Fiducia TogetherOperating system
The software that manages the hardware and everything running on it.
Please note: This page explains a word or a process in education. It is general information about the system, the law and the guidance in England — not advice about your child, your school or your exam. If a decision is going against you, get advice from one of the free services we link to before you agree to anything or miss a deadline. If you are revising, check your own exam board's specification: boards word things differently and yours is the one that marks you.
What it is
An operating system manages memory, processes, files, peripherals and users, and provides the interface. Windows, macOS, Linux, Android and iOS are examples.
Where it applies
GCSE and A Level computer science.
How it works
Its jobs are worth listing because questions ask for them: memory management, processor scheduling, file management, peripheral and driver management, user management and security.
Utility software is separate — defragmentation, backup, compression, antivirus.
How to use it in your work
Learn the management functions as a list of five or six with a sentence each.
Distinguish the OS from utility software and from applications. Questions mix them deliberately.
Where to get help
Your teacher and your board's specification — the pseudocode and the required language differ between boards. Bitesize covers the concepts; the computer science song runs the topics.
Revise this with a song
These are ours. We write revision songs because a lot of people remember a tune when they cannot remember a page, and because revising out loud in the kitchen beats staring at a highlighter.
- The Computer Science Song The GCSE computer science topics, set to music.
Where to read more
Last reviewed 2026-08-28 by Fiducia Together · Next review due 2027-08-28
Please note: This page explains a word or a process in education. It is general information about the system, the law and the guidance in England — not advice about your child, your school or your exam. If a decision is going against you, get advice from one of the free services we link to before you agree to anything or miss a deadline. If you are revising, check your own exam board's specification: boards word things differently and yours is the one that marks you.