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1.6 Impacts of Digital Technology — how to reach Band 3

OCR J277 · The 8-mark "discuss" question. Half of this topic is knowing the facts; the other half is structuring an argument. This site teaches both.

How this question is marked

Paper 1 always ends with one 8-mark extended-response question on this topic. It is not marked point-by-point. The examiner reads the whole answer and places it in a band, then decides high/middle/low within the band. Most students land in Band 2 — the three cards show why.

Band 3 · 6–8 marks

What the examiner sees:
  • Every bullet in the question is covered, in depth
  • Facts are correct and specific (named Acts, real examples)
  • Both sides weighed up for each issue
  • Everything tied to the scenario by name
  • A conclusion that follows from the argument
OCR: "thorough knowledge… wide range of considerations… weighs up both sides… well-developed line of reasoning which is clear and logically structured… relevant and substantiated."

Band 2 · 3–5 marks

What the examiner sees:
  • Most bullets touched, but some thin
  • Points made but not explained — "this is unethical" with no reason
  • One side only, or a counter-point tacked on at the end
  • Examples only loosely linked to the scenario
  • Weak or missing conclusion
OCR: "reasonable knowledge… generally accurate but at times underdeveloped… examples for the most part implicitly relevant… a line of reasoning presented with some structure."

Band 1 · 1–2 marks

What the examiner sees:
  • A list of bullet points or generic statements
  • Could be about any technology — the scenario is ignored
  • Facts vague or wrong ("the Copyright Act protects data")
  • No argument, no explanation, no conclusion
OCR: "basic knowledge… material is basic and contains some inaccuracies… information is basic and communicated in an unstructured way."
The two halves. An argument without facts is opinion — it stays in Band 1–2. Facts without an argument are a list — also Band 1–2. Band 3 is facts, organised into an argument, applied to the scenario. Lessons 1 gives you the structure; lessons 2–3 give you the facts; 4–6 make you practise joining them.

What the specification requires

1 · The structure: argue like you do in English and RE

You already know how to write a balanced argument — "some people think… however others argue… in conclusion". The 8-marker is exactly that, with computer-science facts as the evidence. Use this plan every time.

The whole answer (10–12 minutes, roughly 250–350 words)

  1. One-sentence introduction — restate the decision in the scenario and signal that it has benefits and problems. "Daniel's decision to replace researchers with AI raises ethical, legal and cultural issues that need weighing against the benefit of finding a cure faster."
  2. One paragraph per bullet in the question — if the question lists ethical, legal and cultural, you write three paragraphs with those exact words as the first word of each. Missing a bullet caps you at Band 2.
  3. Conclusion — a judgement ("on balance…") with the single strongest reason. It must follow from what you wrote, not introduce new points.

Each paragraph: I-D-E-A

I
Issue — name the theme and the specific problem in this scenario. "An ethical issue is that hundreds of Daniel's researchers could lose their jobs to the AI."
D
Detail (fact) — a law, a real example, a technical fact. "The patients' medical data is special-category personal data under the Data Protection Act 2018, so it must be processed lawfully and kept secure." This is what separates Band 2 from Band 3.
E
Effect — explain the consequence for the people in the scenario, using because / this means / as a result. "This means Daniel must get consent to feed the data into the AI, or he could be fined by the ICO."
A
Alternative view — the other side, with its own reason. "However, the AI could find a cure in months rather than years, saving lives that would otherwise be lost while the research continued."
The Band-2 trap: writing "I" and stopping. "A legal issue is data protection." — true, but it has no fact, no effect and no other side. It is worth almost nothing. Every point needs the D and the E; most need the A.

Sentence starters

  • Issue: An ethical issue raised by … is … / From a legal point of view … / Culturally, this could change … / The environmental impact of … is … / A privacy concern is …
  • Detail: Under the … Act … / For example, … / This is similar to when … / The law states that …
  • Effect: This means that … / As a result, … / The impact on [person in scenario] would be … / This matters because …
  • Alternative: However, … / On the other hand, … / Although … / Supporters would argue … / This could be reduced by …
  • Conclusion: On balance, … / Overall, the strongest argument is … / I would recommend … because …

Connectives that show reasoning

because therefore this means as a result which leads to however whereas although on the other hand on balance

Band killers — avoid these

  • Bullet-point lists. Lists cannot show a line of reasoning. Write sentences.
  • Generic answers. If your answer would fit any scenario, it isn't applied. Use the names and details given.
  • Wrong facts. "The Computer Misuse Act protects personal data" costs more than saying nothing. Learn lesson 3.
  • Only one side. "Discuss" means both. Even if you think the decision is wrong, give the case for it.
  • No conclusion, or a conclusion that just repeats "there are pros and cons".
  • Skipping a bullet. Three bullets = three paragraphs, each starting with the theme word so the examiner can find it.
  • Spending 20 minutes on it. It is 8 of 80 marks — about 10% of your time.

Activity 1 — rebuild the paragraph Activity

These four sentences form one I-D-E-A paragraph. Put them in order.

    2 · The five themes — the facts you need

    Each theme has a definition (learn the first sentence word for word), the questions to ask yourself about any scenario, and a fact bank. The fact bank is your "D" in I-D-E-A. Learn at least three facts per theme.

    3 · Legislation and licences

    The spec says you need the purpose of each Act and the specific actions it allows or prohibits. Naming the right Act with its correct year, and saying what it actually prohibits, is the single most reliable "fact" you can put in an 8-mark answer.

    The Data Protection Act 2018

    Purpose: controls how organisations collect, store and use personal data (anything that identifies a living person), and gives people rights over their own data. It is the UK's version of GDPR and is enforced by the ICO (Information Commissioner's Office).
    Organisations must (the principles):
    • use data fairly, lawfully and transparently
    • collect it for a specified purpose and not use it for other things
    • collect only the data they need (minimisation)
    • keep it accurate and up to date
    • keep it no longer than necessary
    • keep it secure against loss, theft and unauthorised access
    Individuals have the right to:
    • be told what data is held and why
    • access a copy of it
    • have mistakes corrected
    • have it erased ("right to be forgotten")
    • object to its use, e.g. for marketing
    Penalties: fines up to £17.5 million or 4% of worldwide turnover, whichever is higher.

    Use it when the scenario involves: customer/patient/student records, apps collecting data, CCTV or facial recognition, data breaches, selling data, keeping data too long.

    The Computer Misuse Act 1990

    Purpose: makes it a crime to access or change computer systems and data without authorisation — the anti-hacking law.
    The three main offences:
    1. Unauthorised access to computer material (e.g. logging in with someone else's password, even just to look)
    2. Unauthorised access with intent to commit a further crime (e.g. hacking in to steal money or data)
    3. Unauthorised modification of computer material (e.g. deleting files, planting a virus/ransomware, a DoS attack). A 2015 amendment added causing serious damage, with life imprisonment possible.

    Also an offence: making or supplying tools (malware) for these purposes. Use it when the scenario involves: hacking, malware, employees accessing files they shouldn't, penetration testing without permission, or — on the other side — why a company must protect its systems.

    The Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988

    Purpose: gives the creators of original work (software, music, films, books, images, games) the right to control how it is copied, shared and used, so they can earn from it.
    It is illegal, without the owner's permission, to:
    • copy or download the work (software piracy, torrenting films)
    • distribute or sell copies, or share it online
    • modify it or use it in your own product
    • remove or bypass copy protection

    Copyright is automatic — nothing needs registering — and software counts as a literary work. Use it when the scenario involves: piracy, using images/music in a product, copying code, cracked software, and software licences — a licence is the legal permission to use copyrighted software.

    Software licences

    Because software is copyrighted, you can only legally use it under a licence: the agreement that says what you may do with it (install on how many machines, for how long, whether you may change or redistribute it).

    Open source

    Features: source code is provided; users may study, change and redistribute it (under the licence terms); usually free. Examples: Linux, Firefox, LibreOffice, Python, VLC, Android (core).
    Benefits: no cost; can be customised to exact needs; community fixes bugs and reviews the code for security; not locked in to one supplier.
    Drawbacks: no guaranteed support or helpline; may need technical skill to install/customise; quality and documentation vary; the company may have to keep its own changes open under some licences.

    Proprietary

    Features: source code is secret; bought (one-off or subscription) "off the shelf"; licence forbids copying, modifying or redistributing. Examples: Windows, Microsoft Office, Photoshop, most games.
    Benefits: professional support and regular updates; thoroughly tested; usually easier to install and use; a company to hold responsible.
    Drawbacks: cost (often per user per year); cannot be modified to fit unusual needs; reliant on one company — if it stops the product, you're stuck; may not be able to check what the code does.
    "Recommend a licence" questions: state the type, give two benefits tied to the scenario (a small charity → open source → no cost, can adapt), then one drawback and how they'd cope with it. That is a mini I-D-E-A.

    Activity 2 — Which law? Activity

    For each situation choose the law that applies (or "none of these").

    Activity 3 — Recommend a licence Activity

    4 · Be the examiner

    OCR J277/01 · June 2022 · Question 9 · 8 marks (reworded)

    Daniel is a medical researcher trying to find a cure for a disease, with a team of hundreds of people carrying out testing. New AI software could do the work of dozens of researchers in a fraction of the time. Daniel decides to increase his use of AI.
    Discuss the issues surrounding this decision. Consider ethical, legal and cultural issues.

    Three students answered. Read each one, decide its band, then reveal the examiner's commentary. Switch on Highlight structure to see the I-D-E-A parts colour-coded.

    IssueDetail / factEffectAlternative viewConclusion

    5 · Answer builder

    Pick a scenario, write each part in its box, and the checker will tell you which Band-3 features are present. It checks structure and the presence of facts — it cannot judge whether your facts are right, so compare with lessons 2–3.

    12:00

      6 · Scenario bank

      Likely contexts, each with the bullets the question would give you. Click Fact prompts for the facts that would lift the answer into Band 3 — but try to plan it yourself first (2 minutes: three issues, one fact each, one counter each, a conclusion). Any of these can be opened in the Answer builder.

      7 · Facts quiz

      Facts are the "D" in your paragraphs. Fifteen questions; answer all, then mark.