World Wide Web
Internet and Its Uses · 4 question types
Exam Frequency Analysis
Past paper frequency (2018 to 2024)
This topic accounts for approximately 3% of your exam marks.
The difference between the internet and the WWW, and cookie/browser functions, are typical questions.
A web browser is application software used to request, receive and display web pages from web servers.
Common browsers: Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Safari, Microsoft Edge, Opera, Brave. The exam never rewards brand names, only generic features.
What a browser does, step by step
When the user types a URL or clicks a link:
- The browser takes the the user has typed (or the link they clicked).
- It sends an HTTP or request to the web server identified in the URL.
- The web server responds with the requested resource (usually an document, plus any , JavaScript, images, audio or video the page references).
- The browser renders the HTML, CSS and JavaScript: it interprets the code and produces the visible web page on the screen.
- As the user interacts with the page, the browser may send more requests (forms, links, downloads) and update the page accordingly.
Common browser features
Every modern browser includes a similar set of user-facing features.
| Feature | What it does |
|---|---|
| Address bar | Where the user types a URL (or pastes one). Usually also doubles as a search bar |
| Back / forward buttons | Navigate through previously visited pages in the current tab |
| Refresh button | Reload the current page (in case it has changed, or got stuck) |
| Home button | Jump back to a default home page set by the user |
| Tabbed browsing | Keep several pages open at once and switch between them within one window |
| Bookmarks / favourites | Save links to frequently visited pages so they can be reached with a single click |
| History | A record of previously visited pages, searchable by URL and title |
| Cookie storage and management | Holds cookies set by websites; lets the user view, allow or block them (see section 5) |
| Private / incognito browsing | A mode that does not save history or cookies for that session |
| Search bar | Direct search through a default search engine without typing the engine's URL |
| Extensions / add-ons | Optional third-party features that add functionality (ad blockers, password managers, dark mode, etc.) |
| Download manager | Tracks files the user has saved from web pages |
| Pop-up blocker | Stops unwanted pop-up windows from being opened by websites |
Browser vs search engine
A common confusion in exam answers: a browser is not a search engine.
- A browser is software you install on your computer or phone (Chrome, Firefox).
- A search engine is a website you visit in that browser (Google, Bing, DuckDuckGo).
You can use Chrome to visit Bing, or use Edge to visit Google. The browser and the search engine are independent.
Describe the purpose of a web browser
What comes up: A 1–2 mark question asking you to describe what a web browser does (sometimes as a "describe" question, sometimes in a matching table).
Write (two marks): (1) A web browser is application software that allows users to access and view web pages. (2) It does this by rendering HTML (interpreting the HTML code and displaying the resulting page on screen).
Watch out: Saying "it searches the internet" confuses the browser with a search engine — that earns no marks. The credited idea is rendering/displaying web pages using HTML.