Predicted Paper 1 — BTEC IT Unit 1

RA10

PREDICTED PAPERS

BTEC Level 3 IT Unit 1 • January 2027

PREDICTED PAPER 3

BTEC Level 3 National Extended Certificate

Information Technology
Unit 1: IT Systems

Paper Reference: RA10/IT/U1/PP3 • 90 marks • 2 hours

Topics Covered in This Paper

Q1Devices/peripherals, online/software benefits & drawbacks, protection, data security[A1, A2, C1, D2]

Q2Software & OS, networks (LAN/WAN/VPN), policy, protection[A1, A3, B2, F1]

Q3Diagram, networks/PAN, online systems, data accuracy/impacts, legal/ethical[A1, B1, C1, E2, F1]

Q4Cloud/emerging tech, servers, remote working[A1, A5, C1, D1]

Candidate Details

Name

Centre/School

Candidate Number

Date

Question	1	2	3	4	Total
Marks Available	22	23	21	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

Riverside Dental Clinic — Threats & Protection

Riverside Dental Clinic stores patient records on its computer system and is concerned about unauthorised access to this sensitive data.

(a)(i)Give two external threats to the clinic's data.(2)

(a)(ii)Give two output devices that will be needed.(2)

(b)(i)Explain two benefits of using antivirus software.(4)

1

2

(b)(ii)Explain two drawbacks of a breach of patient data for the clinic.(4)

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2

(c)Describe how a firewall protects the data stored on the system.(4)

(d)Discuss techniques to protect patient data, including encryption.(6)

QUESTION 1 (continued)

Question 1 Total: 22 marks

QUESTION 2 — 23 marks

Trent & Co Accountants — Backup & Software

Trent & Co Accountants has a main office in Nottingham with branch offices. The firm relies heavily on its client data and uses a range of software. Each office has a LAN connected to the main office over a WAN.

(a)Give two types of application software used by the firm.(2)

(b)(i)Explain two benefits of regularly backing up client data.(4)

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2

(b)(ii)Explain two benefits of encrypting client data.(4)

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2

(c)Explain two acceptable behaviours that should be included in the Acceptable Use Policy.(4)

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2

(d)Evaluate the features of utility software that can be used to maintain, manage and optimise the computer systems.(9)

QUESTION 2 (continued)

Question 2 Total: 23 marks

QUESTION 3 — 21 marks

Ravi the Architect — Remote & Legal

Ravi is an architect who visits client sites and uses a laptop to record measurements, creating a personal area network (PAN) between his laptop and phone to connect to the office server. The office has a central server, desktop computers and a large-format printer.

(b)Explain one factor that affects the choice of connection type.(2)

(c)Explain two other impacts of the loss of the firm's client data.(4)

1

2

(d)Evaluate the legal and ethical issues when the firm transfers client drawings and data between sites.(9)

QUESTION 3 — Diagram

(a)Draw a diagram to show how the network is set up and how Ravi connects when working remotely. The diagram must include devices and systems that are used, connection types and annotations.(6)

The drawing must include:

all devices and systems that are used
connection types (e.g. LAN, PAN, internet/WAN)
annotations labelling each device and connection

Use this page to draw your network diagram.

Question 3 Total: 21 marks

QUESTION 3 (continued)

Question 3 Total: 21 marks

QUESTION 4 — 24 marks

NovaWare Studios — Cloud & Servers

NovaWare Studios is a software company that stores all its project data on a file server on site. It is considering cloud computing for backup and remote access, and whether to deploy a web server for its customer portal.

(a)Describe how the company can use one cloud computing model.(3)

(b)Evaluate how different cloud computing models could fit the needs of the company.(9)

(c)Evaluate the performance and efficiency of a web server compared to a file server.(12)

QUESTION 4 (continued)

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