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T Level Technical Qualification in Digital Support Services
Employer set project (ESP)
Core skills
Cyber Security
Project Brief – Task 1
v1.0
SAMPLE ESP
Autumn 2025
T Level Technical Qualification in Digital Support Services
Core skills, Cyber Security
Project brief – Task 1
T Level Technical Qualification in Digital Support Services Employer set project (ESP)
Core skills
Project Brief – Task 1
Cyber Security – fault-finding investigation
Contents
Student instructions......................................................................................................................................... 3
Student information.......................................................................................................................................... 3
Plagiarism....................................................................................................................................................... 3
Presentation of work........................................................................................................................................ 4
Scenario......................................................................................................................................................... 5
Brief................................................................................................................................................................ 5
Task 1: 2 hours 30 minutes............................................................................................................................ 6
Scenario.......................................................................................................................................................... 6
Instructions for students................................................................................................................................... 6
Evidence required for submission to NCFE........................................................................................................ 7
Additional guidance.......................................................................................................................................... 7
Control document A: network set-up and topology (task 1)................................................................................. 8
Control document A: network topology (task 1).................................................................................................. 9
Control document B: problems reported by users (task 1)................................................................................. 11
Control document C: virtual private network (VPN) management system (task 1)............................................... 12
Document information.................................................................................................................................. 13
Version: 1.0 October 2025 | 2 of 13
T Level Technical Qualification in Digital Support Services
Core skills, Cyber Security
Project brief – Task 1
Student instructions
• read the project brief carefully before starting your work
• you must work independently and make your own decisions as to how to approach the tasks within the employer set project (ESP)
• you must clearly name and date all of the work that you produce during each supervised session
• you must hand over all of your work to your tutor at the end of each supervised session
• you must not work on the assessment in between supervised sessions
Student information
• the employer set project (ESP) will assess your knowledge, understanding and skills from across the core content of the qualification
• in order to achieve a grade for the core component, you must attempt both of the external examinations and the employer set project
• the combined marks from these assessments will be aggregated to form the overall core component grade (A* to E and U) – if you do not attempt one of the assessments, or fail to reach the minimum standard across all assessments, you will receive a U grade
• the maximum time you will have to complete all tasks for the ESP is 12 hours 10 minutes
o your tutor will explain how this time is broken down per task and will confirm with you if individual tasks need to be completed across multiple sessions
o at the end of each supervised session, your tutor will collect all ESP assessment materials before you leave the room
o you must not take any assessment material outside of the room (for example, via a physical memory device)
o you must not upload any work produced to any platform that will allow you to access materials outside of the supervised sessions (including email)
• you can fail to achieve marks if you do not fully meet the requirements of the task, or equally if you are not able to efficiently meet the requirements of the task
• the project is assessed out of a total of 76 marks (this includes 2 marks for your use of maths in task 3, and 4 marks for your use of English throughout tasks 2, 3 and 4) – the individual task marks are also shown throughout the project brief booklet at the start of each task
Plagiarism
Plagiarism may result in the external assessment task being awarded a U grade.
For further guidance refer to the plagiarism guidance, and maladministration and malpractice policy located on the NCFE website.
Version: 1.0 October 2025 | 3 of 13
T Level Technical Qualification in Digital Support Services
Core skills, Cyber Security
Project brief – Task 1
Presentation of work
• all of your work should be completed electronically using black font, Arial size 12pt unless otherwise specified
• any work not produced electronically must be agreed with your tutor, in which case the evidence you produce should be scanned and submitted electronically
• all your work should be clearly labelled with the relevant task number and your student details and be legible (for example, front page and headers)
• electronic files should be named using the following format – Surname_Initial_student number_evidence reference for example: Smith_J_123456789_Task1 for identification purposes – where evidence reference is shown, this should be replaced with the task number for which the work reflects and saved as a .pdf format
• all pages of your work should be numbered in the format page X of Y, where X is the page number and Y is the total number of pages
• you must complete and sign the External assessment cover sheet (EACS) – declaration of authenticity form and include it at the front of your assessment task evidence
• you must submit your evidence to the supervisor at the end of each session
Version: 1.0 October 2025 | 4 of 13
T Level Technical Qualification in Digital Support Services
Core skills, Cyber Security
Project brief – Task 1
Scenario
SkyLink Financial Systems Ltd has been operating for three years and has developed a strong reputation for providing innovative cloud-based financial technology solutions for banks and insurance providers. The company specialises in real-time payment processing, fraud detection analytics, and automated compliance systems designed to help clients manage financial transactions securely and efficiently.
Recently, the company has suffered a series of cyber security incidents, including unauthorised access to client financial records and internal systems. The internal IT team suspects an insider threat, as investigations revealed weak internal access controls, poor segregation of duties, and insufficient security measures on the main network server.
SkyLink currently employs 220 staff at its main UK office but plans to expand rapidly over the next five years. Its growth strategy includes opening new offices in Europe, hiring additional development and compliance teams, and launching new financial advisory services to meet the needs of its growing client base.
As a cyber security consultant, you have been commissioned to:
- Investigate the recent cybersecurity issues experienced by SkyLink Financial Systems Ltd.
- Identify and assess existing vulnerabilities, with particular focus on insider threat risks.
- Provide expert guidance on designing a secure and scalable network infrastructure for the company’s expanding operations.
- Recommend appropriate security policies, technologies, and monitoring mechanisms to protect sensitive financial and customer data while supporting future business growth.
Brief
You are required to undertake several tasks to ensure SkyLink Financial Systems Ltd identify potential sources of its cybersecurity incident and then support in planning a secure network infrastructure.
Version: 1.0 October 2025 | 5 of 13
T Level Technical Qualification in Digital Support Services
Core skills, Cyber Security
Project brief – Task 1
Task 1: 2 hours 30 minutes
You must read the information on all pages provided for this task before starting your response.
(22 marks)
Scenario
Your line manager at SkyLink Financial Systems Ltd has asked you to investigate the recent cybersecurity and network performance issues the company has experienced. You have been provided with the following documents to support your investigation:
- Control Document A: Current network set-up and topology
- Control Document B: Problems and security incidents reported by users
- Control Document C: Virtual Private Network (VPN) configuration and management system
You have been informed that the reported problems do not affect all users, suggesting potential inconsistencies in network configuration or access permissions.
Your line manager has instructed you to review and identify the root causes of these issues and to undertake a structured fault-finding investigation to help resolve them. This investigation should include a detailed analysis of the initial issues, potential security vulnerabilities, and recommended solutions.
Additionally, you are required to create a comprehensive test plan document that can be used by other IT team members to troubleshoot and assist users who experience similar network or VPN-related problems in the future.
Instructions for students
Using the information provided above and in control documents A and C, you should investigate and identify the root cause of any problems reported by users identified in control document B.
You should produce:
• your fault-finding investigation report (6 marks) which will include any recommended changes
• a test plan (16 marks) for use when troubleshooting network connectivity issues
Your test plan should include the following:
• user details
• test dates
• computer specification and software
• proposed tests
• expected/actual outcomes of tests
• ability to record changes based on test outcomes
• record of your investigation leading to solution
• user acceptance of completed work
Version: 1.0 October 2025 | 6 of 13
T Level Technical Qualification in Digital Support Services
Core skills, Cyber Security
Project brief – Task 1
Evidence required for submission to NCFE
One document consisting of:
• your fault-finding investigation report
• your test plan document
When you have completed this task, you should save in a .pdf format and name your file:
• Surname_Initial_student number_evidence reference (for example, Smith_J_123456789_Task1)
Additional guidance
For this task you will be issued with control documents A, B and C.
You will have access to a word processing application or other suitable software to enable you to complete this task.
Access to the internet is permitted.
Access to any online cloud storage is not permitted.
Use of online chat or emails is not permitted.
Access to previous class notes/teaching materials is not permitted.
Version: 1.0 October 2025 | 7 of 13
T Level Technical Qualification in Digital Support Services
Core skills, Cyber Security
Project brief – Task 1
Control document A: network set-up and topology (task 1)
Network set-up
Servers
The network has grown with the company, with new components being added without any review of their impact on the overall system. Consequently, there are performance issues throughout the network.
Device specifications
Server Name: file and print server
Operating system: Windows Server 2008
Roles:
o file services
p print services
q domain name system (DNS) services
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Server Name: virtual private network (VPN) management system server Operating system: Windows Server 2019 Roles:
• VPN access
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Server Name: display information server
Operating system: Windows Server 2019
Roles:
• database server
The display information server hosts the database for every display, enabling staff to select appropriate, pre-defined and tested displays for different display venues.
The Drone Display team uses this server to create and update the drone displays.
Display teams can access the database remotely to download new and updated displays.
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Personal Computers (PCs)
All PCs are allocated dynamic internet protocol (IP) addresses by the router from its private IP address space.
Dynamic host configuration protocol (DHCP) scope is 192.168.1.2-192.168.1.201.
All PCs run Windows 10 Professional and are installed with Office 365.
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WiFi
A wireless access point (WAP) has recently been installed in the office to provide internet connections to visitors and for staff to use for personal use during breaks (for example, shopping). There is no connection to the company network. The WiFi does not have a password and is allocated an IP address of 192.168.2.1.
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Version: 1.0 October 2025 | 8 of 13
T Level Technical Qualification in Digital Support Services
Core skills, Cyber Security
Project brief – Task 1
Network topology diagram
Devices
SkyLink Financial Systems Ltd has 220 employees in its single office and is expecting to grow rapidly in the next 5 years. There are currently 15 Drone Display teams.
The network of company devices has grown as the number of employees has increased. There has not been a proper review of the design of the network since it was created.
Office-based employees use desktop PCs to access network resources.
The majority of personal computers (PCs) and servers are assigned internet protocol (IP) addresses by dynamic host configuration protocol (DHCP). However, as the network has expanded in an unplanned manner as the company has grown, there may be some devices with static IP addresses. The network router, which connects all the PCs and servers to each other and to the internet, is an old domestic internet service provider (ISP) router that is struggling with the increasing number of clients that are on the network. It was designed for use in a domestic household, not in a company this size.
There are currently 15 Drone Display teams which travel the country setting up and hosting drone displays for the public using the display configurations that are created by the Display Creation team.
The Drone Display teams and Display Creation team primarily use the display information server for their daily work.
The human resources (HR) and other support teams primarily use the file and printer server for their daily work.
Version: 1.0 October 2025 | 9 of 13
T Level Technical Qualification in Digital Support Services
Core skills, Cyber Security
Project brief – Task 1
Remote Access
Only the Drone Display teams should be able to access the network remotely. However, over the years, details for remotely accessing the network have been shared with other employees who have used them to allow informal home working.
The Drone Display teams use laptops with mobile phones to connect to the VPN management system server which allows them to download the configurations of displays from the display information server without needing to return to the office.
Staff Induction and training
There is no formal staff induction and no security awareness training for employees. New employees learn their jobs from their predecessor, if there is a handover period, or from their line manager and colleagues. However, line managers and colleagues are often very busy, and therefore limited in the amount of time they can spend with new employees.
Version: 1.0 October 2025 | 10 of 13
T Level Technical Qualification in Digital Support Services
Core skills, Cyber Security
Project brief – Task 1
Control document B: problems reported by users (task 1)
User A – Financial Analyst
User A works in the office on a desktop computer running Windows 7 and Office 2010.
User A reports that they are unable to access certain financial databases and encounter frequent “connection timed out” messages when retrieving transaction reports.
User B – Compliance Manager
User B works both remotely and in the office.
User B reports that when working remotely, the VPN frequently disconnects and often displays an alert stating “Maximum concurrent connections reached.”
This prevents them from uploading compliance audit files on time.
User C – IT Security Officer
User C works in the head office.
User C reports that server access permissions appear to change unexpectedly, and that new administrator accounts occasionally appear without formal approval.
This raises concerns about possible unauthorised privilege escalation or insider misuse of credentials.
Version: 1.0 October 2025 | 11 of 13
T Level Technical Qualification in Digital Support Services
Core skills, Cyber Security
Project brief – Task 1
Control Document C: virtual private network (VPN) management system
Virtual private network (VPN) policy for SkyLink Financial Systems Ltd
This VPN management system provides encrypted secure connections to the company network for employees working remotely at displays.
The system should provide the following features:
• encrypted connections for all traffic
• dedicated logins for remote users to ensure users have full access to network resources
• authenticated access to the network using trusted (corporate) devices.
Table 1: VPN management system allocations
Administrator Login | Admin | Allow shared | Enabled | |
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Administrator | 12345678 | Requires encryption | Disabled | |
Password |
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Current active user connections: 12/12 (0% licenses available) |
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Device | User | Authenticated | Encryption |
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Unknown | Admin | No | None | |
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DronePhone71 | Drone_Team_7 | Yes | Yes | |
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Becky’s iPhone | Admin | No | None | |
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DronePhone141 | Drone_Team_14 | Yes | Yes | |
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Unknown | Admin | No | None | |
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DronePhone31 | Drone_Team_3 | Yes | Yes | |
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Tom’s iPhone | Admin | No | None | |
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DronePhone21 | Drone_Team_2 | Yes | Yes | |
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DronePhone151 | Drone_Team_15 | Yes | Yes | |
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AMS-213 | Admin | No | None | |
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Unknown | Admin | No | None | |
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Unknown | Admin | No | None | |
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1 This is a corporate (company-owned) mobile device.
Version: 1.0 October 2025 | 12 of 13
T Level Technical Qualification in Digital Support Services
Core skills, Cyber Security
Project brief – Task 1
Document information
All the material in this document is © NCFE.
‘T-LEVELS’ is a registered trademark of the Department for Education.
‘T Level’ is a registered trademark of the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education.
‘Institute for Apprenticeships & Technical Education’ and logo are registered trademarks of the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education.
Owner: Head of Assessment Solutions.
Version: 1.0 October 2025 | 13 of 13
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