Predicted Paper 1 — BTEC IT Unit 1

RA10

PREDICTED PAPERS

BTEC Level 3 IT Unit 1 • Spring 2026

PREDICTED PAPER 1

BTEC Level 3 National Extended Certificate

Information Technology
Unit 1: IT Systems

Paper Reference: RA10/IT/U1/PP1 • 90 marks • 2 hours

Topics Covered in This Paper

Q1Input devices, server roles, malware types, authentication methods, cloud storage[A1, A2, C1, D1, D2]

Q2SaaS payroll systems, cloud security, network flowchart, biometric authentication[A1, B2, C1, D2]

Q3Network topology, star vs ring comparison, VPN and remote access security[A1, B1, B2]

Q4Open-source vs proprietary software evaluation, legislation, ethical impacts[A3, F1, F2]

Candidate Details

Name

Centre/School

Candidate Number

Date

Question	1	2	3	4	Total
Marks Available	22	22	22	24	90
Marks Awarded

Instructions

Answer ALL questions
Use black ink or pen
Fill in your details
Show working where required

Information

Marks shown in brackets
Answer in spaces provided
Read questions carefully
Check answers at the end

QUESTION 1 — 22 marks

Hartley Academy — School IT Network

A large secondary school manages 1,400 students and 90 staff through a centralized network with file servers, application servers, and a Virtual Learning Environment (VLE). Students with physical disabilities use specialist input devices. The IT manager is considering moving student files to cloud storage and is concerned about phishing attacks.

(a)State one purpose of the file server on Hartley Academy's network.(1)

(b)Give two types of malware that could threaten the network.(2)

(c)Describe how a braille display allows a visually impaired student to access VLE materials.(3)

(d)Explain two methods the academy could use to verify student identity when logging into the VLE from home.(4)

1

2

QUESTION 1 (continued)

(e)Discuss the implications for the school of moving student files to cloud storage.(6)

QUESTION 1 (continued)

(f)Discuss the implications of phishing attacks on Hartley Academy.(6)

Question 1 Total: 22 marks

QUESTION 2 — 22 marks

Premier Payroll Ltd — SaaS Payroll System

A payroll processing company serving 200 businesses holds financial data for 50,000 employees. Staff access payroll software from office, client sites, and home. The managing director is considering moving from on-premise software to cloud-based SaaS to reduce costs and enable flexible working.

(a)Identify the cloud computing service model being proposed.(1)

(b)Explain one reason why the payroll system must use HTTPS when accessed remotely.(2)

(c)Describe three validation methods for ensuring accurate employee data entry in the payroll software.(3)

(d)Explain two benefits to Premier Payroll Ltd of moving to a SaaS payroll solution.(4)

1

2

QUESTION 2 (continued)

(e)Discuss the implications of moving highly sensitive employee financial data to a SaaS solution.(6)

QUESTION 2 (f) — Diagram

(f)Draw a flowchart to show the process for secure staff access to the payroll system.(6)

The flowchart should include:

start: user opens payroll login page
username and password entered
MFA check
access granted to payroll dashboard
one security action after access (for example logout or session timeout)
annotations to show key steps and outcomes

Use this page to draw your flowchart.

Question 2 Total: 22 marks

QUESTION 3 — 22 marks

Crestford College — Network Topology

A sixth-form college with 800 students plans a new network for its 20-computer administration block that handles admissions, finances, and HR records. The IT manager is choosing between a star topology and the current ring topology. The college also uses an online student community platform.

(a)State the central device that forms the connection point in a star topology.(1)

(b)Give two advantages of a star topology over a ring topology.(2)

(c)Describe three measures the college could implement to protect staff against social engineering attacks.(3)

(d)Explain two factors the college should consider when choosing between Wi-Fi and Ethernet for the administration block.(4)

1

2

QUESTION 3 (continued)

(e)Discuss the implications of choosing a star topology rather than a ring topology for the administration block.(6)

QUESTION 3 (continued)

(f)Discuss the key considerations for managing the college's online student community platform.(6)

Question 3 Total: 22 marks

QUESTION 4 — 24 marks

Hargreaves Catering — Software Evaluation

A catering company supplies 12 school canteens with 80 staff across a central kitchen and delivery teams. Back-office staff use computers for meal planning, ordering, and payroll. The company currently pays £6,000/year for proprietary software and is evaluating free open-source alternatives and AI tools for meal planning.

(a)Give one example of an embedded system used in a commercial kitchen.(1)

(b)Give two implications of using AI tools to automate meal planning.(2)

(c)Describe three differences between open-source and proprietary software.(3)

(d)Explain two benefits of using cloud-based systems to manage operations across 12 canteen sites.(4)

1

2

QUESTION 4 (continued)

(e)Discuss the security implications of choosing open-source software compared to the current proprietary package.(6)

QUESTION 4 (continued)

(f)Evaluate whether Hargreaves Catering should switch to free open-source software. Consider: benefits of switching, drawbacks of switching, risk assessment.(8)

QUESTION 4 (f) — continued

Continue your answer to Question 4(f).

Question 4 Total: 24 marks • Paper Total: 90 marks