Types of network LAN (Local Area Network) WAN (Wide Area Network)

The idea

A network links devices so they can share data and resources. A LAN covers a small geographical area such as one school, office or home, and the hardware is usually owned and managed by the organisation. A WAN covers a large geographical area, often connecting LANs across towns, countries or continents; the communication infrastructure is usually owned by third parties such as telecom companies. The internet is the largest WAN. A school with computers in several rooms linked by its own switches and cabling is a LAN; the same school connecting to a branch in another city through leased lines forms a WAN. Performance depends on the type chosen, so identifying LAN or WAN helps explain bandwidth, ownership and cost.

What earns the marks

• States that a LAN covers a small geographical area, such as a single building, school or home.
• States that a WAN covers a large geographical area, such as multiple sites, countries or continents.
• Explains that LAN hardware is typically owned and managed by the organisation, whereas WAN infrastructure is usually owned by third parties such as telecom providers.
• Uses a correct example, such as a home or school network for a LAN and the internet or a bank's national branch network for a WAN.
• Compares the two types by scale, ownership, transmission media or typical connection speed rather than describing only one.
• Recognises that a WAN can connect multiple LANs together, for example a company linking its offices in different cities.

Common mistakes and how to put them right

• Saying a WAN is simply a faster or bigger LAN.

  Put it right: The key distinction is geographical scale and ownership of the communication infrastructure, not speed alone.

• Claiming the internet is a LAN.

  Put it right: The internet is the largest example of a WAN because it spans the globe and uses infrastructure owned by many providers.

• Assuming all LANs are wireless.

  Put it right: A LAN may use wired media such as Ethernet cables, wireless media such as Wi-Fi, or a combination of both.

Exam tips

• Define each term in one precise sentence before adding an example, so the examiner can see the key idea immediately.
• When asked to compare, write about both types in the same sentence or paragraph, for example 'a LAN covers a small area whereas a WAN covers a large area'.
• Use a named context such as a school LAN or a supermarket chain WAN to make the example concrete and creditworthy.