Mission 1 · Spec 1.6.1
Impacts of digital technology
Ethical, legal, cultural, environmental and privacy issues, and how to weigh up who gains and who loses.
- Starter 5 min
- Learn 10 min
- Lab 15 min
- Quiz 10 min
- Exam 15 min
Should it be allowed?
A school installs cameras that use AI to check whether students are paying attention in lessons. Argue for and against.
Reveal
There's no single right answer. Good responses consider different stakeholders (students, teachers, parents, the school) and different kinds of impact: ethical (is it fair?), legal (data protection), cultural (how it changes school life) and privacy.
Types of impact
Ethical
What is morally right or wrong: job losses from automation, AI bias, addictive design, surveillance.
Legal
What the law allows: data protection, hacking, copyright, software licences.
Cultural
How technology changes the way people live: online communities, remote working, the digital divide, changing how we shop and socialise.
Environmental
Energy use by devices and data centres, mining raw materials, e-waste; but also reduced travel and smart energy use.
Privacy
How personal data is collected, shared and protected; tracking, profiling and data breaches.
Stakeholders
Everyone affected: users, companies, employees, governments, wider society.
Which kind of impact?
Exam-style question
1. A town council wants to replace its library staff with self-service machines and online e-books. Discuss the impact of this decision.
[8 marks]Mark scheme (levels)
- Level 3 (6–8): thorough, well-developed discussion covering a range of impacts and stakeholders, with a justified conclusion.
- Level 2 (3–5): several relevant points, some explained, some attempt at balance.
- Level 1 (1–2): a few simple points.
- Indicative content: staff lose jobs (ethical); cheaper for the council; 24-hour access to e-books; elderly or less confident users excluded (digital divide); fewer community spaces (cultural); borrowing data collected (privacy, Data Protection Act); e-book licences (copyright); less printing and transport but more devices and energy (environmental).
TUTOR NOTES
- Exam habit: OCR's 8-mark questions reward range, depth and a conclusion. Use Mission 3's planner.
- Misconception: cultural means "about other countries". It means how people live and interact.
Mission 2 · Spec 1.6.1
Legislation and software licensing
The Data Protection Act 2018, the Computer Misuse Act 1990, the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, and open source versus proprietary software.
- Starter 5 min
- Learn 15 min
- Lab 15 min
- Quiz 10 min
- Exam 10 min
Legal or not?
Which of these are illegal? (a) Logging in to a friend's account using a password they told you. (b) Copying a friend's paid-for game. (c) A shop selling your email address without asking.
Reveal
All three can be. (a) Unauthorised access breaks the Computer Misuse Act, even if you know the password. (b) breaks the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act. (c) breaks the Data Protection Act.
The laws
Data Protection Act 2018
Personal data must be used fairly, lawfully and transparently; for specified purposes only; be adequate, relevant and limited to what's needed; accurate and up to date; kept no longer than necessary; and kept secure. People have the right to see the data held about them.
Computer Misuse Act 1990
Three offences: (1) unauthorised access to computer material; (2) unauthorised access with intent to commit or facilitate further offences; (3) unauthorised acts that impair a computer's operation, e.g. spreading malware.
Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988
Protects original work (software, music, films, images, text) from being copied, distributed or modified without the owner's permission.
Software licensing
Open source
The source code is available: users can view, modify and redistribute it. Usually free.
✓ Free; can be customised; community support
✗ May lack official support; quality and security vary
Proprietary
Source code is kept secret; users buy a licence to use the software but can't modify or share it.
✓ Professional support, regular updates, well tested
✗ Costs money; can't be changed to suit your needs
Which law?
Open source or proprietary?
Exam-style questions
1. A student accesses a teacher's account without permission and deletes files. Identify the law broken and explain which offences have been committed.
[3 marks]Mark scheme
- Computer Misuse Act 1990 (1)
- Unauthorised access to computer material (1)
- Unauthorised modification of data / acts that impair the operation of a computer (1)
2. A school is choosing between open source and proprietary software. Give one advantage and one disadvantage of open source software.
[2 marks]Mark scheme
- Advantage: free / can be modified to suit needs / community support (1)
- Disadvantage: may have no official support / updates not guaranteed / possible security or compatibility issues (1)
TUTOR NOTES
- Misconception: open source means free of rules. Licences still apply.
- Misconception: "I knew the password" is a defence. Using it without permission is still unauthorised access.
Mission 3 · Spec 1.6.1
Writing the 8-mark answer
Plan and write a top-band response to OCR's extended questions.
- Learn 10 min
- Plan 20 min
- Write 15 min
- Quiz 5 min
What examiners look for
Range
Cover several impact areas (ethical, legal, cultural, environmental, privacy) and different stakeholders.
Depth
Explain each point's consequences: "…so…", "…which means…".
Context
Every point should refer to the scenario in the question.
Conclusion
Weigh up the points and give a justified overall judgement.
Extended answer planner
Complete every checklist item to earn 20 XP per scenario.TUTOR NOTES
- Routine: 5 minutes planning, 15 minutes writing, 5 minutes marking against the levels.
- Common weakness: lists of undeveloped points; highlight every "because/so" to check depth.