VCE IT:A 2008 Suggested Solutions

[excal]

Note that as I'm not actually doing the subject anymore, there may be inconsistencies between what VCAA prescribes for the study design and what is actually done out in the industry. Also, I'm rushing because I have things I need to do. But here goes...

1. B
2. A
3. C
4. B
5. D
6. A
7. B
8. B
9. D
10. D
11. C
12. B
13. D
14. B
15. This is a shit question. D would be the best answer IMHO.
16. D is the 'secure' option, C can be 'accessed anywhere' but may not be secure.
17. D
18. C
19. A
20. D

[excal]

Question 1

a. Age and Gender (there are definitely more)
b. Due to the age of the audience, the content of the website will need to meet classification guidelines for children under 18 and moderated as such.

Question 2

(this is a full list, you would have picked only two)

W Subjects: Art, Biology, Chemistry, Drama, English, Mathematics.
X Parent Information: Fees, Parent Association, Weekly Calendar, Newsletter.
Y Visitor Information: Location Map, Fees (could reasonably belong here too), Newsletter (could reasonably belong here too).
Z Student Welfare: Medical Care, Pastoral Care.

Question 3
a.
Feature: Alternating background colouring
Explanation: This makes each row (item) distinguishable such that there is no confusion between rows when reading across the screen.

Feature: Colours/varieties appended to end of items
Explanation: This makes looking for an item easier when the list is both long and sorted alphabetically.

b.
Convention: Bolded table headers
Explanation: This creates a differentiation between table body and table header. In addition, this makes the header text stand out.

Convention: Right alignment of currency amounts
Explanation: This, as currency is of two decimals, keeps decimals aligned. This makes quick comparisons of cost easier.

Question 4
a. Health Records Act 2001 (Vic)
b. Assuming that mechanism to access the data is secured, the application should be closed when there is no further need to access the patient's data.
c. The hospital must ensure that the patient themselves gave permission for the data to be transmitted.

d.
i. How will our son/daughter's information be used by the Health Commission?
   Will they be personally identifiable?
ii. Do you know what your information will be used for?
   Can you refuse permission for your information to be used?
iii. How are you going to control access to my child's information?

e. Firewalls are designed to protect a network from external attack. This will prevent malicious users on the internet from breaking into the network and acquiring the information.

f. Having only one form of protection means that there is a single point of failure. Should the firewall fail to protect from another form of attack, the database could be compromised. For example, if someone inside the network had some malware installed onto their desktop - this could potentially create a backdoor into the network.

Question 5
Yes:
- Users are likely to be familiar with the function of this button.
- It is red, which makes it stand out from the other buttons.
- The cross hints towards the function of the button.

Question 6
a. AutoNumber (this exam seems to be Access-biased, otherwise it's technically just Number). This ensures uniqueness of the field by having the database management system automatically count up numbers, rather than using human input.
b. UnitPrice >= 10 AND UnitPrice <= 25
c. The error message gives the user a meaningful reasoning as to why the insert failed, a plain English version of the rule and, implicitly, an instruction on how to rectify the issue. This forms part of the validation process.
d.
i. Where one entity (in this case, a Category) may have many of another (a Product).
ii. If both of these were rolled into the one table, it would be difficult maintaining any given category as a change in one would have to be reflected in as many rows as there are Products.

Question 7
a. I'll do this later. But so you can visualise what is the correct answer:
- A runs from Monday - Tuesday. Links forward to E
- B runs from Monday - Thursday. Links forward to C
- C runs from Friday - Wednesday of the next week. Links back to B, forward to D
- D runs on the Thursday straight after C finishes. Links back to C, forward to E
- E (milestone) occurs between Thursday and Friday (they would probably prefer Friday - this Gantt chart is too simplistic to model time which is the normal way of doing things). Links back to A and D.
- F runs on Friday straight after D. Links back to E.

That being said, E does not seem to have any predecessors. The way it's written suggests that they forgot to add these in. Technically speaking, the milestone would sit at the very beginning of the project, looking very useless...I have a feeling they will award marks for this error.

b. A milestone is frequently used in projects to denote an important point of a project has been reached whether it be a rollout of a piece of functionality / deliverables, handover of the project to the client / another team or a transition to another phase in the SDLC (or problem solving methodology for you guys...stupid VCAA introducing terminology that's never used in the industry).

Question 8
This question is old.

The order should be:

7. Start
3. Enter Order Details
1. Calculate Cost
4. Is this an existing Customer?
(going right)
-> on arrow | 5. No
-> in box     | 2. Discount the total
(going down)
-> on arrow | 9. Yes
6. Print Receipt
8. Stop

Question 9
a.
i. Intranet
ii. This allows for controlled remote access to information related to their project work in Geography wherever there is an internet connection.

b. This data could potentially be intercepted by a third party.

c.
i. Statistically comparing mark distributions
ii. Effectiveness, the context of a classroom, often relates to the achievement of learning outcomes. Measuring this metric can help determine whether the website has improved upon this, particularly when compared to years where this system did not exist.

Question 10
This question is hard to demonstrate. If people remember their answer and want comment on it, feel free to send me a PM.

Question 11
a. Using the internet, coaches can use the internet to facilitate the use of web conferencing technologies to make group decisions. They can also use other virtual team-oriented technologies such as instant messaging, forums and wikis, among many other things.
b. With web-based software, access can be controlled using usernames and password and transmitting data using SSL (aka HTTPS). For emails, PKI encryption software such as PGP can be used to minimise the risk of data interception. Databases behind web-based virtual team software can also be encrypted, for the paranoid.
c. The new version of the software creates files that are incompatible with previous versions of the same software.
d. - An agreement/policy between the virtual team regarding software so that everyone is one the same page in regards to software used.
    - Ensuring that there is an adequate regression testing policy/plan in place, as correct and thorough testing will have found the issue (as opposed to ad hoc testing).

(for d, the first answer will have been best for an IT:A student as you probably will not have covered regression testing).

Question 12
a. E14
b. =IF($C2 > 40, "YES" , "")
c. =VLOOKUP($C2, $G$9:$H$11, 2) * $C2
  or =IF($C2>$G$11,$H$11,IF($C2>$G$10,$H$10,IF($C2>$G$9,$H$9)))*$C2
d. Set C3 = 38. C15 should then become 38.
I would have done a 2nd test with C3 = 36. C15 should then = 37.
e. This is a bloody open question:
- Add a text field next to saying 'highest selling drink' as the number is just sitting there at the moment.
- List which drinks are the highest selling, either by some extra formulas of conditional formatting.
- List more statistical information, such as averages, minimum, standard deviations etc.
f.
i. A properly written macro will reduce the amount of manual data processing, reducing the likelihood of human error particularly by those who may not be as proficient in the use of spreadsheet software.
ii. As a decision support system, being able to generate pictorial representations of sales data easily will help guide business decisions made by management.

[Athomas]

Good work Excalibur.

I put Age and Gender for 1.

2 i'm so mad that I changed the fourth topic from Student Welfare. Gah.

[trinon]

I think 16 is C because it says any location.

[Athomas]

I think 16 is C because it says any location.

True... but it said secure as well, leading me to think it was D.

[Tauk]

Going by your MC solutions, i got 18/20

Got questions 19 and 20 wrong >.<

My answers for MC are;
1.B
2.A
3.C
4.B
5.D
6.A
7.B
8.B
9.D
10.D
11.C
12.B
13.D
14.B
15.D
16.D (answer is C, since it says ANY LOCATION on campus)
17.D (still confused whether its D or C)
18.C
19.B (answer is A since it says which values should be input)
20.A (answer is D, confused shortest with longest time taken)

[sxcalexc]

I think 16 is C because it says any location.

True... but it said secure as well, leading me to think it was D.

I used the same reasoning.

[Kairubin]

Well wireless can be secure. And any location could mean the middle of the school oval. So unless they have really long cat 5 cords or cat 5 ports in the middle of the field (would be a very very geeky school) that prompted me for wireless =|

[trinon]

I think 16 is C because it says any location.

True... but it said secure as well, leading me to think it was D.

Secure Secsmure. I can make any wireless connection secure, it isn't hard. So long as they don't use WEP, it's very unlikely they will encounter a hacker. IMHO it's more likely someone cuts a cable and plugs their own laptop in.

[chubz90]

I dont think it was wireless as it is not that secure.

I think i f*cked up the Question on the chiledren and the website.  I said age which means like no adult material and culture as in the social culture of the teens... Oh well

[jsimmo]

I dont think it was wireless as it is not that secure.

I think i f*cked up the Question on the chiledren and the website.  I said age which means like no adult material and culture as in the social culture of the teens... Oh well

I said age and culture. I think they will accept any of the audience characteristics.

According to excals solutions I only got question 5 wrong - I put technical instead of procedural

[chubz90]

Although i think the exam was way harder then the 07 one. But hey that could be a good thing?   I remember seing a couple of kids leaving the exam with partial blank paper.

[chubz90]

What did everyone get for the school network thing and the kids with the camera phones? Did anyone put Client server network?

[excal]

<moved>

[trinon]

I dont think it was wireless as it is not that secure.

I think i f*cked up the Question on the chiledren and the website.  I said age which means like no adult material and culture as in the social culture of the teens... Oh well

If you think wireless isn't secure, then you don't know wireless. I could argue (for a very long time) that wireless is even more secure then cat5, which it is. As I said in an earlier post, it is far easier to cut a cable and patch in then hack a WPA/WPA2 network, and if, IF the hackers in question have rainbow tables, there are a MULTITUDE of measures they can take to make sure nothing can be done on or to the network.