OCR GCSE Computer Science (J277) · Computer systems (Paper 1) › Networks, connections and protocols › Networks and topologies
Practise Star and mesh topologies. 12 exam-style questions plus unlimited generated ones on this subtopic, at up to four difficulty levels, with full mark schemes and a progress tracker. Free, no account needed.
Written for this site in the style of OCR exam questions. They are not taken from real past papers.
Question 1Easy3 marks
(a) Which topology connects every device to a central switch? Tick (✓) one box.[1]
Full mesh
Partial mesh
Peer-to-peer
Star
(b) State one advantage of a star topology.[1]
(c) State one disadvantage of a full mesh topology.[1]
Show the answer and mark scheme
(a)Answer: Star
(b)
if one cable fails only that device is affected / it is easy to add new devices / good performance because the switch sends data only to the intended device
(c)
expensive / a lot of cabling is needed / complex to set up and manage
Question 2Medium4 marks
Describe two advantages of a star topology.[4]
Show the answer and mark scheme
reliable
if one cable / device fails, only that device loses its connection
easy to add or remove devices
without disrupting the rest of the network
good performance
the switch sends data only to the intended device, so there are fewer collisions
easy to find faults
because each device has its own cable to the switch
Question 3Hard6 marks
A factory is installing a network to connect its computers and the sensors on its production line. If the network stops working, production has to stop.
Evaluate the use of a star topology and a mesh topology for the factory's network, and recommend which topology the factory should use.[6]
Show the answer and mark scheme
mesh: there are several routes between devices, so there is no single point of failure
mesh: if a cable or device fails, data is sent along another route, so production can continue
mesh: needs far more cables / connections (in a full mesh), so it is expensive and complex to install and manage (a wireless mesh reduces the cabling)
star: cheaper and simpler, with one cable from each device to the central switch
star: a failed cable only affects one sensor or computer, and faults are easy to find
star: if the central switch fails, the whole network stops, so production stops
star: good performance, because the switch sends data only to the device it is meant for
recommends a (partial) mesh, justified by the cost of production stopping being greater than the extra cost of the network