ICT applications in everyday systems
Compare the information flows behind communication, modelling, control, school, booking, banking, medical, expert, retail, recognition and satellite systems.
Section 6 · ICT applications
Exam scope and assessment notes
Cambridge IGCSE Information and Communication Technology 0983, for exams in 2026, 2027 and 2028. Examples, datasets and practice are original StudyForA material; they are not Cambridge questions, source files, mark schemes or grades. Practical lessons teach transferable operations, but learners must perform them in locally available office and web-authoring software and inspect their own files. This site does not reproduce a Cambridge practical examination or award an official grade. The separate 2029 syllabus is not mapped here. Cambridge states that IGCSE 0983 has the same subject content as IGCSE 0417, with 9–1 grading. This StudyForA pathway maps the 2026–2028 syllabus only. This 9–1 graded qualification is available only in a limited number of administrative zones. Confirm that your centre can enter you for this code and exam series with Cambridge International. Cambridge has published a separate syllabus for 2029. StudyForA has not reconciled that version yet; this page supports exams in 2026, 2027 and 2028 only.
Before you begin
- No previous ICT course is assumed. Read each scenario carefully and justify a tool or method by connecting it to the task, user and constraints.
Work on paper. Try each question before revealing help, and explain why your method works.
Quick readiness check
Which application stores attendance and learner-performance information?
What you will learn
- Explain uses, advantages and disadvantages of communication media, mobile communication, modelling and computer-controlled systems.
- Explain school management, online booking, ATM and banking systems, medical records and 3D printing applications.
- Explain the parts and decision process of expert systems and evaluate retail POS/EFTPOS and internet shopping.
- Compare OMR, OCR, barcode, QR, RFID, NFC and biometric recognition and explain satellite GPS, navigation, GIS and communications.
Model the data flow before judging the tool
Communication options include newsletters, posters, websites, presentations, audio, video, streaming and ePublications; mobile devices add SMS, calls, VoIP, video calls and internet access. Match the medium to audience, immediacy, accessibility and bandwidth. A computer model can test personal finance, building, flood, traffic or weather scenarios more cheaply or consistently than repeated real-world trials, but its result depends on its inputs and assumptions.
Computer control can coordinate robots, production lines and autonomous vehicles; school systems manage registration, attendance and performance; booking systems check availability and reserve seats. For each, trace input, processing, stored data, output and a failure or privacy risk.
Specialist systems support decisions and transactions
ATMs allow cash withdrawal or deposit, balance checks, statements, bill payment and transfers; EFT, cards, cheques and internet banking move money through different checks. Medical information systems manage patient or pharmacy records; 3D printing can make prosthetics or engineered structures. Expert systems combine a user interface, knowledge base, rules base, inference engine and explanation system to propose solutions, not guarantee truth.
Retail POS can update stock and trigger reordering; EFTPOS checks payment details and communicates with a bank using chip-and-PIN or contactless/NFC. Internet shopping expands access but introduces delivery, fraud, privacy and returns issues. Recognition systems have different inputs: OMR marks, OCR characters, barcodes/QR codes, RFID tags, NFC proximity and biometric features. Satellites support GPS/navigation, GIS data and media or phone communication, but signals and service can be limited.
Sources for this lesson
Pause and explain
An automated flood model predicts water levels from rainfall and river data. What must a planner check before using its output?
Worked example
A supermarket uses POS tills, EFTPOS and an automatic stock reorder. Trace the information and identify one control.
Show the worked solution
- A till captures an item identifier and quantity; the POS system calculates the sale and updates the stock record.
- EFTPOS sends a payment request and receives an authorisation response through the bank network.
- A reorder rule can flag low stock, but the store should check thresholds and exceptions.
Answer The scanner reads the item code and the POS system retrieves its price, records the quantity sold and updates stock. EFTPOS checks and authorises the card transaction through communication with the bank. A stock threshold can suggest a reorder, but unusual demand, damaged goods or supplier delays need staff review.
Try a topic test
Choose Easy, Normal or Difficult. Save your answers and open worked review after finishing.
Test this topic →From guided practice to a new situation
Write your answer and reasoning first. Use a hint only if you are stuck. The model solution is for self-checking; your written work is not automatically marked.
For a weather forecast model, state two inputs, one output and one limitation that a decision-maker should consider.
Give me a hint
Trace measured conditions through assumptions to a prediction.
Compare my reasoning
- Choose relevant measured inputs such as temperature, pressure or rainfall.
- Identify a prediction, such as expected rainfall for an area.
- Explain that imperfect data and model assumptions can reduce accuracy.
Inputs could include measured temperature and air pressure; an output could be forecast rainfall for a region. The model simplifies a complex atmosphere, so sensor gaps, measurement errors and assumptions can make a prediction uncertain. A user should compare forecasts and update plans as evidence changes.
Look for these in your work
- Distinguishes inputs from outputs
- Explains an assumption or data limitation
A hospital uses an expert system to suggest possible causes of a symptom. Explain the roles of the knowledge base, rules base and inference engine, and state an appropriate safeguard.
Give me a hint
Separate stored facts from decision rules and the part that applies them.
Compare my reasoning
- The knowledge base stores specialist facts.
- The rules base stores conditional relationships; the inference engine applies them to entered facts.
- The system proposes an explanation, which a clinician checks before acting.
The knowledge base stores medical facts; the rules base represents conditional relationships; the inference engine applies those rules to the patient's entered information and proposes possible causes. A clinician must verify the data and assess the recommendation because the system can be incomplete or wrong.
Look for these in your work
- Explains three distinct components
- Keeps a qualified human in the decision loop
A travel company is choosing between QR tickets, RFID luggage tags and GPS tracking for three tasks: gate entry, hands-free bag identification, and live vehicle location. Match the method and explain a limitation.
Give me a hint
Match the required interaction and data source to the recognition or satellite system.
Compare my reasoning
- A visible code at a gate can be read by a QR scanner.
- A radio tag can be read without aiming a scanner at a bag.
- GPS uses satellite signals to estimate location, subject to reception and privacy limits.
Use a QR code for gate entry, RFID for hands-free luggage identification within reader range and GPS for vehicle location. QR codes need a readable code and scanner; RFID requires compatible tags and readers; GPS can be inaccurate or unavailable where satellite reception is obstructed and can reveal location data.
Look for these in your work
- Matches all three methods
- Explains a limitation for each
Common mistakes
- Treating an expert system's recommendation as certain or fully human-like
- Confusing RFID, NFC, OCR and biometric recognition
- Ignoring the data and assumptions behind a computer model
What can you explain now?
Which two components use rules and stored specialist knowledge to infer a possible expert-system solution?
Compare with the explanation
The inference engine applies rules to the knowledge base.
The knowledge base stores facts; the rules base and inference engine use them to derive possible conclusions.
After trying it yourself, choose your next review. This is your self-assessment.
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Make it stick
Trace one application from input through processing to output, then name its main benefit and a failure, data or fairness risk.
If you needed the solution, close it and solve the problem again from a blank page. A correct answer is stronger when you can explain the reason for each step.