ICT in Society
What the exam tests
This domain examines how ICT affects people, organisations and the environment. It tests social and economic impacts, the digital divide, employment change, education and health applications, and environmental costs such as e-waste and energy use.
Core rules
- ICT can automate routine work, create new roles and displace some jobs. The net effect depends on skills, investment and policy.
- The digital divide is the gap in access, skills and meaningful use, not only device ownership. It can exist between countries and within them.
- Telework and online learning increase flexibility but require connectivity, suitable space and digital literacy.
- ICT has environmental costs across manufacturing, energy use and disposal. E-waste needs formal recycling because devices contain toxic materials and recoverable metals.
- Technology is not automatically beneficial; outcomes depend on context, design and governance.
Worked example
A rural school receives broadband but few students have devices or trained teachers. Access improves, but meaningful use remains limited. Reasoning: the intervention addresses connectivity, one dimension of the digital divide, but not device access, skills or content. A useful evaluation would measure actual usage and learning outcomes, not just whether the connection exists.
Traps that cost marks
Do not equate internet access with digital inclusion. Avoid saying ICT always reduces travel or emissions; streaming and device production also consume energy. Do not present correlation as causation when citing technology and productivity. Do not ignore informal sectors or people with disabilities in impact questions. “Paperless” does not mean zero environmental impact.
Exam focus
Expect balanced impact discussions, digital-divide scenarios and e-waste or energy questions.