Key Words

1. Key Words Helping you to understand exam questions

2. What will this presentation help you with? • This presentation will help you to understand the following key words that are used in exam questions: • Advantages/Disadvantages • Characteristics • Uses • Other key words include: • State/Identify/Give • Describe • Compare/Contrast • Explain • Discuss

3. What will this presentation help you with? • It will help you to structure your revision notes. • It will help you understand how to construct your answers in exams.

4. Advantages/Disadvantages • The advantages or disadvantages of a system might also be written as: • Benefits and drawbacks • Pros and cons • Good points and bad points

5. Characteristics • When asked to describe the characteristics of a system, you have to show that you know what features or functions that system has to make it what it is. • For example: • Sat nav systems can re-calculate a route if a better route is found. • They can also provide the user with the average speed they travelled at. • They can work out which route is the shortest or fastest. • They should not include their uses, for example: • A person can use a sat nav to find the shortest route to a location.

6. Uses • When asked to describe the use of a system you should describe it’s purpose, i.e. Why and what it is used for. • For example: • A sat nav is used to help people find locations without the need for a paper based map. Because the sat nav is a real-time system, the user does not have to stop their car to work out the next part of their journey. The sat nav will instruct the user where to go next to reach their location.

7. Activity • Click on the box to reveal the answer: • “Describes the functions that make it what it is." Characteristics

8. Activity • Click on the box to reveal the answer: • “Allows us to compare different aspects of a system when answering a question." Pros and Cons

9. Activity • Click on the boxes to reveal the answer: • “Allows us to describe how users interact with something” Uses Characteristics Pros & Cons Correct! Wrong Wrong

10. Other key words • The following section will look at what level of detail you will need to go into based on the question you are asked. • Now lets look at: • State/Identify/Give • Describe • Compare/Contrast • Explain • Discuss

11. Bloom’s Taxonomy • The type of questions covered increase in difficulty. If you are aiming to get A-B grades you’ll be expected to hit the top end questions! • Discuss • Explain • Compare/Contrast • Describe • State/Identify/Give

12. State, Identify and Give • You could write, depending on the nature of the question: • A one word answer • A phrase • A sentence • These questions are usually worth only one mark. • For example, • Q: What is data? • A: Data is the raw facts and figures.

13. Describe • This is at least one sentence with an expansion or example. • This is a step up from the state, identify and give question. • For example, • Q: Describe what is meant by data? • A: Data is the raw facts and figures. It forms information when given context, meaning and structure. It could also be presented in different ways such as text, numerical or symbol.

14. Describe – Writing Frame • To help you answer these questions you could use the following writing frame:

15. Describe – Writing Frame • To help you answer these questions you could use the following writing frame:

16. Describe – Writing Frame • To help you answer these questions you could use the following writing frame:

17. Describe – Writing Frame • To help you answer these questions you could use the following writing frame:

18. Describe – Writing Frame • For example: • Question: (3.1.1 – b) • “Describe what is meant by the term information”

19. Describe – Constructing the answer • Question: (3.1.1 – b) • “Describe what is meant by the term information”

20. Describe – Constructing the answer • Describe questions are usually worth 2 marks. This means you typically only have to complete two columns. • To help you understand what columns to complete use the following guide: • If the identifier is not given then complete Identify and Amplify • E.g. Describe a method of sending information across long distances. • If the identifier is given complete Amplify and Exemplify • E.g. Describe how email could be used to send information across long distances. • If the question is worth 3 marks chances are you have to complete all columns!

21. Activity • Try using the writing frame to answer these questions: • Describe the terms static and dynamic data sources. • Describe a method of conveying information. • Describe what is meant by the term encoding. • Describe a specialist hardware device which would allow a blind person to input data into a computer system. • Describe how a macro could be used to assist a non-expert user interact with a computer system. 3.1.1 - g 3.1.1 - c 3.1.1 - i 3.1.2 - c 3.1.3 - c

22. Compare and Contrast • These types of questions ask you to identify a factor that is common to both systems and describe it. • For example, you could compare the use of a sat nav with the use of online route finding software such as the route finder software on the AA website. • Common features include: • Both systems can plan out the fastest route to a destination. • One system can update the route if it picks up traffic reports (real time). • The other system can not do this because it is an online service.

23. Compare and Contrast – Writing Frame • To help you answer these questions you could use the following writing frame:

24. Compare and Contrast – Writing Frame • To help you answer these questions you could use the following writing frame:

25. Compare and Contrast – Writing Frame • To help you answer these questions you could use the following writing frame:

26. Compare and Contrast – Writing Frame • To help you answer these questions you could use the following writing frame:

27. Compare and Contrast – Writing Frame • For example: • Question: (3.1.6 – h) • “Compare delivering a presentation using printed acetate and using a computer and projector.”

28. Compare and Contrast – Constructing your answer • Question: (3.1.6 – h) • “Compare delivering a presentation using printed acetate and using a computer and projector.”

29. Activity - • Try using the writing frame to answer these questions: • Compare the use of static information sources with dynamic sources. • Compare the advantages of direct data sources with the advantages of indirect data sources. 3.1.1 - g 3.1.1 - f

30. Explain • When asked to explain something you will need to give a description of a system and justify how and why it performs the way it does. • For example, you may be asked to explain why email is better than fax. • You would need to compare and contrast the two and then provide a justification for your answer.

31. Explain – Writing Frame • To help you answer these questions you could use the following writing frame:

32. Explain – Writing Frame • To help you answer these questions you could use the following writing frame:

33. Explain – Writing Frame • To help you answer these questions you could use the following writing frame:

34. Explain – Writing Frame • To help you answer these questions you could use the following writing frame:

35. Explain – Writing Frame • For example: • Question: (3.1.6 – h) • “Explain why email is better than fax. ”

36. Explain – Writing Frame • “Explain why email is better than fax. ”

37. Explain – Writing Frame • Try using the writing frame to answer these questions: • Explain the benefits of an organisation using a house style. • Explain the needs of a secretary when using standard/generic applications software. 3.1.3 - g 3.1.3 - j

38. Discuss • This type of question is the daddy of all questions (worth the most amount of marks) and usually appears once or twice in the exam paper. • It is usually an essay question that should take you about 20 minutes to write. • You will need to discuss the impact and consequences of something, with at least one advantage and disadvantage and include a conclusion.

39. Discuss • It is a very open question in which you will be marked by the quality of your answer. There are loads of ways this type of question could be answered. • You should avoid answer bouncing. • E.g. Discuss the impact that tv has had on people. • An answer that bounces might look something like this: • People watch tv, get hooked, get fat because they aren’t exercising, drain the NHS, cause the Government to raise taxes, people have to pay more in taxes, they can’t afford nice tvs, they lead a boring life.

40. Discuss • In a past paper this question was asked: • Discuss the impact that ICT has had on airline travel. • Good answers chose a topic and looked at the advantages and disadvantages and concluded their answer. • Bad answers listed out as many things as they could!

41. Discuss – Writing Frame • To help you answer these questions you could use the following writing frame:

42. Discuss – Writing Frame • Discuss the impact of ICT on airline travel. The way you write your answer would determine how many marks you are likely to receive. 0-3 (Low Band) | 4-7 (Middle Band) | 8-11 (High Band)

43. Discuss: Mark Bands

44. Discuss: Mark Bands

45. Little tip on what you need to know! • The specification lists out what you need to know. • Look at what words they use… • If it says you should be able to describe something…you wont be expected to have to explain it in the exam. • You might get a question that asks you to state, identify or give though.

46. Where to take this now... • You should create a writing frame for all the topics in the specification. • You can download this from the OCR website by clicking on this link. • Alternatively, you can download a spreadsheet version by clicking on this link.