5.1.6 | THE INTERNET

Topics from the Cambridge IGCSE (9-1) Computer Science 0984 syllabus 2023 - 2025

OBJECTIVES
5.1.6 Explain what is meant by cookies and how they are used, including session cookies and persistent cookies
Cookies are used for functions, including:
– saving personal details
– tracking user preferences
– holding items in an online shopping cart
– storing login details

ALSO IN THIS TOPIC
 5.1.1 - 5.1.3 THE INTERNET AND THE WWW
 5.1.4 WEB BROWSERS
5.1.5 WEB PROTOCOLS
 YOU ARE HERE | 5.1.6 COOKIES AND SESSIONS
5.2.1 - 5.2.2 DIGITAL CURRENCY
 5.3.1 CYBER SECURITY
5.3.2 KEEPING DATA SAFE
TOPIC 5 REVISION CARDS
TOPIC 5 KEY TERMINOLOGY (CIE)
TOPIC 5 ANSWERS
TOPIC 5 TEACHER RESOURCES

Cookies are like the evidence left on the sofa after eating a cookie, you leave crumbs. In the same way, when you visit a webpage a crumb or rather small pieces of data are left on your computer, these small pieces of data are later used for reasons such as:

• Tracking your preferences
• Holding items in your shopping cart
• Saving login details so autofill can be used
• Session data​

Tracking Your Preferences
Cookies play a pivotal role in enhancing user experience by tracking and remembering user preferences. When you visit a website and select certain preferences, such as your preferred language or theme, cookies store this information. Upon subsequent visits, the website retrieves the data from the cookies, ensuring that the site is presented according to your established preferences. This means you receive a personalized user experience, with the website displaying your preferred language and layout, without requiring you to set your preferences every time you visit.

Holding Items in Your Shopping Cart
In the realm of e-commerce, cookies are instrumental in providing a seamless shopping experience. They enable the functionality of a persistent shopping cart, ensuring that items added to your cart remain there even if you navigate away from the site or visit later. This persistence is crucial for reducing cart abandonment and facilitating a user-friendly shopping experience. Furthermore, cookies can store information related to the checkout process, such as your shipping address, making the purchasing process smoother and more efficient during subsequent visits.

Saving Login Details
Cookies facilitate a convenient and user-friendly login experience by securely storing login credentials. This enables autofill functionality, where the website can automatically populate the username and password fields, sparing you from manually entering this information each time. Additionally, cookies assist in user verification processes, ensuring that user sessions are secure and that unauthorized entities cannot gain access to user accounts. This balance of convenience and security is vital for maintaining a positive and protected user experience.

Session Data
Managing and maintaining user sessions is another crucial role of cookies, ensuring that users remain logged in and experience consistent data as they navigate through different pages of a website. Cookies store session data, which helps in maintaining data consistency and ensuring that users do not have to log in again when they move between pages or if they return to the site after a short period. This ensures a coherent and user-friendly browsing session, where users can interact with various parts of a website without disruption or inconsistency in their browsing session.

What are cookies? Website Cookies explained in 2 minutes! | By: CookieYes

ALSO IN THIS TOPIC

5.1.1 - 5.1.3 THE INTERNET AND THE WWW
5.1.4 WEB BROWSERS
5.1.5 WEB PROTOCOLS
5.1.6 COOKIES AND SESSIONS
5.2.1 - 5.2.2 DIGITAL CURRENCY
5.3.1 CYBER SECURITY
5.3.2 KEEPING DATA SAFE
TOPIC 5 REVISION CARDS
TOPIC 5 KEY TERMINOLOGY (CIE)
TOPIC 5 ANSWERS
TOPIC 5 TEACHER RESOURCES