Information and Communication Technology Fundamentals
What the domain covers
Information and Communication Technology (ICT) studies how data is captured, processed, stored, transmitted and used to support decisions. The exam tests definitions of data, information and knowledge; the components of an ICT system (people, procedures, data, software, hardware, networks); and the difference between ICT skills and computer science theory.
Core rules
- Data is raw, unorganised facts; information is processed data that has meaning to a recipient; knowledge is information combined with experience and judgement.
- A system has input, process, output, storage and feedback. People and procedures are as important as hardware.
- ICT converges computing, telecommunications and media; it supports automation, communication and decision-making.
- Quality of information is judged by accuracy, timeliness, relevance, completeness, cost-effectiveness and verifiability.
Worked example
A school records marks 60, 70 and 80. The raw marks are data. A program calculates the average (70) and assigns a grade. The average and grade are information because they are processed for a purpose. If the teacher uses the grade plus attendance history to decide intervention, that is knowledge in action. The reasoning: the transformation from data to information requires processing; the value depends on the user and decision context.
Traps that cost marks
Do not call processed output "data" merely because it is stored. Do not confuse an ICT system with its hardware alone. In questions on information quality, match the criterion to the scenario: a stock price from last month fails timeliness, not accuracy. Avoid claiming ICT automatically improves productivity; benefits depend on implementation and skills.
Exam focus
Expect short definitions, component labelling and scenario-based classification of data, information and knowledge.