POS terminal — scan, stock update, reorder
A POS (point-of-sale) terminal records each sale at a checkout. The operator or self-service scanner scans the barcode, which looks up its price and description in the stock database; the quantity in stock is reduced in real time. Once it falls below a pre-set reorder level the computer automatically generates a reorder — a purchase order to the supplier — with nobody counting shelves. This is stock control, not a till adding up a bill.
EFTPOS — chip and PIN, contactless, NFC
EFTPOS (electronic funds transfer at point of sale) is a POS terminal that also moves the payment electronically from customer to retailer. Chip and PIN: card inserted, PIN typed. Contactless: card tapped, RFID chip read by radio — no PIN below a set spending limit, so the transaction is faster; a PIN is demanded above it, or after several consecutive taps (fraud check). NFC: a phone or smartwatch wallet taps and talks two-way with the reader.
Internet shopping — basket to delivery
Internet shopping (online shopping, e-commerce) is buying goods or services online, not in a shop. The customer browses a website catalogue of photos, descriptions and prices, and can search or filter by category or price. Chosen items go into a virtual basket, reviewed before paying. At checkout delivery details are entered and payment made by card or EFT. The retailer delivers to the chosen address; a digital product downloads at once.
Drawn from real examiner reports.
POS ≠ paying for products
POS is rarely set, and candidates then describe paying for goods rather than the stock-control mechanism asked about. "The till scans the item and you pay for it" names neither the stock database update nor the automatic reorder below the set level. When a question names POS, write the chain: barcode scanned, stock reduced, reorder level crossed, order sent to supplier.
s23 P13 Q7
"Faster to use the card" names nothing
Asked why contactless beats chip and PIN, candidates write "it is faster to use the card". The card is not physically faster; the accepted form is that the transaction (payment/authorisation) is faster, because no PIN has to be typed below the spending limit. Say what is faster, then give the reason — on an explain question a bare comparative with no because fails.
s22 P11 Q5
Describing the card, not the reader
Asked to compare card readers, candidates describe the cards ("a chip card has a chip in it") instead of what the reader does — reading the chip and passing the payment for authorisation. "More secure" is likewise left as a bare claim; it needs its own explanation, for example that a PIN must be entered, so a stolen card on its own cannot be used.
w23 P11 Q4
"The computer checks the card" is too thin
Asked how a shop checks a card is valid, candidates write "the computer checks the card". The accepted mechanism is that the shop's EFTPOS terminal communicates electronically with the bank's computer, which checks the card is not lost, stolen or expired and that sufficient funds exist, then returns an authorisation or a decline. Name both computers and the funds check.
s22 P11 Q15
"In a supermarket" names no mechanism
"In a supermarket" sits on the examiners' list of vague answers that score nothing on their own, alongside "it is quicker". Naming the place is not naming the process. Follow it with the mechanism: "in a supermarket the barcode scan at the checkout updates the stock database and can trigger an automatic reorder to the supplier".
"Saves travelling" must fit the scenario
"The customer does not have to travel to the shop" is offered as a blanket advantage of internet shopping. If the stem says the shop is a five-minute walk away, travel was never a burden, so the point describes no real gain. Read the scenario first, then pick an advantage it actually supports — live stock information, price comparison across retailers, or 24-hour availability.
POS records the sale, EFTPOS also pays
A POS terminal records the sale and updates the stock database; an EFTPOS terminal does that and transfers the payment electronically from the customer's account to the retailer's. Every EFTPOS terminal is a POS terminal, but not every POS terminal processes electronic payment — so a stock-control answer should not be padded with payment detail nobody asked for.
Say whose advantage it is
Advantages of POS/EFTPOS or internet shopping differ for the customer and for the retailer, and misreading which one the stem names is the commonest way to lose the marks. Name the stakeholder the question asks about and give only points that benefit that side.
Compare the same feature on both sides
Never split a compare or discuss answer into two lists with a vertical line — it prevents a real comparison and caps the marks. Match internet shopping against the physical shop on the same feature: opening hours against opening hours, seeing the goods against seeing them.
An advantage needs a comparative
An advantage compares; a benefit does not. "The website is available at any time" is a benefit; "available for more hours than the shop can open" is an advantage. On explain or describe, add the reason after because — a bare comparative on its own scores nothing.
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