What is the difference between the internet and the web, and what does each common protocol do?
The internet, the World Wide Web and DNS, and the purpose of the common protocols: TCP/IP, HTTP, HTTPS, FTP, SMTP, POP and IMAP.
An Eduqas GCSE Computer Science answer on the internet, the World Wide Web and DNS, and the purpose of the common protocols (TCP/IP, HTTP, HTTPS, FTP, SMTP, POP and IMAP).
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What this dot point is asking
Eduqas wants you to distinguish the internet from the World Wide Web, explain DNS, and state the purpose of each common protocol: TCP/IP, HTTP, HTTPS, FTP, SMTP, POP and IMAP. These are knowledge-recall marks, so precise one-line purposes for each protocol are what score.
The internet, the web and DNS
What a protocol is
The transport and addressing protocols: TCP/IP
The application protocols
Try this
Q1. State the difference between the internet and the World Wide Web. [2 marks]
- Cue. The internet is the global network of connected networks; the web is one service (linked web pages) that runs on it.
Q2. State the role of DNS. [1 mark]
- Cue. It translates domain names into IP addresses.
Q3. Name the protocol used to send email. [1 mark]
- Cue. SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol).
Exam-style practice questions
Practice questions written in the style of WJEC Eduqas exam questions on this dot point, with worked answer explainers. The year tag is the paper they imitate, not the source.
Eduqas Component 1, 20223 marksExplain the difference between the internet and the World Wide Web, and state the role of DNS.Show worked answer →
Internet versus web (up to 2 marks): the internet is the global network of interconnected networks (the hardware and connections); the World Wide Web is one service that runs on the internet, a collection of linked web pages accessed using HTTP/HTTPS through a browser. The web is not the same as the internet; email and file transfer also use the internet.
DNS (1 mark): the Domain Name System translates human-readable domain names (such as example.com) into the IP addresses that computers use to locate each other.
Markers reward "the web is a service on the internet" and "DNS turns domain names into IP addresses".
Eduqas Component 1, 20234 marksState the purpose of each of the following protocols: HTTPS, FTP, SMTP and IMAP.Show worked answer →
HTTPS (1 mark): the secure version of HTTP for transferring web pages, using encryption so the data cannot be read if intercepted.
FTP (1 mark): File Transfer Protocol, used to transfer files between a client and a server over a network.
SMTP (1 mark): Simple Mail Transfer Protocol, used to send email between mail servers and from a client to a server.
IMAP (1 mark): Internet Message Access Protocol, used to access and manage email stored on a server so it can be read from several devices.
Markers reward one correct purpose each. A common error is swapping SMTP (sending) with POP/IMAP (receiving).
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Sources & how we know this
- WJEC Eduqas GCSE Computer Science specification (from 2016) — Eduqas (2020)