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J277 1.6 Application and review

Part 5 of 5 · J277 1.6 Essentials

This worksheet completes the OCR J277 section 1.6 by combining recall questions with scenario-based analysis focused on digital impacts such as ethical, privacy, environmental, and legal issues. It also guides students to plan and write a detailed extended response, making it suitable for consolidating understanding and developing evaluative skills. The content is moderately demanding and can be spread over two lessons.

Shared by Chris H.Verified teacher

  • 14 cells
  • About 50 minutes
  • CC BY-SA 4.0
  • Shared 31 Jul 2026

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The whole resource, exactly as a class sees it. Answers and marking are held back.

Digital impacts Essentials 5: application and core review

This core checkpoint completes OCR J277 section 1.6. It mixes recall with unfamiliar scenarios and finishes with a supported extended response.

This is a substantial checkpoint and may be divided across two sessions. A useful stopping point is after Scenario 2. The planning and extended-response section can then be completed in the second session.

Use this worksheet to check that you can:

  • apply ethical, legal, cultural, environmental and privacy lenses
  • select the Data Protection, Computer Misuse or Copyright Act
  • compare open-source and proprietary licences
  • develop positive and negative impacts
  • respond to every part of an extended-response question

Read each scenario before choosing knowledge. Generic points that could describe any technology are less useful than points tied to the people, data and decisions in front of you.

Multiple choice, several answers6 marks

Which six statements are accurate? Select all that apply.

  • AA legal action can still create an ethical concern
  • BEncryption makes collecting any amount of personal data automatically appropriate
  • CThe Data Protection Act concerns responsible processing of personal data
  • DUnauthorised access can breach the Computer Misuse Act even if no file is damaged
  • EOpen-source software has no copyright or licence
  • FCopyright can apply to software source code, music and images
  • GA proprietary licence normally does not provide users with source-code access
  • HEnvironmental impacts can occur during manufacture, use and disposal
Fill in the blanks5 marks
The ______ applies to personal data. The ______ concerns unauthorised computer access and acts. The ______ protects original work. An ______ licence provides source-code access and modification rights under its terms, while a ______ licence normally restricts source-code access.
  • privacy policy
  • Computer Misuse Act
  • proprietary
  • encryption
  • Data Protection Act
  • Copyright, Designs and Patents Act
  • open-source

Scenario 1: low-cost school tablets

A manufacturer reduces the price of school tablets by using batteries and charging sockets that are difficult to replace and are expected to fail sooner. More families can afford the lower initial price, but devices may be discarded more frequently.

Written answer6 marks

Explain one positive ethical impact and two negative environmental or ethical impacts of the manufacturer's decision.

Use the lower price, shorter useful life and difficult repair in your answer. Develop a consequence for families, the company or the environment.

Students type their answer here.

Scenario 2: smart library entry

A public library introduces cameras that recognise registered members at the entrance. The system records each arrival and stores the image match, time and member account for five years. Staff say it will speed up entry and help investigate incidents. Visitors cannot use the library without being recorded.

Written answer8 marks

Explain one benefit, one privacy or ethical concern, and two Data Protection Act responsibilities relevant to the library system.

Name what is recorded and who is affected. Legal responsibilities could concern purpose, necessity, retention, transparency, accuracy or security.

Students type their answer here.

Planning an extended response

An OCR 8-mark question uses levels of response. It may ask for particular issue types, benefits and drawbacks or a recommendation. There is no single essay that fits every question.

Before writing:

  1. Underline every required area in the question.
  2. Identify the technology, data and stakeholders in the scenario.
  3. Plan points on more than one side.
  4. Turn each point into a PEEL chain: point, scenario application, explanation, link.
  5. Use accurate specialist terms.
  6. Add a supported overall judgement when the wording invites one.

Do not add a memorised paragraph about an Act unless it actually applies. A shorter relevant discussion is stronger than a long generic one.

Written answer8 marks

Plan an answer to this question: “Discuss the positive and negative impacts of the library's facial-recognition entry system, including ethical, privacy and legal issues.”

Write at least four planned points. For each, note the stakeholder, scenario detail and consequence.

Cover both positive and negative impacts and all three named issue areas. A point may contribute to more than one area when the link is explained.

Students type their answer here.

Multiple choice1 mark

Which paragraph opening is most likely to lead to a developed, scenario-based point?

  • ATechnology is good because it is fast
  • BCameras are used in many places
  • CMembers may enter more quickly because recognition links them to an account without a manual card check, reducing queues at busy times
  • DThere are lots of ethical, legal and privacy issues
Written answer8 marks

Discuss the positive and negative impacts of the library's facial-recognition entry system, including ethical, privacy and legal issues.

Use your plan. Apply points throughout, consider different stakeholders and cover every bullet in the question. A brief reasoned judgement can weigh whether the benefits justify the design as described.

Students type their answer here.

Written answer4 marks

The library commissions a new booking application. It wants other public libraries to adapt the source code, but it has little capacity to support those adaptations. Recommend a licence type and explain one benefit and one drawback.

Connect source-code access or restriction to the stated wish for adaptation, then acknowledge the support limitation.

Students type their answer here.

Written answer6 marks

Challenge: Improve this weak answer: “The cameras are bad because privacy will be lost and the DPA says data must be safe.” Rewrite it as two developed points using different concerns.

Name the recorded data, the affected person, the consequence and a precise Data Protection Act responsibility. Do not claim that privacy is simply 'lost'.

Students type their answer here.

Essentials route complete

You are ready to finish the Essentials route when you can:

  • discuss all five impact lenses using unfamiliar examples
  • identify stakeholders and develop consequences
  • apply the three named Acts to specific actions
  • compare and recommend software licences
  • plan and write a balanced response to the exact question asked

The depth worksheets revisit these ideas through surveillance, automated decisions, access, work, culture and environmental product choices. They add practice and independence rather than new compulsory OCR laws.