ITGS Paper 1 often includes questions which ask you to describe the steps taken to accomplish a certain process. These questions usually have 4 marks, and I would recommend you write four to five steps in the process (just in case). The new paper 2 (introduced for the May 2012 examination session) also requires a step-by-step process in criteria B.
To get the best marks in these questions you should:
- Include at least four steps
- Use clear, precise technical language
- Give named examples where appropriate (it is better to say “select the name and grade fields” than to say “select the fields you want”)
- Avoid using software-specific instructions (e.g. “go to Create, New query, design view, click show table”, but that is only correct for Microsoft Access). It is the overall process that counts.
Example ITGS ‘Process’ Questions
- Explain the process that the computer performs when an image is saved as a JPEG file.
- In a supermarket, describe how the total is calculated after an item bar code is scanned.
- Explain the encryption processes that occur when you visit a website such as Amazon.
- Many modern passports contain biometric data. Describe the steps used to authenticate the owner of the passport at the passport control in an airport.
- Describe the steps a teacher would perform to query a school database to find students who have an IB failing condition.
- Describe how the GPS functionality in a mobile phone or satellite navigation system works to provide the user with directions to a destination.
- Describe the steps a SmartCCTV system would take to identify suspicious activity in an airport.
- Describe the steps a user must go through when preparing to install a new operating system on their computer.
- Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) allows police officers to quickly check vehicle registration plates (licence plates). Describe the steps that are required to accomplish this process.
Where can I find answers to these questions ?
I haven't written any answers for them, sorry! They were just some examples which I would go through in class with my students and we would work towards a model answer together.