Latency is the delay between data being sent and received. A player of online games uses a wired Ethernet connection instead of a wireless connection.
Explain one reason why the wired connection can have a lower latency.
Mark scheme
Award up to two marks for a linked explanation such as:
- The cable provides a direct physical path to the switch/router (1) so data does not have to travel through the air where it can be delayed by obstacles such as walls (1)
- The cable is not shared with other wireless devices (1) so data does not have to wait for a free channel before it is sent (1)
- The data travels straight along the cable to the switch (1) so the time taken for it to reach its destination is short (1)
For both marks, the expansion must follow/associate with the statement.
Do not accept 'the wired connection is faster' on its own without saying why the delay between sending and receiving is shorter.
Do not accept a definition of latency without a reason.
Example answers and how they were marked
The cable gives the computer a direct physical path to the switch, so the data does not have to travel through the air where it could be delayed by obstacles.
Why: Gives the point of a direct physical path (1) and links it to data not being delayed by obstacles in the air (1).
The wired connection gives a direct path, so it is quicker.
Why: Gives the point about the direct path (1) but 'quicker' only restates lower latency and does not explain why the delay is shorter.
Wired connections have lower latency because the internet speed is faster.
Why: Confuses speed with latency; no reason is given for a shorter delay, and 'faster' on its own is not accepted.