For example, students can investigate the use of ICT within a community-based group such as a local youth club, sports group or a fund-raising group. The investigation will look at the ways these groups operated before using ICT, what impact the new technology has on current operations plus, where feasible, the likely impact future technology would make on the operation of the groups investigated.

(d) the impact in the local community (11 marks)

Mark band 1
Characterised by lists and simple but relevant statements. (1-5 marks)

• a clear indication of the community activity or activities investigated - 1 mark
  
• a simple unstructured list/table of the technologies used - 1 mark
  
• a list/table that categorises a number of uses in the community - 2 marks
  
• to achieve the higher marks in this band the student must indicate how some of these uses meet the identified community needs. This could be an additional column in the table, or by separate descriptive comment - 'Classes are held at the public library on how to use the internet.' Two or three such comments together with a well structured list/table would be worth full marks in this band.

Mark band 2
Characterised by a range of uses, and some explanation of how the technologies meet
community needs. (6-8 marks)

• it is not the number of uses that defines this level so much as the range. The range should give a fair representation of some of the uses the local community makes of ICT
  
• there must be some explanation of how the technologies meet community needs - not 'Classes are held at the public library on how to use the internet,' but 'this gives people new skills and helps them find work.'
  
• one good explanatory comment together with a clear range of uses is enough to take the mark into the lower end of band 2. For full marks in this band there are likely to
  
• be at least three well-explained comments.

Mark band 3
Characterised by a wide range of uses, and some evaluation of the extent to which the
technologies meet community needs. (9-11 marks)

• the 'wide range' of uses might not number many more than is offered for mark band 2; the key point is that it is representative of several main uses the local community makes of ICT
  
• there should be some evaluation of the extent to which the technologies meet community needs - not just 'Classes are held at the public library on how to use the internet,' but 'the only problem is they are for unemployed people only, so not everyone has access to them.'
  
• one good evaluative comment together with a wide range of uses is enough to take the mark into the lower end of band 3. For full marks in this band there are likely to be at least three evaluative comments.