Distinguish the internet from the World Wide Web
Separate the global network infrastructure from the collection of linked pages that people access through it.
Exam scope and assessment notes
This sequence follows Cambridge IGCSE Computer Science 0984, 2026–2028 syllabus Version 4. It covers subject content sections 5.1–5.3 only. The separately published 2029–2031 syllabus is not mapped here. Practice is original, self-checked and does not award an official Cambridge grade. Full timed papers and human subject-teacher review remain outstanding. Cambridge states that 0984 has the same 2026–2028 subject content as 0478, with 9–1 grading. In June and November, Cambridge lists 0984 in Administrative zone 3 and for centres in Oman and the UAE. Confirm availability for your centre and exam series with Cambridge International. The separately published 2029–2031 syllabus changes to Python 3 only and removes pseudocode; this 2026–2028 route does not cover those changes.
Before you begin
- No programming language is required. Be comfortable with place value and multiplication; each lesson introduces the computer-science notation it uses.
Work on paper. Try each question before revealing help, and explain why your method works.
Quick readiness check
Can email use the internet without being a web page?
What you will learn
- Define the internet as network infrastructure
- Define the World Wide Web as web pages and sites
- Explain how the Web uses the internet
Infrastructure and service are different
The internet is the worldwide infrastructure of connected networks and devices that exchange data using agreed protocols. It carries many services, including email, file transfer and the World Wide Web.
Apply and check the rule
The World Wide Web is a collection of linked websites and pages accessed over the internet. A browser requests web resources; other internet services can operate without displaying a web page. The Web therefore uses the internet but is not the same thing as the whole internet.
Pause and explain
Which is the internet rather than the Web?
Worked example
A student opens a web page and later sends an email. Which uses the internet, and which is part of the World Wide Web?
Show the worked solution
- Both services exchange data through internet infrastructure.
- The page is part of the World Wide Web.
- Email uses the internet but is not itself a web page.
Answer Both use the internet; only the web page belongs to the World Wide Web.
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.
Complete the relationship: the World Wide Web is a service that runs using the ____.
Give me a hint
Choose the infrastructure that carries different online services.
Compare my reasoning
- The Web consists of linked pages and sites.
- Those resources are exchanged across connected networks.
- The connected network infrastructure is the internet.
The World Wide Web runs using the internet.
Look for these in your work
- Service identified
- Infrastructure named
A school uses an online mail service and reads a school website. Explain which activity is part of the Web.
Give me a hint
Classify the service, not the device or connection.
Compare my reasoning
- Mail and web pages can both travel over the internet.
- The school website is a set of web pages.
- Email is another internet service.
Reading the school website uses the Web; both it and email use the internet.
Look for these in your work
- Shared internet use
- Web-only classification
A learner claims that switching off every website would switch off the internet. Correct the claim with an example.
Give me a hint
Think of a service that exchanges data without being a web page.
Compare my reasoning
- The Web is one service on internet infrastructure.
- Email, file transfer or voice communication can use the internet without being a website.
- Removing web pages would not remove the infrastructure or every service.
Websites are only one use of the internet. Email could still exchange data over the internet even if web pages were unavailable.
Look for these in your work
- Infrastructure/service distinction
- Valid non-Web example
- Conclusion
Common mistakes
- Calling the internet a collection of websites
- Treating every internet service as the World Wide Web
What can you explain now?
Which statement best distinguishes them?
Compare with the explanation
The Web is a service carried by the internet
The internet is the network infrastructure; the Web is linked pages accessed using it.
After trying it yourself, choose your next review. This is your self-assessment.
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Make it stick
How does the World Wide Web relate to the internet?
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.