BTEC Level 2 Unit 7 Introduction to Website Development Answer Guide

This answer guide covers Unit 7 Introduction to Website Development from the Pearson BTEC International Level 2 Qualifications in Information Technology. It explains every Pass, Merit and Distinction criterion across the three learning aims, shows what your website evaluation, design documents and test evidence should contain, and gives model paragraphs and a worked test log you can adapt for your own site.

What the Unit 7 assignment asks you to do

The unit is usually split into no more than two assignments. First you investigate how organisations use websites; then you take a client brief, design a site to meet it, build it and improve it through testing and feedback.

1. Investigate (aim A): compare at least two websites with different purposes — for example a news service and an online shop — looking at what each is for and the front-end and back-end components that support that purpose.
2. Design (aim B): identify the purpose and user requirements in the given brief and produce design documents: site structure, wireframes, a style guide, and a list of assets and accessibility features.
3. Develop and test (aim C): build the site from your own design, test it for functionality, quality and usability, collect feedback, make changes and explain why.

Learning aims for Unit 7

Pass, Merit and Distinction criteria explained

How to answer Learning aim A: uses and features of websites

Pick two sites whose purposes clearly differ. Use the same headings for both so your comparison is easy to follow.

• Purpose: who the users are and what the organisation wants them to do (buy, book, read, contact).
• Front-end: navigation menu, search bar, logo and colours, page layout, images and video, mobile layout, accessibility features such as alt text and readable contrast.
• Back-end: shopping basket and checkout, user accounts, search engine, live chat, contact forms, content management.
• Effectiveness (A.D1): test a real task on each site — find a product and reach the checkout, or find today’s weather story — and judge how well the components helped.

How to answer Learning aim B: designing the website

1. Requirements (B.P3): list what the client wants and what users need — for example “show opening times on every page”, “contact form”, “gallery of past work”, “works on phones”.
2. Site map: the pages and how they link. Pearson’s unit guidance sets learning aim B as designing a website of at least five linked pages, so plan five or more at every grade.
3. Wireframes: one per page showing where the header, navigation, content, images and footer sit, for both desktop and mobile.
4. Style guide: colours with hex codes, fonts and sizes, button styles, logo use.
5. Assets: list each image, video or icon, its source and whether you have permission to use it.
6. Accessibility: alt text, heading order, colour contrast (WCAG guidance asks for at least 4.5:1 for normal-size text), labelled form fields.
7. Test plan: what you will test and the expected result, written before you build.

How to answer Learning aim C: developing and testing

Build from your own design, then prove through testing that the site works and improves. Keep dated evidence of every version.

• Use the tools the unit lists: text, tables, forms, navigation, interactive components, colour schemes, styles and templates, plus embedded multimedia.
• Test functionality (links, forms, buttons), quality (spelling, image quality, consistent styling) and usability (can a new user complete a task?).
• Check the site in at least two browsers and on a phone-sized screen.
• Collect feedback from real users — classmates, the client or family — using a short questionnaire.
• Record each change, the test or feedback that caused it and why it improves the site.

Worked example: test log and change record

Under the table, write a sentence or two for each change explaining why it matters to users. For Distinction, add further improvements you would make with more time, such as a booking system or compressing images to speed up loading, and justify each one.

Common mistakes that cost marks

• Choosing two websites with the same purpose, which makes A.D1 comparison weak.
• Describing what a site looks like without saying how components support its purpose.
• Designs that the final website does not follow — your site must be built from your own design.
• Testing only at the end, with no evidence of changes made as a result.
• Changes listed with no reason, or reasons that do not mention the test or feedback.
• Using images from the internet without permission or credit.
• Ignoring mobile layout and accessibility.

How to move from Merit to Distinction

For A.D1, finish each site analysis with a clear judgement on how effective it is for its purpose, and compare the two. For B.D2, make the design comprehensive: every page wireframed, every requirement traced to a design feature, a complete style guide and accessibility planned from the start. For C.D3, refine against test results, justify each change in terms of user requirements, and suggest realistic further improvements with reasons.

FAQs

Do I have to hand-code the website?

Your brief and centre will say which tools are allowed. Many centres expect HTML and CSS; whatever you use, the site must be built from your own design.

How many pages does my website need?

Pearson’s guidance for this unit expects a website of at least five linked pages, whatever grade you are aiming for. Beyond that minimum, quality and how well the pages meet the user requirements matter more than adding extra pages.

Who should test my website?

Ask people who match the target audience where possible. Record who tested, what they did and what they said.

What is the difference between wireframes and a style guide?

Wireframes show where things go on each page. The style guide sets how things look — colours, fonts, buttons — so every page is consistent.

Can I use a website builder template?

Check with your tutor. If templates are allowed, you still need your own design documents and must show how you adapted the site to the brief.

Need one-to-one support from a subject specialist? Our BTEC Level 2 assignment help service covers planning, feedback on drafts and referencing.

Studying IT at a higher level as well? See our BTEC Level 3 Unit 1 Information Technology Systems answer guide. If you want a tutor to check your design or test evidence against the criteria, you can get expert help with your BTEC assignment.