This Edexcel IGCSE ICT Paper 1 and Paper 2 revision guide is for students sitting Pearson Edexcel International GCSE ICT (4IT1), including private candidates in Sri Lanka entering through the British Council. It explains how each paper is built, what the specification expects, what examiners say students keep getting wrong, and gives original example questions with model answers. The example questions and answers are Tutopiya’s illustrations in the style of the papers, not Pearson material or official mark schemes.

How Edexcel IGCSE ICT (4IT1) is assessed

The specification on Pearson’s website is Issue 2 (Pearson specification). Both papers are set and marked by Pearson.

	Paper 1: Written (4IT1/01)	Paper 2: Practical (4IT1/02)
Time	1 hour 30 minutes	3 hours, including printing time
Marks	100	100
Weighting	50%	50%
Content	Topics 1–4	Topics 5–6, applying knowledge from all topics
Question types	Multiple-choice, short and long answers	Practical tasks in set software, plus written questions in an evidence document

The qualification is graded on the 9 to 1 scale, with 9 the highest. Across both papers, about half the marks are for applying skills to produce ICT solutions (AO2, 46–52%), a quarter for knowledge (AO1, 25–27%) and a quarter for analysis and evaluation (AO3, 24–26%).

Pearson’s 2026/2027 information manual lists 4IT1 for November 2026 and June 2027 (Pearson subject availability, via British Council Sri Lanka). In the November 2026 series, Paper 1 was on 6 November and the Paper 2 practical ran in a window from 9 to 13 November (British Council IGCSE timetable). The next sitting is June 2027.

Paper 1 topics: what you must know

Paper 1 tests Topics 1 to 4. Use this as your checklist.

Topic	Main areas in the specification
1 Digital Devices	Types of devices, features, software (systems, apps, licensing, updates), input and output peripherals, storage, memory (RAM and ROM), processors, choosing ICT systems for a need
2 Connectivity	Wired and wireless communication, factors affecting speed, bandwidth, broadband, network components and operating systems, LANs, peer-to-peer and client-server, securing data on a network
3 Operating Online	Risks to data, online payments, impact of the internet on individuals, organisations and society, working from home, online communities, data protection, copyright, sustainability, health and safety, searching and evaluating information, plagiarism
4 Online Goods and Services	Types of online services, their impact, transactional data, targeted marketing, cloud-based and online software

Our free topic guides go deeper on each area, for example securing data on a network and types of digital devices.

What Paper 1 examiners keep saying

Pearson’s examiner report on the November 2024 Paper 1 makes the same points again and again (Principal Examiner Feedback, 4IT1/01):

• Give a linked explanation for the second mark. Many students stated a correct benefit but did not explain it, and lost half the marks.
• Answer in the context of the question. On a question about staying safe on social networks, generic advice like “use strong passwords” did not score. Students who wrote “zip it, block it, flag it” without explaining each part also scored nothing.
• Use 1024, not 1000, in storage conversions.
• Know the difference between copyright and plagiarism. On a question about why you should paraphrase online information, many answers talked about copyright, which was not what was asked. Plagiarism (specification point 3.9.6) was flagged as an area for improvement.
• Read the device type. When asked for output devices, some students gave a microphone, which is an input device.
• Targeted advertising (point 4.2.4) and how transaction logs help keep data secure were weak areas.

Paper 1 example questions with model answers

These are original questions in the 4IT1 style. Marks are shown in brackets.

1. A school video file is 3 MB. Calculate its size in bits. Show your working. [2]

3 × 1024 = 3,072 KB; 3,072 × 1024 = 3,145,728 bytes; 3,145,728 × 8 = 25,165,824 bits.

One mark for a correct method using 1024 and 8, one for the answer.

2. A tuition centre connects its computers in a client-server network. Explain one benefit of this for the centre. [2]

Files are stored centrally on the server (1), so they can be backed up in one place and every teacher can reach the same version of a worksheet (1).

3. A student copies a paragraph from a website into her homework. Explain why she should paraphrase it instead. [2]

Copying text and presenting it as her own work is plagiarism (1). Paraphrasing shows her own understanding and, with the source acknowledged, avoids being penalised for plagiarism (1).

4. Describe how a firewall protects a home network. [2]

A firewall monitors incoming and outgoing network traffic (1) and blocks data that does not meet set rules, preventing unauthorised access (1).

5. A bank in Sri Lanka encourages customers to use its mobile banking app. Discuss the advantages and disadvantages for customers. [6]

A strong answer gives balanced, developed points, each tied to the bank customer:

Customers can check balances and pay bills at any time without travelling to a branch, which saves time and transport costs. Payments are recorded instantly, so customers can track spending. However, customers need a smartphone and a reliable internet connection, which not everyone has. Their login details could be stolen through phishing, so they must protect passwords and use two-factor authentication. Older customers may lack the confidence to use the app and may prefer face-to-face service. Overall, the app is convenient for confident users, but the bank should keep other channels for customers without devices or skills.

On the 2024 extended question, examiners noted that many answers covered a range of points but did not support them with evidence and lacked organisation. Develop each point in the context given and finish with a judgement.

Paper 2 software skills checklist

Paper 2 is done on a computer. Pearson supplies data files, and you save your work and an evidence document with screenshots and written answers. The specification lists these skills (section 6):

Software	Skills to practise
Word processing	Bullets and numbering, tabs, line spacing, text wrap, text boxes, tables (merge, split, borders, shading), headers and footers, page breaks, mail merge, document types such as letter, report, newsletter, poster, leaflet, fact sheet and memo
Database	Data types, records, fields, primary and foreign keys, relationships, validation (range, presence, type, length), sorting, queries with single and multiple criteria, reports, forms
Spreadsheet	Formatting (currency, percentage, date, time), formulae with relative and absolute references, named ranges, functions (SUM, AVERAGE, IF, VLOOKUP/LOOKUP, MAXIMUM, MINIMUM, COUNT, COUNTA, COUNTIF, LENGTH, PRODUCT), sorting, filtering, charts, printing formula view
Web authoring	Templates, navigation, inserting text, images and buttons, formatting, HTML for hyperlinks, images and font enhancements
Presentation	Master slides, placeholders, slide numbers, action buttons, hyperlinks, animation, transitions, printing handouts and notes
Graphics	Bitmap and vector images, creating images from shapes and text, cropping and editing
File management	Saving regularly, sensible file names and formats, folder structures

Practise each application separately first, using our guides to the spreadsheet and database management skills, then do full timed past papers.

What Paper 2 examiners keep saying

The examiner report on the June 2025 practical paper had five activities: graphics, database, web authoring, spreadsheet and word processing (Principal Examiner Feedback, 4IT1/02). The lessons:

• Match the format exactly. A date was meant to show as 27/08/2026, but many students showed only “26” for the year.
• Put the calculation inside the IF. Many students wrote an IF that returned a flag and then did the 10% calculation elsewhere.
• Do the small tasks. Few students created the named range, changed the chart’s series labels or applied the filter.
• Keep web pages with their images. Images that did not show because pages were moved away from their asset folder lost marks.
• Compare your final product with the design. Students had the skills but did not check alignment, line length and overall fitness for purpose.
• Answer the theory questions properly. The database and spreadsheet theory questions were the weakest part. Some students just repeated the question.
• Make screenshots readable. Truncated or tiny screenshots cannot be marked.

Paper 2 example tasks with model answers

1. Spreadsheet: a booking total is in cell D5. Customers spending more than 50,000 rupees get a 10% discount. Write a formula for E5 that shows the discount or leaves the cell blank. [2]

=IF(D5>50000,D5*10%,"")

One mark for the correct condition, one for calculating the discount inside the IF and returning a blank otherwise.

2. Spreadsheet: the tax rate is stored in B1. Write a formula for C5 that multiplies D5 by the tax rate so it still works when copied down the column. [1]

=D5*$B$1. The dollar signs make B1 an absolute reference, so it does not change when the formula is replicated.

3. Spreadsheet: count how many bookings in column F are for “Kandy”. [1]

=COUNTIF(F2:F40,"Kandy")

4. Database: explain why a range check is suitable for a field storing the number of guests, between 1 and 6. [2]

A range check only accepts values between set limits (1), so an entry such as 0 or 60 would be rejected, reducing data entry errors (1).

5. Web authoring: write the HTML to insert the image logo.png from an images folder, with the alternative text “School logo”, and a link to contact.html. [2]

<img src="images/logo.png" alt="School logo"> (1)

<a href="contact.html">Contact us</a> (1)

6. Explain one reason for using alternative text on a web page image. [2]

Alt text describes the image (1), so a screen reader can read it to a visually impaired user, or the description appears if the image fails to load (1).

A 10-week revision plan for June 2027

Weeks	Paper 1	Paper 2
1–2	Topic 1 Digital Devices; storage calculations	Spreadsheet formulae and functions
3–4	Topic 2 Connectivity	Database queries, forms and reports
5–6	Topic 3 Operating Online	Word processing documents and mail merge
7	Topic 4 Online Goods and Services	Web authoring and HTML
8	Mixed questions; practise 6-mark discussions	Presentation and graphics
9	Full timed Paper 1 and mark it	Full timed Paper 2 with evidence document
10	Redo weak questions	Second full Paper 2; check every screenshot

You can find papers through our Edexcel IGCSE past papers for all subjects. Mark them with the official mark scheme, as the examiners do.

What one ICT entry costs

In Sri Lanka, an Edexcel IGCSE ICT entry through the British Council cost LKR 50,400 for October/November 2026, and ICT cannot be entered late (British Council fee list). Our British Council registration guide explains the steps. Tutopiya Learning Portal Premium, which covers ICT and every other subject, is S$50 a year, about LKR 13,000, or S$10 a month (about LKR 2,600): roughly a quarter of the exam fee for a full year of practice. We converted at 1 SGD ≈ USD 0.78 and USD 1 ≈ LKR 333 (ValutaFX, average for 2–11 November 2026).

Start free

• Practise every 4IT1 topic on the Edexcel IGCSE ICT section of the Tutopiya Learning Portal, with notes, practice questions by difficulty, quizzes and flashcards. Sign up free; a large section is free.
• Premium unlocks every subject for one price: S$50 a year (about LKR 13,000) or S$10 a month (about LKR 2,600).
• Taking ICT alongside your local O/L? Read our London O/L alongside local O/L study plan.
• Stuck on the practical? Tutopiya’s one-to-one tutors teach Cambridge and Edexcel IGCSE. Book a free trial lesson.

Frequently asked questions

How many papers are there in Edexcel IGCSE ICT? +

Two. Paper 1 (4IT1/01) is a 1 hour 30 minute written exam worth 100 marks, and Paper 2 (4IT1/02) is a three-hour practical exam on a computer, also worth 100 marks. Each paper is 50% of the International GCSE.

What topics are in Edexcel IGCSE ICT Paper 1? +

Paper 1 covers Topics 1 to 4 of the specification: Digital Devices, Connectivity, Operating Online, and Online Goods and Services. It mixes multiple-choice, short-answer and long-answer questions.

What software do I need to know for Paper 2? +

The specification lists word processing, database management, spreadsheet, web authoring, presentation and graphics software, plus file management. Paper 2 also includes written questions about the theory behind the tasks, which you answer in an evidence document.

Which spreadsheet functions are on the 4IT1 specification? +

SUM, AVERAGE, IF, VLOOKUP or LOOKUP, MAXIMUM, MINIMUM, COUNT (including COUNTA and COUNTIF), LENGTH and PRODUCT. You also need absolute and relative cell references, named cells or ranges, sorting, filtering and charts.

Is Edexcel IGCSE ICT tiered? +

No. Pearson's examiners describe Paper 1 as an untiered paper, with easier questions earlier and harder ones later. Both papers are taken by every candidate, and the qualification is graded 9 to 1.

When can I sit Edexcel IGCSE ICT in Sri Lanka? +

Pearson's 2026/2027 manual lists 4IT1 for November 2026 and June 2027. Through British Council Sri Lanka the entry cost LKR 50,400 for October/November 2026, and ICT cannot be entered late because it includes a practical paper.

Are the example answers in this guide official? +

No. The example questions and model answers are Tutopiya's own illustrations written in the style of the 4IT1 papers. They are not Pearson questions or official mark schemes, so always check your practice against real past papers and mark schemes.

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