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If you need more guidance regarding the structure of IB Digital Society Paper 1, this post is for you! Here, we will provide a thorough breakdown of IB Digital Society Paper 1, ensuring you are familiar with the exam format and know what type of questions to expect to help you tackle the exam confidently.
IB Digital Society Paper 1
Paper 1 is based on questions that address the syllabus and real-world examples in an integrated way. In the HL extension, students also address challenges and interventions.
In Paper 1, both HL and SL students must answer 2 questions from a choice of 4. A brief case study is presented, and students must answer questions based on this case study.
In addition to the above, HL students must also answer an additional question from a choice of 2 in Section B of the exam. Students must write an extended response based on one real-world example and one course concept. A choice of course concepts will be provided and students need to choose from those.
For SL, Paper 1 contributes 40% to the overall subject grade, while for HL, it accounts for 35%.
The maximum mark achievable is 52 marks at HL and 40 marks at SL.
SL students have 1 hour and 30 minutes to complete Paper 1, while HL students have 2 hours and 15 minutes.
A typical SL/HL question from Section A
Monitoring online activity
Adults are increasingly using digital services to monitor the online activities of young people. The goal of these services is to provide useful data that will protect young people from online threats and dangers.
Companies that develop these services often promote the following features, which may be adjusted and personalized by those monitoring young people:
Restricting internet browsing by denying access to websites that may contain objectionable content.
Background monitoring that sends an alert when specific words or phrases appear in social media posts and private messages.
A searchable history of online activity, including access to all texts, website visits and application (app) usage on a young person’s mobile device, tablet or computer.
Many of these services are invisible to young people and other users, so they do not always know they are being monitored.
(a) (i) Identify two types of data that might be collected by these digital services. [2 marks]
(a) (ii) Describe two contexts in which collecting data about online activity may lead to privacy concerns for young people. [4 marks]
(b) (i) Suggest a security measure that these digital services might implement to protect the data that they collect. [3 marks]
(b) (ii) Explain one possible impact for young people associated with these digital services. [3 marks]
(c) To what extent is it acceptable for adults to use digital services to monitor the online activities of young people? [8 marks]
A typical HL question from Section B
The future of work
Digital innovations are disrupting the nature of work in many organizations and companies.
Discuss a real-world example in which the benefits of digital innovation are outweighed by the negative impacts for employees. In your response, refer to one real-world example and one of the following concepts:
Change
Power
Space
[12 marks]
How to Succeed in Digital Society Paper 1
Solve past papers – This helps you get used to the type of questions that could be asked on the exam and helps you develop skills in learning which concepts to apply. You should try to solve past papers using a timer to simulate exam conditions and check your answers against a markscheme to identify areas for improvement.
Practice applying key concepts – Review core topics like access, agency, culture, environment, globalization, identity, network, policy, privacy, and sustainability. Identify which concept is required for a particular question and practice writing answers based on these relevant concepts.
Be analytical - Paper 1 often asks for analytical rather than descriptive answers. Your responses should always relate your points back to human needs or social impact. Structure your answers using PEEL – Point, Evidence (from the course material/real-world example), Explanation, Link (to the concept).
Plan before writing – Organize your thoughts before beginning your essay to ensure your response stays focused and well-structured. Before you start writing, create a quick draft in bullet points of what you want to base your answer on. This helps you gather and organize your thoughts. Do not simply rush to begin writing, as this could lead to your thoughts being disorganized, which could impact the examiner's perception of the quality of your response.
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