AQA · GCSE · Computer Science
Course version: 8525 · Version from Sept 2020
Software classification: Understand that the OS handles management of the:
An operating system (OS) is system software that sits between the user, the application software and the hardware.
Checked against the AQA 8525 specification (opens in a new tab) on .
- Point 7 of 12
Study notes
From the checked teaching notes for this specification point.
The idea
An operating system (OS) is system software that sits between the user, the application software and the hardware. This statement is the opening clause of a list: the OS handles management of several resources, and the first is the processor(s). The key idea is that the OS is a manager, not a single program that does the user's work. It decides which process runs on which processor core and for how long, using scheduling, so that many tasks appear to run together. It also manages memory, input/output devices and files, and provides a user interface. Ask: does this option describe allocating and controlling a resource? If so, it is OS management.
What earns the marks
- The OS is system software that manages hardware and provides services to application software.
- Processor management means the OS schedules processes onto processor cores and decides when each runs.
- The OS also manages memory, I/O devices and backing storage, and provides a user interface.
- The OS is not application software and does not perform the user's word-processing or browsing tasks itself.
- Multitasking is achieved by the OS rapidly switching between processes on the processor(s).
Common mistakes and how to put them right
Thinking the OS is an application such as a word processor.
Put it right: , the OS is system software that manages resources and runs applications.
Believing the processor manages itself with no software involvement.
Put it right: , the OS scheduler allocates processor time to processes.
Assuming the OS only provides a graphical interface.
Put it right: , resource management of processor(s), memory, devices and files is central.
Confusing RAM with the processor.
Put it right: , memory management and processor management are separate OS responsibilities.
Exam tips
- Read the stem carefully: it asks what the OS manages, so reject options describing application features.
- Link each option to a resource (processor, memory, device, file) and check whether the OS allocates it.
- Eliminate options that describe hardware components rather than management activity.
Try the lesson
The start of the Software classification: Understand that the OS handles management of the: lesson, made from checked teaching notes for this specification point.
Have a go first
Several programs are open at once and each needs a turn to use the single processor. Which OS function decides the order in which they run?
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