Skip to article frontmatterSkip to article content
Site not loading correctly?

This may be due to an incorrect BASE_URL configuration. See the MyST Documentation for reference.

EA - Exam

Topics

Topics covered in previous external exams:

Topic202020212022202320242025
Dependability✓✓✓✗✓✗
Efficiency✓✗✓✗✗✗
Modularisation✗✗✗✗✗✓
MVC Architecture Pattern✗✓✗✗✗✗
Useability Principles✓✓✓✓✓✓
Visual Communication✓✓✓✓✓✗
Impacts✓✓✓✓✓✗
Data Principles✓✓✓✓✓✓
Normalisation✗✓✗✓✗✗
Privacy✓✓✓✓✓✓
Australian Privacy Principles✓✓✓✗✓✓
Network Transmission Principles✓✗✗✓✗✗
Network Transmission Protocols✓✓✓✗✓✓
Data Exchange Methods✓✓✓✓✓✓
Data Security✓✓✓✓✓✓
The CIA Triad✗✓✗✗✓✓
Encryption✓✓✓✓✓✓
Caesar cipher✗✓✓✓✗✓
Vigenère Cipher✗✗✗✓✗✓
Gronsfeld Cipher✗✗✗✗✗✓
One-time Pad Encryption✗✗✓✓✓✓
Symmetric Encryption✓✓✓✓✓✓
Asymmetric Encryption✓✓✓✓✗✓
Hashing✗✓✓✗✓✓
Data Compression✗✗✗✓✓✗
Checksums✗✓✗✗✗✗
Malware✗✓✓✗✓✓
Phishing✗✓✓✗✗✗
Man-in-the-Middle (MitM)✗✗✓✗✗✓
Denial-of-Service (DoS)✗✗✗✗✓✗
Insider Threats✗✗✗✗✓✗
SQL Injection✗✗✗✗✓✗
Human Error✗✗✗✗✓✓
Software Measures✓✓✓✓✓✓
Hardware Measures✗✗✗✗✓✗
Networking Measures✗✗✓✓✓✓
Policy Measures✓✓✓✓✓✗
Mock-ups✗✓✓✓✓✓
Pseudocode✓✓✓✓✓✓
Desk Checking✗✓✓✗✗✓
Data Flow Diagram (DFD)✓✓✓✓✓✓
Data Dictionaries✗✗✓✓✗✓
SQL✓✓✓✓✗✗
SELECT✓✓✗✓✗✗
WHERE✓✗✗✓✗✗
Filters and Aggregators✓✗✗✗✗✗
ORDER BY✓✗✗✓✗✗
GROUP BY✓✗✗✗✗✗
JOIN✓✗✗✗✗✗
INSERT✓✓✗✗✗✗

Past Exams Marks Analysis

2025 External Assessment

SectionMarksQuestions / Topics
Overall671 min 47 secs per mark
Multiple Choice10 15%RSA (asymmetric encryption), hashing, modularisation, APP breach, FTP, JSON properties, cipher security ranking (Caesar/Vigenère/Gronsfeld), XOR encryption algorithm, digital solution components, data integrity
Short Response36 54%Q11: DFD entity relationships (7)
Q12a: Constraints impact (3)
Q12b: CIA risks & justification (6)
Q13: Data exchange vulnerabilities & security strategies (4)
Q14: Desk check JSON algorithm (8)
Q15a: Data dictionary types (6)
Q15b: Data dictionary recommendation (2)
Extended Response21 31%Q16a: System components optimising traffic flow (4)
Q16b: Pseudocode — hazard detection/emergency vehicle/pedestrian safety (8)
Q16c: Recommend new feature/component (3)
Q16d: Usability principles evaluation (4)
Q16e: UI mock-up (2)

2024 External Assessment

SectionMarksQuestions / Topics
Overall661 min 48 secs per mark
Multiple Choice10
15%		Visual comm. (scale/accessibility), personalised data impacts, algorithm maintainability, prime number output, UI usability (buttons etc.), DDoS, streaming, JSON with Python, timetabling data stores, secure authentication DFD
Short Response36
55%		Q11a: APPs (3)
Q11b: Risks to CIA & recommendations (6)
Q12: Pseudocode JSON gamer data (8)
Q13a: UI mock-up/code function (3)
Q13b: UI/usability recommendations (6)
Q14: DFD one-time pad (10)
Extended Response20
30%		Q15a: UI prototype navigation app (9)
Q15b: Visual comm. principles (4)
Q15c: Social need + security impacts (3)
Q15d: Security strategy (2)
Q15e: New features w/ authentication (2)

2023 External Assessment

SectionMarksQuestions / Topics
Overall691 min 34 secs per mark
Multiple Choice10
14%		Asymmetric encryption, UI screen resize, UI arrangement, latency, Caesar, JSON/REST, nested loops, open data, data dictionary types, SQL
Short Response34
49%		Q11a: Data size/security (2)
Q11b: Password pseudocode (7)
Q12a: Security impacts & needs (3)
Q12b: VPN secure feature (2)
Q13: One-time pad corrections (9)
Q14a: Smart home UI symbolisation (7)
Q14b: Accessibility features (4)
Extended Response25
36%		Q15a: XML structure (4)
Q15b: Voting rules features (3)
Q15c: DFD voting rules (14)
Q15d: System interrelationships (4)

2022 External Assessment

SectionMarksQuestions / Topics
Overall691 min 34 secs per mark
Multiple Choice10
14%		Hashing, RSA, UI alignment, APPs, DFD security, Caesar pseudocode, JSON, HTTP risk, conditionals, desk checks
Short Response28
41%		Q11: Transmission protocols (2)
Q12a: Algorithm constructs (6)
Q12b: Modularisation (2)
Q13a: One-time pad pseudocode (7)
Q13b: Desk check one-time pad (5)
Q14: Encrypted results algorithm (6)
Extended Response31
45%		Q15a: DFD fundraising app (19)
Q15b: Synthesis wireframe/DFD (4)
Q15c: Processes/data flows (5)
Q15d: Impacts (3)

2021 External Assessment

SectionMarksQuestions / Topics
Overall721 min 40 secs per mark
Multiple Choice10
14%		Hashing, UI design, FTP, JSON, DFD interpretation, desk checks, usability, algorithm efficiency, SQL INSERT, checksums
Short Response36
50%		Q11: DFD (13)
Q12a: Confidentiality/Integrity/Availability risks (6)
Q12b: APP & ethics (2)
Q12c: Caesar desk check (2)
Q12d: Caesar pseudocode (8)
Q13a: Security (checksums/encryption/authentication) (3)
Q13b: Encryption recommendation (2)
Extended Response26
36%		Q14a: Visual communication (6)
Q14b: Evaluate data exchange (6)
Q14c: Data security recommendations (6)
Q14d: Login UI symbolisation (8)

2020 External Exam

SectionMarksQuestions / Topics
Overall721 min 40 secs per mark
Multiple Choice10
14%		Asymmetric encryption, usability (utility), SQL errors, streaming (latency/jitter), APPs, desk checks, JSON, database dev, SQL GROUP BY/SUM, algorithm maintainability
Short Response41
57%		Q11a: Visual communication (12)
Q11b: UI features (5)
Q11c: Justify UI (4)
Q12a: Reliability/accuracy (2)
Q12b: Self-determined criteria (4)
Q12c: JSON justification (2)
Q13a: Algorithm sorted names (4)
Q13b: Algorithm 10+ years (4)
Q13c: Algorithm 3000+ points (4)
Extended Response21
29%		Q14a: Blowfish algorithm (6)
Q14b: Usability principles (6)
Q14c: Evaluate email encryption (9)

Practice Questions

Below are some practice questions worksheets to help you prepare for the assessment. Each worksheet has one practice question, and a marking guide that reflects the external assessment marking guide.

SQL

Data Security

Data Flow Diagrams

Privacy

Usability Principles

Visual Communication

Usability Principles and Visual Communication

Pseudocode and Algorithms

Networking and Data Exchange

Digital Impacts

Assessments
IA3 - Digital Solution
Assessments
Activity Solutions