Practice ECDL/ICDL Examination Style Tests
Module One - Basic Concepts of Information Technology
Practice ECDL/ICDL Examination Style Tests
Module One
Basic Concepts of Information Technology
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Practice ECDL/ICDL Examination Style Tests
Module One - Basic Concepts of Information Technology
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Practice ECDL/ICDL Examination Style Tests
Module One - Basic Concepts of Information Technology
NOTES
•
During this sample examination, you should not use any training manuals.
•
The sample examination lasts 45 minutes.
•
In this test (prepared by Cheltenham Computer Training, not the ECDL Foundation),
each question is worth the same number of marks.
•
Some of the questions may contain hints. There will be no hints in the real ECDL
examination!
PLEASE READ
This courseware should be used by candidates holding an official ICDL/ECDL Skills Card or Log
Book, and should lead to the taking of official ICDL/ECDL tests. These are available from your
national ICDL/ECDL office. See www.ecdl.com for details.
PLEASE NOTE
These tests are provided by Cheltenham Computer Training, NOT THE ECDL FOUNDATION
and success in these sample ECDL style tests should not be taken as a guarantee of success in
the official ECDL Foundation provided tests. These tests are provided on the basis that you can
practice skills, gained after working through the ECDL training manuals and exercises provided
by Cheltenham Computer Training.
 Cheltenham Computer Training 1995-2000 - Tel: +44 (0)1242 227200 - Fax: +44 (0)1242 253200
Email: ecdlinfo@cctglobal.com Web: http://www.cctglobal.com
Practice ECDL/ICDL Examination Style Tests
Module One - Basic Concepts of Information Technology
Test 01 – Basic Concepts of Information Technology
1. Explain the differences between the terms hardware and software and give
examples.
2. List 2 input devices and 2 output devices.
3. List the following devices in order of access speed, with the fastest device listed at
the top.
ROM
Hard Disk
Floppy Disk (Diskette)
RAM
4. Explain the term GUI with examples.
5. Explain the terms LAN and WAN and compare the two.
6. List some of the uses a home-based computer could be put to.
7. Explain the term Information Society.
8. Why is it important to back up your computer data?
 Cheltenham Computer Training 1995-2000 - Tel: +44 (0)1242 227200 - Fax: +44 (0)1242 253200
Email: ecdlinfo@cctglobal.com Web: http://www.cctglobal.com
Practice ECDL/ICDL Examination Style Tests
Module One - Basic Concepts of Information Technology
Test 02 – Basic Concepts of Information Technology
1. Explain the terms input and output devices and give three examples of each.
2. Briefly explain some of the main functions of the CPU (Central Processing Unit).
3. List the following devices in order of memory capacity with the largest capacity
device listed at the top.
DVD Disk
Hard Disk
Floppy Disk (Diskette)
CD-ROM
4. List 4 types of application programs, give one well known example of each.
5. List some of the advantages of using a LAN.
6. List situations when the use of a computer based system may be more appropriate
than using people.
7. Explain the term “super highway”.
8. Explain the term computer virus.
 Cheltenham Computer Training 1995-2000 - Tel: +44 (0)1242 227200 - Fax: +44 (0)1242 253200
Email: ecdlinfo@cctglobal.com Web: http://www.cctglobal.com
Practice ECDL/ICDL Examination Style Tests
Module One - Basic Concepts of Information Technology
Test 03 – Basic Concepts of Information Technology
1. List some advantages and disadvantages of using software stored on a CD-ROM
compared to using software stored on your computer’s hard disk.
2. List 4 input devices.
3. Explain the terms RAM and ROM and list some of the differences between these two
types of memory.
4. Briefly describe the development cycle often used in developing software.
5. List some of the advantages of using email compared to using regular mail.
6. List situations when the use of a computer based system may be less appropriate
than using people.
7. List some of the year 2000 issues that affected businesses at the start of this
millennium.
8. How might a computer become infected by a computer virus?
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Email: ecdlinfo@cctglobal.com Web: http://www.cctglobal.com
Practice ECDL/ICDL Examination Style Tests
Module One - Basic Concepts of Information Technology
Test 04 – Basic Concepts of Information Technology
1. List some advantages and some disadvantages of using a laptop computer
compared to using a desktop computer.
2. List 4 output devices.
3. List situations when RAM is used for memory storage and when ROM is used for
memory storage.
4. Give an example of well known applications covering the following:
Word-processing
Spreadsheets
Databases
Presentation programs
5. What hardware and software is required for you to receive and send email from your
computer?
6. Give 4 examples of how computers may be used in business.
7. Briefly explain the concept of electronic commerce.
8. Distinguish between the terms freeware and shareware.
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Email: ecdlinfo@cctglobal.com Web: http://www.cctglobal.com
Practice ECDL/ICDL Examination Style Tests
Module One - Basic Concepts of Information Technology
Test 05 – Basic Concepts of Information Technology
1. Describe why using a removable hard disk device, such as a ZIP or Jaz drive may be
an advantage.
2. Briefly describe why the speed of the CPU is important and also describe the units of
measurement used to describe CPU speed.
3. List some of the factors that will affect the speed of a computer.
4. List some of the functions of an operating system.
5. Explain some of the advantages of linking to the Internet.
6. Give 4 examples of how computers may be used in industry.
7. List 4 points to be aware of when using a computer that relate to health and safety at
work.
8. List a few of the main points of the data protection act.
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Email: ecdlinfo@cctglobal.com Web: http://www.cctglobal.com
Practice ECDL/ICDL Examination Style Tests
Module One - Basic Concepts of Information Technology
Test 06 – Basic Concepts of Information Technology
1. Briefly list the types of hardware or software required to connect to a local area
network (LAN).
2. Compare the use of the following devices and when they might be used:
Tracker ball
Mouse
Touch Pad
Light Pen
3. How many bytes (approximately) are there in the following?
1 KB
1 MB
1 GB
4. Explain why you need an operating system.
5. Briefly describe the function of an Internet Search Engine.
6. Give 4 examples of how computers may be used by government.
7. What sort of injuries might result from bad working practices when using a
computer?
8. List some ways in which many people may inadvertently break the law with regard to
copying copyrighted materials.
 Cheltenham Computer Training 1995-2000 - Tel: +44 (0)1242 227200 - Fax: +44 (0)1242 253200
Email: ecdlinfo@cctglobal.com Web: http://www.cctglobal.com
Practice ECDL/ICDL Examination Style Tests
Module One - Basic Concepts of Information Technology
Test 07 – Basic Concepts of Information Technology
1. Briefly list the types of hardware or software required to connect to the Web.
2. List some advantages of using a scanner connected to your computer.
3. If you bought a computer for home use, which of the following would you expect to
represent the amount of main memory (RAM) installed on the computer?
128 Bytes
128 KB
128 MB
128 GB
4. Explain why you need both an operating system and application programs.
5. Distinguish between the Internet and the World Wide Web (WWW).
6. Give 4 examples of how computers may be used in education.
7. Explain the term RSI and list ways to help prevent it.
8. List some methods of backing up files to different types of media (storage device).
 Cheltenham Computer Training 1995-2000 - Tel: +44 (0)1242 227200 - Fax: +44 (0)1242 253200
Email: ecdlinfo@cctglobal.com Web: http://www.cctglobal.com
Practice ECDL/ICDL Examination Style Tests
Module One - Basic Concepts of Information Technology
Test 08 – Basic Concepts of Information Technology
1. Explain the difference between a dumb terminal and an intelligent terminal.
2. Briefly describe the use of the mouse and compare it with the use of a tracker ball.
3. Compare and contrast the use of internal and external hard disks.
4. List 4 application programs commonly used within an office.
5. How can the Internet benefit a company?
6. List 4 situations when you might encounter computer systems in everyday life.
7. List 4 good working practices that will make working with a computer safer.
8. List different mediums that can be used for backing up data.
 Cheltenham Computer Training 1995-2000 - Tel: +44 (0)1242 227200 - Fax: +44 (0)1242 253200
Email: ecdlinfo@cctglobal.com Web: http://www.cctglobal.com
Practice ECDL/ICDL Examination Style Tests
Module One - Basic Concepts of Information Technology
Test 09 – Basic Concepts of Information Technology
1. Explain some of the differences between desktop computers and a mainframe.
2. List four output devices.
3. Describe some properties of ROM and some properties of RAM.
4. List 4 application programs commonly used on home computers.
5. Describe how using a connection to the Internet could be useful for a home-based
computer.
6. List 4 ways in which computers can be put to good use at home.
7. How could electronic commerce benefit a small business?
8. List some of the possible effects of a power cut (power outage).
 Cheltenham Computer Training 1995-2000 - Tel: +44 (0)1242 227200 - Fax: +44 (0)1242 253200
Email: ecdlinfo@cctglobal.com Web: http://www.cctglobal.com
Practice ECDL/ICDL Examination Style Tests
Module One - Basic Concepts of Information Technology
Test 10 – Basic Concepts of Information Technology
1. Explain what is meant by a peripheral device and give examples.
2. List four input devices.
3. Compare the use of CD-ROM with that of a floppy disk (diskette).
4. What is the difference between an operating system and an application program?
Give examples of each type of software.
5. List some of the advantages of using networked computers to using computers that
are not networked.
6. List 4 types of computer systems that you might expect to encounter in everyday life.
7. List the sort of injuries that might result from bad working practices when using a
computer.
8. List some precautions that you can take to guard against computer virus infection of
your computer.
 Cheltenham Computer Training 1995-2000 - Tel: +44 (0)1242 227200 - Fax: +44 (0)1242 253200
Email: ecdlinfo@cctglobal.com Web: http://www.cctglobal.com