Cambridge A Level Computer Science 9618 – P3.21 Processes, states and the kernel

Bespoke, fully editable lesson for Cambridge International AS & A Level Computer Science (9618): P3.21 Processes, states and the kernel. Slides, worksheet and full answers.

Written for Paper 3 Advanced Theory, section 16 System software (syllabus 16.1.3). Everything is editable, so you can adapt it to your class.

What’s included

• PowerPoint lesson (13 slides) with teacher notes on every slide
• Student worksheet (Word), ready to print or edit
• Answer sheet (Word) with mark-scheme style answers for every question

P3.21 Processes, states and the kernel

By the end of the lesson students can:

• Define a process and explain how multitasking lets many processes share a CPU
• Describe the running, ready and blocked states and the events that move a process between them
• Explain how the kernel acts as an interrupt handler to manage low-level scheduling

Worksheet sections: A. Key words; B. Transitions; C. Trace the processes; D. Exam-style questions; E. Challenge

Every lesson includes

• Learning goals and a starter question
• Clear explanations, diagrams and worked examples (Cambridge pseudocode, as in the 2027–2029 pseudocode guide, with Python alongside)
• A quick check and a “your turn” task linked to the worksheet
• Exam-style questions with marks, and an exit ticket

Format

• PowerPoint (.pptx) and Word (.docx), fully editable
• Works in PowerPoint and Google Slides
• Calm, muted sixth-form design, consistent across the whole course

These are independent resources written for the Cambridge International AS & A Level Computer Science syllabus (9618) for examination in 2027, 2028 and 2029. They are not produced or endorsed by Cambridge University Press & Assessment. Syllabus point numbers are our own numbering of the syllabus statements.