Module A · Information Processing

Curriculum hours: 37 · Examined in: Paper 1 (Section A & B) · Feeds into: Elective 2A Databases

What you will learn

By the end of this module you should be able to:

• Identify the components and processes of an information system.
• Distinguish data from information and explain why the difference matters.
• Convert numbers between denary, binary, and hexadecimal confidently.
• Perform binary arithmetic including two's complement.
• Recognise character encodings (ASCII, Big-5, GB, Unicode) and choose the right one for a job.
• Decide which multimedia file format suits a use case.
• Use a spreadsheet to filter, sort, pivot and analyse data.
• Use a DBMS to build a simple database, form, query and report.
• Read and interpret simple SQL statements.

How this module is structured

The module is broken into four chapters that mirror the official C&A Guide:

Chapter	Hours	Key idea
1 · Introduction to Information Processing	3	The 5 components of any information system + 7 information processes.
2 · Data Organisation & Control	4	How data is stored, accessed, validated.
3 · Data Representation	10	How a computer encodes numbers, text, images, sound, video.
4 · Data Manipulation & Analysis	20	Spreadsheets, pivot tables, and reading SQL with a DBMS.

Recommended study order

1. Chapter 1 first — it gives you the vocabulary the rest of the module assumes.
2. Chapter 3 next — number-system fluency unlocks every other module.
3. Chapter 2 — short and conceptual, easy wins.
4. Chapter 4 — the largest sub-topic and the bridge to Elective 2A.

Time budget if you are revising in one weekend

Saturday morning  · Chapter 1 + Chapter 2 + their exercises   (3 hrs)
Saturday evening  · Chapter 3 (number systems + encoding)     (3 hrs)
Sunday morning    · Chapter 4 spreadsheets                    (3 hrs)
Sunday evening    · Chapter 4 DBMS + SQL + module quiz        (2 hrs)

How questions are typically worded

• Paper 1 Section A: 2–4 multiple-choice questions covering number conversion, validation/verification, file format selection.
• Paper 1 Section B: usually one structured question whose context (a school office, a sports club, a small business) makes you blend spreadsheet logic with SQL reading and validation rules.

Practice SQL the moment you meet it

The very first time you see a SELECT … FROM … in this module, open SQL Books alongside the page. Paste the example, run it, change one clause, run it again. Reading SQL passively is much slower than running it.

➡️ Start with the first chapter: Introduction to Information Processing