Horbury School ICT Department
GCSE Information Technology Revision List
Topic What you need to know:
Identify the constituent parts Hardware: ( input and output devices, backup storage, central
of an ICT system and their processing unit, memory (ROM, RAM)
functions.
Software: Operating system, applications packages.
Select appropriate input Knowledge and understanding of input peripherals, to include:
peripherals for a given Keyboard, including specialised keyboards
application. Mouse, touch pad, tracker ball, joystick
Graphics tablet
Touch sensitive screen
Light pen
Scanner, digital camera for photographs or video, barcode
scanner
Microphone, magnetic stripe reader
Sensor, OMR, OCR
Select appropriate output Knowledge and understanding of output peripherals, to
peripherals for a given include:
application.
Monitor (CRT and LCD)
Printers (dot-matrix, laser, ink-jet)
Plotters
Speakers
Motors
Select appropriate storage Students must be able to understand and describe the
media for a given application. characteristics and the uses of the following storage devices
and media:
Hard and floppy disks
Magnetic tape
CD-ROM, CD-Recordable, CD-Rewriteable
DVD ROM, DVD RAM
Students also need to know the difference between them in
terms of whether they are volatile or not.
Frequency, quantity of data, compression, duration, choice of
media.
Explain the need for backup
procedures and identify
suitable techniques.
Interpret the internal Use the terms bit, byte and multiples of these units
representation of data in an
Interpret a bit pattern as a character using an internal code
ICT system.
(ASCII)
Horbury School ICT Department
GCSE Information Technology Revision List
Topic What you need to know:
Explain the key role of the To include:
CPU.
carrying out instructions within software,
handling control signals,
performing arithmetic operations,
storing data
Describe the key functions of Know that the operating system:
the operating system.
provides a means of communication between applications
software and the hardware of the computer system
manages system resources including memory and allocation
of CPU time
manages data transfers including transfers to and from
peripherals
command interpreting
Demonstrate an appreciation Understand that interfaces can be command driven, menu
that ICT systems should be driven or graphical.
designed to communicate
Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of these types of
with humans.
interface for different categories of users.
Identify design considerations in developing a user interface
for a particular purpose including consistency, positioning of
items on the screen, use of colour, use of sound and
availability of help.
Encode data and information Benefits of: reduction in space required for storage and
computer processing and display, ease of data entry and validation.
relate this operation to a
given application.
Describe and use data Collection, preparation, input verification, performed by
capture operations and relate operator. Design of data capture forms and input screens
these to a given application
Use major applications Word processing: editing, cut and paste, formatting,
packages to solve problems spellcheck, mail merge.
and describe their purpose
Database: record, field, key field, file, sorting, searching (use
and key features.
AND, OR, NOT), updating, reports.
Identify appropriate uses for
Spreadsheet: cell, row, column, formulae, recalculation,
and evaluate software
replication, cell formatting, graph plotting.
(Knowledge overview of what
Desktop publishing: frames, fonts, text sizes, styles, import of
software can do, not skills)
text and graphics, sources of graphics, resizing of graphics.
Graphics: drawing, painting, CAD, bitmapped images, vector
graphics.
Operating systems utilities
Horbury School ICT Department
GCSE Information Technology Revision List
Topic What you need to know:
Use the terms LAN and WAN Understand the difference between local area networks
(LANs) and wide area networks (WANs).
Explain the hardware and
Cabling, network interface card, server, operating system.
software requirements for the
formation of a LAN.
Explain the advantages and
disadvantages of networked Advantages: access from any workstation, central storage of
ICT systems compared to data and software, sharing of expensive peripherals, control of
stand-alone ICT systems users’ access rights.
Disadvantages: cost of installation, reliance on server, need
for security, need for network manager
Identify differences between
network topologies Bus, star etc. Greater fault tolerance of star networks.
List and describe in outline Describe the steps involved in investigation, analysis, design
the main aspects of systems implementation and testing of a system.
analysis and relate these to a
Understand the nature and purpose of feasibility studies, and
given application.
the use of interviews, questionnaires and observation in
analysis of existing or new systems.
Choose appropriate ICT Understand the principles of top-down design of systems and
systems, software tools and be able to identify the subsystems required.
techniques to solve a
Understand the purpose and nature of evaluation criteria.
problem.
Understand the nature and purpose of a testing plan and be
aware that testing must include typical, extreme and
Explain the need for testing erroneous data.
and design the testing
Describe the nature and purpose of documentation, which
procedures for a given
should be provided with a system.
application.
Evaluate the solution to a
problem.
Document the solution to a
problem.
Describe methods of systems Personal and file passwords, levels of access, restricted
security physical access.
Develop an algorithm (series Describing and interpreting an algorithm in the form of a
of commands) to solve a flowchart.
problem.
Horbury School ICT Department
GCSE Information Technology Revision List
Topic What you need to know:
Describe the social, economic, Health and safety:
legal, ethical and moral effects of
using ICT systems. Know that using a computer for a long time can affect
people's health.
Know what steps can be taken to help alleviate stress, eye
strain, or wrist, back and neck problems, when using a
computer for long periods.
Know that there are regulations covering the use of
computers in business and commerce to prevent injury to
the users.
The Data Protection Act:
Know the provisions of the 1998 Data Protection Act.
Copyright law and anti-hacking legislation
Show awareness that software cannot be copied without
permission.
Know of the consequences of software piracy.
Show awareness of computer hacking and understand that
it can lead to accidental or deliberate corruption of data.
Potential benefits and drawbacks of ICT usage in a wide context,
including commerce, industry, home, school, leisure and
government.
Internet use: undesirable material, child access, filtering, junk e-mail,
copyright issues, accessibility for all members of society.
Use major applications Pupils to be able to use a spreadsheet and know: cell, row,
packages to solve problems column, formulae, recalculation, replication, cell formatting,
and describe their purpose graph plotting, data validation.
and key features.
Know the reason for data validation
Describe and use input
Know the following validation checks; range check, presence
validation techniques and
check, check digit, data type check, parity check and the type
relate these to a given
of errors each will detect and where they will be used.
application.
Use major applications Database Management
packages to solve problems
Understand the concepts of files, records and fields including
and describe their purpose
the terminology tables, rows and columns.
and key features.
Software used should allow:
Describe and use input the insertion and deletion of fields
validation techniques and the insertion and deletion of records
relate these to a given tables to be linked together
application. the editing of information with records
the validation of data on entry
a simple search on one criterion only
a complex search on two or more criteria
the control of Content of reports by selection of fields
the control of the format of reports
Horbury School ICT Department
GCSE Information Technology Revision List
Topic What you need to know:
Identify the advantages and Post, telephone, fax, email, video conferencing.
disadvantages of different
communication methods.
Identify the requirements for Hardware: modem
connecting to the internet.
Software: web browser, email package
ISP
State how data transfer
speeds are apparent to the Response time, downloading time
user.
Describe and use the key Web browser: storing links (shortcuts, favourites), history
features of communications navigation, cache.
software to access the
Email: on-line/off-line use, reply, forward, address book,
internet.
mailing lists, attachments
Identify the features of World wide web, email, news groups, chat rooms.
common internet services.
Describe the wide range of services available on the WWW:
advertising customer support, distribution of software, e-
commerce.
Identify the advantages and Advantages: readily accessible from any computer, up to
disadvantages of the internet date, multi-media, huge amounts of available data, search
as a source of information. engines, E-mail response.
Disadvantages: cost of equipment/connection, difficulty of
finding information required from all that is suggested in
searches.
Describe the nature of a real Flight simulators, games, science experiments, weather
or Imaginary system that has forecasting, economic models, virtual reality.
been modelled in an ICT
system.
Benefits: safety, economic, variety of possible
State the benefits and
experiences/situations.
limitations of models and
simulations. Limitations: differences between simulation and reality.
Describe the concepts of data Specify the input, processing, output and storage required
logging and control for a stated data logging or control application.
technology.
Range of sensors available.
Need for an appropriate interface
Interpret a bit pattern as a collection of control signals.
The concept of real time processing.