levo
Log inStart

Networks

  • 12 subtopics
  • 36 things to know
  • A2 Unit 1

What Networks covers

Networks is examined in Unit A2 1, Information Systems. It covers network scope: LAN, MAN and WAN, network hardware and connection devices, IP addresses and MAC addresses, peer-to-peer and server-based networks, bus, star and ring topologies, the need for communication protocols, the OSI seven-layer model, TCP/IP, Ethernet and media access methods, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, VoIP and RFID, bandwidth and broadband, transmission media: metal cable, fibre optic and wireless and detecting and correcting transmission errors.

Where it is assessed

A2 Unit 1

Information Systems.

Check the CCEA specification ↗

The 12 subtopics

Each one has its own page.

What you need to know

Answer each one before you reveal it.

Your recallNot started
Key term

Why does an organisation normally own the cabling of a local area network but not that of a wide area network?

Key term

Explain why data transfer within a LAN is usually faster than transfer across a WAN.

Key term

Explain why a video conference between two offices on opposite sides of the world can stutter even when both offices have fast internal networks.

Key term

Why is filtering by MAC address a weak security measure on a wireless network?

Key term

Explain why backing up data is easier on a server-based network.

Key term

Why does a school with several hundred users choose a server-based network?

Key term

Why does the performance of a bus network fall as traffic increases?

Key term

Name four things a communication protocol typically specifies.

Key term

State the function of the physical layer.

Key term

State the function of the session layer.

Key term

State the role of the Transmission Control Protocol within TCP/IP.

Key term

Name the main fields carried in an Ethernet frame.

Process

Describe the steps a station follows under CSMA/CD.

Key term

Wi-Fi uses collision avoidance rather than collision detection. Explain why.

Process

Describe the stages a spoken word passes through in a VoIP call.

Key term

Name the three components of an RFID system and state what each does.

Key term

Explain the difference between bandwidth and latency.

Key term

Why does streaming high-definition video demand far more bandwidth than reading text pages?

Key term

Explain why the throughput measured on a link is always lower than its stated bandwidth.

Key term

What is attenuation, and why does it limit the length of a copper cable run?

Evaluation

Give two performance advantages of fibre optic cable over copper.

Evaluation

Give two disadvantages of installing fibre optic cable.

Key term

Explain how a two-dimensional parity check can locate a single incorrect bit.

Key term

How is a checksum calculated and used?

Key term

Which address is held permanently on a network interface card?

Key term

How does a switched hub learn which device is on which port?

Key term

Define the purpose of an IP address.

Evaluation

Give two advantages of a bus topology.

Key term

Define the term communication protocol.

Key term

Explain why replacing a simple broadcasting hub with a switched hub reduces collisions.

Key term

State the length of a MAC address and how it is written.

Key term

Describe a server-based network.

Key term

Explain the effect of a break in the backbone of a bus network.

Key term

Why are communication protocols necessary?

Key term

Name the seven layers of the OSI model in order from the lowest to the highest.

Key term

Name three causes of errors in transmitted data.

Take Networks further

The same content, four other ways.

Commonly confused

Pairs that lose marks when they are blurred together.

  • Error detection vs Error correction

    Error detection: revealing only that data has changed in transit. Error correction: restoring the original data or triggering a resend.

Questions from this topic

Each one with the model answer underneath.

  1. 1

    What is a local area network (LAN)?

    Model answer

    A local area network is a network confined to a single site, such as one building or a campus, in which the organisation owns the cabling and the connecting equipment.

  2. 2

    Define the term wide area network (WAN).

    Model answer

    A wide area network links computers spread over a large geographical area, such as a country or the world, using communication links leased from telecommunications carriers.

  3. 3

    How does a metropolitan area network differ from a local area network?

    Model answer

    A metropolitan area network spans a whole town or city and joins several separate local area networks together, whereas a local area network stays within one site.

  4. 4

    Why does an organisation normally own the cabling of a local area network but not that of a wide area network?

    Model answer

    A local area network lies entirely on land the organisation controls, so the organisation can lay its own cable, while a wide area network must cross public land and therefore uses links rented from a carrier.

  5. 5

    Explain why data transfer within a LAN is usually faster than transfer across a WAN.

    Model answer

    A local area network uses short, dedicated, high-quality links with few intermediate devices, whereas a wide area network sends data over long shared routes through many routers, which adds delay and reduces throughput.

  6. 6

    Give an example of a network that would be classed as a metropolitan area network.

    Model answer

    A council network joining the libraries, schools and offices scattered across a single city is a metropolitan area network.

See the rest and revise

What is inside Levo

Six ways to work the same material.

1Closed book
2Open book
3Closed book

The 3-step method, run for you

Answer cold, learn it, then prove it stuck. Levo tracks the jump between your first attempt and your last.

Systems Analysis and Development Approaches
Design, Development and Testing
Implementation and System Security
Programming

Cram a whole paper in one sitting

Sort every topic into what you know and what you do not, then drill only the weak ones.

A check requires a value.
presencerangeformat

Blank Blitz makes facts automatic

Rapid timed gap-fills on the terms and numbers you need to recall without thinking.

ANormal data is 12, which should be accepted.
BBoundary data is 1 and 50, which should be accepted.
C0 and 51, just outside the limits, should be rejected.

Build It gets the exam shape right

Assemble a full-mark answer from its marking points, in the order an examiner wants them.

One byte is made up of 8 bits.
TrueFalse

Test It catches misconceptions

Spot the fault in a statement. The traps are the mistakes students actually make.

721941163128510

Brain Breaks between sessions

Short focus games to reset attention, so the next set lands better than the last.

Networks revision questions

What does Networks cover in CCEA A-Level Digital Technology?
12 subtopics: network scope: lan, man and wan, network hardware and connection devices, ip addresses and mac addresses, peer-to-peer and server-based networks, bus, star and ring topologies, the need for communication protocols, the osi seven-layer model, tcp/ip, ethernet and media access methods, wi-fi, bluetooth, voip and rfid, bandwidth and broadband, transmission media: metal cable, fibre optic and wireless and detecting and correcting transmission errors. Each one has its own page with questions and model answers.
How is Networks organised?
By the CCEA 2650 specification, subtopic by subtopic, so it matches the order you are taught it in.

Every question in Networks, on a schedule.

Attempt a question from memory, write the correct version, then attempt it again. Levo records the jump between your first attempt and your last, and brings each question back on the day you are due to forget it.

Start revising, £5 a monthSee how the method works

Or £46 a year, about £3.83 a month. Cancel anytime.