CCEA GCSE digital technology (478) Past Papers 2026

Unit 1: Compulsory Core (shared by both routes)

Duration: 1h

Unit 2: Digital Authoring Concepts — 40% of the Multimedia grade

Duration: 1h 30m

Unit 4: Digital Development Concepts — 40% of the Programming grade

Duration: 1h 30m

Unit 3: Digital Authoring Practice / Unit 5: Digital Development Practice — 30% of the respective route grade

Duration: Internally assessed, externally moderated

Array processing with loops — using the loop counter as the array index

Across all three years, Unit 4 reports consistently flagged this as the weakest area. Candidates who lost marks on array questions almost always failed to write arrayName[counter] inside the loop, instead using a literal index or no index at all. Running totals inside loops were also frequently omitted or placed outside the loop.

Unit 4

Unbounded iteration (WHILE loops) — condition formulation and counter placement

WHILE loop questions were less well answered than FOR loop questions across all three years. Common errors: setting the wrong initial value for the controlling variable, writing the condition inverted (loop runs when it should stop), and omitting the counter increment inside the loop. Examiners recommended additional practice with unbounded iteration in both count-controlled and condition-controlled scenarios.

Unit 4

Acronym and key-term recall — SQL, CSS, GUI, IoT, HTML, ERD

Failure to expand acronyms correctly appeared in every year across Unit 1 and Unit 2. SQL was incorrectly expanded in 2025; CSS was unfamiliar to a large proportion of candidates; IoT stumped many in 2025; GUI expansion was flagged in 2025. Legislation names also caused problems when not recalled precisely.

Unit 1, Unit 2

Validation — defining it correctly and applying it to a specific scenario

Candidates consistently gave circular definitions ('validation checks the data is correct') which earned no marks. Applying a specific check (length, range, format, presence) to the scenario values provided was less well done: candidates named the check type but did not explain how it would work with the specific boundary values or character constraints given.

Unit 4

HTML structures — tables, hyperlinks, and CSS acronym

In the 2025 Unit 2 report, significant numbers of candidates could not select the correct HTML for creating a table, could not identify the correct hyperlink HTML statement, and could not expand CSS. A common misconception was that <h6> produces the largest heading. HTML 'M' was mistakenly expanded as 'media' instead of 'mark-up' in 2023.

Unit 2

Testing — distinguishing unit, integration, system, black-box, and white-box testing

Confusion between test types was flagged in all three years. In 2023 candidates confused system and integration testing in fill-in-the-blank questions. In 2024 candidates identified unit testing as integration testing. In 2025 a significant number confused black-box testing with system testing. Elaborating on what each type tests (not just who performs it) was also weak.

Unit 2, Unit 4

Cloud computing and networking — applying features to specific contexts

In Unit 1 (2023), candidates confused cloud computing with networking answers. In 2024, many could name cloud computing features but could not place them in the context of a business use case. Networking topology distinctions between bus, ring, and star were also poorly differentiated when candidates needed to justify suitability.

Unit 1

CA evaluation — evaluating against user requirements rather than describing the solution

The Principal Moderator's reports for Unit 3 and Unit 5 flagged this in all three years without exception. Leniency in marking this section was also raised as a concern for some centres. Top candidates were distinguished by their use of evaluative language, explicit judgements against each user requirement, and dedicated discussion of performance and robustness.

Unit 3, Unit 5