General Instructions
Reading time
There is no reading time given for viewing this past exam. You will be given 10 minutes reading time in the sample and real exams. During reading time in the sample and real exams you will not be able to answer questions, and exiting the exam at this stage is not possible. You can move freely between the questions, and you can flag questions. Highlighting of text is also permitted.
Working time
There is no time limit to viewing this past exam. You will be given 2 hours 20 minutes to attempt the questions in the sample and real exams.
Permitted equipment
You must use headphones while viewing video content or listening to audio.
Pen and paper are permitted for planning. The supervisor will provide you with paper.
The number of words that is provided for each short-answer item gives an indication of the length of response.
Total marks: 80
There are 27 questions.
Some questions have multiple parts.
Objective-response items total 22 marks.
Short-answer items total 58 marks.
Question 1 (1 mark)
A streaming platform updated its content suggestion algorithm for users. A group of users was upgraded to the new algorithm, and feedback was collected before replacing the algorithm for all users. Which implementation method was used?
Question 2 (1 mark)
Complete the statement by selecting the correct term from each dropdown menu.
Question 3 (1 mark)
An image recognition program uses machine learning (ML) to recognise letters. It is trained using a range of images of handwritten letters. Each of the images below is labelled with the letter B when training the program.

What model of ML training is used to train this software?
Question 4 (1 mark)
Fragment 1 and Fragment 2 are Python code that achieve the same purpose.
Fragment 1
numbers = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]
total = 0
for num in numbers:
total += num
print(total)
Fragment 2
numbers = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]
print(sum(numbers))
Fragment 2 is an example of
Question 5 (1 mark)
What is a potential vulnerability of an application programming interface (API)?
Question 6 (1 mark)
Which of the following is a function of TLS?
Question 7 (1 mark)
Consider the following cascading style sheet (CSS) code fragment for a website.
body {font-size: 100%;
font-style: italic;
line-height: 1.8;
font-weight: normal;
}
hl {
text-align: center;
font-style: normal;
font-size: 250%;
letter-spacing: Spx;
background-color: rgb(0, 0, 100);
color: white;
font-weight : 900;
border: 3px solid green;
}
Which of the following best describes the appearance of the heading on the website?
Question 8 (1 mark)
File locking prevents multiple users from editing a file at the same time. When a shared file is opened by a user, file locking ensures that only this user can make changes to the file while it is locked.
Which of the following does file locking minimise?
Question 9 (1 mark)
Two approaches that can be used when programming databases for use in web applications are Object-Relational Mapping (ORM) and Structured Query Language (SQL).
Match each characteristic to the appropriate approach.
| Object-Relational Mapping (ORM) | Structured Query Language (SQL) | |
|---|---|---|
| Code is focused on object manipulation | ||
| Tables can be joined to enhance searching | ||
| Programmers can choose the language used to access the database |
Question 10 (1 mark)
Which of the following are goals of regulatory compliance in relation to software development?
Select all that apply.
Question 11 (1 mark)
Which of the following are key principles of DevOps?
Select all that apply.
Question 12 (2 marks)
For which of the following situations would logistic regression be used when training a machine learning model to make predictions?
Select all that apply.
Question 13 (2 marks)
A software developer plans to use static application security testing (SAST) and dynamic application security testing (DAST) to check an application that is being developed.
For each strategy, choose the most appropriate stage in software development for it to be applied. Indicate whether access to source code is required.
| Strategy | Timing in software development | Access to source code |
| SAST | ||
| DAST |
Question 14 (1 mark)
Consider this code fragment.
FOR index = 5 TO 3
word[index] = word[index-2]
NEXT index
The array, word, contains the following data.
index | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
word[index] | S | M | A | R | T |
Select the correct item from each dropdown menu to show the contents of the array after the code is run.
Question 15 (6 marks)
A computer game is being developed.
Part of a data dictionary for the computer game is shown.
Select the correct entries to complete the data dictionary. (3 marks)
| Variable | Data type | Format for display | Size in bytes | Description | Example |
| PlayerID | NXXXXN | Identifies player | |||
| PlayerName | XX..XX | 15 | Player name | Nat Kim | |
| Level | NN | 1 | Level of player | 27 | |
| OnMission | X | 1 bit | Y or N | Y | |
| LastSave | Date and Time | 12 | Time last saved 24-hour time | 13:45:21.221 |
While this game is being developed, there are persistent issues with the code.
Outline TWO software debugging tools that can be used to identify these logic errors. (3 marks)
Question 16 (9 marks)
A weather app is to be designed to display real-time updates such as:
- rain commencing within the next 10 minutes
- weather event warnings and warning cancellations
- location specific weather conditions.
Compare the use of a progressive web app (PWA) with an interactive website, for delivering this weather app. (3 marks)
Outline TWO ways, other than the use of a PWA, to minimise the load time of this weather app. (3 marks)
Describe ONE way that the 'privacy by design' approach could be implemented in this weather app. (3 marks)
Question 17 (3 marks)
An algorithm is required by a school to rate the risk of a location for school excursions.
A teacher completes a 10-question survey to assess potential hazards for the location. Each question is given a score from 1 (low) to 5 (high), and the scores are stored in a 10-element integer array called Risks.
The scores for each question are added to give a total risk score.
The excursion risk is rated as:
- Low (total less than 20)
- Medium (total between 20-35)
- High (total above 35).
Using pseudocode, with a repeat-until loop, write an algorithm to determine the excursion risk rating for a location. You can assume that the scores for the 10 questions are already stored in the array Risks.
Question 18 (3 marks)
A streaming service has exclusive rights to broadcast a live event each Sunday afternoon.
Explain how the streaming service can use metadata and data mining to prevent technical difficulties during the broadcast of this weekly event.
Question 19 (3 marks)
In an organisation, temporary passwords are automatically generated for new user accounts. Each password is created from the first three letters of the username followed by '123'.
For example, the username 'NESA' will have the password 'NES123'.
When a user logs in for the first time, they are asked for their username and password. They receive a welcome message or an error message, depending on whether the password entered follows the rules of new user accounts.
Write a Python program that asks a new user for their username and password, and then checks whether the password rule has been followed.
# Output
Question 20 (3 marks)
Describe how session management can affect the efficiency of code execution for the user.
Question 21 (4 marks)
Below is the Issues table for a technical support company. Fix Time, in minutes, is the time taken to complete each job.
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Construct a SQL query that displays:
- the number of pending software jobs
- the number of pending hardware jobs
- the number of escalated software jobs
- the number of escalated hardware jobs
List the results in order from the highest to lowest, based on the number of jobs.
Question 22 (3 marks)
An animal classification tool is to be developed. The classes to be used are shown below.
.png)
Construct a class diagram that shows inheritance and removes redundant attributes for each class. Additional classes may be included if required.
You do NOT need to show the nature of the relationships between the classes.
Question 23 (9 marks)
A food delivery service offers prepackaged meals tailored to different dietary preferences, for example, vegetarian and gluten-free. It has developed a website for customers to place orders. The website is ready for testing and feedback.
The website includes:
- a menu that dynamically updates based on meal availability
- user accounts where customers can track deliveries and manage subscriptions
- a backend that processes orders and payments, updates stock and communicates with the delivery team.
Outline potential social and ethical issues associated with the use of this website. (3 marks)
Explain why server-side web programming would be needed to develop this website.
Support your answer with examples from the website. (3 marks)
Security features have been included in the design of the website. Choose the fundamental security concept that matches each of the security features. (3 marks)
| Feature | Concept |
|---|---|
| The system verifies that the total price displayed matches the actual total after items are added to the cart. | |
| The backend ensures the website remains accessible during peak order times. | |
| The system logs all user actions, such as changes to subscriptions or delivery addresses. | |
| User payment details, such as credit card numbers, are encrypted during transactions. | |
| A user with a basic account can place orders but cannot access admin features |
Question 24 (5 marks)
A construction company introduces a safety monitoring system that uses art ificial intelligence. Cameras and wearable sensors track worker
movements and environmental conditions. The system detects unsafe behaviours through artificial intelligence, such as:
- standing too close to operating machinery
- entering restricted zones
- failure to wear personal protective equipment (PPE).
Alerts are sent in real-time to site supervisors, andlong-term data is stored for further analysis.
Discuss the possible impact of this monitoring system on workers.
Question 25 (5 marks)
An airline introduces a virtual personal assistant as an initial support contact point for cancelled flights, missed connections, or lost luggage. The virtual personal assistant uses a neural network to:
- analyse support queries to direct customers to the appropriate department
- recommend appropriate tone and wording to be used by the human customer support representative
- assess data such as support turnaround time, customer ratings, and repeat contacts.
Explain how the neural network supports the virtual personal assistant. Include ONE positive and ONE negative impact of using the virtual personal assistant.
Question 26 (5 marks)
As part of a computer game, a program is needed to randomly place 15 diamonds on a 5 × 5 grid. Once the locations of the diamonds have been generated, the program outputs the 5 × 5 grid, with the location of each diamond signified by an 'X'.
An example of the output required is shown below.
| X | | X | | X |
| | X | | | X |
| | X | X | X | |
| X | | X | | |
| X | X | X | X | X |
Using Python, write a program that achieves this task.
# Output
Question 27 (6 marks)
Watch the video, and then answer the question.
Due to copyright restrictions, this material cannot be displayed until permission has been obtained
|
Explain how human bias could affect the usefulness of artificial intelligence (Al) solutions.
Support your answer with reference to the video.