The guide asks about providers and services. The useful way to learn them is not what each one sells but what each one can see.
The chain between a request and an answer, and what each party in it can see.
Interactive diagram
Explore the labelled diagram, charts and maps for this topic in full study mode.
Free preview
This is the free notes preview
You're reading the free notes. Aimnova Pro unlocks the full study experience — and you can try it with your first topic free to keep:
- FlashcardsLock in vocabulary and key terms with spaced repetition.
- Practice questionsAnswer exam-style questions and get instant AI marking.
- Mock exams & past-paper vaultSit full mocks and see exactly how examiners award marks.
- Personalised study planA daily plan built around your exam date and weak areas.
Services beyond the connection itself
- Email accounts and web hosting.
- A phone line or mobile service on the same bill.
- Storage and backup.
- Domain names and the routing that makes them resolve.
- Filtering — blocking sites, whether by choice or by order.
A part a favourite: “Identify two services provided by an ISP other than access to the web” has appeared more than once. Learn three so you always have two.
Study smarter, not longer
Most students waste 40% of study time on topics they already know. Our AI tracks your progress and optimizes every minute.
Because everything passes through them, providers are where rules get enforced. Courts, governments and rights-holders all reach the internet through the same small set of companies.
| Who wants something done | What they ask the provider for | Who is affected |
|---|---|---|
| A court | Block a site, or reveal who used an address | One user, or everyone |
| A government | Throttle or shut off a region | Everyone in it |
| A rights-holder | Remove hosted material | Whoever posted it |
| The provider itself | Prioritise its own services | Competitors, and users |
Real-world examples you can name
Government internet shutdowns — tracked annually by Access Now since 2016
States order operators to suspend mobile data or the whole internet, usually during protests, elections or exams. India has recorded the most shutdowns of any country for several consecutive years.
Who it affected: Everyone in the affected region — including businesses, hospitals and students.
Australia's News Media Bargaining Code — passed February 2021
A law designed to make large platforms negotiate payment with news publishers for content that appears on their services. Facebook briefly blocked news for Australian users while it was being debated; the law passed in amended form and several deals followed.
Who it affected: News publishers, platform users, and regulators elsewhere who copied the model.
How this is tested — you have to name services and then judge what it means that so much passes through so few organizations. It comes up two ways:
Paper 1 — structured question
- Part a: identify services an ISP provides
- Part c: evaluate the power providers hold over what people reach
Paper 2 — source-based question
- Q2: explain what a source says a provider did
- Q4: synthesise sources on control of access
The trap: listing products: A list of services is AO1. The AO3 marks come from what follows: a provider is a chokepoint, and chokepoints are where rules land.
Identify two services provided by an internet service provider other than access to the World Wide Web.
Model answer plan
See the mark-by-mark plan — for / against / judgement, with marking guidance — in study mode.
Discuss the power internet service providers hold over what people can reach online.
Model answer plan
See the mark-by-mark plan — for / against / judgement, with marking guidance — in study mode.