The digital divide: past paper questions
Real questions on the digital divide
The newest 20 of 28 written questions. Open one to see it on the real paper.
- 9626/11 · October/November 2025 · Q14[4]
Identify two groups of people who can be negatively affected by the digital divide. For each group, suggest a way the digital divide can be reduced.
See it on the paper → - 9626/12 · October/November 2025 · Q13[6]
Describe the effects of the digital divide on health services.
See it on the paper → - 9626/13 · October/November 2025 · Q14[4]
Identify two groups of people who can be negatively affected by the digital divide. For each group, suggest a way the digital divide can be reduced.
See it on the paper → - 9626/11 · May/June 2025 · Q6[4]
Describe, by referring to two affected groups, what is meant by the digital divide.
See it on the paper → - 9626/12 · February/March 2025 · Q6[4]
Describe how a local government can help reduce the digital divide in rural areas.
See it on the paper → - 9626/12 · October/November 2024 · Q5[6]
Explain the reasons why there is a digital divide between people with high levels of education and people with lower levels of education.
See it on the paper → - 9626/13 · October/November 2024 · Q8[8]
Describe how access to information technology has created the digital divide.
See it on the paper → - 9626/32 · October/November 2024 · Q7a[4]
data preparation
See it on the paper → - 9626/32 · October/November 2024 · Q7b[4]
evaluation
See it on the paper → - 9626/12 · May/June 2024 · Q3[6]
A government is concerned about the digital divide amongst its citizens. Describe how the government could reduce the effects of the digital divide and improve access to its services.
See it on the paper → - 9626/12 · February/March 2024 · Q12[6]
A digital divide exists between the more technologically aware and the less technologically aware nations. Analyse this type of digital divide.
See it on the paper → - 9626/12 · October/November 2023 · Q6b[3]
Describe ways to reduce this digital divide.
See it on the paper → - 9626/11 · May/June 2023 · Q4a[3]
Explain why this digital divide exists.
See it on the paper → - 9626/11 · May/June 2023 · Q4b[3]
Describe the effects of this form of digital divide.
See it on the paper → - 9626/12 · May/June 2023 · Q7[5]
Explain why there can be a digital divide between different socioeconomic groups.
See it on the paper → - 9626/13 · May/June 2023 · Q7[6]
Explain the reasons for the digital divide between the old and the young.
See it on the paper → - 9626/12 · February/March 2023 · Q8[5]
Describe how people in developing countries can be disadvantaged when trying to use online shopping.
See it on the paper → - 9626/11 · October/November 2022 · Q6[5]
The digital divide affects many people. There can be a divide between older and younger people. Describe how this digital divide could be reduced.
See it on the paper → - 9626/13 · October/November 2022 · Q10[6]
Describe, listing the groups affected, what is meant by the digital divide. Please turn over for Question 11.
See it on the paper → - 9626/11 · May/June 2022 · Q9[6]
One reason for the digital divide is that people living in rural areas are less likely to have high speed broadband compared to people in cities. Explain why this particular aspect of the digital divide exists.
See it on the paper →
What examiners said
Questions about the digital divide often result in fairly exotic and imaginative answers. Unfortunately, these are often too outlandish to be accepted. Candidates should be encouraged to work within the restrictions of the syllabus for questions on this topic. For example, the cause of the digital divide in rural areas is often to do with the relative remoteness from urban areas. It is also true t...
— Examiner report, February/March 2025, 9626/12 Q6 (Cambridge)
Where candidates suggested remedies to those issues leading to this particular cause of the digital divide, they did well. However, many candidates gave answers that were not a solution to the cause identified in the question. For example, some responses suggested that rural areas were, by definition, poor. This link cannot be made and so such answers were not accepted.
— Examiner report, October/November 2023, 9626/12 Q6(b) (Cambridge)
As with other questions that focus on the digital divide and its causes, few candidates attempted to answer the question as written. The most common mistake is introducing different causes with little or no reference to the impact of the level of industrialisation. No marks are awarded on those answers, so candidates lost valuable time during the examination. Where candidates were aware that diff...
— Examiner report, May/June 2023, 9626/11 Q4(a) (Cambridge)
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