← IGCSE Computer Science Paper 1

What a web browser is

Software that requests web pages from web servers and displays them to the user, e.g. Chrome, Firefox, Safari or Edge. It is the client, and it is not a search engine.

Part of: IGCSE Computer Science 0478 — 5.1 The Internet and the World Wide Web — Module 17, QCE Digital Solutions Unit 3 — Interactions Between Users, Data and Digital Systems — Module 34

Understanding What a web browser is in IGCSE Computer Science Paper 1

What it does: The two steps in the code are what a browser does: request the page, then display it. Chrome is the browser software installed on the device. Google is a search engine website that you open inside the browser. The browser is the client. It sends requests, and the web server sends back the web page. The browser receives the page data and renders it so the user can see and use the page. Edge is a browser, so it runs on the user's device as a client. It does not host web pages. Sending web pages to users is a web server's job. The browser makes the request.

Common mistakes: Chrome and Edge are web browsers, not search engines. A web browser is software that requests and displays web pages, so the value should be "web browser". The browser displays the web page it received from the server, not the request it sent. It should be DISPLAY page TO user.

Class: _____________________ · Name: _____________________ · Date: _________

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This module's key terms are also in a printable crossword (Modules 464–476) and word search (Modules 464–489).

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Learning

Duo

Which statement describes a web browser?

A website that stores all the pages on the internetSoftware that requests web pages and displays them to the user

Matches

Google is a web browser

↓

Google is a search engine website, not a browser. It is opened inside a browser such as Chrome or Firefox.

Applying

Meanings

Term

web browser

Meaning

Software that requests web pages from web servers and displays them to the user, e.g. Chrome, Firefox, Safari or Edge. It is the client, and it is not a search engine.

Practice

browser <- "Chrome"

Testing

Gaps

page ← browser.(url)

Check Answer

Spots

1software ← "search engine"

2examples ← ["Chrome","Edge"]

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Quick Questions

1. Which statement describes a web browser?

A. Software that requests web pages and displays them to the user ✓

B. A website that stores all the pages on the internet

A web browser is software installed on the user's device. It requests pages from web servers and displays them.

2. Which of these is an example of a web browser?

A. HTTP

B. Firefox ✓

Firefox is a browser. HTTP is a protocol that browsers use, not a browser itself. Chrome, Safari and Edge are other browsers.

3. In the client-server model, what is the web browser?

A. The client ✓

B. The web server

The browser is the client. It sends requests, and the web server sends back the web page.

4. True or false: Google Search is a web browser.

A. False: it is a search engine website, not a browser ✓

B. True: it is the browser many people use to open pages

A search engine is a website that finds pages. A browser is the software you use to open it. Chrome is the browser and Google Search is the website.

5. What does a web browser do after it receives a web page from a web server?

A. It stores the page on the web server

B. It displays the page to the user ✓

The browser receives the page data and renders it so the user can see and use the page.

Match the Pairs

Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge → Examples of web browsers: software that requests web pages and displays them to the user

browser = client → The browser is the client that sends requests to a web server

A web browser requests a web page from a web server and then displays it to the user → browser.request(page) then browser.display(page)

A browser is not a search engine: the browser is the software and a search engine is a website opened in it → browser = Chrome, search engine = Google

Google is a web browser → Google is a search engine website, not a browser. It is opened inside a browser such as Chrome or Firefox.

A web browser stores and sends out web pages → A web server stores and sends web pages. The browser requests them and displays them.

Key Term

web browser

Software that requests web pages from web servers and displays them to the user, e.g. Chrome, Firefox, Safari or Edge. It is the client, and it is not a search engine.

Fill in the Blanks

1. page ← browser.request(url)

Hint: Type the action a browser performs to ask a web server for a page.

2. browser.display(page)

Hint: Type the action the browser does with the page once it arrives, so the user can see it.

3. role ← client

Hint: Type the name of the role a browser plays when it asks a server for pages.

4. app ← Safari type ← browser

Hint: Type the kind of software that Safari, Chrome, Firefox and Edge are.

5. results ← searchEngine.find("cats")

Hint: Type the name of the tool that finds pages by keyword. It is not the browser.

Spot the Error

Question 1

A software ← "search engine"

B examples ← ["Chrome","Edge"]

C OUTPUT software

Line A — Chrome and Edge are web browsers, not search engines. A web browser is software that requests and displays web pages, so the value should be "web browser".

Question 2

A url ← "www.example.com"

B SEND request TO web_server

C RECEIVE page FROM web_server

D DISPLAY request TO user

Line D — The browser displays the web page it received from the server, not the request it sent. It should be DISPLAY page TO user.

Question 3

A browser ← "Safari"

B role ← "client"

C IF role = "client" THEN

D OUTPUT "hosts web pages"

E ENDIF

Line D — A browser is the client, so it requests pages. Hosting and storing web pages is the job of a web server. It should be OUTPUT "requests pages".

Question 4

A browser ← "Edge"

B type ← "software"

C isSearchEngine ← TRUE

D OUTPUT isSearchEngine

Line C — A browser is not a search engine. A search engine is a website you visit using a browser, so the value should be FALSE.

Question 5

A url ← "https://example.com"

B SEND page TO web_server

C RECEIVE page FROM web_server

D DISPLAY page

Line B — The browser sends a request to the web server asking for a page. It does not send the page. It should be SEND request TO web_server.

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