Well i'm doing some work on my module and i'm not sure whether are my answers are correct and my lecturer isnt available.
So, here goes,
Most OS make use of the BIOS to boot up the system, Explain what is BIOS and its primary functions.
Basic Input Output System. It determines what a computer can do without access programs from a disk and contains all the codes required to control the keyboard, display screen, disk drives, serial communications and other functions.
Next, MS Windows, Mac OS X or Linux are prominent e.g. of system software. Explain with examples, the main characteristics of system software.
System software is the computer's basic operating system including softwares that manage the computer, network and utilities that help improve system performance.
I'm not so sure about the BIOS cause i googled it but for the 2nd qn i got the answer from my notes.
BIOS, which stands for Basic Input and Output System, is a firmware interface with information for system start-up.
Its primary function is to load and start an operating system(OS) from a boot device such as a HDD.
(With reference from wikipedia)
For school assignments, usually referring to Wikipedia alone is enough.
For the first question, you missed out the primary functions of BIOS.
BIOS
Sources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BIOS
As for the second one, system software not only includes OSes, but also device drivers and utility programs.
System software
Sources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/System_software
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operating_system
http://certforums.co.uk/forums/thread18957.html