Digital Marketing & AI
School Assessment Questions

When a user types a query into Google and clicks an organic result, which of the following BEST describes what has happened?

A local restaurant appears on the first page of Google Maps results when users search 'restaurants near me'. This visibility is MOST likely the result of:

Which of the following BEST explains why online businesses place significant value on user data such as browsing history and purchase behaviour?

A customer visits an online clothing store, adds items to their cart, but leaves without purchasing. The store then shows this customer advertisements for those same items on other websites they visit. This is an example of:

In the context of internet commerce, 'conversion' MOST accurately refers to:

A business earns money each time a user clicks on an advertisement displayed on the business's website. This model is commonly referred to as:

Which of the following MOST accurately describes what a search engine does when it 'crawls' the internet?

A business selling handmade jewellery wants customers to find their products when searching online. The MOST cost-effective long-term strategy to achieve this would be:

Describe in your own words what happens between the moment a person types a search query and the moment they click on a result. In your answer, identify at least two roles that technology plays in this process.

A small bakery has no online presence. Based on what you have learned in this module, identify two ways that potential customers are currently finding their competitors online instead of them. For each, suggest one specific action the bakery could take to address this.

Explain the difference between a business that earns money by selling products directly to customers online, and one that earns money through advertising on its website. Give one advantage and one disadvantage of each model.

The internet economy is sometimes described as creating 'winner-takes-all' markets, where one or two dominant platforms capture most of the value in a category. Using examples from what you have studied, discuss whether this is a fair characterisation of how the internet economy operates, and what implications this has for smaller businesses.

Some people argue that personalised advertising online is a valuable service that helps users find products relevant to them, while others argue that it represents an unacceptable invasion of privacy. Drawing on your understanding of how the internet economy works, present the strongest arguments on both sides of this debate.

Which of the following BEST distinguishes digital marketing from traditional marketing?

A company publishes weekly blog posts optimised for search engines, maintains active social media profiles, and sends a monthly email newsletter. This approach is BEST described as:

'Earned media' in digital marketing refers to:

A business has a limited marketing budget. Which channel would MOST likely generate the highest return over a two-year period if maintained consistently?

In digital marketing, the term 'conversion rate' refers to:

Which of the following represents a key advantage of digital marketing over traditional marketing channels such as television or print?

A business that publishes educational articles on its website to attract potential customers is primarily using which digital marketing approach?

Which statement MOST accurately describes the relationship between SEO and paid search advertising?

Explain what is meant by the 'customer journey' in digital marketing. Describe two different digital channels that might interact with a customer at different stages of their journey before they make a purchase.

A new café wants to attract customers from their local area. Suggest two digital marketing channels that would be most appropriate for their situation, explaining why each is well-suited to a small, locally focused business.

What is the difference between 'reach' and 'engagement' as digital marketing metrics? Give one example of a situation where a marketer might prioritise reach over engagement, and one where they might do the opposite.

Digital marketing has made it possible for small businesses to compete with large corporations in ways that were impossible in the era of traditional advertising. To what extent do you agree with this statement? Support your answer with specific examples of how digital channels either level or maintain the playing field between businesses of different sizes.

Some digital marketing practitioners argue that constantly producing content across all available channels is the most effective strategy, while others argue that deep investment in one or two channels produces better results. Present the arguments for and against each approach, and conclude with your own reasoned recommendation.

Which of the following MOST accurately describes what a large language model (LLM) such as ChatGPT actually does when generating a response?

A student uses an AI writing assistant to help draft an essay. The AI confidently states a historical fact that turns out to be incorrect. This type of error is commonly referred to as:

Which of the following is an example of 'narrow AI'?

Machine learning MOST accurately refers to:

An AI image generator trained on millions of photographs produces a photorealistic image of a city that has never existed. Which statement BEST explains how it produced this output?

Which of the following BEST describes a limitation of AI systems in their current form?

The term 'training data' refers to:

Which of the following represents the MOST responsible approach to using AI-generated content for an academic or professional purpose?

Explain the difference between 'artificial intelligence' and 'machine learning'. Use a specific example to illustrate how machine learning works in a real-world application you are familiar with.

A friend tells you that AI will soon be able to do everything a human can do. Based on what you have studied in this module, identify two specific things that current AI systems cannot do reliably, and explain why these limitations exist.

You have used an AI assistant to research a topic for a school project and it has provided several facts with complete confidence. Describe the steps you would take before including those facts in your work, and explain why these steps are necessary.

Some people argue that AI is simply a tool — like a calculator or a search engine — and should be used freely to make human work faster and easier. Others argue that AI poses unique risks that require careful regulation and limitation. Present the strongest case for each position, and conclude with your own reasoned view on how AI should be used responsibly by students and young professionals.

Throughout history, new technologies have created fears about job losses and social disruption — the printing press, the industrial revolution, and the internet all prompted similar concerns. Does the current wave of AI represent a new kind of challenge, or is it simply the latest in a long line of technological shifts that humans have adapted to? Draw on your knowledge of AI's capabilities and limitations to support your argument.

Which of the following BEST describes what a search engine does when it 'indexes' a web page?

Search intent MOST accurately refers to:

A website receives traffic from users who found it by clicking a non-paid result in a search engine. This type of traffic is referred to as:

Which of the following actions would MOST directly improve a local business's visibility in Google's local search results?

A web page consistently ranks on the first page of Google results for competitive search terms. Which factor is LEAST likely to have contributed to this performance?

'Keyword stuffing' refers to:

Which statement BEST describes the relationship between content quality and search engine rankings?

A business operates in a highly competitive market where large companies dominate the first page of results for the most popular search terms. Which strategy would MOST effectively help a smaller business gain organic search visibility?

Explain what 'search intent' means and why it matters for businesses creating content for their websites. Give two examples of different types of search intent and explain what kind of content would best serve each.

A bakery's website currently appears on page 3 of Google results when someone searches 'artisan bread [city name]'. Without using paid advertising, identify two specific, practical actions they could take to improve their organic search ranking, and explain why each action would be effective.

What is the difference between a search engine 'crawling' a web page and 'indexing' it? Why does this distinction matter for businesses that want their website to appear in search results?

Search engine optimisation is sometimes described as 'making your website easier for search engines to understand'. Others describe it as 'creating the most genuinely useful content for your audience and letting search engines recognise that value'. Are these descriptions compatible, or do they represent fundamentally different approaches to SEO? Which do you find more persuasive, and why?

Google controls approximately 90% of global search engine usage. Some argue this represents an unhealthy monopoly that harms businesses that depend on organic search traffic for their survival. Others argue that Google's dominance reflects genuine user preference and continues to drive innovation. Present the arguments on both sides and give your own reasoned assessment of how this concentration of power affects businesses and consumers.

In a Google search advertising auction, the position of an advertisement is determined by:

'Cost per click' (CPC) in paid advertising refers to:

A company spends £500 on a digital advertising campaign. The campaign generates 25 purchases, each worth £60 in revenue. What is the Return on Advertising Spend (ROAS)?

Retargeting advertising MOST accurately refers to:

A business wants to reach people who are actively searching for their type of product right now. Which advertising channel would MOST directly achieve this objective?

'Click-through rate' (CTR) measures:

A marketing team notices that their paid search campaign has a high CTR but a very low conversion rate. This MOST likely suggests:

Which of the following BEST describes an advantage of paid advertising over organic search for a business that has just launched?

Explain what a Quality Score is in Google Ads and why it matters. How does a high Quality Score benefit an advertiser compared to a competitor with a lower Quality Score but a higher bid?

A small business has a daily paid advertising budget of £20. They are currently running one broad campaign targeting general keywords in their industry. Suggest two specific adjustments they could make to get more value from their limited budget, and explain the reasoning behind each suggestion.

What is the difference between an impression and a conversion in the context of paid advertising? Why is it important for marketers to track both, rather than focusing only on one?

Paid advertising gives businesses the ability to reach precisely targeted audiences with measurable results. However, some marketing practitioners argue that businesses that rely heavily on paid advertising become dangerously dependent on platforms like Google and Meta, and that building organic channels is a more sustainable strategy. Present the case for each approach and give your own reasoned recommendation about how a small business should balance paid and organic investment.

Online advertising platforms collect extensive data about users in order to enable highly targeted advertising. Some argue this creates more relevant advertising experiences for users. Others argue it represents an unacceptable privacy trade-off. Drawing on your understanding of how targeted advertising works, evaluate both perspectives and express your own reasoned view.

On social media platforms, 'organic reach' refers to:

A company publishes a detailed how-to guide on their website that helps people solve a common problem in their industry. This is BEST described as:

Which social media metric would be MOST useful for evaluating whether a brand's content is resonating with its audience?

A business wants to quickly reach a large audience with promotional content on social media. The MOST effective approach would be:

'User-generated content' (UGC) in a marketing context refers to:

Which of the following BEST describes the purpose of a 'content calendar'?

A brand consistently publishes long-form educational articles on their website rather than focusing solely on short social media posts. The MOST likely strategic rationale for this approach is:

Which factor MOST strongly influences whether social media platform algorithms amplify a piece of content organically?

Explain why businesses cannot rely solely on posting content on social media to grow their audience. What role does paid promotion play, and at what point might a business decide to invest in it?

A small fitness studio wants to build an online presence to attract new clients. Suggest a content marketing approach — including what type of content to create, where to publish it, and how often — that would be realistic for a small team. Explain your reasoning.

What does 'engagement rate' measure and why is it considered a more meaningful metric than follower count for evaluating social media performance?

Social media platforms have given ordinary people the ability to build audiences that rival or exceed those of traditional media organisations, and have enabled small businesses to market themselves with a fraction of the resources previously required. However, these platforms also control the algorithms that determine whose content is seen. Evaluate both the opportunity and the risk this creates for businesses that depend on social media as a primary marketing channel.

Some marketing practitioners argue that producing a high volume of content — posting multiple times per day across many platforms — is the most effective approach to growing an audience. Others argue that fewer, higher-quality pieces of content that are genuinely useful produce better results. Using what you have learned about how platforms work and how audiences behave, present the case for each approach and give your own reasoned recommendation.

In digital analytics, a 'bounce rate' refers to:

A digital marketing campaign tracks that a user saw a Facebook advertisement, later clicked a Google search result, and then made a purchase. 'Last click attribution' would assign credit for the purchase to:

Which metric would BEST help a business evaluate whether their email marketing campaigns are generating value?

A marketing team notices that traffic to their website has increased significantly, but revenue has stayed the same. Which analytical question would be MOST useful to investigate next?

'A/B testing' in digital marketing refers to:

Which of the following BEST describes a 'key performance indicator' (KPI) in digital marketing?

A business discovers through analytics that 70% of their website visitors are using mobile devices, but their website was designed for desktop use. The MOST appropriate response would be:

Which of the following BEST explains why 'last click attribution' is considered an incomplete model for evaluating digital marketing performance?

A business's website has 10,000 visitors per month but only 50 of them make a purchase. Calculate the conversion rate, and explain two possible reasons why it might be low. For each reason, suggest one specific action the business could take to investigate and address it.

Explain what A/B testing is and describe a specific scenario in which a digital marketer might use it. What would they need to do to ensure their test produces reliable, actionable results?

What is the difference between 'vanity metrics' and 'meaningful metrics' in digital marketing? Give one example of each and explain why the distinction matters for how a marketing team makes decisions.

Attribution — determining which marketing channels and touchpoints deserve credit for a customer's purchase decision — is one of the most contested problems in digital marketing. No attribution model is perfect. Evaluate the strengths and limitations of at least two different attribution approaches (for example, last click, first click, and linear attribution), and discuss the implications of choosing one over another for how a business allocates its marketing budget.

Some marketing practitioners argue that not everything that matters in marketing can be measured — that brand perception, customer loyalty and long-term reputation are genuinely valuable but resist quantification. Others argue that any competent marketer should be able to define a measurable indicator for any outcome worth pursuing. Which position do you find more persuasive? Use specific examples from digital marketing to support your argument.

A student uses an AI assistant to write a first draft of an essay and then extensively rewrites, fact-checks and personalises it before submission. This approach is BEST described as:

Which of the following describes the MOST effective approach to prompting an AI writing assistant?

An AI assistant is asked a question about events that occurred last month. It provides a confident answer. The user should:

Which of the following tasks would an AI language model handle MOST reliably?

'Prompt engineering' refers to:

A teacher asks students to use an AI tool to help them brainstorm ideas for a project, but to write all final content themselves. Which statement BEST describes this approach?

Which of the following represents a genuine risk of using AI-generated content without human review?

A professional wants to use an AI assistant to help draft a report about a technical topic in their industry. Which approach would MOST likely produce the highest quality output?

You have been given the task of writing a 500-word summary of a complex research article for a school newsletter. Describe how you would use an AI assistant to help you complete this task responsibly. Include what instructions you would give the AI, and what you would do with its output before submitting.

Explain what a 'knowledge cutoff' means in the context of AI language models. Give an example of a situation where this limitation would cause a problem, and describe how you would address it.

What is the difference between using an AI tool as a 'replacement' for thinking versus using it as a 'thinking partner'? Give one example of each approach for a student completing an assignment, and explain which approach you believe produces better learning outcomes and why.

AI tools are increasingly capable of producing work — essays, research summaries, presentations, code — that is difficult to distinguish from human-produced work. This raises important questions about assessment in education: if students can use AI to produce high-quality work with minimal effort, what is the purpose of traditional assessments, and how should educators respond? Present at least two thoughtful positions on this question and give your own reasoned view.

Some people argue that relying on AI tools for everyday tasks — writing, research, calculation — will gradually reduce human cognitive skills, just as GPS navigation has been argued to reduce people's ability to read maps. Others argue that AI tools simply free up human cognitive capacity for higher-level thinking, as calculators did for arithmetic. Which view do you find more persuasive in the context of AI writing and research tools? Support your argument with specific reasoning.