Describe two possible causes of data loss.

Outline two backup strategies that may be used to limit data loss.

Explain why beta testing is used to gather feedback for the new user interface.

Outline one consequence of not involving end-users in the design and testing stages.

Identify two features that could be used to improve the accessibility of the new user interface.

Award [4 max].
Mark as [2] and [2].

Malicious activities;
An unauthorized user gaining access to data and deleting/altering it;

Natural disasters / earthquake / storm / power loss;
Causing the system to crash and destroy data;

Malware/viruses/spyware/worms;
Which infiltrate and damage the data;

Human error;
Accidental deletion/overwriting of files;

Award [4 max].
Mark as [2] and [2].

Copies of backup could be kept off-site/cloud backup;
Unlikely that the other site would be affected by the natural disaster/can be reloaded/reinstalled if needed;

Incremental backup only backs up data that has changed;
Therefore, requiring less storage capacity / can be completed more quickly than a complete backup;

Failover system/mirrored system/disk mirroring;
A duplicate copy to be used in the event the main system fails;

Award [3 max].
Testers outside the organization use the operating system in a “real world” setting;
Enables feedback to be given to the developers;
So that the software can be improved/corrected/debugged;
Before it is finally released;
“Real world” testers may find more bugs as the system is used in ways not originally intended / tested;

Award [2 max].
The software may not work as expected / may not be better than the existing software / may not meet user requirements / expectations;
The software may be missing some key features;
The software may not be user friendly;

Award [2 max].
Touch screens;
Voice recognition;
Text-to-speech;
Braille keyboard
A colour-blind option
Large font option; 

Note to examiners: allow other correct accessibility features

Candidates were usually able to name two causes of data loss, however, their expansions were not always as specific or relevant as they could be, to achieve full marks. For example, the question was about data loss and the minimisation of this through the use of backup. Therefore, responses involving data being stolen would not be appropriate.

Candidates were able to name and correctly expand at least one appropriate backup strategy, however, candidates should be careful in this type of question that their responses are appropriate to the scenario and that both methods quoted are different, for example, an organisation in which data was constantly changing, such as the case here, would not be relying on hard copy as a method of backup. In addition, storing backup data offsite, or storing data on a cloud-based system are really the same marking point.

Candidates generally demonstrated their understanding of what beta testing is and where it fits in the development process, they should, however, be careful to not give generic responses and make sure that their answers match the scenario. Some candidates lost out by simply restating aspects given in the question.

Candidates generally recognised that not involving end-users in design and testing may mean that the final product did not meet user requirements, but not many were able to expand on this sufficiently to gain the extra mark by saying, for example, it may have missing features.

There are many correct possible answers to this question, including touch screens, braille keyboards and text-to-speech systems. A surprisingly large number of candidates failed to recognise that this was being asked, and gave incorrect answers, such as GUI, or left it blank.