ICT Example Essay Questions

The following questions have been taken from recent ICT exam papers. You can
choose which ones to attempt to answer.

1. Discuss the advantages and disadvantages to a customer of Internet banking and on-
line shopping. (8)

2. VideoNow is going to send ex-members a letter to encourage them to visit the shop
again. A member of staff writes the names and addresses onto the letters. Describe a
better method of doing this using a word processor. (5)

3. The library software runs on a LAN (Local Area Network). Users can print book
lists. Draw a labelled diagram of the LAN. You should show on the diagram a
fileserver and at least three computers connected to the LAN. (6)

4. The hardware and software used by the library computer system are very expensive.
Justify the use of a computer system in the school library. (5)

5. The Internet can be accessed throughout the world. Explain why people in developing
countries may find it hard to access the Internet. (5)

6. Discuss whether computers are more efficient than people giving reasons for and
against. (6)

7. Some people have parts of their bodies replaced or enhanced by computerised

devices. Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of this, giving reasons for and
against. (6)

8. Describe what must be done to prevent loss or corruption of the data on a hard disk.
(5)

9. A robot uses feedback to avoid obstacles describe what is meant by feedback. (4)

10. Describe how bandwidth affects the performance of a network. (4)

11. The Internet and the Web give access to large volumes of information, and this is
often uncensored. Some countries welcome access to the Internet, but also want to
preserve their traditional ways of life. They are concerned about the impact the
Internet could have on their ways of life. Some countries believe that the impact on
their traditional ways of life can be avoided, while taking advantage of the business
opportunities. They try to achieve this by allowing Internet access only in businesses,
but not in people’s homes. Discuss the reasons why this might or might not work. (6)

12. The Internet and the Web are part of a trend towards globalisation. Discuss the
advantages and disadvantages of globalisation to an individual country. (9)