Year 11 · ICT · Summer 1 · Final revision and the exams

The most-missed questions and tasks, whole class

Exam practicePresent ▶

What this lesson covers

7.2 Design

Cambridge IGCSE ICT 0417 · Topic 7: The systems life cycle · Paper 1

16.2 Label and format a chart

Cambridge IGCSE ICT 0417 · Topic 16: Graphs and charts

21.2c Hyperlinks and file paths

Cambridge IGCSE ICT 0417 · Topic 21: Website authoring · Paper 3

You will learn to

Identify why most pupils lost marks on the five most-missed mock questions and tasks.
Write full-mark answers to the theory questions, using the mark-scheme words.
Complete the practical tasks again so every step earns its mark.

Success criteria

I can say what the examiner wanted in each of the five.
I can rewrite my mock answer to earn full marks.
I can show a finished task with evidence for each practical near-miss.

The syllabus points for these sections

Design file and data structures: field name, field length, data type, coding of data.
Describe range, character, length, type, format, presence and check digit validation.
Calculate an ISBN-13 check digit.
Design input formats (data capture forms) and output formats (screen and report layouts).
Add a chart title, legend, axis titles and category labels.
Add data labels as values or percentages.
Format numbers with decimal places and currency.
Set axis minimum, maximum and increments.
Create bookmarks with id and link to them on the same page or another page.
Link to local pages, external URLs and email addresses.
Open links in a new window or a named window.
Explain relative and absolute paths, and why absolute paths to local files must not be used.

Key words

Say each word, then read what it means. Every one is in the glossary too.

System specification: A list of the hardware and software the new system needs.
Field: One item of data in a record, such as Surname.
Coding of data: Storing short codes such as M or F instead of whole words.
Validation: An automatic computer check that data is sensible and allowed.
Check digit: An extra digit calculated from the other digits, used to detect input errors.
Data capture form: A paper or on-screen form used to collect data.
Chart: A picture of data, such as bars, lines or slices, that makes patterns easy to see.
Pie chart: A circle split into slices, each showing a part of the whole.
Bar chart: Bars of different lengths for comparing categories; vertical bars are also called a column chart.
Line graph: Points joined by lines to show change over time.
Data series: One set of values plotted on a chart.
Legend: The key that says what each colour or pattern on a chart means.
Axis title: Text naming what an axis measures, with its units.
Category labels: The names along the category axis, such as months or products.
Data label: A value or percentage shown on a bar, point or slice.
Axis minimum / maximum: The lowest and highest values shown on the value axis.
Increment (major unit): The step between values on an axis, such as every 10.
HTML: HyperText Markup Language: the language of the content layer of a web page.
CSS: Cascading Style Sheets: the language of the presentation layer, which sets how a page looks.
Tag: A word in angle brackets, such as `<p>`, that marks the start or end of an element.
Attribute: Extra information inside an opening tag, written name="value", such as src or alt.
Head: The part of a page holding information about it: title, meta tags, stylesheet links.
External stylesheet: A separate .css file attached to pages with the link element.
Bookmark: A named place on a page, made with an id, that a hyperlink can jump to.
Hyperlink: Clickable text or an image that goes to another place, made with the a tag.
Relative path: A file location described from the current file's folder, such as images/logo.png.
Absolute path: A full file location from the very start, such as a full URL or C:/...
Target: The attribute that sets which window a link opens in, such as _blank.

The explanation

Read it here, or open the study page below to go one step at a time with things to try.

7.2 Design

Designing the file structure

A file here means a table of records. A record is all the data about one thing. A field is one item of data in a record.

For each field the designer chooses a field name, a data type and a field length (the maximum number of characters).

Coding of data means storing short codes instead of long words, for example M or F, Y or N.

Field name	Data type	Field length	Example
StudentID	Text	6	S10432
Surname	Text	30	García
DateOfBirth	Date/Time	10	14/03/2011
Gender	Text (coded)	1	F
FinesOwed	Numeric (currency)	6	1.50
Overdue	Boolean	1	Y

?Why?

Codes save storage space, are quicker to type and are easier to validate. There are only a few allowed values, so mistakes are easy to spot.

!Watch out

Phone numbers and IDs with leading zeros are stored as text, not numbers. A numeric field would drop the leading zero (0034 would become 34).

Validation: what it is and why we need it

Validation is an automatic check, done by the computer, that data entered is sensible and allowed.

It stops impossible or unreasonable data getting into the system.

Validation cannot tell if data is correct. It can only tell if it is reasonable. An age of 15 passes a range check even if the student is really 14.

Check	What it checks	Example
Range check	The value is between a lower and an upper limit	Exam mark from 0 to 100
Length check	The number of characters is exact, or within limits	A Spanish mobile number has exactly 9 digits
Type check	The data is the right data type	Age must be a whole number, not 'fifteen'
Character check	Only allowed characters are used	A surname may contain letters, spaces, hyphens and apostrophes, but no digits
Format check	The data follows a set pattern	StudentID is a letter then 5 digits: S10432. A date is dd/mm/yyyy
Presence check	The field is not left empty	Surname must be filled in
Check digit	An extra digit worked out from the other digits matches	The last digit of an ISBN or a supermarket barcode

e.g.Example

Try the toy: type 19 in the Age box, which has a range check of 11 to 18. Then type 'abc' there for a type check. Leave the Surname box empty to trigger the presence check.

!Watch out

Do not mix up validation and verification. Verification checks data was copied correctly (double entry, visual check). Validation checks data is sensible.

There is something to try for this step in the IGCSE library.

The check digit, worked through

A check digit is an extra digit added to the end of a code. It is calculated from the other digits.

When the code is typed or scanned, the computer recalculates the check digit. If it does not match, there is an error.

It catches mistyped digits and transposition errors (two digits swapped, such as 45 typed as 54).

ISBN-13 (the number on books) uses weights of 1 and 3 and modulo 10. Modulo 10 means the remainder after dividing by 10.

e.g.Example

Find the check digit for the first 12 digits of an ISBN: 978030640615 Step 1: multiply digits by 1, 3, 1, 3 … in turn: 9×1=9, 7×3=21, 8×1=8, 0×3=0, 3×1=3, 0×3=0, 6×1=6, 4×3=12, 0×1=0, 6×3=18, 1×1=1, 5×3=15 Step 2: add them: 9+21+8+0+3+0+6+12+0+18+1+15 = 93 Step 3: remainder after dividing by 10: 93 MOD 10 = 3 Step 4: subtract from 10: 10 − 3 = 7 (If the remainder is 0, the check digit is 0.) Full ISBN: 978-0-306-40615-7 Spot an error: someone types 9780306406517 (1 and 5 swapped). The weighted total becomes 92 instead of 100 (counting the check digit 7 × 1). 92 is not a multiple of 10, so the computer rejects it.

?Why?

Multiplying by different weights means swapped digits give a different total. A plain sum would not catch a swap, because 1+5 and 5+1 are the same.

Input formats: data capture forms

A data capture form collects data from a person. It can be on paper or on screen.

A good form has a clear title, instructions, logical field order and enough space for each answer.

On-screen forms can use drop-down menus, radio buttons (choose one) and tick boxes (choose any). These limit what can be entered, so there are fewer errors.

Paper forms may use boxes with one character per box, so writing is easier to read or scan by OCR.

e.g.Example

Library sign-up screen: Title: 'New library member' StudentID [S_____] (format shown as a hint) Surname [__________] Year group: drop-down 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13 Gender: radio buttons F / M Buttons: Save Clear Help

!Watch out

Exam answers about forms need specific features: 'use a drop-down for year group' earns a mark, 'make it look nice' does not.

Output formats: screen layouts and report layouts

Output formats decide how results are shown: on a screen or in a printed report.

A screen layout shows where each item appears, the fonts, the colours and any buttons.

A report layout shows the title, column headings, the order of fields, page numbers and totals.

The designer plans these early, so users can agree them before any building starts.

e.g.Example

Weekly overdue report layout: Title: Overdue books, week ending 13/11/2026 Columns: Tutor group | Surname | Book title | Days overdue Sorted by tutor group, then surname Footer: page 1 of 3, total overdue books: 47

?Why?

Showing users the layouts before building means changes are cheap. Changing a finished report later costs time and money.

16.2 Label and format a chart

Titles, axis titles and labels

Chart title: says what the chart shows. Type it exactly as the task gives it.

Axis titles: name what each axis measures, with units, such as "Number of hires" or "Price (€)".

Category labels (axis labels): the names along the axis, such as Road, Mountain, Electric. All must be fully visible.

e.g.Example

Vertical bar chart: Title: Bike Hire in May Category axis title: Bike type Value axis title: Number of hires Category labels: Road, Mountain, Electric

!Watch out

Category labels that are cut off or overlap lose the mark. Make the chart wider or rotate the labels so every word shows in full.

Legend: show it or hide it

A legend is the key that says what each colour means.

With one data series in a bar chart, a legend adds nothing, so tasks often say "do not display a legend".

With two or more series, or in a pie chart without category labels on the slices, the legend is needed.

?Why?

Every item on a chart should help the reader. A legend that says only "Series1" confuses.

!Watch out

A legend showing "Series1" means the data was selected without its header. Reselect including the header cell, or rename the series.

Data labels: values and percentages

Data labels show the number on each bar or slice.

A task may say "show the values" or "show the percentages". On a pie chart you can show the category name and the percentage on each slice.

Values are the raw numbers. Percentages are each value as a share of the total.

e.g.Example

Task: Display the percentage and category name for each segment. Result on slices: Road 30%, Mountain 20%, Electric 50%.

!Watch out

Showing values when the task said percentages, or both when it said one, loses the mark.

Number format, axis scale and increments

Format value axis numbers as asked: decimal places, or currency, such as €0.00.

The axis minimum and maximum set where the value axis starts and ends. The increment (major unit) is the step between gridlines, such as every 10.

A typical task: "Set the value axis from 0 to 200 with increments of 25."

e.g.Example

Hires range from 60 to 150. Task: minimum 0, maximum 160, increment 20. Axis reads 0, 20, 40, 60, 80, 100, 120, 140, 160. Check: 160 ÷ 20 = 8 steps, so 9 labels.

?Why?

Starting the axis at 0 shows differences fairly. Starting at 50 would make 60 look tiny next to 150, which misleads the reader.

!Watch out

The software picks automatic values. If the task gives numbers, you must type them in. The automatic value is almost never what Cambridge asks for.

21.2c Hyperlinks and file paths

Bookmarks and links to them

A bookmark is a named place on a page. Give any element an id: `<h2 id="hours">`.

A hyperlink uses the `<a>` (anchor) tag. Its href is where it goes. The text between the tags is what you click.

To jump to a bookmark, href is # then the id. To jump to a bookmark on another page, add the page name first.

<h1 id="top">Café Retiro</h1>
<a href="#hours">See our opening hours</a>

<h2 id="hours">Opening hours</h2>
<a href="#top">Back to top</a>

<!-- a bookmark called drinks on another page -->
<a href="menu.html#drinks">Drinks menu</a>

!Watch out

An id must be unique on the page and contain no spaces. It is case-sensitive: href="#Hours" will not find id="hours". Old pages use `<a name="hours">` instead of id.

Links to pages, websites and email

A local page is a page in your own site. Link to it with a relative path, such as menu.html.

An external website needs its full URL, starting with https://.

An email link uses mailto: then the address. Clicking it opens a new email to that address. You can add a subject with ?subject=.

<a href="menu.html">Our menu</a>

<a href="https://www.esmadrid.com">Visit Madrid</a>

<a href="mailto:orders@example.com">Email us</a>

<a href="mailto:orders@example.com?subject=Order">Order a cake</a>

!Watch out

href="www.esmadrid.com" without https:// does not go to the website. The browser looks for a file called www.esmadrid.com in your own folder.

Target windows: _blank, _self and named windows

The target attribute says where a link opens.

_blank opens a new window or tab. _self opens in the same window, which is the default.

A named window is any name you choose, such as target="menuwin". The first click opens a window with that name. Later links with the same target reuse it.

A target on a link overrides the base target in the head.

<a href="https://www.esmadrid.com" target="_blank">Visit Madrid</a>

<a href="menu.html" target="menuwin">Food menu</a>
<a href="drinks.html" target="menuwin">Drinks menu</a>
<!-- both open in the same window, called menuwin -->

?Why?

Opening external sites in a new window keeps your page open, so the visitor can come back to it.

!Watch out

_blank needs the underscore. target="blank" (no underscore) is treated as a named window called blank.

Relative and absolute paths

A path tells the browser where a file is.

A relative path starts from the folder of the current file. images/logo.png means "go into the images folder, then find logo.png".

../ means "go up one folder". From styles/cafe.css, the path to the beans image is ../images/beans.jpg.

An absolute path gives the full location from the very start, such as https://www.esmadrid.com/en or C:/Users/Lucia/Desktop/cafe/images/logo.png.

Try the toy: press From on one file and To on another, and read the relative path and why the absolute path breaks. Then switch to Quiz and write paths yourself. The toy's site uses css/style.css, but the rules are the same.

From	To	Relative path
index.html	menu.html	menu.html
index.html	images/logo.png	images/logo.png
index.html	styles/cafe.css	styles/cafe.css
styles/cafe.css	images/beans.jpg	../images/beans.jpg
pages/about.html	index.html	../index.html

!Watch out

Use forward slashes / in paths, not backslashes \. Match capitals exactly: on a web server Logo.PNG and logo.png are different files.

There is something to try for this step in the IGCSE library.

Why absolute paths to local files break

An absolute local path points to one place on one computer. C:/Users/Lucia/Desktop/... exists only on Lucía's computer.

When the folder is copied to a web server or an examiner's computer, that path no longer exists. Images vanish and the stylesheet is not applied.

Relative paths move with the folder, because they only describe how files sit compared with each other.

Absolute URLs are fine for external websites, because those addresses are the same from every computer.

e.g.Example

Lucía's page has `<img src="file:///C:/Users/Lucia/Desktop/cafe/images/logo.png">`. On her laptop: the logo shows. On the examiner's computer: there is no user called Lucia, so the logo is missing. With `<img src="images/logo.png">`: the logo shows on both.

!Watch out

Some editors insert absolute paths when you drag a file in. Always read the code and change it to a relative path.

Study it

Open the study page and go one step at a time.

ICT topic 1

Check yourself

One question at a time. The reason shows after each answer.

Saved on this device.

The most-missed questions and tasks, whole class

You will learn to

Success criteria

Designing the file structure

Validation: what it is and why we need it

The check digit, worked through

Input formats: data capture forms

Output formats: screen layouts and report layouts

Titles, axis titles and labels

Legend: show it or hide it

Data labels: values and percentages

Number format, axis scale and increments

Bookmarks and links to them

Links to pages, websites and email

Target windows: _blank, _self and named windows

Relative and absolute paths

Why absolute paths to local files break

Types and components of computer systems

Input and output devices

Storage devices and media

Networks and the effects of using them

The effects of using IT

ICT applications

The systems life cycle

Safety and security

Audience

Communication

File management

Images

Layout

Styles

Proofing

Graphs and charts

Document production

Databases

Presentations

Spreadsheets

Website authoring