The environmental impacts of digital technology (energy use, e-waste and resources) and its social impacts, including the effects of e-commerce.

A Unit 1 environmental-impacts question. Award up to 2 marks for each of two impacts described with a reduction. Energy use: computers and especially large data centres use a great deal of electricity, much of which still comes from fossil fuels, contributing to carbon emissions; this can be reduced by using energy-efficient hardware, powering down devices, and running data centres on renewable energy. Electronic waste (e-waste): discarded devices contain harmful materials and are often replaced frequently, creating waste that can pollute if dumped; this can be reduced by repairing, reusing and recycling devices and keeping them longer. A valid third area is the use of raw materials to manufacture devices. Markers reward two impacts each with a sensible reduction. A common error is to state an impact with no way to reduce it.

A Unit 1 e-commerce question. E-commerce is buying and selling goods and services online. A benefit is that customers can shop at any time from anywhere, with more choice and easy price comparison, and businesses can reach customers worldwide without a physical shop (1 mark for a benefit, 1 mark for development). A drawback is that the growth of online shopping has harmed high-street shops, leading to closures and job losses in town centres, and it can exclude people without internet access or cards (1 mark for a drawback, 1 mark for development). Markers reward a clear benefit and drawback, each developed. A common error is to give only benefits, or to describe e-commerce without discussing its social effects.