Know and understand evaluating a solution including the efficiency of the solution, the ease of use of the solution, and the appropriateness of the solution

Cambridge IGCSE / A‑Level ICT – Complete Syllabus Notes

1. Hardware – Components & Functions

• Central Processing Unit (CPU) – control unit, arithmetic‑logic unit, clock speed (MHz/GHz).
• Memory – primary (RAM, cache) vs secondary (hard‑disk, SSD, optical media).
• Motherboard & bus architecture – slots, ports, chipset.
• Power supply & cooling – voltage, wattage, fans, heat‑sinks.
• Peripherals – printers, scanners, speakers, webcams.

AO1: Define each component and its role. AO2: Identify appropriate hardware for a given scenario (e.g., a school computer lab).

2. Input Devices

• Keyboard – layout, function keys, ergonomic design.
• Mouse – optical vs laser, DPI, left‑handed options.
• Touchscreen, stylus, digital pen.
• Specialised devices – barcode readers, magnetic stripe readers, microphones.

AO1: List types and purposes. AO2: Choose the most suitable input device for a specific task.

3. Output Devices

• Monitors – CRT, LCD, LED, resolution (e.g., 1920×1080), colour depth.
• Printers – ink‑jet, laser, dot‑matrix; print quality (DPI), duplex printing.
• Speakers & headphones – stereo vs surround, frequency response.
• Projectors – LCD vs DLP, lumens, aspect ratio.

AO1: Explain how each device produces output. AO2: Recommend an output solution for a presentation.

4. Storage – Types & Management

• Primary storage – RAM, cache.
• Secondary storage – HDD, SSD, USB flash, CD/DVD, Blu‑ray.
• Network storage – NAS, cloud services (e.g., Google Drive, OneDrive).
• File organisation – folders, naming conventions, file extensions.
• Backup strategies – full, incremental, differential; 3‑2‑1 rule.

AO1: Differentiate storage media. AO2: Design a backup plan for a small business.

5. Networks – Concepts & Technologies

• Network types – LAN, WAN, MAN, PAN, Internet.
• Topologies – star, bus, ring, mesh.
• Transmission media – twisted‑pair, fibre‑optic, wireless (Wi‑Fi, Bluetooth).
• Network hardware – router, switch, hub, modem, access point.
• IP addressing – IPv4 vs IPv6, static vs dynamic (DHCP).
• Network protocols – TCP/IP, HTTP/HTTPS, FTP, SMTP.

AO1: Define key networking terms. AO2: Sketch a simple LAN layout for a classroom.

6. Effects of IT on Individuals, Organisations & Society

• Positive effects – productivity, communication, access to information.
• Negative effects – digital divide, privacy concerns, cyber‑crime.
• Environmental impact – e‑waste, energy consumption.
• Legal & ethical issues – copyright, data protection (GDPR), intellectual property.

AO1: Discuss benefits and drawbacks. AO3: Evaluate the impact of introducing a new ICT system in a community centre.

7. Systems Life Cycle (SLC)

7.1 Analysis

• Record & analyse the current (“as‑is”) system – flowcharts, data‑flow diagrams (DFDs), user interviews, questionnaires, observation.
• Research methods – surveys, focus groups, benchmarking, market research.
• Requirements specification

  • Functional – what the system must do.
  • Non‑functional – performance, security, usability, reliability.

• Problem definition – clear statement of business need, constraints and success criteria.

7.2 Design

• Data structures & file design – tables, fields, primary/foreign keys, data types, field length, coding.
• Input & output formats – screen layouts, report templates, export files (CSV, PDF).
• Validation rules – range checks, mandatory fields, format checks, consistency checks.
• Modelling artefacts – DFDs, entity‑relationship diagrams (ERDs), pseudocode, flowcharts.

7.3 Development & Testing

• Test plan – objectives, resources, schedule, responsibilities.
• Test data – normal (valid) data, abnormal (invalid) data, boundary values.
• Testing strategies

  • Unit testing – individual modules.
  • Integration testing – interaction between modules.
  • System testing – whole system against requirements.
  • User‑acceptance testing (UAT) – real users validate the solution.

• Implementation types – pilot, parallel, direct (big‑bang) change‑over.

7.4 Implementation (Change‑over)

• Direct (big‑bang) – switch off old system and switch on new at once.
• Parallel – run old and new systems together for a period.
• Phased – introduce new system in stages (e.g., by department).
• Pilot – trial in a limited area before full roll‑out.
• Roll‑out planning – training schedule, data migration, cut‑over timetable.

7.5 Documentation

• Technical documentation – system architecture, source‑code comments, database schema, maintenance procedures, version control, change log.
• User documentation – user manual, quick‑start guide, FAQ, online help, video tutorials, troubleshooting guide.

7.6 Evaluation (AO3 – Analyse, evaluate, make reasoned judgements)

The evaluation stage measures how well the new solution meets the original requirements and stakeholder expectations.

Key Evaluation Criteria

1. Efficiency – speed and resource use.
2. Ease of Use (Usability) – learnability, error rate, satisfaction.
3. Appropriateness – fit for purpose, compliance, scalability, maintainability.

1. Efficiency of the Solution

2. Ease of Use (Usability)

3. Appropriateness of the Solution

• Alignment with business goals and user requirements.
• Compliance with legal, regulatory and security standards.
• Scalability – ability to handle future growth.
• Compatibility with existing hardware, software and network infrastructure.
• Maintainability – ease of updating, fixing bugs and providing support.

Evaluation Process (AO3 focus)

1. Compare the original task requirements (from analysis) with the actual performance measured using the three criteria above.
2. Produce an evaluation report that includes:

   • Summary of findings – tables/graphs.
   • Judgement on whether success criteria have been met.
   • Identification of any short‑comings.
   • Recommendations for improvement or further development.

3. Reflect on the whole life‑cycle – could a different change‑over method, design choice or testing strategy have produced a better outcome?

Evaluation Rubric (5‑point scale)

Sample Assessment Questions (AO3)

1. Identify two efficiency metrics that would be relevant for a web‑based e‑commerce platform and explain how you would measure each.
2. Describe a usability test you would conduct to evaluate the learnability of a new software application.
3. List three factors that determine the appropriateness of a solution for a small non‑profit organisation.
4. Using the rubric above, evaluate the following scenario: a mobile app processes 500 transactions per hour, has an average response time of 3 s and an error rate of 4 %. Provide a score (1‑5) for each criterion and justify your marks.

Suggested Diagram (Insert into teaching material)

8. Safety & E‑Safety

• Physical safety – ergonomics, electrical hazards, proper cabling.
• E‑safety – safe internet use, phishing, malware, firewalls, antivirus.
• Data protection – strong passwords, two‑factor authentication, encryption.
• Backup & disaster recovery planning.

AO3: Evaluate the adequacy of a school's e‑safety policy.

9. Audience, Copyright & Intellectual Property

• Identifying target audience – age, abilities, interests.
• Copyright basics – what can be copied, fair dealing, licences (Creative Commons).
• Plagiarism – definition, detection tools, consequences.
• Ethical use of resources – attribution, citation.

AO1: Explain key concepts; AO3: Discuss the impact of copyright on creating a school website.

10. Communication – Email, Messaging & Collaboration Tools

• Email etiquette – subject lines, salutations, signatures, attachments.
• Instant messaging & video conferencing – platforms, netiquette.
• Collaborative software – shared drives, wikis, version control.
• File‑sharing considerations – size limits, security, access rights.

11. File Management

• Folder structures – hierarchical, logical naming.
• File types – .docx, .xlsx, .pptx, .pdf, .jpg, .png, .html.
• Compression – zip, rar, tar.
• Search techniques – wildcards, advanced search filters.

12. Image Editing & Manipulation

• Raster vs vector graphics.
• Common tools – cropping, resizing, colour correction, layers.
• File formats – lossless (PNG, TIFF) vs lossy (JPG, GIF).
• Accessibility – alt‑text, colour contrast.

13. Layout & Styles (Word‑Processing)

• Page setup – margins, orientation, columns.
• Paragraph & character styles – headings, normal text, emphasis.
• Templates – reusable document structures.
• Headers, footers, page numbers, watermarks.

14. Proofreading & Spell‑Checking

• Automated tools – spell‑check, grammar check.
• Manual techniques – reading aloud, peer review.
• Common errors – homophones, punctuation, formatting.

15. Graphs & Charts

• Types – bar, line, pie, scatter, histogram.
• Choosing appropriate graph for data set (categorical vs continuous).
• Labelling – titles, axes, legends, units.
• Interpretation – reading trends, outliers.

16. Document Production (Word‑Processing)

• Creating letters, reports, newsletters, flyers.
• Inserting tables, images, hyperlinks.
• Using mail‑merge for personalised letters.
• Exporting to PDF, printing settings.

17. Database Concepts & Operations

• Database vs flat file – advantages of relational databases.
• Key concepts – tables, records, fields, primary key, foreign key.
• Data types – text, number, date, boolean.
• SQL basics – SELECT, INSERT, UPDATE, DELETE, WHERE, JOIN.
• Forms & reports – data entry and presentation.

18. Presentation Software

• Slide design – layout, colour scheme, readability.
• Multimedia – embedding video, audio, animations.
• Delivery tools – presenter view, laser pointer, remote control.
• Export options – PDF, video file.

19. Spreadsheet Concepts & Functions

• Cell references – relative, absolute, mixed.
• Common functions – SUM, AVERAGE, IF, VLOOKUP/HLOOKUP, COUNTIF.
• Data visualisation – charts, conditional formatting.
• What‑if analysis – Goal Seek, Solver, Scenario Manager.

20. Website Authoring & Publishing

• HTML basics – tags, attributes, structure (head, body).
• CSS – selectors, properties, layout (flexbox, grid).
• Multimedia integration – images, video, audio.
• Accessibility – alt‑text, semantic markup, colour contrast.
• Publishing – FTP upload, web‑hosting, domain names.

21. Project Work & Portfolio Development (AO2)

• Project planning – Gantt chart, task allocation, milestones.
• Documentation – requirement specification, design artefacts, test reports.
• Reflection – evaluate the project against success criteria, identify learning points.
• Portfolio – collection of artefacts (code snippets, designs, reports) for assessment.

Integrating the Syllabus into Teaching & Assessment

Mapping to Assessment Objectives

Suggested Weekly Programme (45‑minute lessons)

1. Hardware & Input/Output devices
2. Storage & File Management
3. Networks & Effects of IT
4. Safety, E‑safety & Legal issues
5. Audience, Copyright & Communication
6. Word‑processing – layout, styles, proofreading
7. Image editing & Graphs/Charts
8. Spreadsheets – formulas, data analysis
9. Databases – design, SQL basics
10. Presentation software
11. Website authoring – HTML/CSS basics
12. Systems Life Cycle – full walkthrough (analysis → evaluation)
13. Practical project – students work on a mini‑SLC project (choose a problem, develop a solution, evaluate).
14. Revision & mock exam practice (focus on AO1, AO2, AO3).

Practical Lab Ideas (AO2)

• Lab 1 – Word‑Processing – create a formatted newsletter using styles and tables.
• Lab 2 – Spreadsheet – build a budgeting model with IF and SUMIF functions.
• Lab 3 – Database – design a simple student‑records database, enter data, run SELECT queries.
• Lab 4 – Web Authoring – produce a 3‑page site with HTML and CSS, publish via FTP.
• Lab 5 – Evaluation – conduct a usability test on the site created in Lab 4, record metrics, write a brief evaluation report.

Key Take‑aways for Students

• Know the terminology for each hardware/software component (AO1).
• Be able to create, edit and format documents, spreadsheets, databases, presentations and web pages (AO2).
• Apply the Systems Life Cycle to a real problem, collect data, and evaluate the final solution against efficiency, usability and appropriateness (AO3).
• Always consider safety, legal and ethical issues when using ICT.