ITGS PAPER 2 - ADVICE TO TEACHERS AND STUDENTS

Students need to practise writing responses to articles using the following

advice. Most importantly teachers need to emphasise the need for a structured
response to Criteria C and D.
Criterion A
Marked as two parts, 2 marks each. The second part of A is a separate question i.e. the
question only asks for a stakeholder and relationship to the system, it does not need to
be linked to the concern described in the first part.
If the concern is identified correctly, but wrongly described: 1 mark for that part.
If the relationship is identified correctly, but not described: 1 mark for that part.
Describe means to give details of the concern/relationship.
Criterion B
The focus of this criterion is technical IT knowledge and its linkage to ITGS issues.
A step-by-step description of the processing that is beyond the details in the article gains
entry into the 3-4 markband.
The description beyond the article must include software/hardware/processes not
mentioned in the article; the basic input and output is mentioned in the article.
For the second part the concern must be the one described in the first part of Criterion A.
The answer must explain the link between the IT system and the concern how one can
lead to the other
Students may not go beyond the article within the list of steps but extra details about the
IT system may be used to explain the relationship between the IT system and the
concern. This is considered when awarding marks using the Best Fit approach.
Criterion C
The focus of this criterion is the impact of the IT system on the stakeholders, and an
evaluation of the range, type and extent of the impact
A structured answer is usually required for the top markband.
Descriptions of a range of impacts only does NOT gain entry to the 3-5 markband.
Implicit response - the response is just a general one and it could be based on any
article; or there is a reference to the article without any description or explanation.

Explicit response - the response is clearly linked to the article, it may not mention the
scenario by name, but it is clear that this is the subject of discussion. Line numbers
and/or direct quotes are not necessary.

Partial analysis and evaluation can be comments about individual impacts and gains
entry to the 3-5 markband see the list of trigger words on the next page.
Full analysis requires consideration of both positive and negative impacts for more than
one stakeholder
Full evaluation needs a conclusion/opinion/judgement about the overall impacts justified
based on a comparison of the impacts.
Using the trigger words for evaluation without a justification does not receive marks.
Depth is more important than breadth

Students may indicate that a problem can be easily solved as part of their evaluation. No
marks for a detailed description/evaluation of the solution as this should come under
Criterion D.
If a student has structured the response into advantages/disadvantages for the various
stakeholders then this is also the beginnings of analysis and gains entry to the 3-5
markband.
For full marks there needs to be a final summative paragraph that demonstrates
evaluation. There needs to be a judgement based on the points raised. This is not just a
summary.

Criterion D
The focus of this criterion is the solution and an evaluation of its effectiveness in solving
the problem/s.
A structured answer is usually required for the top markband.
The link to one of the problems described in criterion C may be implied.
ONLY the FIRST appropriate solution (it may only be identified) is marked and further
solutions are ignored.
A solution may have more than one idea, but the parts must be related and solve one
problem. For example: the solution is a policy to protect a database and it includes the
use of a firewall, VPN and secure physical location.
Although it is recommended that students provide a solution that will modify the current
system and solve its problems, a valid solution is one which replaces the system
Students may identify a solution and not fully describe how it will work, but then go on to
evaluate it. In this situation Best Fit is applied.
Full evaluation (markband 6-8) requires an evaluation of both strengths and weaknesses
A solution partly described but evaluated would warrant Best Fit marking
For full marks a final summative paragraph that demonstrates evaluation would be
expected. There needs to be a judgement based on the strengths and weaknesses
raised. This is not just a summary.
Best Fit
Best-fit is designed to enable examiners to measure the performance of a candidate against all
of the different requirements of a markband. Using best-fit the examiner reads the candidates
response and determines which of the levels within the markband is most appropriate. This
does not mean that the candidate has to reach every statement within that level. Sometimes a
response does not fully satisfy one level but has strong elements of the higher level. For
example in Paper 2 the impact in Criterion C may not be fully described, but it has been clearly
evaluated. In this case it may be appropriate to award a mark at the lower end of the 3-5
markband. Using best-fit prevents one particular weakness in the response denying access to
the appropriate level.
Critical Thinking
These trigger words often signal critical thinking. The bold words are the key terms in the
various criteria.
Explanation - Because, as a result of, due to, therefore, consequently, for example
Analysis - Furthermore, additionally, however, but, conversely, likewise, in addition, on the other
hand, whereas
Evaluation - My opinion, overall, although, despite, on balance, on weighing up

Conclusions
When supporting an opinion/judgement/final evaluation it is not enough to say 'the positives
outweigh the negatives'. They need to be supported by evidence. Students may compare the
different impacts and apportion priority with reasons. They may focus on questions such as:
How many people are affected? Are some stakeholders affected more than others eg
teenagers? Are impacts only local or also global? Are the impacts short term or long term? Can
the problems be easily solved? Can an impact be lessened/diminished with a solution, for
example, if the issue of reliability can be resolved how does this affect the impact?
Note that opinions may not only occur at the end of the writing but can be found throughout the
response; but are best at the end of the criterion.
What is the difference between 1a) and 2b)?
A1. (a) Describe one social/ethical concern related to the IT system in the article.
E.g. privacy of sensitive data if privacy is breached then an unauthorised person may
be able to access someones personal details and .
The main focus is on the details of the concern the problem that would be created by
way of the particular IT system in the article.
B2. (b) Explain the relationship between the IT system and the social/ethical concern described
in Criterion A.
E.g. Privacy (the concern from Criterion A) would be breached if an unauthorised person
gains access to the IT system through lack of security in the following way

The main focus is on the part of the IT system that is linked to the concern.