CIE IGCSE | TOPIC 5 ASSESSMENT
THE INTERNET AND ITS USES: END OF TOPIC REVIEW
Check your understanding of the internet and web, browsers, DNS, cookies, digital currency and cyber security. Work independently before checking your answers.
BEFORE YOU BEGIN
Suggested time: 25–35 minutes. Complete sections A and B without notes. Write section C answers in your exercise book before revealing the marking guidance.
Sections A and B provide an automatic score out of 11, one point for each fully correct item. Section C has 10 suggested written marks, assessed separately. These are original practice questions, not an official Cambridge paper or grade boundary.
For calculations, show working in your book and enter the answer in the unit requested. Calculator use can follow your teacher’s instructions. Your answers remain only while this page is open.
C | EXAM-STYLE WRITING
Write in your exercise book before revealing the guidance. Section C assesses subject knowledge and gives you practice expressing it clearly. The first table reproduces the command-word meanings supplied from the Cambridge syllabus. The second gives practical writing guidance for this review.
| CIE command word | Meaning from the specification |
|---|---|
| Calculate | work out from given facts, figures or information |
| Compare | identify/comment on similarities and/or differences |
| Define | give precise meaning |
| Demonstrate | show how or give an example |
| Describe | state the points of a topic / give characteristics and main features |
| Evaluate | judge or calculate the quality, importance, amount, or value of something |
| Explain | set out purposes or reasons / make the relationships between things clear / say why and/or how and support with relevant evidence |
| Give | produce an answer from a given source or recall/memory |
| Identify | name/select/recognise |
| Outline | set out the main points |
| Show (that) | provide structured evidence that leads to a given result |
| State | express in clear terms |
| Suggest | apply knowledge and understanding to situations where there are a range of valid responses in order to make proposals / put forward considerations |
The command applies to the subject context. A brief identification does not need an essay; an explanation needs accurate links. Use the guidance below for the four commands in this written review.
| Command word | What your answer should do | Useful writing pattern |
|---|---|---|
| Describe | State the main features or relevant points; for a process, make the sequence clear. | First… Next… Finally… |
| Explain | Give reasons, purposes or clear relationships, supported by relevant subject knowledge. | …because…; therefore…; resulting in…; leading to… |
| Compare | Identify similarities and/or differences, addressing both things on the same basis. | Both…; whereas…; unlike… |
| Evaluate | Make a reasoned judgement about suitability or value in the given context. | A benefit is…; however…; therefore, for this purpose… |
BUILD A CLEAR EXPLANATION
Point → reason or mechanism → consequence. Connectives help show the relationship, but the technical link must be accurate. Adding “because” to an unsupported claim does not make it a good explanation.
Thin answer: “The browser finds the page.”
Developed answer: “Because the browser needs an address for the host, DNS supplies suitable IP information. The browser can then connect and request the page, resulting in a response it can render.”
Use because or because of to introduce a cause; therefore, resulting in or leading to to show a consequence. For comparison, use both and whereas. For evaluation, use however and finish with a justified judgement.
Write enough relevant detail for the marks available. Clear, concise sentences are better than padding. These are writing supports, not compulsory phrases or separate official language marks.
12 | LOCATE, RETRIEVE AND DISPLAY
[3 suggested marks]
Describe how a web page is located, retrieved and displayed after a user enters a URL. Include DNS, the web server and the browser.
Sample answer: First, the browser identifies the URL’s host and path and obtains suitable IP address information through DNS, unless a valid cached answer is available. It then connects and sends a request for the resource; the web server returns a response containing the page if available. Finally, the browser processes the HTML to render the page and may request additional resources such as images and stylesheets.
- Host resolved to suitable IP information through DNS or a valid cache: one mark.
- Browser request and web-server response for the resource: one mark.
- Browser renders returned HTML and resources: one mark.
Writing focus: use a clear sequence. DNS does not render HTML or retrieve the lesson file itself.
13 | DETECTING A CHANGED BLOCK
[3 suggested marks]
A blockchain block contains a transaction that is later altered in someone’s local copy. Explain how hash links help reveal the change and why validation and consensus rules are also needed.
Sample answer: Changing the block’s recorded data normally changes its hash. Because a later block refers to the original hash, that reference no longer matches the changed block, making the alteration evident. However, someone can also recalculate links in their own copy, so validation and consensus rules are needed to determine which valid history the network accepts.
- Data change linked to a changed hash: one mark.
- Later reference mismatch linked to detecting alteration: one mark.
- Local rehashing possibility linked to the need for validation/consensus: one mark.
Writing focus: explain the mechanism, then its limit. Hashing is not encryption, and hashes alone do not decide the accepted history.
14 | COOKIE LIFETIMES
[2 suggested marks]
Compare session and persistent cookies in terms of their intended lifetime and use across browser sessions.
Sample answer: A session cookie normally lasts for the browser session in the syllabus model, whereas a persistent cookie has an expiry or lifetime and can remain available across sessions. A session cookie is not intended for long-term retention, while a persistent cookie can retain a preference until expiry or removal.
- Linked comparison of browser-session lifetime and specified expiry/lifetime: one mark.
- Linked comparison of temporary continuity and possible retention across visits: one mark.
Writing focus: compare both types on the same points. Persistent does not mean permanent, closing a tab need not end the session, and real session restoration can vary.
15 | IS ONE SECURITY CLUE ENOUGH?
[2 suggested marks]
A student receives an unexpected login message. It is well written and its link begins with https://, so the student decides it must be genuine. Evaluate this judgement and suggest a justified next step.
Sample answer: HTTPS provides useful protection for the connection, and poor spelling can be a warning sign. However, a deceptive site can use HTTPS and a phishing message can be well written, so neither proves the request is genuine. Therefore the student should avoid supplying details through the unexpected link and verify the request through a known independent channel or trusted site address.
- Weigh the limited useful clues against their inability to establish legitimacy: one mark.
- Give a justified verification step linked to the unexpected request: one mark.
Writing focus: explain why the evidence is insufficient and conclude with a relevant action, rather than only listing security terms.
CHECK YOUR WRITTEN COMMUNICATION
- Did I answer the command word, rather than just name facts?
- For explain, did I show an accurate reason or cause-and-effect link?
- For compare, did I address both things on the same point?
- For evaluate, did I weigh relevant factors and justify my judgement?
- Did I use precise terms and connectives naturally, without repeating or padding?
Self-assess using the suggested content marks, keeping the written total separate from your automatic score. Use the writing checklist to improve an answer rather than adding unofficial language marks.
YOUR NEXT REVISION STEP
Submit sections A and B to see suggested lessons to revisit.
For written work, revisit page retrieval, blockchain, cookies and protection methods where needed.
This review samples the topic. Also check HTTP/HTTPS, every browser function, malware comparisons and the full range of protection methods using the Topic 5 revision page.
Choose two weak areas, revisit the explanations and attempt fresh examples. Repeating these questions after feedback shows learning rather than an independent assessment.