ITGS Paper 2 Exam Tips

ITGS paper 2 is the unseen article exam. Here are some tips for approaching it:

The First 15 Minutes

• The recommended reading time is 15 minutes. Use this time to highlight key parts of the article.
• Colour code it – parts for each criteria.
• Write a plan for criteria C and criteria D.
• The worse thing you can do is start writing immediately when the examiner says the 5 minutes reading time is over.
• Remember: If you misunderstand the article, your entire answer may be pointless – so read it once and then read it again (this has been a problem several times during practice papers).
• Ask the invigilator for an English-Spanish dictionary if you are unsure of a word or phrase

Criteria A

• Remember the issue you choose must be a concern, not a positive issue
• There may be several issues: choose the strongest
• Think forward to criteria C: are there lots of impacts for this issue?
• Think forward to criteria D: is there a feasible solution to the impacts caused by this issue?

Criteria B

• Write in bullet points
• Avoid “magic steps” where many things happen at once. For example: “Then the bar code is read and the bill is calculated” –
  this could be broken down into 3 or 4 separate steps.
• You must go beyond the information in the article to score well, using technical language and detail.

• This is not asking you to repeat criteria A. It is basically asking how the system caused the issue. Think about the unique characteristics of the IT system. For example: is it making data widely available to many users? Is it collecting behavioural information and making decisions about it? These would cause a privacy concern.

Criteria C

• You now have two pages for this, so you have lots of space. But don’t write for the sake of it!
• Avoid introductions “Well, there are lots of issues, some are positive and some are negative, and they affect different people.” Get straight to the point with a clear topic sentence about the first impact.
• One issue will likely affect more than one stakeholder – make sure you include the relevant stakeholders.
• Don’t forget balance – positive and negative impacts – many of you forgot this in the mock exam!
• As always, analyse and evaluate
• Do not include solutions here

Criteria D

• Write one solution only. Examiners ignore any others
• The solution must be feasible (realistic). In the “Underage drinkers” example, some of you said “to solve this problem the photographic database
  should be updated every week”. This isn’t realistic, and undermines the whole point of the system in the first place. Watch out for this.
• The solution cannot be “stop using the system”
• You must fully describe the solution – what it involves and how it would work
• You must evaluate the solution – address its strengths and its weaknesses
• Write one solution only. Examiners ignore any others

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