ICT Pre-release data files (paper-based assessment only)

These data files are needed by learners taking their Functional Skills paper based ICT external assessment.

Leading up to the external assessment, all of these data files can be used as a revision tool if required. You can use the data files if or when it’s appropriate as practice for the external assessment, as a revision tool, or as part of the learners learning. Having access to these data files will not give the learner an advantage in the external assessment as our papers don’t rely exclusively on this material.

Please note, not all data files will be used in each external assessment.

All of the data files below should be downloaded and saved to your centre's network as early in the academic session as is appropriate or relevant to you. However, they must be downloaded before the learners sit the external assessment. This is because some files must be emailed to the learner before the external assessment, and other data files will be referred to or drawn from during the external assessment.

You can send the email to a learner’s personal email account or, as we would recommend as good practice, create accounts for the purpose of these external assessments i.e. [email protected]. Please ensure that the learner is able to access the email before the external assessment takes place.

The data files marked ‘to be sent as attachment’ should be sent to each learner by email as an attachment, using the ‘email content’ provided if applicable. The files sent as attachments, should not be available on the network for the learners to access during the external assessment – only available on the email. 

However, the remaining data files above (the ones not marked for sending by email) should be saved somewhere accessible for your learners . The learners must be made aware of where those data files are at the beginning of their external assessment so they know where to access them from when required.

Please note all attachments and all separate emails must be sent/made available to the learner. Which files/emails they must access depends on which external assessment they’re allocated.

The data files should be downloaded from below and saved on your centre’s local network and saved as read-only files where possible. The format of the files mustn’t be changed. They should be saved in a relevant file/folder as learners will be directed to access them during the external assessment.

Each data file must be named as it is below and the data files associated with each scenario should be stored together (e.g. credit card and credit card graph should be stored together). Each external assessment will use this name to identify the file needed.

Learners may be asked during the external assessment to import or use these data files in some way. For instance, the external assessment will point them towards a particular file, using its scenario as the path, and ask them to import this data file into, for example, a spreadsheet application.

Please note, in addition to familiarity with these files, your learners should be made familiar with printing formula views as this may be required during the external assessment.

Following the external assessment you are responsible for making sure any files saved by the learner (the files worked on and printed out throughout the external assessment) should be deleted completely from the computer used. This must be done as learners may sit the same external assessment at the same computer, and cannot have access to already completed files. Please feel free to ask your learners to delete these files before they leave the examination room.

Throughout the academic session, additional files will be added to this collection, so please check regularly.