Ethical and Legal Issues Exam Practice

This lesson consolidates your knowledge of ethical, legal, cultural, and environmental issues in computing. It provides exam-style questions, model answers, and key revision strategies to help you maximise your marks.

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How These Topics Appear in Exams

In AQA and OCR GCSE Computer Science exams, ethical, legal, and environmental topics typically appear as:

• Short-answer questions (2-4 marks) — defining terms, naming legislation
• Extended-response questions (6-9 marks) — discussing issues, evaluating viewpoints
• Scenario-based questions — applying knowledge to a real-world situation

These topics are often combined with other areas (e.g., a question about network security might also ask about the Computer Misuse Act).

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Worked Example 1: Data Protection (4 marks)

Question: A school stores student records electronically. Describe two principles of the Data Protection Act 2018 that the school must follow when handling this data.

Model Answer:

Principle 1 — Data minimisation: The school should only collect the personal data that is necessary for its purpose. For example, it needs students' names, addresses, and medical information for safety, but it should not collect unnecessary data such as parents' political opinions.