GCSE ICT Unit 2

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GCSE ICT Unit 2: Using Digital Tools September 2010

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GCSE ICT – Unit 2 Commentaries – Issue 1

Contents Introduction page 3

Activity 1 page 4

Sample 1 page 5

Sample 2 page 7

Activity 2 page 9

Sample 3 page 10

Sample 4 page 12

Activity 3 page 14

Sample 5 page 15

Activity 4 page 17

Sample 7 page 18

Publication Code pending October 2010 Page 2 of 18


Introduction The GCSE Controlled Assessment tasks are assessed using levels-based criteria. Levels-based criteria require a holistic approach to assessment. Each activity, other than Activity 4, Evaluation, has two sets of criteria.

For example, in Activity 1 the two criteria are:

• 1a – Gathering information

• 1b – Developing digital products.

Assessing student work involves:

• identifying the evidence to be considered. See the mapping in the table below

• selecting the mark band that best describes the evidence

• identifying the mark within the mark band that best fits the evidence.

The statement that describes a particular mark band identifies the evidence that would result in the award of the top mark in that band. Often a ‘best fit’ approach is needed, where the evidence does not fully meet the criteria for one mark band, but does evidence some of the criteria for the next. This table shows what evidence you need to consider when assessing work produced for the sample CAB.

1a 1b 2a 2b 3a 3b 4 Activity 1

Profile

Emblems

Investigation (sources table)

Digital poster

Trip lists ` Activity 1 review

Activity 2

Model

Recommendations

Invitation

Activity 2 Review

Activity 3 Designs

Factfile

e-card

Activity 3 Review

Activity 4

Evaluation



Activity 1

Students were required to:

• use the internet and other sources to find information about their local area, including places of interest to visit

• select information about places to visit from a given database

• find out more about the background of the visiting students, e.g. information about their home town, region, country

• create two emblems - one representing their home country and one the visitors’ country

• produce three trip lists to help the organisers plan outings for the group:

- a day trip to explore aspects of your country's heritage

- a fun day out

- a local half-day trip to visit a place of interest

(each list must include sensible titles and column headings, leave out unnecessary fields, include contact details)

• produce a digital poster to be displayed on a large screen at the welcome reception (screen 1: welcome, screens 2 and 3: facts about the area; each screen must include the emblems, a photograph taken by the student and textual information about the local area in simple English)

• review their work.

(Please note, the sample CAB provided students with only limited opportunities for evidencing criterion 1a. This issue has been addressed in the ‘live’ CAB.)

Where to look for the evidence

Criterion 1a

• Sources table

• Digital poster

• Trip lists

• Activity 1 review

Criterion 1b

• Trip lists

• Digital poster




Sample 1 The profile is uninformative, providing only minimal information to supplement that supplied in the CAB.

Assessment criterion 1a – Information gathering The student has used a range of sources - websites, leaflets and flyers and the given database - to gather relevant information about Windsor and investigate places to visit. They have produced their own images for the digital poster.

Although the student seems to have done some research into the background of the visiting French students, there is something not quite right since, according to the profile, the visiting students are from Paris not from Pont-l’Abbé-d-Arnoult!

They have recorded most of the sources used in their sources table.

They have demonstrated an awareness of copyright, i.e. the need to get permission before using digital material belonging to other people in their own work.

They have selected relevant information for inclusion in the trip lists and digital poster.

The review provides some insight into the processes they undertook when selecting information from the database and their choice of images, but does provide any information about the choice of emblems to represent the two countries.

The student’s work falls into Mark Band 2 and has been awarded 6 marks.

What they need to do to improve their mark

• Clarify where in France the visiting students are from and use the internet to find out more about their home town/region/school.

• Use a site such as Trip Adviser to find out what other people think about the trips they have selected from the database, rather than simply relying on what the venues say about themselves on their websites. Ask other people in their class if they know anything about them.

• Demonstrate that they have made informed choices about which sources/information to use. (The right-hand column of the sources table is ideal for this purpose.)

• Use complex/efficient techniques to refine both internet and database searches and use their review to highlight this.



Sample 1 Assessment criterion 1b – developing digital products The student has developed the specified digital products, making effective use of appropriate content and features.

They have indicated in their review the modifications they made to their products in response to feedback.

The two emblems complement each other and work as a pair. They are included on both products.

The trip lists meet the specified requirements and demonstrate a good sense of audience and purpose. They have meaningful titles and column headings and the layout is effective. Having all three lists in one document will make life easier for the organisers.

There is evidence of feedback being used effectively to improve the product. That said, some key information is omitted, e.g. travel time from Windsor to Newbury and from Windsor to Kew Gardens.

The digital poster meets all the specified requirements and demonstrates a good sense of audience and purpose. The content is informative. The inclusion of a welcome in French on the first screen is a nice touch. Transitions are well timed and animation is used effectively to layer, fade in/out entry and exit, emphasise content and provide more facts per slide. Fonts, callouts and shapes are consistent throughout.

There is no indication that the student tested the poster on a big screen.



• Use the review to explain their design decisions, e.g. the thinking behind the emblems, and provide an insight into the development of the products.

• Explain how they reviewed and modified their work throughout its development, for example by testing how it looks when projected onto a big screen, making sure there is enough time allowed for people to read the information before it disappears.



Sample 2 The profile is uninformative, providing only minimal information to supplement that supplied in the CAB.

Assessment criterion 1a – Information gathering Evidence of information gathering and selection is weak. The student has produced their own images for the digital poster.

There is some information about the sources used recorded in the sources table, although the source of the Stuttgart emblem is not properly referenced.

The Activity 1 Review does not provide any additional information about the underlying processes of information gathering and selection. However, the ‘My Searches’ document does explain the database searches that were carried out.

The student has selected relevant information from the given database for the trip lists, but has not explained why ‘animals’ was used as a criterion to narrow down the search.

They have used some relevant information in the digital poster.



• Use a wider range of sources to gather information about Birmingham and the visiting students’ home town of Stuttgart.

• Reference all sources fully and accurately.

• Use the review to record details of the processes they undertook and the decisions/choices they made with regard to information selection.



Sample 2 Assessment criterion 1b – developing digital products The student has developed the specified digital products, with some use of appropriate content.

The review does provide some insight into the feedback received, although not all of it was actioned.

Very little – if any - time appears to have been was spent developing the two emblems.

Three separate trip lists have been produced. Together they meet the specified requirements, although their layout and presentation could be improved. Each list includes some explanatory text, although this would have benefited from careful proof reading. The grouping of the lists according to destination is not always purposeful. Titles are present, but could be more informative. There is a lack of continuity between the lists - layout, titles, and content differ, e.g. URLs are provided on local trips lists, but not on any of the others. The emblems have not been included on any of the lists.

The digital poster does meet the specified requirements but is very basic, contains only a few facts about the area and is unlikely to ‘wow’ the target audience. The inclusion of some German on the first screen is a nice touch.

There is no indication that the poster was tested on a big screen.



• Improve the emblems and use them on all the products.

• Improve the content and layout of the trip lists and digital poster so that they are fit for purpose and suitable for the target audience.

• Act on feedback received by making modifying the products and use the review to document this process.



Activity 2


• develop a model that would allow them to explore options for a party, e.g. venues, refreshments, ticket price, in order to be able to make recommendations to the party organisers

• investigate costs, using up-to-date and accurate data

• format the model so that the information it generates is clear and meaningful

• present recommendations, using:

- figures from the model

- at least one illustrative chart

- additional data to support the recommendations

- relevant images

- explanatory notes

• produce a party invitation to be emailed to local students, including:

- information about the party

- the two emblems developed in Activity 1.


Criterion 2a

• Spreadsheet model


Criterion 2b

• Presentation and speaker notes

• Invitation




Sample 3 Assessment criterion 2a – Modelling The student has started with the simple model provided in the CAB and developed it further so that it allows them to explore alternative options and generates meaningful information.

The model consists of five linked worksheets, the first of which is a summary sheet. There is some unnecessary duplication between the ‘Cost chart’ and the ‘Analysis’ sheets.

The student has found and selected relevant costs - security guard hire, cutlery, DJ equipment, etc. The ‘suitability’ column in the ‘Venues and costs’ worksheet provides good evidence of reasons for choices made.

Although, the model allows ‘what if’ queries to be asked, in order to do so it is sometimes necessary to change variables in more than one place. For example, if you wanted to see the effect of increasing the amount spent on advertising, the contents of three cells would need to be changed. This could be avoided if the model differentiated between venue-specific and generic costs.

The model treats refreshment costs as fixed, although in fact they are variable – dependent upon the number of people who attend the party.

The student has explained their assumptions and identified their data sources on the model. Although no information is provided about the CDs/digital photographs. It is not clear if these are to be ‘freebies’ or paid for items, nor does their cost vary according to the number of guests.

Data has been formatted, though currency formatting is inconsistent.

Some testing has been carried out, although not all of it was effective. There are a number of errors in the model which have not been identified and corrected, e.g. the formula in cells B16, C16 and D16 on the Analysis sheet and the cost of drinks is double counted in the Venues and costs sheet.

The student has commented in their review that the cost of refreshments does not take account of the number of tickets sold. However, they have not amended the model to reflect this.



• Improve the design of the model so that (1) variables common to all three venues, e.g. advertising and tickets, only have to be changed in one place, (2) the cost of refreshments takes account of the number of people attending the party and (3) changes made on one sheet are universal.

• Test the model thoroughly to make sure that all the information it generates is correct.

• Format data consistently throughout.

• Use cell protection to control the changes that users can make.



Sample 3 Assessment criterion 2b – Digital publishing The student has developed the specified products, making some use of appropriate content and features.

The presentation demonstrates some sense of audience and purpose. However, the recommendations are not well-reasoned or fully explained and too much prior knowledge on the part of the audience is assumed. Some of the information presented on the last slide, should have been conveyed earlier in the presentation. For example, the credit-card ticket is shown on slide 4 but explained on slide 5.

The presentation is ‘speaker controlled’ on ‘mouse click’. Some common elements – the emblems and the border - appear on every slide. The slides are clear and easy to read. Two charts have been included. Both convey some useful information.

The invitation is in pdf format and can be sent as an email attachment, although the recipient would need to scroll up and down to see the whole thing. It includes some information generated by the model, i.e. ticket price, venue.

The review provides some insight into the development of the two products, describing modifications that were made in response to feedback.



• Add at least one more slide at the beginning of the presentation to set the scene.

• Explain the reasons for your recommendations drawing on information provided by the model.

• Reorganise the slides so that the information is presented in a more logical sequence.

• Redesign the invitation so that there is no need to scroll up and down. Consider designing the email to be the invitation so as to do away with the need for the recipient to open an attachment.

• Provide more evidence of the development process, in particular the use of feedback to improve outcomes.



Sample 4 Assessment criterion 2a – Modelling The student has used the more complex model and developed it only a little bit further so that it allows the user to compare two alternative venues.

The model consists of eight linked sheets, the last of which is a summary sheet. The purpose of the ‘Income’ sheet is unclear.

There is limited evidence of data gathering or selection and very little attempt to develop the spreadsheet so that it fully models the complexity of the problem.

The model does allow ‘what if’ questions to be posed, but in many cases the same variable has to be changed in more than one place in order to achieve this.

Some testing has been carried out, most of which seems to have been effective, although there are still some flaws in the model.

Data has been formatted throughout.



• Improve the design of the spreadsheet so that it takes into account a wider range of factors and fully models a complex scenario is easier to pose ‘what if’ queries.

• Make the model more meaningful by gathering and selecting relevant data to analyse.

• Use cell protection to control the changes that users made.



Sample 4 Assessment criterion 2b – Digital publishing The student has developed the specified products, making some use of appropriate content and features.

The presentation demonstrates some sense of audience and purpose.

The presentation is ‘speaker controlled’ on ‘mouse click’. The emblems appear on the first slide. The slides are mostly clear and easy to read. Although, slide 5 has far too much detailed information about costs. The pie charts on slides 3 and 4 convey some useful information, although do not facilitate a comparison of the costs of the two venues. The reason for the choice of venue only becomes clear on slide 8.

The invitation can be sent as an email attachment, although the recipient would need to scroll up and down to see the whole thing. It includes some information generated by the model, i.e. ticket price, venue. However, it is not particularly attractive and is not likely to entice young people to purchase a ticket. It looks more like a poster than an invitation.

The review provides only limited insight into the development of the two products.



• Improve the order and content of the slides.

• Replace the charts for ones that allow a comparison of the two venues..

• Produce well reasoned recommendations that draw on information provided by the model.

• Choose test users who are able to provide constructive feedback and act upon it.

• Improve the look and feel of the invitation. Consider redesigning it as an email so as to do away with the need for recipients to open an attachment.

• Make better use of the review to provide evidence of underlying processes.



Activity 3


Design and produce an e-card and an interactive factfile.

• The factfile must include:

- information about the local area including activities/events

- information about each of three trips

- information about the evening party

- some useful phrases translated into the visiting students' language.

• The must be design documentation for the interactive factfile, consisting of a set of storyboards, one for each screen, that provide an indication of:

- background and layout

- navigation features and links

- font colours, styles and sizes

- content

• The e-card must:

- be suitable for parents and other adults

- be suitable for sending by email

- include at least three images used in other products.


Criterion 3a

• Design documents


Criterion 3b

• Factfile

• E-card




Sample 5 Assessment criterion 3a - Design The student has created a structure chart for the factfile. They have explained their choice of colours and fonts and produced a simple storyboard showing the proposed layout of each screen. There is some evidence that feedback was received and acted upon.

There is no indication of what content will appear on each screen and no mention of navigation features.

Many of the comments in the design document seem to refer to the finished factfile rather than outlining what is planned.

The review does not provide any insight into the design process.


What they could do to improve their mark

• Produce a storyboard for each screen of the factfile to show the ‘look and feel’ of the final product and indicate how it will work.

• Comment on important design decisions.



Sample 5 Assessment criterion 3b - Digital publishing The student has developed the specified outcomes, using appropriate content and features and demonstrating a good sense of audience and purpose. Both products meet the specified requirements

They have indicated in their review how they used feedback from others to improve their products.

The e-card has been created as a Flash animation suitable for sending as an email attachment. It is a bit slow and the ‘made with love’ banner at the end is not really appropriate.

The factfile has clear navigation, uses images to attract attention and common components to promote consistency. The language used is informal and the information provided is tailor-made for the target audience. However, the text is sometimes blurred and cannot be resized. Screens vary in width and lack consistency. The file size of the images is very large. Time spent on designing the product at the outset would almost certainly have resulted in a better outcome.

Embedding text on top of an image makes it less accessible.

The review provides some insight into the development process, explaining how the feedback received was used to make improvements.



• Speed up the animations on the e-card and replace the ‘made with love’ text with something more appropriate for the visitors to send home to their parents.

• Improve the overall ‘look and feel’ of the factfile, especially the design of the screens and the clarity of the text.

• Make better use of features of the software to improve interactivity and enhance the user experience.

• Separate the text from images and optimise images to reduce the file size.

• Check that the factfile works in a range of commonly used browsers.



Activity 4 Students were asked to write an evaluation of:

• each of the digital products they produced, considering

- fitness for audience and purpose

- changes made in response to feedback

- further improvements that could be made

• their own performance when working on the CAB, considering

- time management

- the skills that were most useful to them in making their work successful and what they could have done to make it even more successful

- how they overcame any difficulties they encountered

- what others (their teacher, their test buddy) thought about their work and how they responded to their comments

- their own performance as a test buddy and how they could have been more helpful.


• Evaluation



Sample 7 Assessment criterion 4 - Evaluation The student has commented on each of their products (although the evaluation of the factfile is ‘thin’) and the task as a whole, considering feedback received and actioned.

Much of what they have written is descriptive. There is only limited evidence of evaluation. Some valid suggestions for further improvements have been made.

The student’s evaluation of their own performance as a test buddy is good.


The quality of written communication (QWC) is at the level you would expect in Mark Band 2.


• Evaluate and reflect upon their achievements.

• Provide examples to justify the statements made.

• Provide concrete suggestions for improvements.


Documents

GCSE ICT Unit 2