| Recurring |
multiple_organization |
a) The software failure incident related to the GCSE computer science exam affected multiple schools, including St Cyres school in Penarth, Rhondda Cynon Taff school, Ysgol Penrhyn Dewi in St Davids, Ysgol Gyfun Llangefni on Anglesey, and Bishop of Llandaff school in Cardiff [84947].
b) The incident also affected students in various areas such as Vale of Glamorgan, Cardiff, Pembrokeshire, and Rhondda Cynon Taff, indicating that the software failure was not limited to a specific region or organization [84947]. |
| Phase (Design/Operation) |
design, operation |
(a) The software failure incident in the GCSE computer science exam can be attributed to a design-related issue. Specifically, the problem arose because the exam question was based on a newer version (version 3) of the program Greenfoot, while the school computers had an older version (version 2.5) installed. This mismatch in software versions led to students being unable to answer the final question of the exam, causing disruption and stress for the pupils [84947].
(b) Additionally, there were operational issues reported during the exam. Parents and students highlighted delays in starting the exam, with some students having to wait for over an hour before they could begin. These operational challenges, such as the inability of teachers to log on to the online resource for the exam and delays in starting the test, added to the overall impact of the software failure incident on the students [84947]. |
| Boundary (Internal/External) |
within_system |
(a) within_system: The software failure incident in the GCSE computer science exam was primarily within the system. The issue arose from a technical problem where the exam question was based on a newer version (version 3) of a program called Greenfoot, while the school computers had an older version (version 2.5) installed. This discrepancy led to students being unable to answer the final question worth 16 marks, causing delays and frustration among pupils and parents [84947]. |
| Nature (Human/Non-human) |
non-human_actions |
(a) The software failure incident in the GCSE computer science exam was primarily due to non-human actions. The issue arose because the exam question was based on a newer version (version 3) of the program Greenfoot, while the school computers had an older version (version 2.5) installed. This mismatch in software versions led to students being unable to answer the final question of the exam, causing delays and frustration for both pupils and parents [84947]. |
| Dimension (Hardware/Software) |
hardware, software |
(a) The software failure incident in the GCSE computer science exam was primarily due to a hardware-related issue. Specifically, the problem arose because the exam question required a specific version of a program called Greenfoot (version 3), while the school computers had an older version (version 2.5) installed. This mismatch between the required software version and the installed software on the school computers led to students being unable to answer the final question of the exam, causing delays and frustration among pupils and parents [84947]. |
| Objective (Malicious/Non-malicious) |
non-malicious |
(a) The software failure incident reported in Article 84947 does not indicate any malicious intent behind the issue. It was described as a "technical issue" affecting the computer science exam for GCSE pupils. The problems included delays in starting the exam, inability to answer a question due to version mismatch of the software, and students having to wait for extended periods before the exam began. The WJEC exam board mentioned that they are investigating the matter and assured that no pupils would be disadvantaged, indicating a non-malicious nature of the failure incident [84947]. |
| Intent (Poor/Accidental Decisions) |
accidental_decisions |
(a) The software failure incident related to the GCSE computer science exam was not directly attributed to poor decisions but rather to a technical issue. The issue arose from a mismatch between the exam question being based on a newer version of a program called Greenfoot while the school computers had an older version installed. This discrepancy led to students being unable to answer the final question of the exam, causing delays and frustration among pupils and parents [84947]. |
| Capability (Incompetence/Accidental) |
development_incompetence |
(a) The software failure incident in the article can be attributed to development incompetence. The issue arose because the exam question was based on a newer version (version 3) of the program Greenfoot, while the school computers had an older version (version 2.5) installed. This mismatch in software versions led to students being unable to answer the final question of the exam, causing disruption and stress for the pupils involved [84947]. |
| Duration |
temporary |
(a) The software failure incident in the article was temporary. It was a technical issue that affected the GCSE computer science exam, causing delays in the start of the exam and preventing students from answering one of the questions. The issue was related to a mismatch between the exam question being on version 3 of a program called Greenfoot while school computers had version 2.5 installed. The problem led to delays and confusion for students and parents, but the exam board assured that no pupils would be disadvantaged, indicating that the issue was not permanent [84947]. |
| Behaviour |
crash, omission, value |
(a) crash: The software failure incident in the article can be categorized as a crash as the system lost state and did not perform its intended functions. The article mentions that teachers were unable to log on to the online resource for the exam at the scheduled start time, leading to a delay in the exam start and students being unable to answer the final question [84947].
(b) omission: The incident can also be classified as an omission since the system omitted to perform its intended functions at an instance. Students could not answer one of the questions in the exam due to a version mismatch between the exam question and the software installed on school computers [84947].
(d) value: The software failure incident can be attributed to a value failure as the system performed its intended functions incorrectly. Students were unable to answer the final question of the exam due to the version discrepancy, which resulted in them not being able to earn the marks allocated for that question [84947]. |