connections are less prone to interception instead of INTERFERENCE!!!! Would I get the 2 marks? I think it is still a valid point but idk if it will qualify. I def contextualised and explained secutrity advantages for the airport. Pls help :frown:

No. Interception is where you intercept a message between two people. Interference is where you corrupt that message through EM fields developing in the cables. So no, if interception is not on the mark scheme (it is not) then you don't get the marks. You might also talk about cross talk.

I recommend you look at the mark schemes. The rule of thumb is that if you don't use the keywords, you don't get the mark. There is no interpretation.
Reply 4
I googled it after and it is a correct point, I just don't know if the examiner would accept it. Do you think the examiner would? I am so annoyed and really need the 2 marks for my grade.
Reply 5
Original post by hotpud
No. Interception is where you intercept a message between two people. Interference is where you corrupt that message through EM fields developing in the cables. So no, if interception is not on the mark scheme (it is not) then you don't get the marks. You might also talk about cross talk.
I recommend you look at the mark schemes. The rule of thumb is that if you don't use the keywords, you don't get the mark. There is no interpretation.

I thought wired communications are less prone to interception though, which is why it's not as necessary to encrypt data, as hackers find it harder to intercept messages travelling on physical cables, but messages from wireless connections are easier to intercept. In the context of the airport scenario, surely it would make sense? That the travellers are less likely to have their messages intercepted, correct me if I'm wrong though, it's just I'm also confused now lol
Reply 6
Original post by liqht
I thought wired communications are less prone to interception though, which is why it's not as necessary to encrypt data, as hackers find it harder to intercept messages travelling on physical cables, but messages from wireless connections are easier to intercept. In the context of the airport scenario, surely it would make sense? That the travellers are less likely to have their messages intercepted, correct me if I'm wrong though, it's just I'm also confused now lol

Hang on - you are confusing two things. So firstly, are we in AQA land or OCR? In AQA, wired communications come in parallel and serial both of which have advantages and disadvantages. One of the primary disadvantages of parallel is cross talk where individual lines create electro magnetic field which interfere with the signals in other lines. They also suffer from the phenomenon where signals arrive at their destination at different times.

Now this has nothing whatsoever to do with how easy it is to intercept or not or whether you should encrypt or not. That is a completely different matter. Of course cabled communications are harder to intercept because you have to gain physical access whereas wireless communications you can scan the frequencies and eves drop easily.

Ultimately, though we are talking about a question I have not seen. Read the markscheme. What does that say?
(edited 9 months ago)
Reply 7
Original post by hotpud
Hang on - you are confusing two things. So firstly, are we in AQA land or OCR? In AQA, wired communications come in parallel and serial both of which have advantages and disadvantages. One of the primary disadvantages of parallel is cross talk where individual lines create electro magnetic field which interfere with the signals in other lines. They also suffer from the phenomenon where signals arrive at their destination at different times.
Now this has nothing whatsoever to do with how easy it is to intercept or not or whether you should encrypt or not. That is a completely different matter. Of course cabled communications are harder to intercept because you have to gain physical access whereas wireless communications you can scan the frequencies and eves drop easily.
Ultimately, though we are talking about a question I have not seen. Read the markscheme. What does that say?

ohh, well this post, and the exam board I do, is OCR and I think it was in the 2024 paper, so no-body knows the mark scheme. Also, I don't think parallel and serial wired communications are on our spec as I've never heard of them so I think it's just a case of different exam boards and misunderstanding 😂
Reply 8
yess this is all OCR, based on the 2024 paper (thread title.) I guess different exam boards have different content, so I can see why you may have been a bit confused @hotpud. No one knows if interception is valid or not for a question on this year's paper, but I was wondering if people with the OCR exam board could confirm. Thanks. Do any past students/others that took the OCR test know if this point is fine?

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