IGCSE Information and Communication Technology (9–1) 0983 · Topic 21

Website authoring: past paper questions

6 real questionsasked in 4 of the last 10 exam series2020–2025usually: State, Describe, Identify, Explain

Real questions on website authoring

The newest 6 of 6 written questions. Open one to see it on the real paper.

0983/11 · October/November 2025 · Q11[2]
A student is creating a web page using HTML. She has coded the head section. State the purpose of the head section. Include in your answer one element found in the head section.
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0983/12 · May/June 2023 · Q10a[3]
A metatag can be used to define the viewport settings. Identify three other items that can be defined in metatags.
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0983/12 · May/June 2023 · Q10b[1]
Metatags are used in the HTML of web pages. State the section of the HTML which contains the metatags.
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0983/11 · October/November 2022 · Q13a[2]
Describe the function of a hyperlink.
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0983/11 · October/November 2022 · Q13c[2]
Describe the function of an anchor.
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0983/11 · October/November 2020 · Q4b[2]
Explain the purpose of the body section of HTML.
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What examiners said

For those candidates that understood the topic they could be awarded at least two marks for this part of the question others seemed to guess the answer. The Examiners in this series allowed two examples of the name attributes and this had an impact on the marks awarded.
— Examiner report, May/June 2023, 0983/12 Q10(a) (Cambridge)

This part was answered better than part (a) with many candidates stating that it was the head section, however some candidates wrote heading or header and therefore did not be awarded the mark.
— Examiner report, May/June 2023, 0983/12 Q10(b) (Cambridge)

Most candidates knew that a hyperlink would take you to another web page but not all candidates mentioned the need to click on it.
— Examiner report, October/November 2022, 0983/11 Q13(a) (Cambridge)

Practise this topic

Answer these questions online and get each one marked against the official mark scheme, with what you missed and how to fix it.

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In the syllabus

1 Web development layers

Content layer is used to enter the content and create the structure of a web page Presentation layer is used to display and format elements within a web page Behaviour layer is for a scripting language to control elements within a web page

2 0417.21.2.01 — Create the content layer of a web page Place appropriate elements in the head section of a web page including: • insert a page title to disp

Create the content layer of a web page Place appropriate elements in the head section of a web page including: • insert a page title to display in the browser • attach external stylesheets (with the correct hierarchy, using a relative file path) • metatags to use the appropriate attributes including to define the charset, name attributes (description, keywords, author, viewport), content attributes • default target windows Place appropriate content in the body section of a web page Insert a table including table header, table rows, table data Use appropriate table attributes to meet the needs of the audience including to adjust cells to span more than one row or column, to set table and cell sizes in terms of pixels or % values, to apply styles to tables Insert appropriate objects into a web page including text, images, sound clips, video (display controls, remove controls, autoplay), to adjust image or video size, aspect ratio and apply alternate text Use the <div> tag including to apply styles and classes Apply tags to text within a web page to display pre- defined styles including h1, h2, h3, p, li Apply classes to elements within a web page Apply styles to elements within a web page including to a list (ordered list, unordered list) Create a bookmark within a web page using an id attribute Create hyperlinks from text and images to: • bookmarks on the same page • other locally stored web pages • a website using the URL • send mail to a specified email address • to open in a specified location (the same window, a new window, with a window named as specified)
Purpose of the head and body sections of a web page The reason tables are used to structure elements within a web page Function of metatags including to define: the charset, keywords for search engines, the author of the web page, a description of the web page, the viewport (to make your web page display on all devices) Function of a hyperlink Concept of a bookmark including methods of creating a bookmark within a web page Function of an anchor Relative file path and absolute file path including the reason absolute file paths must not be used for hyperlinks to locally saved web pages/objects

3 0417.21.2.02 — Purpose of the head and body sections of a web page The reason tables are used to structure elements within a web page Function of metatags

Purpose of the head and body sections of a web page The reason tables are used to structure elements within a web page Function of metatags including to define: the charset, keywords for search engines, the author of the web page, a description of the web page, the viewport (to make your web page display on all devices) Function of a hyperlink Concept of a bookmark including methods of creating a bookmark within a web page Function of an anchor Relative file path and absolute file path including the reason absolute file paths must not be used for hyperlinks to locally saved web pages/objects

4 0417.21.3.01 — Create the presentation layer of a web page Create generic external styles and inline style attributes including: • background properties in

Create the presentation layer of a web page Create generic external styles and inline style attributes including: • background properties including colour, images • font properties • table, table row, table header and table data properties including size, background colour, horizontal and vertical alignment, spacing, padding, borders: including collapsed, colour, thickness, visible/invisible
Create classes including: • background properties including colour, images • font properties • table, table row and table data properties including size, background colour, horizontal and vertical alignment, spacing, padding, borders: including collapsed, colour, thickness, visible/invisible Create external styles to be tagged in a web page including h1, h2, h3, p, li Specify the font properties including font family, size, colour, alignment, bold, italic Attach comments to an external stylesheet Save styles in cascading stylesheet format
Characteristics of cascading stylesheets including the difference between attached stylesheets and inline style attributes, the hierarchy of multiple attached stylesheets and inline styles within a web page
Characteristics of a style and a class including the difference between them Reason relative file paths must be used for attached stylesheets

5 0417.21.3.02 — Create classes including: • background properties including colour, images • font properties • table, table row and table data properties in

Create classes including: • background properties including colour, images • font properties • table, table row and table data properties including size, background colour, horizontal and vertical alignment, spacing, padding, borders: including collapsed, colour, thickness, visible/invisible Create external styles to be tagged in a web page including h1, h2, h3, p, li Specify the font properties including font family, size, colour, alignment, bold, italic Attach comments to an external stylesheet Save styles in cascading stylesheet format

6 0417.21.3.03 — Characteristics of cascading stylesheets including the difference between attached stylesheets and inline style attributes, the hierarchy of

Characteristics of cascading stylesheets including the difference between attached stylesheets and inline style attributes, the hierarchy of multiple attached stylesheets and inline styles within a web page

7 0417.21.3.04 — Characteristics of a style and a class including the difference between them Reason relative file paths must be used for attached stylesheet

Characteristics of a style and a class including the difference between them Reason relative file paths must be used for attached stylesheets

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