Email and effective internet use
Communicate appropriately by email, distinguish internet services and evaluate web information before using it.
Exam scope and assessment notes
Cambridge IGCSE Information and Communication Technology 0983, for exams in 2026, 2027 and 2028. Examples, datasets and practice are original StudyForA material; they are not Cambridge questions, source files, mark schemes or grades. Practical lessons teach transferable operations, but learners must perform them in locally available office and web-authoring software and inspect their own files. This site does not reproduce a Cambridge practical examination or award an official grade. The separate 2029 syllabus is not mapped here. Cambridge states that IGCSE 0983 has the same subject content as IGCSE 0417, with 9–1 grading. This StudyForA pathway maps the 2026–2028 syllabus only. This 9–1 graded qualification is available only in a limited number of administrative zones. Confirm that your centre can enter you for this code and exam series with Cambridge International. Cambridge has published a separate syllabus for 2029. StudyForA has not reconciled that version yet; this page supports exams in 2026, 2027 and 2028 only.
Before you begin
- No previous ICT course is assumed. Read each scenario carefully and justify a tool or method by connecting it to the task, user and constraints.
Work on paper. Try each question before revealing help, and explain why your method works.
Quick readiness check
Which is a service for displaying linked web pages, rather than the whole global network?
What you will learn
- Use email features and etiquette appropriately, including groups, cc, bcc, forwarding, attachments and spam controls.
- Distinguish internet, intranet, extranet, World Wide Web, blogs, forums, wikis and social networking.
- Explain ISP, URL, hyperlinks and browsers; evaluate search results for recency, reliability, bias and validity.
- Recognise HTTP, HTTPS, FTP and SSL/TLS and discuss internet risks and controls.
Email is a record, not just a message
Email suits asynchronous communication and can include attachments, groups, cc and bcc. cc makes recipients visible to other recipients; bcc conceals the listed addresses from them. Use concise, acceptable language, check the recipient and attachment, protect confidential data and avoid forwarding a message to a wider audience without a reason.
Spam is unsolicited bulk email; filters and reporting help reduce it, but legitimate messages can be misclassified and malicious messages can look convincing. Do not open unexpected attachments just because they appear to come from a known contact; verify through a separate trusted channel.
The web is one service on the internet
The internet is a network of networks. The World Wide Web is a service that uses linked pages. A browser requests and displays pages using URLs and hyperlinks; an ISP provides internet connectivity. Intranets are private organisational networks, while extranets expose selected resources to authorised external users. Blogs publish posts, forums host discussions, wikis allow collaborative editing and social networks connect users.
Search engines rank possible sources, not truth. Check who published information, evidence, date, purpose, bias and whether independent sources agree. HTTP transfers web content; HTTPS uses TLS to protect a connection; FTP transfers files; a URL identifies a resource. A secure connection does not guarantee that the content is reliable.
Sources for this lesson
Pause and explain
A recently updated blog post makes a health claim without sources. What is the best next step?
Worked example
A teacher emails a class list containing personal information to two colleagues who must review it. Recommend a safe recipient method and two checks.
Show the worked solution
- Address only the named colleagues; use cc when recipients may see each other, or bcc when addresses should remain private.
- Check recipients and attachment before sending.
- Use an approved secure system and share only the data each colleague needs.
Answer Send only to the colleagues who need the information, using an approved secure service. Use cc if the recipients may see one another; use bcc if their addresses must be concealed. Verify addresses and the attachment, and share the minimum necessary personal data.
Try a topic test
Choose Easy, Normal or Difficult. Save your answers and open worked review after finishing.
Test this topic →From guided practice to a new situation
Write your answer and reasoning first. Use a hint only if you are stuck. The model solution is for self-checking; your written work is not automatically marked.
Explain the difference between the internet, the Web, an intranet and an extranet to a new employee.
Give me a hint
Compare the global network with a linked information service and private access environments.
Compare my reasoning
- The internet is the connected global network infrastructure.
- The Web is a service of linked pages accessed over that network.
- An intranet is private to an organisation; an extranet provides selected external access.
The internet connects networks globally. The World Wide Web is one service using linked pages over the internet. An intranet is a private organisational network for authorised members; an extranet gives selected external users controlled access to part of organisational resources.
Look for these in your work
- Distinguishes all four terms
- Explains who has access
You find two pages with different dates and opposite claims about a local flood warning. Describe a reliable checking process.
Give me a hint
Verify time, source, evidence and corroboration before acting.
Compare my reasoning
- Check the publication time and whether the warning refers to the same location and period.
- Identify the source and its evidence or authority.
- Compare with current notices from relevant official agencies and follow local emergency guidance.
First check when each page was updated and whether it concerns the same place and time. Identify who published it and what evidence supports the claim. Compare it with current notices from relevant official emergency or weather agencies; do not rely on search ranking or an undated repost.
Look for these in your work
- Checks recency and relevance
- Corroborates with an appropriate source
Choose between cc and bcc for a club email to 60 members and a message to two named organisers who work together.
Give me a hint
Consider whether recipients should see one another's addresses.
Compare my reasoning
- For all 60 members, decide whether the list is public to recipients.
- Use bcc or a mailing list to protect addresses where members have not consented to share them.
- For two organisers, cc can be appropriate if visible collaboration is intended.
Use bcc or a managed mailing list for the 60 members if they should not see each other's addresses; check consent and data-protection rules. Use cc for the two organisers if both need to see who received the message. Always verify recipients before sending.
Look for these in your work
- Uses recipient visibility appropriately
- Identifies privacy as a consideration
Common mistakes
- Assuming a search ranking proves accuracy
- Using cc when addresses should be hidden
- Treating HTTPS as a guarantee of safe or unbiased content
What can you explain now?
What does bcc do in an email?
Compare with the explanation
It hides listed recipient addresses from other recipients.
Blind carbon copy protects recipients' addresses from being shown in the message header to other recipients.
After trying it yourself, choose your next review. This is your self-assessment.
Your review choice appears on Today. Sign in to sync it across devices.
Make it stick
State how a user could assess a web page's reliability and explain what HTTPS does and does not prove.
If you needed the solution, close it and solve the problem again from a blank page. A correct answer is stronger when you can explain the reason for each step.