specimen assessment material

Specimen Assessment MaterialCore Exam – Paper 1: Digital Analysis, Legislation and Emerging Issues

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T Level Technical Qualification in Digital: Digital Production, Design and Development –Specimen Assessment Materials – August 2020 Page 2

T Level Technical Qualification (Level 3) in Digital: Digital Production, Design and Development Specimen assessment material for first teaching

September 2020

Time: 2 hours 30 minutes Paper Reference XXXX/01

Paper 1: Digital Analysis, Legislation and Emerging Issues

You do not need any other materials. Total marks: 100

Instructions • Use black ink or a ball-point pen. • Fill in the boxes at the top of this page with your name, centre number and

candidate number. • There are two sections in this question paper. Answer all questions in Section A and

Section B. • Answer the questions in the spaces provided – there may be more space than you need. Information • The total mark for this paper is 100. • The marks for each question are shown in brackets. Use this as a guide to how much

time to spend on each question. Advice • Read each question carefully before you start to answer it. • Try to answer every question. • Check your answers if you have time at the end.

SXXXXXA


SECTION A

Answer ALL questions. Write your answers in the spaces provided.

1 A programmer declares a variable to hold a telephone number.

Give two reasons why the variable would be declared as a string type. (2)

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(Total for Question 1 = 2 marks)

2 Program code can use local and global variables.

Explain one reason for using a local variable. (2)

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3 A teacher is using a program to sort exam marks into order.

The pseudocode for part of this program is shown in Figure 1.

Figure 1

To sort a new set of marks, line 1 (in Figure 1) has been changed to:

[43,56,76,22,45,23].

(a) State two changes needed for the pseudocode in Figure 1 to work. (2)

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1 SET marks TO [84,58,23,60]

2 SET counter TO 4

3 WHILE counter >1:

4 FOR sort in range(3):

5 IF marks [sort] > marks [sort+1] THEN

6 switch = marks [sort]

7 marks [sort] = marks [sort+1]

8 marks [sort+1] = switch


(b) Describe how the while loop works in the program. (3)

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(c) The exam marks for a class are [16,92,84,68].

Complete the table to show the value of the variable ‘switch’ shown in Figure 1 for the first three iterations.

Iteration Switch

1

2

3

(3)

You can use this space for your workings out.



4 Describe how a computer performs a branching instruction within a program. (2)

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5 (a) Explain two items that may be specified when declaring a function. (4)

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A program makes use of functions in the programming code.

(b) Describe the relationship between declaring and calling a function. (4)

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(c) Explain one advantage of using built-in functions when creating program code.

(3)

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6 A program is required to accurately calculate if items are being sold at a profit or a loss and output a suitable message.

The requirements of the algorithm are:

1. Enter the cost price.

2. Enter the selling price.

3. Check all inputs are positive numbers.

4. When the cost price is greater than the selling price, calculate the loss by subtracting the selling price from the cost price.

5. When the selling price is greater than the cost price, calculate the profit by subtracting the cost price from the selling price.

6. Output a suitable message together with the profit or loss amount.

7. Option to enter another item.

Draw a flowchart that meets the rules of the algorithm and implements error handling on the inputs.

(6)


Question 6 continued


7 A high street travel agent offers holidays around the world. Customers can book accommodation including cruises, hotels, villas and caravans. The travel agent is considering whether to make use of virtual reality in its branches.

Evaluate the suitability of the travel agent using virtual reality in its branches.

(9)

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TOTAL FOR SECTION A = 40 MARKS


SECTION B

Answer ALL questions. Write your answers in the spaces provided.

8 A company provides and manages tablets and mobile phones for its employees.

The applications available on each device are managed centrally and the use of the devices is also logged.

Support engineers provide reports on a regular basis as well as providing support for the users.

There are currently 1200 users in the system.

Figure 2 shows a selection of data held in the Python list; it shows a recent log of phone use.

Index UserId CallsMade MinsUsed DataUsed (Mb) PhoneBlocked HighDataUsage

0 92338443 25 189 1420 N

1 8299364 55 401 1831 N

2 699363456 1 10 0 Y

3 9299858 49 496 1577 N

4 181208174 30 461 103 N

5 395691581 60 918 2984 N

6 78554040 2 13 0 Y

7 178101 5 125 1355 N

8 237565339 60 499 1132 N

9 82926 45 400 295 N

Figure 2

(a) Write a line of code, using a Python built-in function, that will calculate the number of times the letter Y occurs in the PhoneBlocked field.

(2)

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(b) The UserId in Figure 2 is created using a random number for each user.

Discuss the impact this will have as the number of users increases. (6)

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(c) The company wants to limit high data usage.

Develop a section of pseudocode that will produce a total for the DataUsed (Mb) column in Figure 2 and output the total in Mb and Gb.

If the total DataUsed is above 500 Gb then output the message ‘critical data level has been reached’.

Users who have used more than double the mean data usage should be flagged as having a high data usage.

(6)



9 A new business is starting up as an online trader in a large town. The owner intends to start by delivering only in the town. As the business develops, it will expand to cover more towns and cities.

Goods will be ordered and paid for online. The goods will then be packed and dispatched from a local warehouse.

A program that runs on a stand-alone computer will be used to produce delivery lists for each of the delivery vans. Each van delivers items for one area; each area is identified by a number stored in the VanRound variable.

1 North

2 South

3 East

4 West

For each customer, the customer’s name, house number, road or street, the package and the area number will be entered into a computer. The program will be used to print a list each day for each of the delivery drivers.

Figure 3 shows part of the code for the program.


Figure 3


(a) Describe how the program would need to be amended to store the customer details in a file.

(3)

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(b) Explain one reason why a while loop has been used in line 11 of the code shown in Figure 3, instead of any other looping construct.

(2)

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(c) Explain what would happen to the functionality of the program if line 13 in the code shown in Figure 3 was removed.

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(d) Explain two validation techniques that can be used when programming.

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(e) The company is considering implementing monitoring software for its employees but is worried about the ethical and moral issues.

Evaluate the use of monitoring software and the impact it could have on the company’s employees.

(9)

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10 A large data processing company provides cloud solutions for storage and processing of data. It has a company intranet to support employees and provide them with a virtual space to work together.

The company is aware it must comply with a range of legal requirements and guidelines when using digital technologies in the workplace.

(a) Explain one legal requirement the company must consider when installing CCTV to monitor its workplace.

(3)

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The company needs a high level of security to keep the data safe.

Company policy states that every employee must have a strong password. Passwords must be changed every 28 days to a password that has not been used before.

The company’s rules for a strong password are that it must have:

• a minimum of 12 characters

• one upper case character

• one lower case character

• one numeric character

• one special character from ! £ & $ %

A developer has produced pseudocode to test an employee’s password. The code is shown in Figure 4.


Figure 4

(b) Describe how you would use lower and upper boundary testing to test the code in Figure 4.

(3)

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1 SET capital TO 0

2 SET lower TO 0

3 SET special TO 0

4 input password

5 FOR count FROM 0 TO length(password)

6 If password = capital letter then

7 SET capital TO 1

8 If password = lower case letter then

9 SET lower TO 1

10 If password = special character then

11 SET special TO 1

12 INCREMENT count

13 END FOR

14 if length (password) < 12 then

15 output “password not accepted”

16 if length (password) > 15 then


18 If capital = 0 or lower = 0 or special = 0 then


20 else

21 output “password accepted”


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(c) Explain two reasons why the company needs to consider international law when implementing cloud solutions.

(6)

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(d) The company will implement its password policy by forcing a password change for all users at the same time.

Explain why the company would need to carry out load/stress testing for the password change software.

(2)

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(e) Evaluate the functionality and efficiency of the code in Figure 4. (12)

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TOTAL FOR SECTION B = 60 MARKS TOTAL FOR PAPER = 100 MARKS


Paper 1: Digital Analysis, Legislation and Emerging Issues – Mark Scheme

General marking guidance • All students must receive the same treatment. Mark the first student in exactly

the same way as you mark the last.

• Apply mark schemes positively. Reward students for what they have shown they

can do, rather than penalising them for omissions.

• Mark according to the mark scheme, not according to your perception of where

the grade boundaries may lie.

• Use all marks on the mark scheme appropriately.

• All the marks on the mark scheme are designed to be awarded. Always award

full marks if deserved. You should also be prepared to award zero marks if the

student’s response is not rewardable according to the mark scheme.

• Where judgement is required, the mark scheme will provide the principles by

which marks should be awarded.

• If in doubt regarding the application of the mark scheme to a student’s

response, consult a senior examiner.

• Mark crossed out work unless the student has replaced it with an alternative

response.

• Accept incorrect/phonetic spelling (as long as the term is recognisable) unless

instructed otherwise by the mark scheme.


Points-based mark scheme guidance

Points-based mark schemes are made up of:

1. Mark scheme rubric

The mark scheme rubric instructs an examiner as to how each mark is awarded.

2. Example responses

These demonstrate the types of acceptable response a student might provide

and show where marks are awarded.

3. Additional marking guidance

This informs examiners about any parameters which should be applied, e.g.

‘accept any other appropriate/alternative responses’.

Applying the points-based mark scheme guidance

Follow the mark scheme rubric and use the example responses as a guide to the

relevance and expectation of the responses. Give credit for any appropriate

response. If students provide answers that meet the rubric but in an alternative

order, credit should be given.

Levels-based mark scheme guidance

Levels-based mark schemes (LBMS) have been designed to assess students’ work

holistically. They consist of two parts:

1. Indicative content

Indicative content suggests content-related points a student might make but is

not an exhaustive list of all possible answers. Nor is it a model answer. Students

may make some or none of the points included in the indicative content: it is

provided as a guide to the relevance and expectation of the responses. Give

credit for any appropriate response.

2. Levels-based descriptors

Each level is made up of a number of traits which, together, articulate the

quality of response a student needs to demonstrate. The traits progress through

the levels to demonstrate the different expectations at each level. When using a

levels-based mark scheme, apply a ‘best fit’ approach.


Applying the levels-based descriptors

Use a ‘best fit’ approach to determine the mark.

• First, make a holistic judgement about which level most closely matches the

student’s response. Place students in the level that best describes their answer.

Answers can display characteristics from more than one level; where this

happens, use any additional guidance (e.g. weighting of traits) and your

professional judgement to decide which level is most appropriate.

• Award a mark within the level based on the quality of the answer and according

to how securely all traits are displayed at that level:

o Award marks at the top of that level if the student has evidenced each of the

descriptor traits securely.

o Where the response does not securely meet all traits, award marks based on

how closely the descriptor has been met.


Section A Question number

Answer Mark

1 One mark each for any two of the following points: • contain spaces (1) • start with a 0 (1) • non-numerical characters, e.g. +44 (1) • will not be used in a calculation (1) • may be turned into standard mathematical form (1) Accept any other appropriate responses.

(2)

Question number

Answer Mark

2 Award one mark for identification of a reason and one mark for an appropriate linked explanation, up to a maximum of two marks. • You will be able to use the same name in different functions

(1) because the values of variables will only change when the task is running / each task will create its own instance of the local variable (1).

• They will not be changed by other parts of the program (1) because they are only recognised by the function they are declared (1).

• So that memory is released (1), as the variable is deleted as soon as the function is completed (1).

• It makes debugging easier (1) because you only need to trace through the procedure/function (1).

Accept any other appropriate responses.

(2)


Question number

Answer Mark

3(a) Award one mark for each change correctly identified. • Line 2: change the value 4 to 6 (1) • Line 4: change the value 3 to 5 (1) New code: • Line 2: SET counter TO 6 (1) • Line 4: FOR sort in range(5): (1) Accept descriptions of the changes to be made.

(2)

3(b) Award one mark for each of the following linked points, up to a maximum of three marks. Uses counter as a condition to perform the sort until the numbers are in order (1). The counter is reduced by 1 after each iteration (1) and the while loop will break once the counter is less than 1 (1). Accept any other appropriate responses.

(3)

3(c) Award one mark for each correct value of switch.

Iteration Switch

1 Null / - / 0 (1)

2 92 (1)

3 92 (1)

(3)

Question number

Answer Mark

4 Award one mark for each of the following linked points, up to a maximum of two marks. Transfers control to different parts of the program (1) depending on the decision made (1). Accept any other appropriate responses.

(2)


Question number

Answer Mark

5(a) Award one mark for each correct item and one mark for an appropriate linked explanation, up to a maximum of four marks. • Function name (1) – used to call the function (later in the

programming code) (1) • Function body (1) – a collection of statements that define

what the function does (1) • Parameter placeholder (1) – for arguments to be passed into

the function (from other parts of the code) (1) • Data/Return type (1) – to define the format of the value the

function returns (1) Accept any other appropriate responses.

(4)

5(b) Award one mark for each of the following linked points, up to a maximum of four marks. • The name used when declaring the function must be the

same as the name used when calling the function (1). • The number/order of parameters used when declaring the

function must be the same as those used when calling the function. (1)

• The data type of the parameters used when declaring the function must be the same when calling the function. (1)

• The value returned by the function must be assigned to a variable of the same data type as that returned by the function. (1)


(4)

5(c) Award one mark for identification of an advantage, one mark for an appropriate linked explanation of the advantage and one mark for further expansion of the explanation, up to a maximum of three marks. • The functions are optimised (1), ensuring the code is efficient

(1) so it will be error free (1). • Built-in functions save development time (1) as general

functions are already written (1) and will have been tested (1).


(3)


Question number

Indicative content Mark

6 Award one mark for each of the following up to a maximum of six marks. • Correct symbols used (1) • Cost and selling prices entered (1) • Error handling for entered prices (1) • Correct logic for decision (1) • Correct profit and loss printed (1) • Loop as option to enter another item (1)

Example flow chart (Note: Other solutions can be used.)

Accept any other relevant phrasing/wording. Credit alternative solutions that use correct logic and would produce the expected outcome.

(6)


Question number

Indicative content Mark

7 Students might refer to some or all of the following in their responses, but should be rewarded for other pertinent contextualised answers. The evaluation may include: Benefits • Not reliant on an annual brochure as content can be updated

regularly, which will save the company printing costs. • Can be customised to use voice recognition, so a virtual agent

can be created to answer questions. This will mean customers do not have to wait for a travel agent to become available when the branch is busy and so improves the customer service being offered.

• Can be used to train staff in overseas resorts, so they do not need to travel back to the UK for non-regular training sessions. This will save money for the company.

• VR gives the customer a realistic experience of the places and sights at the destination. This will result in an improved customer experience and, hopefully, more bookings being made.

• VR will provide customers with much more detail about their destination (compared with pictures or videos), which should reduce the number of complaints received.

• Provides a unique selling point for the travel agent and will encourage more customers into stores to try the new technology. (However, this might decrease if other agencies start to use similar technology.)

Drawbacks • Repeated use of VR can induce dizziness and nausea in staff

and customers. This might result in loss of business, agency staff taking time off, or people taking legal action.

• The risks of VR (see previous point, plus risk of accidents) may result in increased insurance costs for the travel company. This may put the company off buying the VR system.

• It will be costly to buy and to install in branches, as the company will need to purchase computer equipment and headsets for each store and they will need high-end equipment to provide a good experience. They will also need to adapt part of each store to make it suitable for customers to use the equipment.

• The company will need to source the data to create the VR experience(s). It will be costly to employ someone to regularly visit and video the many locations, or to purchase licensing and copyright permissions from a third party supplier.

• The company will need high-capacity servers in every branch or a high bandwidth connection to handle the volume of data required for VR. Branches will need to be located in areas where high bandwidth connections are available (not all areas of the country have the appropriate infrastructure).


• It may not be possible to cover all locations, so some customers may be disappointed and the company might lose business as a result.

• Some customers may be afraid of technology and put off by the thought of having to use a VR headset and visor to find out more about a holiday. This could mean they use other travel agents instead.

• The travel agent would need to look at the cost versus the benefits of the system, due to the required investment in terms of equipment, set-up costs and training.

(9)

Level Mark Descriptor

0 No rewardable material

Level 1 1–3 • Demonstrates a basic analysis of the situation by superficially breaking down the different aspects into component parts (AO3a)

• Demonstrates basic application of knowledge and understanding that is partially relevant to the context of the question (AO2)

• Demonstrates a basic evaluation which partially considers different factors/events and competing points, leading to a conclusion which is superficial or unsupported (AO3b)

Level 2 4–6 • Demonstrates a good analysis of the situation by breaking down the different aspects into component parts (AO3a)

• Demonstrates good application of knowledge and understanding that is relevant to the context of the question (AO2)

• Demonstrates a good evaluation which considers different factors/events and competing points, leading to a conclusion which is partially supported (AO3b)

Level 3 7–9 • Demonstrates a thorough analysis of the situation by comprehensively breaking down the different aspects into their component parts (AO3a)

• Demonstrates comprehensive application of knowledge and understanding that is consistently relevant to the context of the question (AO2)

• Demonstrates a thorough evaluation which comprehensively considers different factors/events and competing points, leading to a conclusion which is well-supported (AO3b)


Section B

Question number

Answer Mark

8(a) Award one mark for correctly identified function and one mark for correct parameter. PhoneBlocked.count (“Y”) PhoneBlocked.count (1) (“Y”) (1) Parameter must be a capital Y and must include “”

(2)

8(b) Students might refer to some or all of the following in their responses, but should be rewarded for other pertinent contextualised answers. Discussion may include: • The random numbers have no pattern, so there is an

increased chance of a repeated number as the number of users increases. Therefore, the list must be searched each time a new ID is created, to ensure the ID is unique; as the list grows, this will take longer.

• Can only use a linear search for an unsorted list and the time taken for a linear search increases as the number of IDs increases. Therefore, the system will become more inefficient as the database grows.

• To keep the list in order, it must be sorted every time an ID is added. This will affect the efficiency of the system and the time taken to store data.

• There is no pattern to the length of the UserID values in the table. Therefore, as the list becomes longer, it becomes more difficult to find errors, because the variable lengths prevent simple validation techniques such as length checks, range checks, or check digits.

(6)




Level 1 1-2 • Demonstrates a basic analysis of the situation by superficially breaking down the different aspects into component parts (AO3a)


Level 2 3-4 • Demonstrates a good analysis of the situation by breaking down the different aspects into component parts (AO3a)


Level 3 5-6 • Demonstrates a thorough analysis of the situation by comprehensively breaking down the different aspects into their component parts (AO3a)



Question number

Answer Mark

8(c) Award one mark for each related descriptive point up to a maximum of six marks. • Loops are used (1) • Loop counts are controlled 0 to 1199 (1) • Use of branching is employed in the solution (1) • Correct calculations (total, conversion, mean) are used in the

solution (1) • Mb, Gb and Critical Data level are output / printed (1) • HighDataUsage column is updated correctly (1) Sample code (Note: other solutions can be used.) Set total_mb To 0 Integer total_gb FOR index = 0 to 1199

Total_mb = total_mb + DataUsed(index) NEXT index total_gb = total_mb/1024 OUTPUT “total number of Mb is”, total_mb OUTPUT “total number of Gb is”, total_gb If total_gb > 500 Then

OUTPUT “Critical data level has been reached” End If Mean = total_mb/1000 Mean = Mean*2 FOR index = 0 to 1199

If DataUsed(index) > Mean Then HighDataUsage(index = “Y”)

Else HighDataUsage(index) = “N”

End If NEXT index Accept total_mb/1000 for calculation Do not accept mean = total_gb/1000 Accept any other relevant phrasing/wording. Credit alternative solutions that use correct logic and would produce the expected outcome.

(6)


Question number

Answer Mark

9(a) Award one mark for each of the following linked points, up to a maximum of three marks. • Create a file to hold customer details (1), write the details to

the file following verification (1), close the file (1) • Use the open function to assign a file to a variable (1), use

the write function to write data into the file (1), then use the close function to close the file (1)

Accept any other appropriate response

(3)

9(b) Award one mark for identification of a reason and one mark for an appropriate linked explanation, up to a maximum of two marks. The number of iterations is unknown (1) because the while loop continues while the condition is met/valid data is entered (1) Accept any other appropriate response.

(2)

9(c) Award one mark for correct statement and one mark for an appropriate linked explanation, up to a maximum of two marks. • User input would not be automatically capitalised (1),

therefore an input of ‘y’ or ‘n’ would not complete the process of creating a record (1)

• A lower case ‘y’ or ‘n’ would not be recognised (1), therefore it would not be seen as an indication to finalise the record (1)

Accept any other appropriate response.

(2)

9(d) Award one mark for each identification of a validation technique and one mark for an appropriate linked explanation, up to a maximum of four marks. • Presence check (1) ensures there are no empty fields when

the user is entering data (1) • Range check (1) ensures the user input is within set limits

(1) • Length check (1) detects if input has the required number of

characters (1) Accept any other appropriate response.

(4)


Question number

Answer Mark

9(e) Students might refer to some or all of the following in their responses, but should be rewarded for other pertinent contextualised answers.

The evaluation may include:

Benefits

• All employee activity is monitored, so any allegations of misuse can be resolved quickly.

• Productivity is easily measured, so a culture of working long hours is not applicable.

• More flexible working hours may be put in place as a result of monitoring employee usage.

• Employees can be safeguarded while using technology. • Delivery drivers’ hours can be closely monitored to ensure

safe working practices. • More productive employees can be easily identified and

rewarded. • Mobile devices can be secured more easily and, if they are

lost or stolen, they can quickly be located and disabled. Drawbacks

• Essential non-work-related emails (e.g. medical) could be seen by other employees.

• Employees may feel that they are not trusted. • Invasion of privacy for employees. • Some essential applications may be blocked by the

monitoring software. • Employee morale may reduce due to continual monitoring

and lack of trust. • Employees may feel under pressure to work more hours and

to get deliveries done in very short timeframes. • Employee sickness rates could increase due to additional

stress. • There will need to be strict guidelines on usage, which may

discourage new employees from joining the organisation. • Use of monitoring software can lead to friction between

managers and employees.

(9)




Level 1 1-3 • Demonstrates a basic analysis of the situation by superficially breaking down the different aspects into component parts (AO3a)








• Demonstrates a thorough evaluation which comprehensively considers different factors/events and competing points, leading to a conclusion which is well-supported (AO3b)


Question number

Answer Mark

10(a) Award one mark for identification of a consideration, one mark for an appropriate linked explanation of the consideration and one mark for further expansion of the explanation up to a maximum of three marks. • Data protection laws apply to the use of CCTV in the

workplace (1) as employees have the right to know why the data is being collected and the right to have access to the data (1), although the company must ensure it only keeps this data for the required length of time (1).

• The company must notify the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) as to why they intend to collect the data and how they intend to use it (1). This is part of the registration process for a data controller under the Data Protection Act (1), so an employer cannot then use the information collected for any other reason (1).

• Levels of CCTV surveillance in work must be proportionate to the reasonable expectation of privacy (1). In certain areas with a higher level of expected privacy (1) it is unlikely to be acceptable to have cameras (1).


(3)

10(b) Award one mark for each of the following linked points up to a maximum of three marks. To test the password length (1), using a password of 12 characters or a password of 15 characters (1), test 11 characters or 16 characters (1). Accept any other appropriate response.

(3)


Question number

Answer Mark

10(c) Award one mark for each identification of a reason, one mark for an appropriate linked explanation and one mark for further linked expansion of the explanation up to a maximum of six marks. The company provides cloud solutions so all laws and regulations must be within this context. • There is potential cross-border transfer of data (1), so the

company must ensure the secure and efficient transfer of data between countries (1) while adhering to the privacy and choices of the customers and the country in which they reside (1).

• The company may get lawful information requests (1) involving law enforcement agencies seeking access to the cloud services (1), so the company will need to know the legal regulations in order to comply correctly (1).

• Encryption and data security requirements may differ between countries (1) and there may be different requirements to ensure data remains secure and private during transit (1) so that data is held according to the relevant legislation (1).


(6)

10(d) Award one mark for identification of a reason and one mark for an appropriate linked explanation, up to a maximum of two marks. To make sure the software can cope with all users changing their passwords at around the same time (1); if an issue is identified, the software can be modified to cope with the load (1) Accept any other appropriate response.

(2)


Question number

Answer Mark

10(e) Students might refer to some or all of the following in their responses, but should be rewarded for other pertinent contextualised answers.

The evaluation may include:

Functionality strengths • Code tests for upper and lower case letters and sets a flag

variable (capital/lower) when one is found. • Code tests for a special character and sets a flag variable

(special) when one is found. • Code checks the length of the password and checks if the

number of characters in the password is acceptable. • Code provides error messages to the user if their password

is rejected, or provides an acknowledgement that the password is acceptable.

Functionality weaknesses • Code does not loop and therefore does not actually enforce

the policy: the code would need to use a while loop to enforce correct password policy.

• Code does not test if the password has been used previously; it needs to check for existing use of password.

• Code does not enforce specific special characters from the list provided (! £ & $ %); the code needs to be modified to test against the special character list.

• Code does not give helpful error messages as to why a password fails, it simply says “password not accepted”. It would be more useful to the user if a reason was given (e.g. no special character).

Efficiency strengths • Iterates through password once. • Code uses all variables that are declared. Efficiency weaknesses • The test for length comes last. It would be better to do this

first, as there is no need to scan individual characters if the length is not right. Therefore, the code is not efficient.

• Logic of if...then statements in lines 16 to 21 is inefficient. If length is less than 10, the password is invalid and no other checks are needed.

Conclusion Decision made on whether or not the code is effective at enforcing the password policy.

(12)

The second trait (AO2) carries twice as much weighting as traits 1 and 3.




Level 1 1–4 • Demonstrates a basic analysis of the situation by superficially breaking down the different aspects into component parts (AO3a)








• Demonstrates a thorough evaluation which comprehensively considers different factors/events and competing points, leading to a conclusion which is well supported (AO3b)

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