ZNOTES.

ORG

UPDATED TO 2023-2025 SYLLABUS

CAIE IGCSE
ICT
SUMMARIZED NOTES ON THE THEORY SYLLABUS
Prepared for Kizito for personal use only.
CAIE IGCSE ICT
Advantages:

1. Storage Devices and Media They have a very fast data transfer rate and fast access
times to data.
They have a very large memory capacity.
1.1. Backing-Up Data
Disadvantages:
Backing up refers to copying files or data into a different
medium in case of damage or loss of original copy. It can be fairly easily damaged.
They have many moving parts which affect overall
Why do we back up data? reliability.
Their read/write operation can be quite noisy when
To safeguard against loss of data. compared to solid-state drives.
To safeguard against damages caused by hackers.
In case files need to be sent elsewhere, to protect the Portable Hard Disk Drives
original format of files.
Backups can be stored online for easy access. Uses:

Can be used as a backup system to prevent data loss.

1.2. Magnetic Backing Storage Media It can be used to transfer data/files/software between
computers.
Holds data magnetically.
The surface area of the media is magnetised so that it Advantages:
can hold bits of data.
The device that reads media can also read the bits held Data access time and data transfer rate are very fast.
on the surface area It has a very large memory capacity.
It can be used as a method of transferring information
Magnetic tape drives between computers.
Disadvantages:
Uses:
used in applications where batch processing is used. They can be easily damaged if user accidentally drops it
used as a backup media where vast amounts of data or doesn’t correctly shut down the drive after use.
need to be stored. The data transfer rate is not as fast as for fixed hard disk
used in long-term archiving of data, they have huge data drives.
storage capacities and are known to be very stable.
1.3. Optical Media and Optical Storage
Advantages:
Devices
They are generally less expensive than hard disk drives.
It is a very robust technology. Holds data by burning ‘dots’ onto the surface with a high-
They have a huge data storage capacity. powered laser.
The data transfer rate is fast. The data that reads the media can read the data by
shining a lower-powered laser over the dots.
Disadvantages:
CD-R/DVD-R ~ Write Once Only
Prolonged data access times (uses serial access).
When updating, another tape is needed to store the final Uses:
updated version.
They are affected by magnetic fields, a strong field can Home recordings of music and (CD-R) and films (DVD-R).
corrupt data stored on the tape. Used to store data to be kept for later use or transferred
to another computer.
Fixed Hard Disks/Drives
Advantages:
Uses:
Cheaper medium than RW disks.
To store the OS, systems software and working Once burned (and finalised), they behave like a ROM.
data/files.
Storing applications files. Disadvantages:
Used in real-time systems and in online systems.
Used in file servers for computer networks.

WWW.ZNOTES.ORG Copyright © 2025 ZNotes Education & Foundation. All Rights Reserved. This document is
authorised for personal use only by Kizito at Ruby International on 12/05/25.
CAIE IGCSE ICT

It can only be recorded once; if an error occurs, then the 1. Blu-ray uses a blue laser rather than a red laser. (The
disk has to be thrown away. wavelength of blue light is 405nm, much smaller than
Not all CD/DVD players can read CD-R/DVD-R. the 650nm red laser) This makes pits and lands much
smaller, so they store five times more data than
CD-RW/DVD-RW ~ Read and Write DVDs.
2. Blu-ray disks automatically come with a secure
Uses: encryption system, which helps to prevent piracy and
copyright infringement.
Used to record television programs which can be 3. The data transfer rate for a DVD is 10 Mbps, and for a
recorded over, time and time again.
Blu-ray disc, it is 36 Mbps.
Used in CCTV systems.
It can be used as a backup device for files and data. Uses:
Advantages: Home video consoles.
Storing and playing back movies.
It can be written over many times.
Computers can use this technology for data storage or
You can use different file formats each time it is used.
backing hard drives.
It is not as wasteful as the R format because the
Camcorders can use this media to store movies.
files/data can be added later.
Advantages:
Disadvantages:
Very large storage capacity.
It can be relatively expensive media.
Very fast data transfer rate.
Possible to accidentally overwrite data.
The data access speed is also greater than with other
CD-ROM/DVD-ROM ~ Read Only Memory optical media.
Blu-ray discs automatically come with a secure
Uses: encryption system.

These are read-only memory (ROM), which means they Disadvantages:

can’t be written over and can only be read. Permanent Relatively expensive discs.
storage method. Encryption problems when used to store videos.
CD-ROM is used to store music files and to store The introduction of HD (high definition) DVD players has
software, computer games and reference software. reduced the advantages of using Blu-ray technology.
DVD-ROM has much larger storage and is used to store
films.
Used in applications where there is a real need to 1.4. Solid State Backing Storage
prevent deletion or overwriting of important data.
Holds data on devices that don’t have any moving parts.
Advantages:
Solid-state drives (SSD)
They are less expensive than hard disk drive systems.
They are very portable as they are small and light. Uses:
Data stored on them is read-only, so it cannot be
accidentally overwritten. Storage device to store files, applications, OSs, and so on.

Disadvantages: Advantages:

Hold far less data than hard disk drives or memory

sticks.
Very slow data transfer rate and data access times, as
compared to hard disk drives.
You cannot add your files to the disks because they are
both read-only.

Blu-Ray Discs
The main differences between DVD and Blu-ray are:

WWW.ZNOTES.ORG Copyright © 2025 ZNotes Education & Foundation. All Rights Reserved. This document is
authorised for personal use only by Kizito at Ruby International on 12/05/25.
CAIE IGCSE ICT

They are more reliable as they have no moving parts. Very compact and portable media.
They are considerably lighter and suitable for laptops. Very robust.
They do not have to ‘get up to speed’ before they work Does not need additional software to work on most
correctly. computers.
They have lower power consumption. They are not affected by magnetic fields.
They run much cooler than HDDs.
Because they have no moving parts, they are very thin. Disadvantages:
SSD data access time is only 0.1 milliseconds compared Cannot protect the data/files by making it ‘read-only’.
to 10 milliseconds for HDD. Easy to lose (due to the small physical size).
Data transfer speed for SSDs is also much faster than for The user needs to be very careful when removing a
HDDs. memory stick from a computer - incorrect removal will
Disadvantages: corrupt the data on the memory stick and make it
useless.
SSD endurance - SSDs are conservatively rated at only
20GB write operations per day over three years. Flash Memory cards
More expensive than magnetic hard disks.
Smaller storage capacity than magnetic hard disks. Different types of memory cards:
» SD cards (secure digital card; widely used in portable
Hard Disk Drives (HDD) devices).
» XD cards (extreme digital card; mainly found in older digital
Uses: cameras).
» CFast card (compact, fast card; designed for high-speed
Storage device to store files, applications, operating data transfer in professional cameras).
systems, and backups. Uses:
Advantages Storing photos on digital cameras.
Generally offers larger stroage capacities than SSDs. Used as mobile phone memory cards.
More affordable compared to SSDs. Used in MP3 players to store music files.
Well-suited for long-term storage needs. Used as a backing store in hand-held computer devices.
Reliable for non-intensive read/write operations. Advantages:
Disadvantages Very compact.
Have moving parts, making them more prone to Because they have no moving parts, they are very
damage. durable.
Heavier and bulkier compared to SSDs. They can hold large amounts of data.
Compact cameras and smartphones can read and write
Higher power consumption.
Slower data transfer and access speeds compared to memory cards, allowing users to transport extensive
SSDs. collections of photographs, songs, etc.
Generates more heat and noise. Disadvantages:
Pen drives (Memory sticks)
Uses:
Transporting files between computers or using them as a
backing store.
Used as a security device to prevent software piracy
(known as a dongle).

Advantages:

WWW.ZNOTES.ORG Copyright © 2025 ZNotes Education & Foundation. All Rights Reserved. This document is
authorised for personal use only by Kizito at Ruby International on 12/05/25.
CAIE IGCSE ICT

Expensive per gigabyte of memory when compared to

HDDs.
Have a lower storage capacity than hard disks.
Have a finite life regarding the number of times they can
be read from or written to.
Memory cards, specifically the micro SD card, are the
smallest sized devices available, making them more likely
to be lost, stolen or damaged. The storage should be
sized cause the amount of storage does not prevent the
drive from being stolen
Users must often purchase a card reader or USB
converter to view the data.

WWW.ZNOTES.ORG Copyright © 2025 ZNotes Education & Foundation. All Rights Reserved. This document is
authorised for personal use only by Kizito at Ruby International on 12/05/25.
CAIE IGCSE
ICT

© ZNotes Education Ltd. & ZNotes Foundation 2025. All rights reserved.
This version was created by Kizito on Mon May 12 2025 for strictly personal use only.
These notes have been created by Farhan Shahid for the 2023-2025 syllabus.
The document contains images and excerpts of text from educational resources available on the internet and printed books.
If you are the owner of such media, test or visual, utilized in this document and do not accept its usage then we urge you to contact us
and we would immediately replace said media. No part of this document may be copied or re-uploaded to another website.
Under no conditions may this document be distributed under the name of false author(s) or sold for financial gain.
"ZNotes" and the ZNotes logo are trademarks of ZNotes Education Limited (registration UK00003478331).