Pearson Edexcel International A Level Information Technology (WIT11–WIT14): syllabus, papers and marking
Units 1 and 3 are the written papers; Units 2 and 4 are sat on a computer at the centre. Written answers are marked against the points scheme, extended answers in levels.
Specification Issue 2 (February 2021), first teaching 2018 · June series · grades A*–E
IAL IT: where the marks go
Edexcel IAL Information Technology is four units. Units 1 and 3 are written papers of 2 hours and 80 marks each; Units 2 and 4 are 3-hour practical examinations on a computer, covering web development and database solutions. It is a June-only qualification. Pearson’s June 2025 report says candidates give good answers when they use clear terminology, and lose marks by repeating the same mark point twice and by answering a slightly different question to the one asked.
Our papers cover the written units, with original scenarios and tables, and marking returns the mark points awarded and the concept behind each missed one. The practical units are sat on a computer at the centre and are not marked here.
Paper structure and what we mark
| Paper | Time | Marks | Weight | Questions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| WIT11 — Unit 1: Hardware, Networks, Online Environment, IT Systems, Data and Wider Issues | 2 h | 80 | 50% AS · 25% A Level | Multiple-choice, short-open, open and extended open-response questions, all compulsory |
| WIT12 — Unit 2: Web Development (HTML, CSS, JavaScript) | 3 h | 80 | 50% AS · 25% A Level | Practical examination on a computer: theoretical and practical questions, with data files supplied (not marked here) |
| WIT13 — Unit 3: Manipulating Data, Enabling Technologies, Systems Development, Emerging Technologies | 2 h | 80 | 25% A Level | Short-open, open and extended open-response questions, all compulsory |
| WIT14 — Unit 4: Database Solutions | 3 h | 80 | 25% A Level | Practical examination on a computer: relational database concepts and database solutions (not marked here) |
Syllabus outline
- Unit 1: hardware and software, networks, the online environment, IT systems, data and databases, wider issues
- Unit 2 (practical): HTML, CSS, JavaScript, designing web pages, the semantic web
- Unit 3: manipulating data, enabling technologies, using IT systems in organisations, systems development, emerging technologies
- Unit 4 (practical): features of database solutions, relational database concepts, database solutions
- Assessment objectives: knowledge, application, analysis and evaluation, design of solutions
How each paper is marked here
- Short answers are marked against the mark points with the missing point named; extended answers are marked in levels.
- Queries and code fragments are checked clause by clause so a partly right answer is credited for the part that is right.
- Opening soon: the Unit 1 rubric is in testing; ask to be told.
Where IAL IT candidates lose marks
- Two examples of the same mark point — Giving limited sight and colour-blindness as two answers scores one mark, not two.
- Explain answers without the expansion — On two-mark questions the commonest missed mark is the second step that develops the first.
- Question answered at the wrong level — Describing how network access is controlled when the question is about access to resources on the network scores little.
- SQL statements with a clause missing — A query that omits part of the statement, often a condition, loses the later marks even with the SELECT right.
- Unclear terminology — Vague wording, instead of the technical term, cannot earn the mark.
Sample papers, mark schemes and marked reports for IAL IT
See a real handwritten script marked by eight examiners at admitportfolio.com/examiners.
Questions teachers ask
- Are the practical units included?
- No. Units 2 and 4 are sat on a computer at the centre under exam conditions, so they are not marked here.
- Which sitting?
- Pearson offers IAL Information Technology in June only.
- Is the scenario original?
- Yes. Every scenario, table and data set is written for the paper.
- Is this official Pearson Edexcel marking?
- No. Pearson Edexcel International marks the real exam. This is examiner-style marking of mocks and homework for IAL IT. Only you see the marking, and you decide what reaches the student.
- Do you reproduce past-paper questions?
- No. Every WIT11–WIT14 paper here is original and written to the specification issue 2 (february 2021), first teaching 2018, in the same structure as the real papers shown above.
- Which papers are marked?
- None yet are marked question by question. Practical exams sat at the centre are not marked here.
- How is the next paper chosen?
- From the marks a student lost: the concepts behind them are ranked by marks dropped, and the new paper weights those topics. It is the same syllabus and structure, with new questions.
- When are the exams?
- June series. Grades A*–E.
Other Pearson Edexcel International A Level courses
- Pearson Edexcel International A Level Mathematics (WMA / WME / WST)
- Pearson Edexcel International A Level Physics (WPH11–WPH16)
- Pearson Edexcel International A Level Chemistry (WCH11–WCH16)
- Pearson Edexcel International A Level Biology (WBI11–WBI16)
- Pearson Edexcel International A Level Economics (WEC11–WEC14)
- Pearson Edexcel International A Level Business (WBS11–WBS14)
- Pearson Edexcel International A Level Accounting (WAC11–WAC12)
- Pearson Edexcel International A Level Psychology (WPS01–WPS04)
- Pearson Edexcel International A Level Law (YLA1)
- Pearson Edexcel International A Level Further Mathematics (YFM01 · WFM01–WFM03 with M, S and D options)
- Pearson Edexcel International A Level Pure Mathematics (YPM01 · WMA11–WMA14, WFM01 and WFM02/03)
- Pearson Edexcel International A Level Geography (WGE01–WGE04)
- Pearson Edexcel International A Level History (WHI01–WHI04)
- Pearson Edexcel International A Level English Language (WEN01–WEN04)
- Pearson Edexcel International A Level English Literature (WET01–WET04)
Start marking Information Technology scripts · See a real marked script