← IGCSE Computer Science Paper 1

URL part: the domain name

The human-readable name of a website's host in a URL, made of the www prefix and a top-level domain like .com or .org. It is easier to remember than a number.

Part of: IGCSE Computer Science 0478 — 5.1 The Internet and the World Wide Web — Module 9

Understanding URL part: the domain name in IGCSE Computer Science Paper 1

What it does: A name such as www.example.com is readable and memorable, so people use it instead of typing an IP address. In www.school.com the www comes first, followed by the name, then the top-level domain .com. The domain name is the human-readable name of the host. https:// is the protocol and /shop is the path. People find names easier to remember than long numbers. A domain name does not speed up loading. The top-level domain is the ending, such as .com or .org. www is the prefix at the start. index.html is the web page or file name. The domain name is just www.example.com.

Common mistakes: The URL ends in .org, so the top-level domain must be ".org", not ".com". The top-level domain is the ending of the domain name, which is ".com" here. "bbc" is the name of the site.

Class: _____________________  ·  Name: _____________________  ·  Date: _________

Free printable worksheet with full answer key — or add this module to a class and your students practise it interactively.

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This module's key terms are also in a printable crossword (Modules 450–463) and word search (Modules 440–463).

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Learning
Duo
In the URL https://www.example.com/shop, which part is the domain name?
www.example.comhttps://
Matches
The domain name in https://www.example.com/page.html is page.html
↓
page.html is the web page or file name, not the domain name. The domain name is www.example.com.
Applying
Meanings
Term
www.example.com
Meaning
The human-readable name of a website's host in a URL, made of the www prefix and a top-level domain like .com or .org. It is easier to remember than a number.
Practice
URL: https://www.example.com/home.html
Testing
Gaps
https://.example.com/index.html
Check Answer
Spots
3host ← "www.cie.org"
4tld ← ".com"

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Quick Questions

1. In the URL https://www.example.com/shop, which part is the domain name?
A. https://
B. www.example.com ✓
The domain name is the human-readable name of the host. https:// is the protocol and /shop is the path.
2. Which statement about a domain name is correct?
A. It is a number that locates the host on a network
B. It is a human-readable name for a website's host ✓
A domain name is text such as www.example.com. The number version is the IP address.
3. Why do websites use a domain name?
A. It is easier to remember than a number ✓
B. It makes the web page load faster
People find names easier to remember than long numbers. A domain name does not speed up loading.
4. In www.example.com, what does the www prefix come before?
A. The rest of the domain name (example.com) ✓
B. The protocol (https)
www is a prefix at the start of the domain name. The protocol comes before the domain name in the URL.
5. Which part of www.school.org is the top-level domain?
A. .org ✓
B. www
The top-level domain is the ending, such as .com or .org. www is the prefix at the start.

Match the Pairs

https://www.example.com/index.html → The domain name part is www.example.com, the readable name of the website's host
.org → A top-level domain, the last part of a domain name, often used by organisations
A domain name is easier for people to remember than a number like 93.184.216.34 → www.example.com
The www prefix is the first part of many domain names → www.school.com
The domain name in https://www.example.com/page.html is page.html → page.html is the web page or file name, not the domain name. The domain name is www.example.com.
A domain name is a number such as 192.168.0.1 → A number like that is an IP address. A domain name is a readable name such as www.example.com.

Key Term

www.example.com
The human-readable name of a website's host in a URL, made of the www prefix and a top-level domain like .com or .org. It is easier to remember than a number.

Fill in the Blanks

1. https://www.example.com/index.html
Hint: Type the common prefix that starts the domain name of many websites.
2. https://www.example.com/index.html
Hint: Type the top-level domain used for commercial websites.
3. https://www.school.org/home
Hint: Type the top-level domain often used by organisations and charities.
4. domain ← "www.example.com" OUTPUT domain
Hint: Type the variable name that holds the human-readable website name.
5. https://www.example.com/index.html
Hint: Type the punctuation character that separates the parts of a domain name.

Spot the Error

Question 1
A url ← "https://www.cie.org"
B protocol ← "https"
C host ← "www.cie.org"
D tld ← ".com"
Line D — The URL ends in .org, so the top-level domain must be ".org", not ".com".
Question 2
A url ← "http://www.bbc.com"
B www ← "www"
C name ← "bbc"
D tld ← "bbc"
Line D — The top-level domain is the ending of the domain name, which is ".com" here. "bbc" is the name of the site.
Question 3
A url ← "https://www.shop.com"
B domain ← "https://www.shop.com"
C OUTPUT domain
Line B — The domain name does not include the protocol. It should be "www.shop.com" without "https://".
Question 4
A domain ← "www.example,com"
B ip ← "93.184.216.34"
C OUTPUT domain
Line A — The parts of a domain name are separated by full stops, not commas. It should be "www.example.com".
Question 5
A domain = "www.school.org"
B parts = domain.split(".")
C prefix = parts[1]
D print(prefix)
Line C — The www prefix is the first part of the domain, which is at index 0. Index 1 would give "school".

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