ICT (Compulsory): Concepts, Networks and Practical Skills
Scope
The ICT paper mixes factual recall with applied reasoning: number systems and data representation, hardware and software, networking and the internet, web design basics, cyber safety and ethical use, and spreadsheet/database logic.
Concepts to understand
- Number systems: binary, octal, decimal, hexadecimal conversion; place-value method for conversion to decimal, repeated division for conversion from decimal.
- Data representation: bit, byte, KB/MB/GB progression; how text, image and sound are encoded.
- Hardware/software classification: input, output, storage, processing devices; system vs application software.
- Networking: LAN/MAN/WAN, topology (star, bus, ring), transmission media, IP addressing basics, client-server vs peer-to-peer.
- Web basics: HTML tag structure, difference between static and dynamic pages, URL components.
- Security and ethics: malware types, password hygiene, phishing, copyright and plagiarism.
Traps
- Confusing storage units (1 KB = 1024 bytes, not 1000) with decimal prefixes.
- Mixing up ROM (non-volatile, read-oriented) and RAM (volatile, read-write).
- Calling a star topology a bus topology when a central switch is present.
- Treating hexadecimal letters as invalid digits.
- Describing "hacking" as always criminal when ethical testing exists; read the stem carefully.
Worked example
Convert decimal 45 to binary: divide repeatedly by 2, record remainders, read upward. 45÷2=22 r1; 22÷2=11 r0; 11÷2=5 r1; 5÷2=2 r1; 2÷2=1 r0; 1÷2=0 r1. Reading remainders bottom-to-top gives 101101. Verify: 32+8+4+1 = 45.