Cambridge IGCSE Computer Science 0478/0984 O Level 2210 © 2024 PG Online Ltd 1

Copyright
© 2024 PG Online Limited

The contents of this unit are protected by copyright.

This unit and all the worksheets, PowerPoint presentations, teaching guides and other
associated files distributed with it are supplied to you by PG Online Limited under licence and
may be used and copied by you only in accordance with the terms of the licence agreement
between you and PG Online Limited. Except as expressly permitted by the licence, no part of
the materials distributed with this unit may be used, reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or
transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic or otherwise, without the prior written
permission of PG Online Limited.

Licence agreement
This is a legal agreement between you, the teaching institution, and PG Online Limited. PG
Online Limited grants to you a non-exclusive, non-transferable, revocable licence to use this
unit and all the worksheets, PowerPoint presentations, teaching guides and other associated
files distributed with it in the course of teaching by your teachers and/or employees.

The materials distributed with this unit may be copied and used by your teachers and/or
employees on a single site only in the course of their teaching. You warrant that you shall not,
and shall procure that each of your teachers and/or employees shall not, share in any way any
of the materials or part of the materials with any third party, including users on another site or
individuals who are teachers and/or employees of a separate institution. You acknowledge and
agree that the materials must remain with you, the teaching institution, and no part of the
materials may be transferred to another institution. You also warrant that you shall not, and shall
procure that each of your teachers and/or employees shall not, procure, authorise, encourage,
facilitate or enable any third party to reproduce these materials in whole or in part without the
prior permission of PG Online Limited.

In consideration of the licence granted to you, you shall indemnify PG Online Limited against all
liabilities, costs, expenses, damages and losses (including but not limited to any direct, indirect
or consequential losses, loss of profit, loss of reputation and all interest, penalties and legal
costs and all other professional costs and expenses) suffered or incurred by PG Online Limited
arising

Cambridge IGCSE Computer Science 0478/0984 O Level 2210 © 2024 PG Online Ltd 2
Teacher’s Guide
Introduction
This teacher’s guide contains a detailed lesson plan to accompany the set of PowerPoint slides
and worksheets for each topic.

The lesson plans are designed to form a basis for ideas for the teacher and should be adapted
to suit the teaching style and preferences of the individual teacher, and the resources and
nature of the individual school or Computer Science department.

The material supplied for this unit includes:

 7 PowerPoint presentations, each designed to cover one topic, which may take more
than one lesson
 7 worksheets
 7 homework sheets
 An end-of-unit test for assessment purposes

Summary
The unit is subdivided into seven topics and an end-of-unit assessment. Each topic is designed
to give enough materials for approximately 1 hour of teaching time, however, this will differ
depending on how much depth is considered and whether homeworks are reviewed in the
following lesson. The unit covers Section 5 of the Cambridge International IGCSE Computer
Science 0478/0984 specification. The Internet and its uses, the Internet and the World Wide
Web, digital currency and cyber security are all covered.

Cambridge IGCSE Computer Science 0478/0984 O Level 2210 © 2024 PG Online Ltd 3
Learning Outcomes for the unit
At the end of this Learning Aim all students should be able to:
 Understand that a computer needs a network interface card (NIC) to access a network
 Describe the role of a router in a network including:
‒ The routing of packets
 Understand the difference between the Internet and the World Wide Web
 Describe the purpose and operation of HTTP and HTTPS in the transmission of web
pages
 Describe how web pages are located, retrieved and displayed when a user enters a
URL, including the role of:
‒ The web browser
‒ IP addresses
 Describe the processes involved in, and the aim of carrying out, a range of cyber
security threats including:
‒ Brute-force attack
‒ Malware (virus, worm, Trojan horse, spyware, adware, ransomware)
‒ Phishing and social engineering
 Explain how a range of solutions are used to help keep data safe from security threats,
including:
‒ Access levels
‒ Anti-malware, anti-virus, anti-spyware
‒ Authentication
‒ Automatic software updates
‒ Checking the URL attached to a link

Most students will be able to:

 Describe the role of a router in a network including:
‒ Connecting local networks to the Internet
 Understand what is meant by and the purpose of media access control (MAC) address
 Understand that there are different types of IP address
 Understand how uniform resource locators (URLs) work
 Explain the purpose and functions of a web browser
‒ Understand the use of HTML in displaying web pages
 Describe how web pages are located, retrieved and displayed when a user enters a
URL, including the role of:
‒ HTML
 Explain what is meant by cookies including:
‒ Persistent cookies
 Describe the processes involved in, and the aim of carrying out, a range of cyber
security threats including:

Cambridge IGCSE Computer Science 0478/0984 O Level 2210 © 2024 PG Online Ltd 4
 ‒ Data interception
‒ Hacking
 Explain how a range of solutions are used to help keep data safe from security threats,
including:
‒ Checking the spelling and tone of communications
‒ Firewalls and proxy servers
‒ Privacy settings
‒ Secure socket layer (SSL) security protocol
 Understand the concept of a digital currency and how digital currencies are used
‒ Understand the process of blockchain and how it is used to track digital currency
transactions

Some students will be able to:

 Describe the role of a router in a network including:
‒ IP address assignment
 Understand the structure of a MAC address
 Know the characteristics and differences between IPv4 and IPv6
 Understand that IP address allocation may be static or dynamic
 Describe how web pages are located, retrieved and displayed when a user enters a
URL, including the role of:
‒ The domain name system server (DNS server) and web server
 Explain what is meant by cookies including:
‒ Session cookies
 Describe the processes involved in, and the aim of carrying out, a range of cyber
security threats including:
‒ Distributed denial of service (DDoS) attack
‒ Pharming

Cambridge IGCSE Computer Science 0478/0984 O Level 2210 © 2024 PG Online Ltd 5
Recommended textbooks
Cambridge IGCSE Computer Science 0478 / 0984 ISBN 978-1-910523-38-4
Experience + revision science + beautiful design = better results

Absolute clarity is the aim with a new generation of IGCSE Computer Science revision guide.
This clear study guide has been expertly compiled and edited by successful former teachers of
Computer Science, highly experienced examiners and a good dollop of scientific research into
what makes revision most effective and more accessible.
Past examinations questions are essential to good preparation, improving understanding and
confidence. This guide has combined revision with tips and more practice questions than you
could shake a stick at. All the essential ingredients for getting a grade you can be really proud of.
Each specification topic has been referenced and distilled into the key points to make in an
examination for top marks. Questions on all topics assessing knowledge, application and
analysis are all specifically and carefully devised throughout this book.
This book is suitable for the 0478 9-1 IGCSE, the 0984 A*-G IGCSE and the 2210 O Level
for examination in 2023 onwards.

A new generation of revision book to capture students’ attention and make revision more
effective and more enjoyable.

 Hundreds of marks worth of examination style questions

 Answers provided for all questions within the books
 Illustrated topics to improve memory and recall
 Specification references for every topic
 Examination tips and techniques
 Free Python solutions pack

Cambridge IGCSE Computer Science 0478/0984 O Level 2210 © 2024 PG Online Ltd 6
Previous Learning
No prior knowledge is essential with this unit. However, students should have a basic
understanding of computer systems from lessons delivered as part of the Key Stage 3 national
curriculum.

Vocabulary
Vocabulary associated with this unit, such as:

Internet, World Wide Web, infrastructure, website, web page, URL, Uniform Resource locator
(URL), domain name, HTTP, hypertext transfer protocol, HTTPS, hypertext transfer protocol
secure, web browser, HTML, hypertext markup language, bookmarks, favourites, browser/user
history, tabs, cookies, navigation tools, address bar, IP address, domain name system server,
DNS, web server, persistent cookies, session cookies, digital currency, blockchain, digital
ledger.

Assessment
Homework is given for each lesson. These consist of a mixture of short, factual questions
assessing knowledge in isolation and longer questions in which students are asked to analyse a
situation or justify their answer to questions.

The final assessment given assesses student’s knowledge of the current unit. In the actual
examination, questions may integrate various topics into one question. As such, we strongly
encourage teachers to use past papers and specimen papers to assess students and predict
outcomes.

Cambridge IGCSE Computer Science 0478/0984 O Level 2210 © 2024 PG Online Ltd 7
Lesson plan
Topic 1 Network hardware
Objectives:
 Understand that a computer needs a network interface card (NIC) to access a
network
 Describe the role of a router in a network including:
‒ The routing of packets
‒ IP address assignment
‒ Connecting local networks to the Internet

Content

Starter
PowerPoint Guide: Topic 1 Network hardware

Students should be able to quickly recognise that they need to connect the tablet to a
network. It is possible to connect it to a mobile network, however, we suggest that students
consider a home network as the concepts covered in the specification and this unit are most
suited to this scenario.

Main
Network interface card (NIC)
A NIC in a tablet wouldn’t be separate card, but instead would, most likely, be part of the
motherboard itself. In larger computers, a NIC may be a separate card. It is possible to have
more than one NIC, in which case, each one will have a separate MAC address. This is
commonly the case when a computer has both a wired and a wireless connection. Each
connection will have its own MAC address.

IP addresses
This type of address is still in very common usage. It is possible to share IP addresses, for
example a home network will have an external IP address to connect the router to the
Internet. The router then routes the packets to each computer on the private home network.
Each of these computers have their own IP address from the private network address range.
More details about IP addresses are given in the next topic.

Data packets
Data packets are like packets used in a postal network. Ask students to imagine sending a
200-page document through airmail if it restricted them to just one page at a time. Although
the packets all go in the same post box, they have split up the original document. Many
packets may use the same route, but they may take different routes on different vans or
planes. Packets may also go missing in which case they will need to be re-sent. Data packets
work in a very similar fashion, hence much of the terminology is similar to a postal network.
Hand out Worksheet 1 and ask students to complete Task 1.

Topic 1 Worksheet 1

Cambridge IGCSE Computer Science 0478/0984 O Level 2210 © 2024 PG Online Ltd 8
 Topic 1 Worksheet 1 Answers

Router
Students are likely to have some experience of routers from their home networks. If students
only have experience of connecting to school equipment, be aware that this is likely to be
either a switch (for wired computers) or a wireless access point (for wireless devices). The
answers are given from the specification which classes the router as the component in a
home network that provides Wi-Fi, the connection to the Internet and assigns IP addresses to
computers on the home network. In larger networks, separate hardware is often used as
follows:

 Wired computers connect, via wire, to a switch (or sometimes, with older technology,
a hub).
 Wireless computers/laptops and portable devices such as tablets and phones connect
using a wireless access point (WAP).
 The switch or WAP then connects to a router, which routes packets internally in the
network or between the private network and the Internet.
 A DHCP server assigns an IP address to each computer or device.

IP address assignment
The way in which DHCP assigns IP addresses is very similar to that implied by the three-step
process shown. The router (or DHCP server) keeps a record of which devices have been
assigned to which IP address. If students have access to a home router, they may wish to
look at these details.

Connecting to the Internet

The router is responsible for routing packets of data between the Internet and home (or
organisation’s) network. Whilst modems are often thought of as old devices for connecting to
the Internet, they are still used in modern routers. A modem is required to connect to an
ADSL network using copper cable (also confusingly named a fibre network in the UK – this is
actually fibre to the cabinet - FTTC). The UK is currently rolling out true fibre to the home
(FTTH) connections. Here the modem will be a separate unit that may be fitted to the wall.
The router will then connect to this device in order to connect to the Internet.
Ask students to complete Task 2 on Worksheet 1.

Plenary
The plenary asks a question that can easily be answered by stating the hardware devices
NIC and router. This is the only hardware they need to know from the specification. Hopefully
most students are able to go into more details about what these do, in particular what the
router does. Some students may be able to give additional hardware involved (that may be
integrated into the router) such as a wireless access point or modem. The information that is
red on the slide is that which is specifically given on the specification.
Hand out Homework 1.
Topic 1 Homework 1
Topic 1 Homework 1 Answers

Cambridge IGCSE Computer Science 0478/0984 O Level 2210 © 2024 PG Online Ltd 9
Acknowledgements
The authors and publisher would like to thank all contributors for their kind permission to
reproduce their photographs or images, screenshots of their websites or other copyright
material in the PowerPoint Guides.

Photographic images copyright © Shutterstock

Ipad and box image © Hemin Xylan / Shutterstock.com
Diagrams and illustrations © PG Online
Every effort has been made to trace the copyright holders and we apologise in advance for any
unintentional omissions. We would be pleased to insert the appropriate acknowledgement in
any subsequent edition of this publication.
This material contains links to relevant websites featured in the teacher’s guide. Every effort has
been made to ensure that at the time of distribution, the links remain unbroken, the material
remains up-to-date and that links are not inadvertently linked to sites that could be considered
offensive. PG Online cannot be held responsible for the content of any website mentioned in
this material. It is sometimes possible to find relocated sites by typing the original URL into a
browser. Any errors should be reported directly to [email protected] and changes will be
made in any subsequent editions of the material.

Artwork

Atmospheres – Shine
© 2018 Neil Canning
Mixed media / paper 21 × 29.5 cm
www.neilcanning.com

Cambridge IGCSE Computer Science 0478/0984 O Level 2210 © 2024 PG Online Ltd 10