Edexcel IGCSE Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Past Papers

Common mistake: Many students incorrectly state that encryption prevents data from being intercepted or hacked.

How to solve it: Correctly define encryption as a method that ensures data is unintelligible (cannot be understood) should it be intercepted

Common mistake: Students often confuse the role of these two separate technologies.

How to solve it: Remember that a web browser is software used to request and display web pages by converting HTML into text and images, while a search engine is a service used to find information

Common mistake: Students often confuse where data is stored permanently versus temporarily.

How to solve it: Clearly identify that ROM stores start-up instructions, RAM stores currently running applications and data (volatile), and secondary storage (HDD/SSD) is for permanent/persistent files

Common mistake: Confusing these categories is a frequent source of lost marks (e.g., listing a microphone as an output device).

How to solve it: Double-check whether the device receives data from the user (input) or presents data from the computer (output) before answering.

Common mistake: A recurring issue is screenshots being too small or poorly cropped, making it impossible for examiners to see the required evidence.

How to solve it: Before submitting, verify that all screenshots are large enough to be read and that no essential data (like field names or formulas) is truncated.