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Unit 7 – IT Systems Security and Encryption – what h/w do I need? ... computing requirements of an identified organisation. ... P2, A3 = M1, A4 = D1.
Typology: Schemes and Mind Maps
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Q1 Unit7 - D3 and P Q2 Unit15 – Do we need to evidence FTP? Q3 Unit7 – Practical Issues? Q4 Unit5 – Does every student need to build a computer? Q5 Unit 1 & Unit 2 - Calculators in exams? Q6 Unit 7 – P6 and P7? Q7 Unit 6 – Coding, Hosting and Embedded Assets Q8 Unit 2 – SAM mentions Vector is this wrong? Q9 Unit 2 - C1 Number systems Q10 Unit 2 - D2 Indices and matrices Q11 Unit 2 - F1 Boolean Logic Q12 Unit 22 – Authorised Assignment Brief Questions Q13 Unit 14 – Computer games development – can I use Scratch? Q14 Unit 7 – IT Systems Security and Encryption – what h/w do I need? Q15 Unit 10^ –^ Human–Computer Interaction^ –^ question about assignment^ briefs? Q16 Unit 2 – Clarification of learning aim A Q17 Unit 2 - Learning Aim B guidance Q18 Unit 4^ –^ Access to a data dictionary? Q19 Unit 3^ -^ query about PCR in Sample assessment Q20 Unit 3 –what software and SAM questions? Q21 Unit 3^ –^ Can students modify Part A during Part B? Q22 Unit 10 – What ‘picture board’ means Q23 Unit 4^ –^ Can we use Access for this unit? Q24 Unit 4 – Choice of programming language? Q25 Unit 3 – Complex function points, please clarify? Q26 Unit 7 and Unit 19 - use of Packet Tracer Q27 Unit11 - A voxel what is it? Q28 Unit 9 – A4 section in assessment Q29 Unit 2^ -^ clarification on Boolean logic Indices and Matrices Q30 Unit 3^ –^ Scenario in PDF form? Q31 Unit 7 – Difficulty capturing evidence? Q32 Unit 4 – Evaluation activity?
Q33 Unit 2 – Calculators, K-maps, binary solutions Q34 Unit 4 – Use of IDE and GUI development
When approaching this unit of study we have conducted many of the activities on a standalone machine and supervised students with our network manager because of the nature of the activities that are being asked.
Is there an exemplar for this that we can review as I am still confused? I have one for Learning Aim A & B. We have not had meetings as such, the client is prescribed in the authorized briefs and we have followed the structure as set out, but we find this difficult to address for a distinction activity.
In their proposal and implementation reports students are always referring back to the client and linking with safe and responsible use considering actions and consequences. I have got them to develop and Acceptable Use Policy for the client as well so this covers elements of employee responsibility and code of conduct.
By addressing the actions implemented and stipulating what they are, how it works, what affect it has on employer/employee, I still cannot ascertain where to put this section in.
How is D3 evidence best collected? This is a vague statement and Learning Aim D7 does not clearly address this. "Evidence of individual responsibility and effective time management such as notes, diary entries, witness testimonies, discussion notes or recordings" Students have a diary for implementation and activities carried out, but what is individual responsibility?
Q1 Answer:
D3: I agree that the wording of D3 is very strange - 'Demonstrate individual responsibility and effective self- management in the planning and protection of an IT system.' I have/would simply use a witness statement for the whole of D3. You can talk about things like:
Exemplar work: There is now an exemplar for Learning Aims C and D. You can find it here.
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As part of the Authorised Assignment 2, we are being asked to implement below:
Set up a computer system in which you plan and apply appropriate security protection methods. The system you set up needs to:
Support different groups of users. This will allow you to show how to you can control the access users have to each other ’ s files
Due to school network restrictions this task has been extremely difficult to complete and gather evidence for.
Answer 3: Question 1: It is a requirement that learners actually ‘perform’ the tasks on their plan and so therefore observing the technicians perform the tasks is not enough. The way to do this is to use virtual machines and setup accounts for students on Microsoft Azure. It’s free for 30 days and therefore as long as students complete the tasks and get all their evidence together before the 30 days end then there is no charge. This saves messing around getting the equipment setup. Here are some example tasks that students could do:
Question 2: These tasks could be done on a single stand-alone computer. However it is advisable that you wipe all the data / settings before allowing the next student to complete the tasks. Depending on how big your group is this could take a long time.
Question 3: Students need to perform the tasks themselves. For PASS level they may be given some guidance but for DISTINCTION level, one of the assessment criteria states that they are an effective ‘self-manager’ and they
need to show evidence of working on their own. Therefore they would need to complete the tasks on their own for a Distinction.
Question 4: Pearson do not have centres setup for learners to visit.
Question 5: If you are certificating this year, your SV will need to see full completed units. You cannot send one assignment completed and then send the other one at a later date. Full units must be sent together. If you want to certificate this year than one/two full units (depending on which qualification you are doing) needs to be sent before the 30th May (it doesn’t have to be unit 7). If you don’t meet this deadline there is a possibility that you will not be able to certificate this year.
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We are going to be delivering unit 5 Building Computer Systems and I want some advice on the hardware requirements. Do the learners have to build the system on an individual basis or can they do the practical in groups? Also the assignment brief mentions a hand held device to access the database, do you have a particular device in mind. We could have approximately 100 learners and we are trying to understand how to cater for them. We could get one group to start on the build and then break the systems back down for the next group etc but that would take a lot of time. Do you know what other colleges are doing?
Answer 4: The best recommendation is to start this unit very early in the course. Learners could all do learning Aim A and B together but then Learning Aim C could be done alongside the other units to allow groups to break off to complete the practical elements needed in Learning Aim C. In order to keep the practical element to a reasonable size restrict the number of components to that which allow the computer to be functional, no more. Students could film themselves building the computer rather than having to keep stopping to make notes or take photos.
From a management point of view, the software would actually be installed on virtual machines. This makes it a lot easier as you don't have to mess around getting the equipment setup etc. These also allow for customisation (e.g. adding users etc).
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Both Unit 1 and Unit 2 state candidates can use a calculator. Are there any restrictions on what type of calculator is allowed?
Answer 5: There is no restriction currently on the type of calculator allowed in the exam. Your centre should however ensure that the correct rules are followed (e.g. no mobile phone calculators, notes on the back etc).
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When looking at the coding section I noticed that the students need to code in HTML, CSS and JavaScript:
Answer 7: In terms of unit 6, the focus is about good website design and not necessarily about writing web code. They need to show that they have an awareness of HTML, CSS and JavaScript. They could create a couple of buttons and write some code for it. There is lots of HTML code on the internet for them to add extra features to their website such as timers, hit counters etc. which they could copy into their website and then edit it. Your suggestion of JQuery would be fine.
Students don't need to create their content. They can use content that already exists as long as they reference everything that they use. They may however choose to edit it first.
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The SAM has a question Q4d: A graphic designer uses computer systems to store and manipulate digital images for use in printed and digital products. The images used in the designs are acquired from a range of sources, including mobile phones and the web. They are also created using graphics software. The graphic designer uses different bitmap file formats and vector images.
(d) Analyse the impact that digital image representation has on the way images are viewed, stored and used. 12 Marks
However in the spec there is no mention of Vector images, is this a mistake?
Answer 8: The question is a very open question that will accept answers relating to any of the points on the spec. If you look at the mark scheme for this question it is broken down into:
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Do candidates need to know?
Answer Q9:
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In the Pearson text book, pages 104 – 108 there are worked examples of shape transformation and simultaneous equations. There does not appear to be any reference to these operations in the specification. Are you able to clarify if candidates need to know this and to how much depth?
Answer Q10: Indices and matrices should be understood in terms of processing data and performing simple mathematical processes. It is advised that learners can do this in a number of different contexts/scenarios.
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In the specification it says ‘ The use, application and interpretation of Boolean logic to identify data flow and solve problems.’
Would candidates be expected to know Karnaugh maps, truth tables, the laws of Boolean simplification and De Morgan’s law? We are not sure of the depth and difficulty level. For example, using 2 / 3 input truth tables or 3/4 input Boolean simplification problems.
Answer Q11: Learners should be familiar with drawing complex logic diagrams with a minimum of 3 levels and to be able to draw corresponding truth tables.
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Now that the requirements specification has been completed you should email ‘Name’ to request a meeting to discuss the quality of the proposed computing system and its suitability against the original requirements.
You need to discuss how you are going to carry out document analysis and the protocols that will be used for carrying out the investigation in light of customer confidentiality and security issues.
Create a questionnaire to take with you to the meeting to ensure that you collect all of the information that you require.
Keep a record of all correspondence and meetings and update your requirements specification in light of the discussions.
Evaluate your requirements specification to show how it fulfils Cartes de Modes’ requirements. You should also identify potential issues that may arise and how you would resolve them.
It is now time to design the e-card system.
Produce detailed design documentation showing:
o Input and output requirements
You are also required to produce a plan for testing, maintaining and update: The plan should clearly identify the:
The plan should also include a section for the:
Your report should also evaluate the design against the organisation’s requirements.
In the last section of the report you should evaluate your skills, knowledge and behaviour:
Answer Q12: With the new NQF qualifications it is important to consider that some of the assessment criteria can be combined together. For example in the assignment brief you have sent me, 22/BC.D2 and 22/C.M3 are
combined. This is because 22/BC.D2 is asking learning to evaluate the requirements specification while 22/C.M3 is asking learners to justify the requirements specification. As evaluate is a higher order command verb than justify, evaluate is used on the assignment brief. However if learners achieve this, you would automatically assume that they have justified and therefore they would also achieve 22/C.M3.
I have adapted some of your colour coding, I hope this makes sense. There is a small part on testing which is not specifically mentioned in the assessment criteria however is good practice to include anyway. I hope this answers your questions.
Criteria covered by this task: Unit/Criteria reference To achieve the criteria you must show that you are able to: 22/BC.D2 Evaluate the requirements specification and design against the organisation’s requirements. 22/C.D3 Demonstrate individual responsibility, creativity and effective self-management inproducing a design for a computing system.
22/C.M3 Justify system design decisions made, showing how the proposed computing system willmeet the business and computing requirements of an identified organisation.
22/B.M2 Justify the decisions made in a requirements specification to meet the business andcomputing requirements of an identified organisation.
22/C.P4 Produce a design for a computing system that will meet the business and computingrequirements of an identified organisation.
22/C.P5 Explain how feedback has been used to refine the design for a computing system that willmeet the business and computing requirements of an identified organisation.
22/B.P3 Produce a requirements specification to meet the business and computing requirements ofan identified organisation.
It is now time to create the requirements specification and design against the organisation’s requirements.
Your manager has asked for a project timescale.
Evaluate the computing and business needs of Cartes de Mode in regards to: ● the services the organisation provides ● aims and goals of the organisation ● customer’s needs, expectations, how the ecards are delivered ● staff’s needs, working styles and patterns ● location of staff, customers, premises, market/service and delivery point.
Evaluate the factors affecting the success and failure of the new e-card system in regards to the: ● risk associated with completion of tasks on time and within budget ● costs and time constraints ● staff skills and the maintenance of the e-card system ● change management and user involvement in the development process.
It is now time to create a requirements specification that describes the new e-card system: ● the scope and boundaries of the proposed e-card system ● inputs and outputs in the proposed system ● processes required in the proposed system ● time scales and milestones ● risks and constraints ● recommendations for future action.
Regarding achieving AO C and AO D, I am outlining the situation we have and I would appreciate some feedback on this.
The technician has provided me with 4 standalone machines and a wireless router. Having looked at the Assignment brief, I don’t believe that a peer to peer arrangement between the machines set up with a wireless router is sufficient in order to set up groups etc.
As I understand it from looking on line (I am totally new to this!), I would need server software which I could then put on one machine to act as the server for the others. Does the server software come free, which one would be best for windows 7 professional? Do I need any other software for the firewall etc. or can I use the software within windows 7 for this. Do I need any other hardware apart from the wireless router? One further question is, as I understand it I could set up the network and groups and then the students apply the group security aspects. Is this correct or do they need evidence of setting up the groups and network themselves?
Answer Q14: As a teacher myself and I have personally taught this unit. Last year I was in a very similar situation with 22 students and no hardware to use to be able to carry out the practical activities needed for Unit 7.
There is no requirement in this unit to setup hardware. Therefore what I did in my own centre was to setup a virtual machine using Microsoft Azure. There is a small charge to use this and you pay for each hour that you use it. I think it cost my own centre £15 in total for each of my 22 students to use it for 5 hours. Using Microsoft Azure I setup a virtual server which they accessed online and then I duplicated this 22 times for each student. Then each student logged into their own virtual server and setup users, folders, set permissions, installed anti-virus software, changed the firewall settings etc. The unit was sent off to the standards verifier who also passed off the unit.
Failing that, they could simply do this on stand-alone computers. There is no requirement for you to use a server. Therefore learners could use a stand-alone computer and setup different users, folders etc. and then set permissions. This would still allow them to install anti-virus software, firewall software etc. However this method is very slow if you have lots of learners. Using Microsoft Azure, I managed to get my learners off timetable for the day and they completed the whole thing in one go to save messing around.
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I am writing regarding the assignment that was written by Pearson for the Unit 10. I have had some confirmation regarding the A1, A2, A3, A4 section of Learning aim A, that numerically they cover A1 = P1, A2 = P2, A3 = M1, A4 = D1. In the layout of the assignment the keywords evaluate are used for both P1, P2 and D and there is no clear evidence as to M1 criteria.
Can you please confirm:
Answer Q15: An assignment or task within an assignment will cover a learning aim. The assessment criteria is as follows:
A requirement in the new NQF qualifications is that there is a tiered system rather than a task for P1, then another task for M1 and then another task for D1. In the new NQF qualifications, a single task will cover multiple criteria and therefore you need to decide which level the learner has achieved.
Therefore to answer your questions, the highest command word is always used in the assignment. In this case, it is evaluate and if a learner achieves D1, they will automatically achieve the other assessment criteria in that assignment. If you feel that they have not quite evaluated but have analysed then you can award M1 which means they have achieved M1 and everything else under that.
Therefore the learner will not be asked to explain something and then analyse something and then evaluate something as they will just be asked to evaluate something.
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Please can you give me some ideas of what you would expect for the following areas? Factors affecting the choice of different architecture models. The impact of using different architecture models. The features and implications of embedded and mobile central processing unit (CPU) architecture. The features and implications of microcomputer CPU architecture. The features and implications of server CPU architecture.
Answer Q17: Factors affecting the choice of different architecture models include: · Cost · Compatibility (with other software), · User experience · User needs
The impact of using different architecture models include: · Cost · Compatibility (with other software), · User experience · User needs
The features and implications of embedded and mobile central processing unit (CPU) architecture include: · Robustness · Reliability · Power Consumption · Cooling Requirements
The features and implications of microcomputer CPU architecture include: · Cost · Compatibility · User Experience · User Needs · Amount of Data
The features and implications of server CPU architecture include: · Cost · Compatibility · User Experience · User Needs · Amount of Data
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In the example exam papers and the guidance for Unit 4 Software Design and Development Project it states, “access to a data dictionary for the chosen language is permitted” What does it mean by a data dictionary? Surely a data dictionary is used to explain and define variables used in coding or a database.
What would be permitted? Do you have an example? I don’t want to allow students access to use something and then find that I was wrong. The students are using Visual Studio 2017 and coding in C#. I am currently checking but I don’t think the code libraries are available offline.
Answer Q18: The updated SAM and the live papers will have the following statement 'You will have access to the offline help files contained within your chosen development environment'. This is the help facility that is built into the development environment.
For example, if learners are using Python there is a Python Docs section in the help menu that they can use during the exam if they wish. The part about the data dictionary is no longer in the papers as no paperwork is permitted during the activity.
If the centre wanted to use the code libraries, they would have to be downloaded within Visual Studio 2017 before the assessment starts.
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The Unit 3 controlled assessment, part 2 (the project checkpoint report (PCR)).
Can you give further guidance on what is expected in the section in the PCR. This is the first time in any part of the assessment that this is mentioned. This is not mentioned in the unit specification and it is not mentioned in the BTEC National Computing Student Book. Searching online I can only find reference for it in relation to PRINCE2, and it this seems like something that would be not be expected to be known by students at this level?
There is a short mention of it in the Revise BTEC National Revision Guide, but no explanation is given as to how to determine what to include in this particular section.
Answer Q19: Having looked at the SAM I am assuming you are referring to the Project Checkpoint Report on Page 24 (Activity 3)? If so this is a document that is used as a checkpoint to check for progress.
The SAM says:
Therefore they need to create the PCR to review the progress made and take these issues into account and then communicate this information to the relevant members of the team. They need to include lessons learnt such as time management (e.g. checking in advance if the database administrator was going to be available in order to find a replacement quicker, ensuring another member of the project team always has an understanding of key areas to cover for staff when they are off sick etc, ensuring the budget was enough at the
Answer Q21: The exam paper states 'You will need to refer to your work from Part A to complete the set task in Part B.' Part A and B will not be released to the centre at the same time. See below for example from Jan 2018
Part A - This will be released on 08/01/2018 and should be completed between 08/01/2018 - 12/01/2018. Learners should be given 3 hours to complete this.
Part B - This will be released on 15/01/2018 and should be completed between 15/01/2018 - 17/01/2018. Learners should be given 2 hours to complete this.
Submission Both tasks must be submitted by 19/01/2018. Therefore, when they have completed Part A, you will need to keep hold of this until the end of the second window.
This means that Part A should be fully completed before they complete Part B. You will need to ensure that learners have access to Part A while working on Part B but they are not allowed to make changes to Part A while they are working on Part B. They are required to save their work as a PDF and therefore it would be a good idea for learners to keep the PDF version of Part A while working on Part B so that they cannot make any changes to it.
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The unit spec for HCI says a picture board is required for each interface (P3, P6), is it possible to explain what is been asked for
Answer Q22: P3 refers to design of the user interface while P6 refers to the documentation for the design and the actual user interface that is created.
For P3, learners could create a picture board / storyboard / flowchart which contains a sketch of each screen / area within the user interface. They should then annotate this to show where the inputs / outputs are and what methods are used to allow the user to input data / commands (e.g. mouse, touch, voice) and what methods are used to output data (e.g. visual, sound, vibration). For example, learners could sketch out:
Areas that display information (e.g. instructions) Areas that require the user to click/tap on something (e.g. the buttons) Areas that require the user to use the keyboard to enter test (e.g. a form Areas that require the user to carry out a gesture on the touch screen
OUTPUT: What will be displayed when the buttons/hyperlinks are clicked on / selected What the error messages will look like / contain (e.g. if a field is left empty) What the screens will look like after something has been processed (e.g. when the user swipes across the screen). What will happen / what the screen will display when the user has made an error (e.g. they only have only entered 7 characters and not 8) What sounds will play / when they will play and what they will sound like and what will be displayed on the screen to back up the sound For p6, learners can take screenshots of the user interface that they have created. They should then combine all documents into a single portfolio / area to allow them to be easily navigated through. Learners could annotate the final user interface with the features that have changed since the designs and give reasons for the differences.
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After reading the Authorised Assignment Brief scenario provided by Pearson, we were wondering if this is something that can be built using Microsoft Access. This would be an ideal software choice due to the interface design capabilities as well as the database programming facilities using SQL. Please can you confirm if the student can develop the system using MS Access or if another programming language needs to be used such as Python or C# etc?
Answer Q23: We would not advise the use of Microsoft Access and would, therefore, recommend using a different programming language, such as Python, C#, C++, Java or Visual Basic. This is because students will not be able to evidence the assessment criteria for this unit using MS Access, SQL, VBA, MS Access are all tools/technologies that are not in the spec If a student submitted work for this unit as a MS Access solution it would likely be blocked.
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