Core A - topics and key ideas

 Core A – topics and key ideas 

 

What does Core A consist of? 

Core A consists of 3 main components in digital infrastructure: 

• Business context and culture 

• Diversity, inclusion and digital environments 

• Learning and planning 

Each component has lots of different aspects and ideas that need to be memorised for the test. 

Question structure 

• 1 mark – usually a “state” or “identify” question. You should only write one or a few words, do not describe unless it tells you. Spend 1 minute. 

• 2 marks – mainly “describe” questions. You should state what you are speaking about and describe it, 2 sentences maximum. Spend 2 minutes. 

• 3 marks – an extension of the 2-mark questions, however you should explain in greater detail. Try to reread the question when writing to make sure you are answering it correctly. Spend 3 minutes. 

• 4 marks – usually an “explain 2 ways” question. Just think of it as 2x 2-mark questions together. Try to link or compare in some way as well to solidify the 4 marks. Spend 5 minutes. 

• 6 marks – could either be an “evaluate” or “describe 3” question. In the case of evaluating, try to consider multiple points (2 or 3) and make conclusions about them. In a “describe 3” situation treat it as 3x 2-mark questions. Spend 8 minutes. 

• 12 marks – There are only 2x 12-mark questions in Core A. This question requires in depth analysis and judgements. Try to start with an introduction paragraph, only one or 2 sentences explaining the situation. Then create your 3 main points you want to analyse. They must be relevant to the question its asking or the scenario it has given. Try and read into the scenario, they often give you points already which you can use. After explaining each point in depth, you should create a conclusion where you weigh up all the points you have talked about. Make sure to reference the question at the end for maximum marks. Also note there are 3 additional marks available for QWC (quality of written content) so use correct grammar and make sure it all makes sense together. Spend 15 minutes. 

 

Importance of key words 

The examiners are looking for usage of keywords in the answers you give. For example, if you write about something try to mention technical keywords that relate to the scenario they give you. Sometimes thinking of keywords before answering a question can help. Also, keywords can be included in the question itself which you should reference in your answer. More keywords = more marks. 

 

Section A: Business context and culture 

 

Types of business 

• Public organisation – A company owned by and operated by government agencies. 

• Private organisation – A company owned by an individual or group funded by making a profit and investment. 

• Small or medium enterprise (SME) - A business with a classified medium financial turnover or asset hold. 

• Large enterprise – A business with a classified large financial turnover or asset hold. 

• Non-governmental organisation (NGO) - A non-profit business that function independently from the government. 

 

Stakeholders 

• Stakeholder – Someone who can or can be impacted by a business. 

• Internal stakeholder – Someone who is impacted by the business internally. (Example: employees) 

• External stakeholder – Someone who is impacted by the business externally. (Example: consumer) 

 

Business environments 

• Business to customer (B2C) – A type of environment where the business sells its products or services directly to customers. 

• Business to business (B2B) - A type of environment where the business sells its products or services to other businesses. 

• Business to many (B2M) - A type of environment where the business sells its products or services to both customers and other businesses. 

 

Key influential factors 

• Political factor – A factor that affects the business environment relating to the governing or authoritarian body. (Examples: government policy, foreign trade, tax, cross party focus) 

• Economic factor – A factor that affects the business environment relating to finances and the economy. (Examples: interest rates, exchange rates, consumer trends) 

• Social factor – A factor that affects the business environment relating to people and society. (Examples: social mobility, market trends, cultural expectations, socioeconomic aspects) 

• Technological factor – A factor that affects the business environment relating to technological advancements. 

• Legal factor - A factor that affects the business environment relating to legislation and compliance. 

• Environmental factor - A factor that affects the business environment relating to the environment. 

 

Social mobility 

• Social mobility – A move in a person’s individual social status. 

• Horizontal mobility – When a person changes their occupation, but overall status remains the same. 

• Vertical mobility – When a person changes their status that also affects their position in society. 

• Upward mobility – When an individual moves from a lower to higher position in society. 

• Downward mobility – When an individual moves from a higher to lower position in society. 

• Inter-generational mobility – A change in social position from one generation to another. 

• Intra-generational mobility – A change in social position during a single generation. 

 

Value of digitalisation 

• Enhanced market research – Business can research the market more efficiently using digital technology. 

• Increase opportunities for brand promotion – Businesses are more viewed and accessible online. 

• Increased communication – Digital communication can reduce time and make processes more streamlined. 

• Social media coverage – Businesses can use social media to attract attention and advertise. 

• E commerce – Online stores can sell products or services a business sells making them more accessible for consumers. 

• Machine learning – AI can be used for many business processes for ease and efficiency. 

• Tracking and monitoring – Customer data and trends can be collected for further market research. 

• Automation – Business process and operations can be automated to mitigate human error and increase productivity. 

• Remote working – Allowing employees to work from home can make them more motivated and flexible. 

• Key performance indicators (KPI) - Measurable values that indicate how well a business is performing. 

• Brand differentiation – When a business stands out from others often making them more desirable or attractive to consumers. 

 

Technical change management 

• Developmental change – A change concerned with the development of something. 

• Transitional change – A change from one position or stage to another. 

• Transformational change – An improvement on the current situation. 

• Preparation – Preparing for the change to happen requiring careful planning and goal setting. 

• Planning – Planning for factors and creating risk assessments. 

• Change advisory board – A group of people who hold meetings to assess, prioritise, authorise and schedule changes. 

• Request for change – A formal request to make changes which is elevated to the change advisory board. 

• Viability – How realistic and viable the change is to the business or situation. 

• Benefit analysis – How the change will benefit the business short and long term. 

• Approval – Various stages used to implement or reject a change. 

• SMARTER – An acronym for setting useful objectives. (Specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, time-bound, evaluate, re-evaluate) 

• Risks – Any factor that may cause a negative effect on the business during or after the change process. 

 

Factors that drive change 

• Restructuring – A factor which means the business may change the organisational structure internally. 

• Expansion/growth - When the business needs change due to expansion. 

• Downsizing – When the business needs change to become smaller to become more efficient or increase its survivability. 

• Strategic objectives – When the business needs to change to hit key objectives. 

• Competitors – When a business must change to respond to competition in the market. 

 

Change response 

• Budget – Setting a clear financial budget for the change. 

• Communication – Making sure stakeholders are aware of the change. 

• Backups – Ensuring all high-risk data or assets are backed up and secure. 

• Resource clarification – Identification of resources required for the change process. 

 

Requirement considerations 

• End user needs – When the end user requests certain requirements that must be met within the business. 

• Cultural awareness – Being inclusive to everyone and aware of differences in culture. 

• Accessibility – Making sure the system or process is accessible to everyone regardless of ability. 

• Technical level – Being aware about how technical people are and how much they will be able to understand technical processes. 

 

Risks 

• Privacy and security – Data loss and breaches of security can be a risk for businesses and people’s privacy. 

• Financial loss – Loss of revenue or profit. 

• Reputational loss – Loss of business status among customers or stakeholders. 

• Downtime – A temporary loss in productivity due to services being unavailable. 

• Legal action – Legal implications for the business due to non-compliance. 

 

Codes of conduct 

• Industry standard – A criteria within sectors of business that are minimally accepted and followed. 

• Ethical principles – Principles designed to guide employees into high ethical standards. 

• Confidentiality – Protection for sensitive information inside the business. 

• Use of equipment – Remaining safe and appropriate inside the workplace. 

• Access permissions – Controlling access rights for employees inside the business to mitigate accidental or purposeful incidents. 

 

Hackers 

• White hat hacker – A hacker who is given permission to hack into a system often to identify vulnerabilities. 

• Grey hat hacker – A hacker who hacks into computer systems for fun with no real malicious intent. 

• Black hat hacker – A hacker who hacks into computer systems for malicious purposes. 

• Hacktivist – A hacker who hacks into computer systems in support of political or ideological beliefs. 

• Organised crime – Groups of hackers organised for malicious intent. 

• Nation state – Hackers funded by international governments to often cause harm to other states. 

 

Digital reliance 

• Communicational change – Changes to communication such as a reduction in face-to-face and increased virtual meetings and calls. 

• Behavioural change – Changes in people’s beliefs or behaviours due to digital devices or online content. 

• Communication access – Digital devices make it easier for people to communicate. 

• Improved access to information – Online resources are more accessible for people. 

 

Unsafe use of technology 

• Psychological impacts – Usage of digital technology that can cause psychological harm. 

• Cyber bullying – Bullying that happens online using digital devices. 

• Mental health – Impacts on mental health due to digital devices. 

• Addiction – People can get addicted to digital technology usage making it unsafe. 

• Stress – Using digital technology in an unsafe manner can cause stress. 

• Posture – Sometimes physical posture is impacted by unsafe usage of digital technology. 

 

Section B: Diversity, inclusion and digital environments 

 

Digital inclusion 

• Digital inclusion – The process of making digital devices and resources inclusive and accessible to everyone. 

• Bias – A tendency or prejudice towards something or someone. 

• Demographic – Characteristics of people such as gender, ethnicity and age. 

• Equality Act 2010 – This law was passed to provide equal opportunities for all people regardless of protected characteristics. 

• Discrimination – Acting upon prejudice held against someone. 

• Website and mobile app accessibility regulations – These regulations aim to maintain the inclusivity of web and mobile applications. 

 

Benefits of diversity and inclusion 

• Innovation – Diversity can bring new ideas and innovation to a team. 

• Appeal to potential employees – By advertising inclusivity results, businesses can attract potential employees. 

• Inclusive products – Products can be designed in a way that they are accessible to everyone. 

 

Demographic imbalance 

• Government initiatives – The government can offer initiatives for businesses to decrease demographic imbalances in the workplace. 

 

Components of a computer system 

• Chassis (case) - The housing of the system which protects the components inside and allows for cable management and organisation. 

• Optical drive – A disk drive that writes and reads information. 

• Motherboard – A large circuit board that contains electrical pathways called busses connecting components together. 

• Central processing unit (CPU) - The brain of the computer where instructions are carried out using logical and arithmetic functions. 

• Random access memory (RAM) - Stores instructions for the CPU to fetch and execute. 

• Graphics processing unit (GPU) - An electronic component used to speed up the creation of images. 

• Fan – A hardware device that keeps components cool and working at the optimum temperature. 

• Peripherals – Other components usually for user usage such as keyboards, monitors, mice and microphones. 

 

Networks 

• Personal area network (PAN) - A very small network of interconnected devices used by one individual. 

• Local area network (LAN) - The most common network type, it contains a group of computers and network equipment usually inside a single building. 

• Metropolitan area network (MAN) - A network that spans a very large area such as a town or city. 

• Wide area network (WAN) - A composition of several LANs connected such as the internet. 

• Virtual private network (VPN) - An encrypted connection over the internet from a device to a specific network. 

 

Network hardware 

• Switch – A device that physically connects devices together with cables and ports data packets to the intended recipient using MAC addressing. 

• Router – A hardware device that communicates between devices connected to the network and the internet. 

• Network interface card (NIC) - A chip that is installed on a computer to allow networking capabilities. 

• Data over cable service interface specification (DOCSIS) - A standard for permitting broadband data transfer using copper coaxial cables. 

• Digital subscriber line (DSL) - A method of using standard phone lines to transmit and receive information. 

• Fibre optic – A high speed cable that uses optical signals to transmit data. 

• Wireless access point (WAP) - A device that allows wireless-enabled devices to connect to a network. 

• Server – A computer that is used to host centralised services such as DHCP, DNS and AD. It can also host resources like files. 

 

Software 

• Operating system – The main software of a computer which controls the main processes and provides users with an interface. 

• Open source – Programs that are freely available for anyone to view and inspect. 

• Network operating system (NOS) - A program that runs on a server and provides capabilities to manage groups, users, security and applications. 

• Firewall – A program or hardware device used for controlling incoming and outgoing network traffic for security purposes. 

• Anti-malware – A program that seeks and destroys malicious programs on a system. 

• Web browser – Programs that allow users to explore and view content hosted on the World Wide Web. 

 

Internet of things (IoT) 

• Data collection – IoT devices can sense and detect data to monitor and measure in real time. 

• Edge computing – A method for processing data close to the source. 

 

Protocols 

• HyperText Transfer Protocol (HTTP) - This is commonly used in web browser communication to request web page information. 

• Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP) - A mail protocol used for sending emails across networks. 

• Internet Message Access Protocol (IMAP) - Allows users to access their emails on any device wherever they are. 

• Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) - An encryption protocol used to protect sensitive data transmissions. 

• Transport Security Layer (TSL) - An updated version of SSL. 

• Routing Information Protocol (RIP) - A protocol used to distribute routing information. 

• File Transfer Protocol (FTP) - A protocol for transferring files. 

OSI model 

• Application layer – Provides applications with the means to access the services of other layers. 

• Transport layer – Responsible for providing applications with session and datagram communication services. 

• Internet layer – Responsible for addressing, packaging and routing functions. 

• Network layer – Responsible for sending and receiving TCP/IP packets. 

 

Virtual systems 

• Virtual machine (VM) – A technology which allows a single hardware device to host multiple simulated virtual environments. 

• Hypervisor – A software used to create and run virtual machines. Type 1 hypervisors are hosted directly on the hardware whilst type 2 are hosted using a host OS. 

 

Cloud computing 

• Infrastructure as a service (IaaS) 

• Platform as a service (PaaS) 

• Function as a service (FaaS) 

• Software as a service (SaaS) 

• Data as a service (DaaS) 

• Everything as a service (XaaS) 

 

Backups 

• Full backup – A backup of everything stored on a system at once. 

• Incremental backup – A backup of just data that has been changed since the last backup (regardless of the type of backup used). 

• Differential backup - A backup of just data that has been changed since the last full backup. 

• Mirror backup – A mirror of the entire system including programs and the operating system itself. 

 

Section C: Learning and planning 

 

Quantum computing 

• Entanglement – Where two particles affect each other instantly and become linked regardless of their location or distance apart. 

• Interference – When particles mix their waves, adding up or cancelling out to create patterns. 

• Superposition – When a particle can exist in two states at one time until it is measured. 

• Qubits – The basic unit in quantum computing simulating an ordinary binary bit. However, qubits can represent 1, 0 or both at the same time due to superposition. 

• Quantum internet – A network of quantum devices that theoretically could be connected and communicate via teleportation of qubits. 

• Quantum cryptography – Instead of generating keys using an algorithm, quantum cryptography generates keys using qubits. 

 

Extended reality 

• Augmented reality (AR) - A view of the real world with computer graphics imposed over it. 

• Virtual reality (VR) - A computer generated simulation of a 3D environment that can be interacted with using special equipment like VR headsets and controllers. 

• Mixed reality (MR) - A combination of the real world and digitally created content with coexist and interact with each other. 

 

Blockchain 

• Blockchain – A chain of blocks that stores data and information. 

• Public blockchain – Large distributed networks that operate using a native token. 

• Permissioned blockchain – Controls the roles that people have when managing or accessing the blockchain. 

• Private blockchain – A blockchain which can only be accessed by selected individuals or groups. 

 

Other emerging technologies 

• 5G – An upgraded mobile telecom network which provides faster speeds and lower latency. 

• Drones – Remote aerial vehicles typically unmanned (UAV) which can be used for personal, commercial or military purposes. 

• 3D printing – Making a 3D object from a digital file using a special printer. 

 

Reflection techniques 

Kolb’s experimental learning cycle – A four stage cycle that focuses on learning through direct experiences. 

Gibbs’ reflective cycle – A 6 stage cycle used for reflecting on an experience that happened. 

Boud, Keogh and Walker’s model – A model for learning through reflection on practice. 

Design thinking – A way of thinking to identify solutions to a problem that may be not as easily identified. There are 5 stages: empathise, define, ideate, prototype, test. 

 

Sources of information 

• Academic publications – These include academic papers, research journals and magazines. 

• Websites – Includes forums, social media, blogs, statistical website and wikis. 

• E-learning – Online course used to teach students about topics. 

• Professional networks and peers – A network of peers or colleagues which can help people to learn new things. 

• Developer kits – A range of development tools which people can learn. 

• Supplier literature – Includes items such as instruction manuals, technical details or information about up-coming products. 

• White papers – An information document providing details of a service or product that a company plans to sell. 

Project identification 

• Aim – The intended outcome of what the project will be. 

• Objectives – More specific statements that define the steps you need to take the achieve the intended outcome of the project. 

• Scope – This allows the project manager to determine the specific requirements for the project along with costs and deadlines. 

• User requirements – What the user of the project requires in the result. 

• Timeline – Shows what phase the project is currently in, and which tasks have been completed. 

• Deadline – The time constraint for the project, a result must be submitted, or the project will be delayed. 

• Resource requirements – Requirements such as people and skills, cost, venues, facilities, equipment, hardware, software and stakeholder engagement. 

• Cost-benefit analysis – Where the costs are analysed and evaluated against the benefits to the business. 

 

Project life cycle 

• Initiation – This is when the project is first proposed and questions asked about feasibility, realistic timescales and which people need to be involved. 

• Planning – When the project is planned to create a detailed project plan outlining all steps needed to be taken, timescales, workflows, contingency plans and deadlines. 

• Execution – The longest phase where the project is developed according to the project plan. 

• Evaluation – When the deliverable is released to the end user and the project team can evaluate what went well and what needs to be improved for future projects. 

 

Risk management 

• Risk – Things that have the potential to go wrong and impact the project negatively. 

• Risk identification – Establishing and identifying the risks involved with a project. 

• Risk probability – Determining the probability in which a risk could occur. 

• Risk impacts – Evaluating what impacts the risk could have should it go wrong. 

• Risk prioritisation – Determining the priority of risks dependant on their impact or probability of happening. 

• Contingency planning – Formulating a defined plan to act upon risks if they occur in a project. 

 

Quality management 

• Monitoring deliverables – Defining and tracking project deliverables to ensure their quality. 

• Quality assurance – Monitoring and co-ordinating the quality used within the project management lifecycle. 

• Quality control – When deliverables are compared to the specification or project plan. 

• Review and audit – Quality reviews help the team identify causes of a failing project. 

• Scope creep – When the original project’s requirements increase over the project lifecycle. 

 

Project planning techniques 

• Programme evaluation review technique (PERT) - A graphical chart that maps out tasks and dependencies between them. 

• Critical path analysis (CPA) - Shows the path in which the project should be completed. 

• Work breakdown structure (WBS) - A visual deconstruction of a project which allows project managers to identify all the activities that are required. 

• Responsible, accountable, consulted or informed (RACI) - A chard used to map out every task and the roles in which team members have over them. 

• Must have, should have, could have, won’t have (MoSCoW) - A way of prioritising project requirements to rank them in terms of creating the final deliverable.