Information& Communication Technology

GCSE

IGCSE ICT
UNIT 1 & 17
Types and
components of a
computer system
&
Document
production

IGCSE ICT
Module 1

Types and components of a computer

system
&
Document production

by
Stellio Jerome

IGCSE ICT
Module 1
This booklet (Module 1) is designed to cover the CIE IGCSE
2019 syllabus units 1 (Types and components of a computer
system) and unit 17 (Document production). Not all the topics
have been covered as they will be covered in the other units in
this series.

IGCSE ICT
Module 2

Unit 2 (Input and output devices) & Unit 19

(Presentation). It will also cover 1.5 of unit 1 (Impact of
emerging technologies)

Module 3 Unit 3 (Storage devices and media) & Unit 17

(Document production) editing tables and mail merge.

Module 4 Unit 4 (Networks) & Unit 21 (Web authoring)

Module 5 Unit 5 (Effects of using ICT), Unit 13 (Layout) &
Unit 14 (Styles).

Module 6 Unit 6 (ICT applications), Unit 21 (Web

Authoring), Unit 11(File management) & Unit 12 (Images)

Module 7 Unit 7 (System Life Cycle) & Unit 18 (Data

Manipulation)

Module 8 Unit 8 (Safety & security), Unit 7 (System life

cycle) & Unit 20 (Data analysis)

Module 9 Unit 9 (Audience), Unit 10 (Communications),

Unit 15 (Proofing) & Unit 16 (Graphs & Charts)

Copyright Stellio Jerome 2016

Types and components of computer systems

In this section we will be looking at the following:
1. A little history
a. Vacuum valves to transistors and semiconductors
2. The main components of a general purpose computer:
a. Central Processing Unit (CPU)
b. Main/Internal memory (Ram, ROM etc)
c. Input devices
d. Secondary/Backing Storage
3. Operating system:
a. Graphic User Interface (GUI)
b. Command Line Interface (CLI)
4. Types of computers:
a. Personal Computers
b. Desktop
c. Mainframe
d. Laptops
e. Palmtops
f. PDA
5. Recent developments in ICT

ii

Document production
Using a word processing application to:
Format text and organise page layout
set page size
set page orientation
set page and gutter margins
set the number of columns
set the column width and spacing between columns
define the terms widow and orphan
explain why it is necessary to use page, section and
column breaks, to adjust pagination and to avoid
widows and orphans
set and remove page, section and column breaks
set line spacing, including: single, 1.5 times, double,
multiple, spacing before and after paragraphs
set tabulation settings, including: indented paragraphs,
hanging paragraphs
format text as bulleted or numbered lists to meet the
needs of the audience

iii

Contents
Types and components of computer systems

A little history
Vacuum valves to transistors and semiconductors
Hardware and Software
Hardware
Software
Difference between Hardware and Software
The main components of a computer
Inside the computer
The CPU
RAM
ROM
Bits and Bytes
Operating system
GUI
CLI
Advantages and disadvantages of GUI and CLI
Types of computers
Super computer
Mainframe computers
Personal computers/Desktop computers
Laptops
Palmtops/PDAs
Recent developments in ICT
The smart phone
The tablet PC

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Document production

Word Processing Task

Requirements
Specifications
Definitions
Widows & orphans
Hanging indent
Landscape and portrait
Margins
Gutter
Using MS Word
Setting page size
Setting orientation
Making columns
Setting the margin
Setting the line, paragraph spacing and indents

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22

IGCSE ICT
UNIT 1
Types and
components of
computer systems

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A little history
The first calculator was Charles Babbages analytical machine.
It was powered by steam, used punch
cards to enter data and could store data.
It could store up to 1000 numbers with
50 decimal places long. It could make
decision and provide output. It was not
considered to be a computer.
The ENIAC (Electronic Numerical
Integration and Calculator) is considered
to be the first computer. Built in 1943 it
contained 18,000 vacuum tubes, 70,000
resistors, 10,000 capacitors, 1,500
relays, 6,000 manual switches and
5 million soldered joints. It took up
an area of 167 m2 weighed 30 tons
and used 160 kilowatts of
electricity. It was only with the discovery of transistors that
resulted in the development of the modern computer.
Vacuum valves to transistors and semiconductors.
One transistor could replace many
vacuum tubes and was cheaper.
Transistors was used to build
computers in 1956. In the late 1950s
computers started to appear
everywhere. Many large businesses
invested in mainframe computers to be
able to do all their processing. Transistors
were continually being miniaturized and
the discovery of semiconductors meant
that integrated circuits and transistors
could be miniaturized even further. We
now have a chip the size of a finger nail that is more than 1
million more powerful than the ENIAC.

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Hardware and software

Hardware
This is the physical component of a
computer system. Things you can see
and touch like the mouse, Keyboard,
monitor etc.

Software
This is the part of the computer that you
cannot see. It is the programs that
make the computer work. They are
instructions that are stored on the hard
disk, flash drive, CD, DVD etc and are in
machine code that the computer
understands. These range from
operating systems like Windows to
interactive games.
There are two types of software, Applications and system
software. Applications software is software used to perform
specific tasks like word processing, spreadsheet, database,
graphic manipulation, photo editing software etc. System
software is software that is used to control the system like
operating systems, software development programs
(compilers, interpreters and linkers), device drivers etc. Some
of these software has been incorporated into most operating
systems.
Difference between Hardware and software.
Being simply the physical component of a system the Hardware
will not work even if it is connected to a power supply.
Software is needed for the computer to work. At the same time
the software is useless with the hardware.

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The main components of a computer.

The main components of a
computer system are input
devices, output devices,
storage devices and the
Central processing Unit CPU.
For a computer to work data
must be entered into the CPU.
This data is entered via
numerous input devices for
example Keyboard, mouse,
scanner, microphone etc.
Without data the computer does know what to do. The data is
processed by the CPU depending on the software being used. It
is useless to process any data unless we can see the result.
The data is then output, depending on the user requirements
and the software being used, to the various output devices
such as printer, monitor, speaker etc.
Data is input, processed and then outputted to various output
devices. It is also important that this data be saved so that we
do not have to input the same data again. The data is usually
stored on numerous backing storage devices that are available.
The most popular are internal hard drive. Some have portable
hard drives, USB flash drives. Floppy disks and CD/DVD RW
used to be used but they have been superseded by USB drives.
Inside the computer
Input, output, storage devices and the
CPU are the main components of a
computer system but there are other
components that are needed for a
modern computer to
function. They are
the Power Supply Unit (PSU), Graphics,
Sound and Network Card.

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The PSU converts and directs the electricity to the different

needed components. It is usually directly connected to the
main electricity supply and has different adapters to output
electricity to the motherboard, hard drive, optical drives etc.
The first PC did not need graphics and
sound card. Graphics was on a
monochrome screen and needed less
than 1 MB of memory. When we
started to use colour screens and
higher resolution screens and high
quality sound the need for more
memory became necessary. The
memory available on a typical PC
became insufficient and the need
for graphics and sound card
became a necessity. A typical
graphics card has to process millions of colours and screen with
resolutions of over 1 million pixels. A typical graphics card can
deal with 4 GB, approximately 10,000 times greater than a
monochrome monitor. Sound cards have made similar
improvements. Starting from processing simple high pitch
beeps to high quality music means the need for more memory
and to process the sounds.
Network cards are covered in Module 4.
All the components are connected to
the mother board. You will also find
the CPU, RAM, ROM and a fan to
keep the processor cool. The fan is
usually mounted on top of the CPU
as it is the CPU that generates the
heat. It needs to be kept cool
otherwise it will burn out.

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The CPU consists of a Control Unit

(CU), Arithmetic Logic Unit (ALU) and
Immediate Access Store (IAS). Initially
data is obtained from the Random
Access Memory (RAM) or the Read
Only Memory (ROM). The data is
temporarily stored in the IAS before
processed by the ALU. The CU then
determines what to do with the data. It
can be sent to one of the output devices or back to the RAM.
RAM and ROM is not part of the CPU.
RAM is the working memory of the computer. All data and
programs that you use are loaded into the RAM and when you
have finished with the program and data files it is discarded.
This is why you need to save all your work. The data in the
RAM is temporary and is deleted when the computer is turned
off. RAM is said to be volatile memory, the data in the RAM are
continually changing.
ROM on the other hand is not volatile. The data stored there is
permanent. It usually contains the program and data that is
needed to start up the computer. The specifications of all
computers are different and if the data and program in the
ROM is changed then the computer will probably not work
properly.
Bits (Binary digit) and Bytes
Data in a computer is stored in Bits and Byte. We count using
the decimal system but the computer use a binary system of
only 1 and 0. Originally one bit was represented by a switch
being on or off.
Being only able to represent 1 and 0 is not of much use to any
one so 8 bits are put together to represent 1 Byte which can be
used to represent one character. With 8 bits we can count to
256 or we can have 256 possible characters. This is more than
sufficient to represent the characters on a QWERTY keyboard.
Codes (ASCII) have been created to represent each character.
For example the letter A has the decimal 65 which is the
binary 01000001.

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0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0

0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0

0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0

0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
1
1
1
1

0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
0
0
0
0
0

0
0
0
0
1
1
1
1
0
0
0
0
1
1
1
1
0
0
0
0
1

0
0
1
1
0
0
1
1
0
0
1
1
0
0
1
1
0
0
1
1
0

0
1
0
1
0
1
0
1
0
1
0
1
0
1
0
1
0
1
0
1
0

Deci
mal
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20

Binary
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
1
1
1

0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
1
1
0
0
0
1

0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
1
1
0
0
1
0
0
0
1

1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
0
0
1
0
0
1
0
0
0
1

0
0
0
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
0
0
1
0
0
1
0
0
0
1

1
1
1
0
0
0
0
1
1
1
1
0
0
1
0
0
1
0
0
0
1

0
1
1
0
0
1
1
0
0
1
1
0
0
1
0
0
1
0
0
1
1

1
0
1
0
1
0
1
0
1
0
1
0
1
1
0
1
1
0
1
0
1

Deci
mal
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
63
64
65
127
128
129
130
255

1024 Bytes = 1 Kb
1024 Kb = 1 Mb
1024 Mb = 1 Gb
1024 Gb = 1 Tb
1,073,741,824 Bytes = 1 Gb
1,099,511,627,776 Bytes = 1 Tb
The first hard disk had a capacity of 20 Mb. It is now possible
to purchase a 5 Tb Hard disk.

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Operating Systems
An operating system is a set of programs that controls how the
hardware of a computer works and provides a means of
communication between the user and the computer. The
operating system deals with the loading and running of
applications programs and manages the transfer of data and
files to and from peripheral devices. The most common
operating systems are Windows, MacOS, Android, UNIX.
An application designed to work on a specific operating system
will not work on another. You need to purchase a version
designed to work on your specific operating system.
A computer user is not usually interested on the inner workings
of an operating system only how to interact with the computer.
The interface is therefore very important. There are two basic
types of interfaces. Graphic User Interface (GUI) and
Command line Interface (CLI).
GUI
A GUI uses Windows, Icons, Menus, and Pointers (WIMP for
short).
Windows are regions of the screen used to display information
Icons are small pictures that are used to represent folders,
software, etc.
Menus are lists of
options the user can
select from
A pointer is an arrow
that can be moved
around the screen and
is used to select things
using a mouse.
Windows is an example of an operating system with a GUI.

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CLI
The first computers were not very powerful they could not
display the colourful graphics required for a GUI. The only
interface available to most computer uses was the command
line.
The user would see nothing but a black screen with a command
prompt. They would have to type a command to make
anything happen.
>Accounts
Would run the program called accounts. This could be a
program called accounts.exe or accounts.com
The user would have to learn a whole set of commands so that
they could make use of the computer system. Plus it was not
very interesting look at no visual clues to tell you what to do
next.
This meant computers used to be quite difficult to use, so this
type of interface is only really suitable for expert users.
Advantages and disadvantages of GUI and CLI
CLI

GUI

Difficult as there is a need to

No need to memorise screen

memorise commands

user friendly

Have more control over both the

Advanced functions needs to use

file and operating systems in a

CLI

command line interface

Multi tasking is not easy

Can move from windows easily

Commands entered by the key

Using the mouse can be slower

board are executed quickly

CLI uses less resources

Needs a lot of computer

resources

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Types of computers
Super computers
Supercomputers were introduced in
the 1960s only used just a few
processors. Now they have over
100,000 processors. Some
supercomputer is capable of many
billions of arithmetic operations per
second. Supercomputers are used
for quantum mechanics, weather
forecasting, climate research, oil and gas
exploration, molecular modelling etc
Mainframe Computer
Mainframe computers were
developed in the 1950s, have
continued to evolve and are still in
use today. Mainframe computers are
designed to handle very high
volumes of input and output and can
be used by a large number of users.
This means that, in a large organization, individual employees
can sit at their desk using a personal computer, but they can
send requests to the mainframe computer for processing large
amounts of data. A typical mainframe system can support
hundreds of users at the same time. The actual hardware
components inside a mainframe computer are similar to a
personal computer.
With the technological advances in personal computers, the
need for mainframe computing has substantially reduced over
the years. The computing power of a typical desktop computer
today is greater than that of a mainframe system in the 1980s.

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Personal computers/ Desktop computers

Modern PCs are very powerful and are
now relatively inexpensive. The
computers in the home are similar to
those in business.
PCs can carry out millions of calculations
per second and can store large amounts
of data - typically anything from 200GB
to 1TB. The storage capability is
continually increasing.
Personal computers tend to be set up and left in one place.
They are designed to run numerous types of applications e.g.
Word Processing, spreadsheet, databases, CAD, Video editing,
Playing music, surfing the internet etc.
They come in several units that are connected together during
installation:
(1) The processor, which can be in a mini tower or micro tower
designed to fit under the desk or in a unit that goes on top of
the desk,
(2) The display monitor and,
(3) Input devices - usually a keyboard and a mouse.
Today, almost all desktop computers include a built-in Network
Interface Card, USB ports, a magnetic storage drive, and a USB
port. The graphics and sound card or on board cards are
included depending on the use of the user. Someone needing
the computer for movies and high resolution graphics would
probably need a more powerful graphics and sound card.
Most desktop computer users also purchase a printer. Desktop
computers can be interconnected and can share resources such
as printers by being connected to a local area network (LAN).
Most computers are connected to a LAN and the internet.

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It is rare to find a computer without a network card. These

computers are called standalone computers.
Laptop computers
A laptop is a portable computer which
is and small enough to carry around
with you. Most laptops have an
integrated keyboard which is often
smaller in size than a standard
keyboard. They also have a touchpad
and buttons next to the keyboard
which can be used in place of a traditional mouse.
The screen is attached to the base of the laptop and folds down
to protect it whilst not in use.
Laptops have a battery inside that allows it to used anywhere.
If the battery is runs out, the laptop can be used so long as an
electric socket is available.
Modern laptops are every bit as powerful as personal
computers. They have as much processing power, the same
amount of memory and large hard disks. All of the software
applications that you would use on a PC can also be installed
on a laptop.
They can also be connected to the internet via wi-fi, 3G or a
physical network connection.
The downside to laptops is that although they are designed to
be mobile, if they are being carried for any length of time they
will start to feel heavy.
The battery life can also be an issue as they will need to be
recharged regularly.
Some people find the keyboard difficult to use, especially if it is
a lot smaller than a standard keyboard.

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Palmtops/PDAs
A palmtop computer is a small computer that
literally fits in your palm. Compared to fullsize computers, palmtops are severely
limited, but they are practical for certain
functions such as phone books
and calendars. Palmtops that use a pen
rather than a keyboard for input are often
called hand-held computers or PDAs.
Because of their small size, most palmtop computers do not
include disk drives. However, many contain PCMCIA slots in
which you can insert disk drives, modems, memory, and
other devices.
Recent developments in ICT
The smart phone
A recently developed mobile phone is the
'smartphone'. These are true multifunctional
devices. Yes, they can do all that mobile
phones can do but also so much more.
Part of the reason for the improvement in their capability has
been the addition of some extra sensors in the device - namely
a gyroscope that can measure angle, tilt and orientation.
They also contain GPS chips to pick up your exact location and
touch screen technology.
Smartphones are now supported by thousands of independent
developers around the world who dream up new things that
can be done with the smartphones.
There are apps that tell you the name of any song just by
'listening' to a few bars of music, apps to find out what is on at
your local cinema, apps that track your exercise and calories,
games, video players, joke generators etc.

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Basically, if you want to do something with your smartphone,

there is generally an app to help you and a lot of these apps
are available free.
Tablet PC
A tablet PC is a quite thin device, having a
flat surface. The device can be easily held
in your hand.
It contains a touch screen which is operated
using your fingers in various ways such as
tapping, double tapping, swiping and pinching.
The screen view can be changed automatically from landscape
to portrait mode by simply by changing the orientation of the
tablet. This is possible because the tablet has a built-in three
axis gyroscope unlike standard laptops.
Tablet computers can connect to the internet using wi-fi or 3G
- although you might need to pay a monthly fee to use this
service and there may be a limit on the amount that you can
download each month.
Storage within the tablet is by solid state flash memory rather
than a hard disk that is commonly used in a laptop.
Tablet computers run from an internal battery which needs to
be recharged after a number of hours.
The unique combination of advanced sensors and a fairly
powerful CPU has resulted in an incredible array of imaginative
applications (Apps) being developed. For example, there is a
star gazing app that shows the stars that would be seen on a
clear night sky by simply holding the tablet up in the air in the
relevant direction. There are 'augmented reality' apps that
make use of the camera to overlay information on the scene
being viewed

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IGCSE ICT
UNIT 17
Document
production

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Word Processing Task

Requirements
A standard PC with basic components.
Screw driver.
Camera.
Specifications
1. Disassemble the PC.
2. Identify the components and their specifications for
example what type of RAM and its capacity.
3. Take a picture of every component.
4. Write a report of your findings. The report should include
the following:
a. Component name
b. Its use.
c. Its specifications.
d. Any components that you think are missing and why.
5. The report should be word processed and the
demonstrating the following skills:
a. Set Page size to A4.
b. Make the orientation to landscape
c. Make sure there are two equal size columns with 0.5
cm spacing
d. Set margins to 1.5 cm and gutter to 0.5 cm
e. Set line spacing to 1.25 and spacing before and after
paragraphs to 5 points
f. Make sure the first paragraph is indented by 1 cm

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Definitions
Widows & Orphans
A widow is the last line of a paragraph left by itself at the top
of a page. An orphan is the first line of a paragraph left by
itself at the bottom of a page.
Hanging indents
A hanging indent is when all but the first line of a paragraph is
indented e.g.

Landscape & Portrait

Portrait and Landscape refer to whether the document is
oriented vertically or horizontally. A page that is landscape
orientation is wider than it is tall and portrait is taller than
wide.

Margin
The space around the printed or written matter on a page
Gutter
A gutter is a margin to add extra space to the side or top
margin of a document that you plan to bind. A gutter margin
helps ensure that text isn't buried by the binding.
Justify
Setting the page alignment so that so that the first word in the
line aligns with the left margin and last word with the right
margin.

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Using MS Word
Setting page size
1. Click on Layout then select Size

2. A pop down menu will appear and you can choose the
paper size. You are given a choice of standard
paper sizes. By selection More Paper Sizes
choose the specific width and height of the
paper you will be using if it is not a standard
paper size.

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Setting the orientation

You have the choice of setting your page to landscape or
portrait. This is done by
clicking on Layout and
selecting Orientation. A
pop down menu will
appear and you can
choose between portrait
or landscape.

Making columns
To set columns in a word processed document click on Layout
and select Columns. A pop down menu will appear and you
will have a choice of One, Two, Three, Left, Right or More
Columns. With One, Two, Three, Left, Right the columns
will be automatically set. Choosing More Columns you will
have the choice of setting exactly how you want the lay of the
columns to be.
Clicking More Columns gives you the following options.

1. Choosing pre-set column formats.

2. Choosing the amount of columns by entering a numeric
value for the amount of columns.

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3. Choice of having a line between the columns.

4. The specific with of each individual columns and the
spacing between the columns.
5. If the columns are for the whole document or for a
specific section.
Setting the margin
To set the margin click on Layout and select Margins. You will
be given a choice of 6 pre-defined margins or customize your
margins by selection Custom Margins you will have the

option to adjust the top, bottom, left and right margins. The
option to set the gutter is also available.

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Setting the line, paragraph spacing and Indents

To set the line spacing and indents click on Home and select
Paragraph. The following options will be made available:

1. To set the alignment to

a. Left
b. Centre
c. Right or
d. Justify
2. Set the value for indentation including hanging
3. Set the paragraph spacing and
4. The line spacing

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IGCSE ICT