Manufacturing Technology Exam Questions

• D Fossil fuels are burned to power factories (1)
• The only correct answer is D. The correct answer is fossil fuels are burned to power factories.
• A is not correct because burying devices in landfill is an issue with disposal
• B is not correct because leaving devices on standby is an issue with energy consumption during use
• C is not correct because replacing devices too often is an issue with the replacement cycle

• B Land contamination (1)
• The only correct answer is B. The correct answer is land contamination.
• A is not correct because e-waste in landfill is an impact of disposing of a device, not of mining raw materials
• C is not correct because planned obsolescence is designing products to fail, which is about product lifetime, not an impact of mining raw materials
• D is not correct because a replacement cycle is how often devices are replaced, not an environmental impact of mining raw materials

• D Set computers to standby when unused (1)
• The only correct answer is D. The correct answer is set computers to standby when unused.
• A is not correct because turning off power saving mode lets a computer use more energy when it is not being used
• B is not correct because a computer left switched on overnight still uses energy while it installs updates
• C is not correct because replacing computers every year shortens the replacement cycle, so more energy is used to manufacture the new devices

• D Replacement cycle (1)
• The only correct answer is D. The correct answer is replacement cycle.
• A is not correct because disposal is getting rid of devices at the end of their life
• B is not correct because energy consumption is the amount of energy devices use
• C is not correct because manufacture is making devices

Award one mark for any of the following up to a maximum of two marks:

• Use of fossil fuels/non-renewable energy to power factories (1)
• Release of CO2/greenhouse gases (1)
• Mining/extraction of raw materials damages land/causes erosion (1)
• Use of large amounts of water (1)
• Pollution of water/land from waste produced during manufacturing (1)
• Transport of materials/parts causes emissions (1)

A single statement that names both a cause and its environmental effect can earn both marks, e.g. burning fossil fuels releases CO2.

Do not award both marks for two statements that describe the same issue in different words.

Do not accept disposal of devices at the end of their life/e-waste from discarded devices.

Do not accept 'energy consumption'/'uses electricity'/'uses energy' without a source or cause, such as fossil fuels or factories.

Do not accept vague references to 'rubbish'/'waste' without saying that it pollutes water/land.

Award one mark for any of the following up to a maximum of two marks:

• Turn off/suspend computers when they are not being used (1)
• Set monitors/displays to switch off/standby after a period of inactivity (1)
• Set power saving policies on all of the business's computers (1)
• Use more energy-efficient hardware, e.g. computers/monitors with a good energy rating (1)
• Reduce screen brightness (1)
• Turn off unused peripherals such as speakers/printers (1)

Do not accept recycling old computers, as this is disposal rather than a way of reducing the energy a computer uses.

Do not accept using a screensaver.

Award one mark for any of the following up to a maximum of two marks:

• The time/length of time between buying/purchasing a device (1)
• The buying/purchasing of its replacement (1)
• The point at which a device is replaced (1)
• How often a device is replaced (1)
• The time/length of time before a replacement device is bought/purchased (1)

Allow 'the period of use before a device is replaced' for both marks.

Allow 'the time between buying a new device' for one mark only: it gives the start of the cycle but does not state that the next device is a replacement.

Do not accept the time a device lasts / the lifetime of a device / the time until a device breaks or stops working on its own, as this does not refer to replacement.

Award one mark for any of the following up to a maximum of two marks:

• New software/updates need more powerful hardware (1)
• Newer model has better features/performance (1)
• A component/battery has failed/stopped working (1)
• The device is damaged/broken/lost/stolen (1)
• The manufacturer no longer provides updates/support for the device (1)
• Planned obsolescence / the device is designed to fail after a set time (1)

Allow 'the device has become too slow' if it is linked to new software/apps or a hardware upgrade.

Do not accept 'it is too slow' on its own.

Do not accept 'it is old' / 'to get a newer one' on its own.

Do not accept 'to recycle it' / 'to dispose of it' (these happen after replacement, they are not reasons for it).

The two reasons must be different. Do not award a second mark for repeating a reason already given, e.g. 'the screen is cracked' and 'it is damaged'.

Award up to two marks for a linked description such as:

• Extracting/mining metals/raw materials (1) damages habitats/land/causes erosion (1)
• Manufacturing/assembling components uses large amounts of energy (1) which releases CO2/greenhouse gases (1)
• Transporting raw materials/parts/devices uses fossil fuels/diesel (1) which releases CO2/pollutes the air (1)
• Factories release harmful gases/smoke (1) which pollutes the air/causes health problems (1)
• Waste materials from manufacturing go to landfill (1) which pollutes the land (1)

Do not accept responses about energy used when the device is switched on, or about disposing of the device at the end of its life.

Award up to two marks for a linked description such as:

• Burning fossil fuels (coal/oil/gas) to generate electricity (1) releases carbon dioxide/greenhouse gases/pollution (1)
• Generating electricity from non-renewable fuels (1) uses up resources that cannot be replaced (1)
• Generating electricity can release pollutants (1) that cause acid rain/damage habitats (1)

Do not accept responses about manufacturing materials or disposing of devices.

Do not award a mark for 'uses electricity'/'uses a lot of power'/'wastes energy'/'costs more money' alone, as these do not describe an environmental issue.

Allow named fossil fuels (coal/oil/gas) for fossil fuels.

Award up to two marks for a linked description such as:

• New software requires more memory/processing power (1) so an older device cannot run it well/becomes slow (1)
• Manufacturers use planned obsolescence (1) so devices are designed to stop working after a set time (1)
• New models are released/advertised often (1) so users upgrade to get the new features (1)
• Parts such as batteries wear out (1) so the device stops working/needs to be replaced (1)

Allow a description of devices being designed to fail after a set time, without the term planned obsolescence, for the first point (1).

Do not award a second mark for stating only that a part such as the battery wears out/stops holding charge, with no linked development.

Do not award credit for 'users want a new/nicer device' or 'devices are fashionable' on its own, with no linked development.

Do not accept 'software is updated' on its own, without saying that an older device cannot run it/becomes slow.

Do not accept responses about the environmental impact of replacing devices, such as more e-waste or more manufacturing.

Award up to two marks for a linked description such as:

• Set computers to sleep/standby after a period of inactivity (1) so they use less power/electricity when not being used (1)
• Turn computers off at the end of the working day (1) so they do not use electricity overnight/when nobody is there (1)
• Use power-saving settings/lower the screen brightness (1) so the display/computer uses less power/electricity (1)
• Replace older computers with more energy-efficient models (1) which use less electricity/power for the same work (1)

A method on its own, such as 'turn off computers', earns the first mark only.

Do not accept responses about recycling/disposing of old computers or about manufacturing new computers.

Do not accept replacing computers to improve performance or buying more computers, as neither reduces energy consumption.

Do not accept extending the life of a computer/using it for longer without stating how this reduces energy consumption.

Award up to two marks for a linked explanation such as:

• Mining/extracting the metals destroys habitats/land (1) because the land/vegetation is cleared/eroded (1)
• Burning fossil fuels to power the mining/extraction releases carbon dioxide/CO2 (1) which contributes to global warming/climate change (1)
• Toxic chemicals/waste from mining contaminate land/water (1) which can harm/kill wildlife/plants (1)
• Mining/extracting the metals uses large amounts of water (1) which can reduce the water available for people/wildlife/agriculture (1)

For both marks, the expansion must follow/associate with the statement.

Allow named impacts such as deforestation, soil erosion or water pollution as the point or the expansion, where the link to mining/extracting the metals is clear.

Allow 'toxic waste'/'chemicals' where the link to contaminating land/water is clear.

Do not accept 'it damages the environment' or 'it uses resources' without saying how.

Do not accept 'mining causes pollution' or 'mining uses energy' on its own without an environmental consequence such as contaminated land/water or CO2 emissions.

Do not accept answers about disposing of the computer at the end of its life.

Do not accept 'the metals will run out' as an environmental issue on its own.

Award up to two marks for a linked explanation such as:

• Less electricity/energy is used (1) so fewer fossil fuels are burned at power stations (1)
• Less electricity is generated (1) so less carbon dioxide/CO2 is released into the atmosphere (1)
• Less electricity is used (1) so less damage is caused by extracting coal/gas (1)
• Less heat is produced by the computers (1) so less energy is used by the school's cooling/air-conditioning systems (1)

For both marks, the expansion must follow/associate with the statement.

Allow 'less electricity/energy is used' (including 'it saves electricity') as the point for (1) on its own; the second mark requires a linked environmental effect.

Do not award a mark for an environmental effect such as 'less CO2 is released' on its own without the linked point about reduced electricity/energy use.

Do not accept 'it is better for the environment' on its own without saying what the benefit is.

Do not accept 'it reduces the electricity bill'/'saves the school money' on its own, as this is a financial benefit, not an environmental one.

Award up to two marks for a linked explanation such as:

• The whole phone has to be replaced when the battery stops working (1) so more raw materials are mined/extracted to manufacture the new phones (1)
• The whole phone has to be replaced when the battery stops working (1) so more energy/water is used to manufacture new phones (1)
• The whole phone is thrown away when the battery stops working (1) so more e-waste goes to landfill (1)
• The phone has a shorter replacement cycle (1) so more devices are manufactured, which uses more energy and raw materials (1)

For both marks, the expansion must follow/associate with the statement.

A statement on its own, such as 'the phone has to be replaced sooner' or 'there will be more e-waste', earns (1) as the point; the second mark is for the linked environmental effect.

Do not accept 'the battery cannot be replaced' on its own, as this repeats the stem.

Do not accept 'the phone is bad for the environment' without saying how the environment is affected.

Do not accept answers about the phone using more electricity while it is being used; the issue is the replacement of the whole phone.

Award up to two marks for a linked explanation such as:

• Making plastic releases carbon dioxide/CO2 into the atmosphere (1) because large amounts of energy/fossil fuels are used to make it (1)
• Making plastic uses up/depletes a finite/non-renewable resource such as oil (1) because plastic is made from oil (1)
• Making plastic can pollute land/water (1) because harmful waste/chemicals are produced/released during manufacture (1)
• Making plastic can damage habitats/land (1) because oil has to be extracted to make the plastic (1)

For both marks, the expansion must follow/associate with the statement.

Allow the point and linked reason in either order.

Do not accept 'plastic is bad for the environment' or 'plastic causes pollution' on its own without saying how.

Do not accept 'making plastic uses energy' on its own; it must be linked to an environmental effect such as releasing CO2/contributing to global warming.

Do not accept 'plastic is non-renewable' as a point; it is the oil used to make plastic that is non-renewable.

Do not accept 'oil is non-renewable' without saying it is used up/depleted/will run out.

Do not accept answers about throwing away/disposing of the computer case or recycling it at the end of its life.

Indicative content

Raw materials

• Laptops contain metals such as gold, copper and aluminium, which are non-renewable, so they cannot be replaced once they have been extracted.
• Mining for these metals causes erosion and contaminates the land around the mine.
• Only a small amount of gold is found in each tonne of rock, so large amounts of rock must be mined to get enough for the laptops.
• The plastic case is made from oil, which is a non-renewable fossil fuel.

Energy and water

• Large amounts of energy from fossil fuels are used to power the factories that make the components, which releases carbon dioxide and adds to global warming.
• Making the processor chips uses large volumes of water, which can leave rivers and reservoirs short of water for homes and farms.
• The water used to make chips can be contaminated with chemicals and pollute rivers if it is not cleaned before it is released.
• Transporting the materials and the finished laptops by road, ship and air burns fuel and adds to emissions.

Local area

• Factories can release waste chemicals into the local area, which harms wildlife and people.
• Mining destroys habitats, and the dust and noise affect people living nearby.
• The metals used in a laptop are used up permanently, so manufacturing reduces the resources available for future generations.

Levels

• Level 0 (0 marks): No rewardable content.
• Level 1 (1–2 marks): Basic, independent points are made, showing elements of understanding of key concepts/principles of computer science. (AO1) The discussion will contain basic information with little linkage between points made or application to the context. (AO2)
• Level 2 (3–4 marks): Demonstrates adequate understanding of key concepts/principles of computer science. (AO1) The discussion shows some linkages and lines of reasoning with some structure and application to the context. (AO2)
• Level 3 (5–6 marks): Demonstrates comprehensive understanding of key concepts/principles of computer science to support the discussion being presented. (AO1) The discussion is well developed, with sustained lines of reasoning that are coherent and logically structured, and which clearly apply to the context. (AO2)

Level 3 responses must consider the raw materials, the energy and water, and the effect on the local area.

Do not accept 'renewable' as a description of plastic, oil or metals.

Indicative content

Ways of reducing energy use

• Switching the computers off at the end of the day saves the energy that 600 machines would otherwise draw overnight and at weekends.
• Setting the displays to go to standby after a few minutes of inactivity reduces the energy used by the screens across the school.
• Putting the computers into sleep or hibernate mode when they are idle draws less power than leaving them fully switched on.
• The school can apply a single power-saving policy to all 600 computers centrally, so staff do not have to change the settings on each machine by hand.
• Power-saving settings can stop the hard disks spinning when they have not been used for a while, which saves energy in every machine.
• Turning off Wi-Fi and Bluetooth on computers that do not need them lowers the power each machine draws.

Effect on the people who use the computers

• A computer that has to start up or wake from hibernation is slow to respond at the start of a lesson, so teaching time is lost while students wait.
• If a policy shuts the computers down automatically at the end of the day, a student or teacher who has not saved their work could lose it.
• A strict standby policy can interrupt a lesson if a screen goes dark while a class is still reading from it, so the timing of the setting has to be chosen carefully.
• Dimming the displays to save energy can make the screens harder to read for some students.

Levels

• Level 0 (0 marks): No rewardable content.
• Level 1 (1–2 marks): Basic, independent points are made, showing elements of understanding of key concepts/principles of computer science. (AO1) The discussion will contain basic information with little linkage between points made or application to the context. (AO2)
• Level 2 (3–4 marks): Demonstrates adequate understanding of key concepts/principles of computer science. (AO1) The discussion shows some linkages and lines of reasoning with some structure and application to the context. (AO2)
• Level 3 (5–6 marks): Demonstrates comprehensive understanding of key concepts/principles of computer science to support the discussion being presented. (AO1) The discussion is well developed, with sustained lines of reasoning that are coherent and logically structured, and which clearly apply to the context. (AO2)

Level 3 responses must consider both ways of reducing energy use and the effect on the people who use the computers; an answer that considers only ways of reducing energy use is limited to Level 2.

Do not accept the claim that standby or sleep mode uses no energy at all; standby uses reduced but non-zero power. Accept sleep and hibernate as equivalent to standby and power-saving mode.

Indicative content

Short replacement cycle

• Replacing the computers every two years means the old ones are thrown away more often, which adds to the e-waste sent to landfill.
• Each new computer has to be manufactured, which uses metals that must be mined and uses energy and water.
• More frequent manufacture and transport of new machines releases more carbon dioxide.
• The chemicals in the discarded machines can leak into the soil and water at the landfill site.

Long replacement cycle

• Keeping the computers for longer means fewer new machines are manufactured, so fewer raw materials and less energy and water are used.
• Fewer computers are thrown away, so less e-waste goes to landfill and less pollution is released.
• Older computers may be too slow to run the latest software, so staff wait longer for tasks to finish and the machines may use more energy to do the same work.
• Older machines break down more often, which costs time to repair or replace parts.

Extending the life of the computers

• Buying computers that can be upgraded, such as adding more RAM or a larger hard drive, allows the company to improve them instead of replacing the whole machine.
• Repairing a faulty part, such as a failed power supply, keeps the rest of the computer in use and reduces waste.
• Passing working computers to another department or donating them keeps them in use for longer.
• Choosing machines that are not designed to fail after a set time avoids planned obsolescence.

Levels

• Level 0 (0 marks): No rewardable content.
• Level 1 (1–2 marks): Basic, independent points are made, showing elements of understanding of key concepts/principles of computer science. (AO1) The discussion will contain basic information with little linkage between points made or application to the context. (AO2)
• Level 2 (3–4 marks): Demonstrates adequate understanding of key concepts/principles of computer science. (AO1) The discussion shows some linkages and lines of reasoning with some structure and application to the context. (AO2)
• Level 3 (5–6 marks): Demonstrates comprehensive understanding of key concepts/principles of computer science to support the discussion being presented. (AO1) The discussion is well developed, with sustained lines of reasoning that are coherent and logically structured, and which clearly apply to the context. (AO2)

Level 3 responses must consider both a short and a long replacement cycle, as well as how the life of the computers could be extended.

Do not accept the claim that a long replacement cycle produces more e-waste.