Cambridge IGCSE ICT (0417): Communication – Study Guide

Topic 10 of Cambridge IGCSE ICT 0417 is about communicating with other people through ICT, using email, and about using the internet well to find information. There is a practical side, because you may be asked to compose and send an email in the practical paper, and a theory side, because you need to explain terms and judge sources. This guide covers both halves, 10.1 on email and 10.2 on effective internet use.

Where this fits in the specification

Communication links to the audience topic (an email to a manager is written differently from one to a friend), to safety and security (phishing, spam and attachments carry risks) and to networks (how email and web pages travel between computers). The Network Issues and Communication study guide covers the network side of the same ideas.

10.1 Communication with other ICT users using email

The features of an email

An email message has the following parts:

• To: the main recipient or recipients.
• Cc (carbon copy): other people who should see the message. Everyone can see these addresses.
• Bcc (blind carbon copy): recipients whose addresses are hidden from the other recipients. Use Bcc when emailing a large group so that you do not reveal their addresses.
• Subject: a short, informative description.
• Body: the message itself.
• Attachment: a file sent with the email, such as a document or image.
• Signature: automatic closing text containing name and contact details.

Other functions you must be able to use or describe include reply, reply all, forward, an address book (stored contacts), groups (a single name that sends to several addresses), and folders for storing messages.

Netiquette and good practice

Netiquette is the set of accepted rules of polite behaviour online. In email:

• Use a meaningful subject line and a suitable greeting and ending.
• Be polite, clear and brief. Do not write in capital letters, which suggests shouting.
• Avoid unexplained abbreviations and slang when writing formally.
• Check spelling and grammar before sending.
• Do not copy people (Cc, reply all) unnecessarily.
• Do not send offensive or private material, or forward chain letters.
• Compress large attachments or share a link instead.
• Do not reveal other people’s email addresses.

Legal and safety points

Employers often have an acceptable use policy that limits personal email at work. Email must not be used to harass or threaten, or to send copyrighted material to others without permission. Spam is unsolicited junk email, usually sent in bulk. To reduce it, do not publish your email address on websites, do not reply to spam, use a spam filter and give your address only to trusted sites. Do not open attachments or follow links in unexpected emails, because they may contain malware or lead to phishing sites.

Worked example: choosing To, Cc and Bcc

A head of year, Mr Okoro, must send a trip reminder to 45 parents and wants the deputy head to be informed.

• To: himself (or the school office address).
• Cc: the deputy head, who needs to see the message and can be seen by everyone.
• Bcc: the 45 parents, so that their addresses are not revealed to each other.
• Subject: “Reminder: Year 9 museum trip, Thursday 14 May”.
• Attachment: a permission form saved as a PDF of small size.

Reasoning: using Bcc for parents protects their privacy, so that a reply-all does not spread personal addresses. Using Cc for the deputy head keeps them informed openly. If a question asks for a mistake, sending to all 45 in the To field would show everyone’s address.

Comparing email with other methods

Advantages: fast, cheap, a written record, attachments, can be read at any time. Disadvantages: may be ignored or misunderstood without tone of voice, attachments may carry malware, spam, and the need for equipment and internet access.

10.2 Effective use of the internet

The internet is the worldwide network of networks; the World Wide Web is the collection of web pages accessed through it using a web browser. Web pages have addresses called URLs (uniform resource locators). A URL commonly has a protocol (https), a domain name (the website) and a path or file name.

Searching effectively

A search engine finds web pages that match the words you enter. To search well:

• Choose specific keywords rather than a whole question.
• Use quotation marks to search for an exact phrase.
• Use AND to require both terms, OR to find either, and NOT to exclude a term. For example, solar AND panels NOT toys finds pages with both words but not the word toys.
• Use advanced search options such as date, file type or language.
• Look beyond the first results and refine the search if the first attempt gives poor results.
• Use bookmarks or favourites to save useful pages, and the browser history to find pages you have visited.

Evaluating the reliability of information

Information on the internet is not controlled, so it needs checking. Questions to ask:

• Who wrote it, and are they an expert? Is the organisation known and trusted?
• When was it published or updated?
• Is the content biased, trying to sell something or push an opinion?
• Is it supported by evidence and does it agree with other reliable sources?
• Is the website professional, free of obvious errors and with contact details?

Domain endings can give hints (for example, government or educational sites are often trusted) but are not proof. A wiki or a forum can be edited by anyone, and is generally less reliable than a published source with a named expert author.

Worked example: refine a search

A student wants information about how many hours of sleep teenagers need, but a search for sleep returns millions of results about mattresses and songs. A better strategy:

1. Use the keywords teenagers sleep hours recommended.
2. Add quotation marks around "hours of sleep" for an exact phrase.
3. Add NOT mattress to remove irrelevant pages.
4. Check the source of the first result: a national health organisation, last updated this year, with references. This is more reliable than an anonymous blog.

Advantages and disadvantages of the internet

Advantages: a huge amount of information, quick, up to date and available at any time, with multimedia. Disadvantages: unreliable or biased content, inappropriate material, too much information to sort, and the dangers of malware and fraud. Always answer with both sides if asked to discuss.

Common mistakes

• Using Cc when the question needs Bcc to hide addresses.
• Writing a subject line that is blank or vague, such as “Hi”.
• Saying that Google is the internet. A search engine is one service used on the web.
• Treating the first search result as reliable.
• Saying that .com or .org addresses are always reliable.
• Using AND, OR and NOT incorrectly. AND narrows a search; OR widens it.

Exam technique

When asked to describe a method of improving search results, name the technique and say what it does to the results. For evaluate the reliability, give two or three criteria, apply them to the source in the question, and give a judgement. In practical email tasks, check the recipients, subject, attachment and body before sending, and make sure each address is typed exactly as given.

Check your understanding

1. State the difference between Cc and Bcc. Cc recipients are visible to all; Bcc recipients are hidden from the others.
2. Give two rules of netiquette. Use polite language and a clear subject; do not write in capitals.
3. What is spam, and give one way to reduce it? Unsolicited bulk email; use a spam filter or do not publish your address.
4. What does the search cats AND dogs return? Pages that contain both words.
5. Write a search to find pages on volcanoes but not about video games. volcanoes NOT “video games”.
6. Give two checks for the reliability of a website. Author’s expertise and date of publication; or whether it is biased.
7. Why is a wiki less reliable than a textbook? Anyone can edit it, so content may not be checked by an expert.
8. State one disadvantage of email compared with a phone call. Tone is lost and a reply may be delayed.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between Cc and Bcc in an email? In Cambridge IGCSE ICT (0417), Cc recipients can be seen by everyone who receives the email, while Bcc recipients are hidden from the other recipients. Use Bcc when emailing a large group so their addresses are not revealed.

What is netiquette? Netiquette is the set of accepted rules of polite behaviour online, such as using a meaningful subject line, being polite and brief, not writing in capital letters, checking spelling and not copying people in unnecessarily.

What is the difference between the internet and the World Wide Web? The internet is the worldwide network of networks, while the World Wide Web is the collection of web pages accessed through it using a web browser.

How do AND, OR and NOT change a search? AND narrows a search to pages containing both terms, OR widens it to pages containing either term, and NOT excludes pages containing a term. Quotation marks search for an exact phrase.