Conducting a critical inquiry to propose an outcome (internal)
Internal 6 credits Inquiry question Research Risk mitigation In-depth & comprehensive StakeholdersAS 91900, 6 credits — one of the two largest DigiTech internals. Achieved conducts the inquiry: focus, questions, research, analysis, a proposal, RISKS AND MITIGATIONS, and a findings report. Merit conducts it IN-DEPTH — comparing perspectives, discussing future opportunities, managing milestones, evaluating the proposal's strengths/weaknesses. Excellence is COMPREHENSIVE — critiquing sources for bias, considering follow-up, and critiquing the findings' accuracy/relevance/reliability/significance.
1 Reading the notation
Seven Achieved elements, then the in-depth and comprehensive additions, in the standard's own words.📖 Terms the schedule grades you on
4 terms- Conduct a critical inquiry (Achieved)
- Focus + questions; research; analysis; a refined focus; a proposal; risks and mitigations; a findings report.
- In-depth (Merit)
- Compare/contrast perspectives; discuss future opportunities and impacts; manage milestones; evaluate the proposal's strengths and weaknesses.
- Comprehensive (Excellence)
- Critique sources for bias/inaccuracy; consider follow-up/improvement; critique the findings' accuracy, relevance, reliability and significance.
- Risk categories (standard's own examples)
- Time, financial, estimations/scheduling, incorrect functionality, scope creep, factors outside one's control.
2 Focus and inquiry questions
Specific enough that an answer changes a design decision — then refine it after research.The traceability test
- Write the inquiry questions BEFORE researching, and keep them visible.
- Name the users, the context and what must be found out in the question itself.
- After research and analysis, write a REFINED focus — a required, separate step.
3 Research and analysis
Analysis draws conclusions no single source could give you — it is not a summary. ✕Summarising sources instead of analysing them
An analysis section that restates each source in turn ("Source A says X, Source B says Y") is a summary. Analysis draws conclusions ACROSS sources — patterns, conflicts, and what the evidence collectively rules out.4 The proposal, risks and implications
Every specification traceable to a finding; risks named from more than one category.What the proposal section must contain
- Each specification annotated with the finding that justifies it.
- Named risks from more than one of the standard's categories, each with a specific mitigation.
- Stakeholder needs named separately from user needs, with conflicts acknowledged.
- Two or three genuinely relevant implications, each tied to a design decision.
Practice
Recall it first, then use it — testing yourself builds the memory, where rereading the notes above only feels easier.
Recall and application shuffled together — you have to work out what each item wants before you can answer it, which is the part the exam actually tests. Both kinds feed the same spacing schedule, so anything you miss comes back sooner.
Say the answer out loud before flipping — that attempt is where the learning happens, even when you get it wrong.
Exam-style only. Instant feedback, shuffled each attempt, best score saved on this device.