Understand what a web browser does, how it turns HTML into a visible web page, and why cookies help websites remember information about a user.
Students often use a browser every day, but still find it hard to describe what it actually does.
A web browser is software that lets users view web pages. Its main job is to take web page code and display it as a readable page.
Web pages are sent as data, often written using HTML.
The browser renders the HTML. Rendering means turning the code into the text, images, buttons and layout the user sees on screen.
A remote control helps you choose a channel, control the screen, and remember settings.
A browser does something similar for the web. You enter an address, it requests the page, displays it, and remembers useful details like history, bookmarks and cookies.
This is a short question, so the answer needs to be precise.
Cambridge often asks for functions of a browser. Do not only say "search the internet".
| Function | What it does |
|---|---|
| Address bar | Allows the user to enter a URL. |
| Bookmarks | Saves web pages the user wants to revisit. |
| History | Records previously visited web pages. |
| Tabs | Allows multiple web pages to be open at once. |
| Navigation tools | Back, forward, refresh and home buttons. |
| Downloads | Allows files to be downloaded from websites. |
A cookie is a small text file stored by the web browser.
Cookies can store information about a user's preferences, login details, browsing habits or items in an online shopping cart.
A session cookie is temporary.
It is stored in memory, such as RAM, and is deleted when the browser is closed. A shopping basket during one visit is a useful example.
A persistent cookie is stored on secondary storage.
It is not deleted when the browser closes. It stays until the user deletes it or until it expires.
When asked for differences between session and persistent cookies, compare both sides of the same point.
| Session cookie | Persistent cookie |
|---|---|
| Stored in RAM | Stored on secondary storage |
| Deleted when browser closes | Kept until deleted or expired |
| Temporary | Longer lasting |
Many students know what cookies are used for, but miss the key definition mark.
A web browser is software that renders HTML to display web pages.
It also provides tools such as an address bar, bookmarks, history, tabs, navigation buttons and downloads.
Cookies are small text files stored by the browser. Session cookies are temporary and deleted when the browser closes. Persistent cookies stay until deleted or expired.
Now that students understand browsers and cookies, the next lesson introduces digital currency and blockchain using a simple real-world noticeboard model.