SENG1050 Web Technologies

How SENG1050 is assessed

The four graded weights in the Canvas assessment overview total 100%: 20%, 15%, 25% and 40%. Two further pass conditions apply. The course FAQ requires attendance at 80% of labs to pass; check it on the course Canvas page. The exam review slides, prepared for the previous offering and linked from the Week 12 page, state that a student with an overall mark of 50% or more who scores below 40% on the compulsory exam receives a criterion fail (FF), with a capped supplementary assessment for those who scored at least 25%. The quiz FAQ still gives 12 September for the quiz, while the schedule places Week 7 in the week beginning 12 October, so confirm the date on Canvas. Exams cannot be extended; rescheduled sittings run from 15 to 19 December. Confirm every rule in the current course outline.

Current SENG1050 dates

Dates are as published in the Trimester 3 2026 Canvas weekly schedule and assessment FAQ pages. Confirm exact deadlines and submission settings in the live LMS.

What SENG1050 covers

Twelve chapters follow the weekly schedule: the Internet and its protocols, HTML, XML and DTDs, CSS, forms and layout, the client-server model with PHP, content management and XPath, JavaScript, website design and SEO, encoding and compression, encryption, and security, privacy and ethics.

It starts with how networks, switching and protocols such as TCP, IP, DNS and HTTP move data. HTML then gives a page structure, XML with a DTD separates data from that structure, and CSS separates design. Forms, tables and layout complete the client side before the course moves to the server: the client-server model, the Apache web server and PHP.

Content management, XPath and PHP templates show how a large site is generated from data, and JavaScript adds behaviour and form validation in the browser.

The later weeks

The final third turns from building sites to running them well. Website structure, design principles, accessibility and search engine optimisation shape how a site serves people and crawlers.

Encoding, parity, cyclic redundancy checks and compression, including Huffman coding, explain how data travels efficiently and reliably. Encryption, hashing, digital signatures and certificates protect it, and the last week covers security threats, privacy and ethics.

What it takes to pass

Beyond the four weighted tasks, two pass conditions apply.

You must attend at least 80% of the labs, a rule set out on the course Canvas page, and the exam review slides set a minimum of 40% on the final exam for anyone who wants to pass the course.

Confirm both in the current course outline before the exam period.

How this guide is organised

The guide has one chapter per weekly topic, in schedule order, followed by a practice bank shaped like the three sections of the final exam and an exam-morning checklist.

Every worked example and practice question is original, written to match the question types the course uses without reproducing any lab, quiz or past paper.

SENG1050 cheatsheet for the final exam

AskSia publishes a free SENG1050 cheatsheet for the final exam, a memory aid cheat sheet that follows the official permitted-materials rule for this assessment and condenses the topics in this guide.

Open the SENG1050 cheatsheet.

Worked example · free

Huffman-encode a word and find the compression amount

Key terms

Internet

The Internet is a global network of networks that joins otherwise incompatible networks through shared standards.

Protocol

A protocol is an agreed rulebook that devices follow to exchange data, built into hardware, software or both.

HTTP

HTTP is the protocol browsers and servers use to request and return web resources.

HTML element

An HTML element is a start tag, its content and an end tag that together mark up part of a page.

XML

XML is a markup language for storing and transporting data in tags that the author defines.

DTD

A DTD defines the elements, nesting and attributes that a valid XML document may use.

CSS specificity

CSS specificity decides which rule wins a conflict by counting IDs, then classes, then element types.

Web server

A web server hosts sites and answers HTTP requests, usually on port 80 or 443.

PHP

PHP is a server-side scripting language whose output becomes the body of the HTTP response.

XPath

XPath is a path language for selecting nodes and attributes in an XML document.

Document object model

The document object model represents a web page as objects that JavaScript can read and change.

Huffman coding

Huffman coding gives frequent symbols shorter binary codes using a tree built from their frequencies.

Cyclic redundancy check

A cyclic redundancy check detects transmission errors using the remainder of a modulo-2 division.

Digital signature

A digital signature is a message digest encrypted with the sender's private key, proving origin and integrity.

SENG1050 FAQ

Questions students ask in each SENG1050 chapter

What is the difference between routing and forwarding?

Routing is the work of choosing a path from source to destination, done by an algorithm that builds the router's table. Forwarding is the local step of moving one arriving packet to the correct output, using its header and that table. Answers that merge the two lose marks. Chapter 01 · The Internet, Networks and Protocols

Why must HTML pass a validator if it already looks right?

Browsers repair broken markup in different ways, so a page that looks correct in one browser can fail in another or confuse a crawler. The course treats validation as part of correctness, and assignment pages that fail it lose marks, so fix the first reported error and validate again. Chapter 02 · URIs and HTML Document Structure

What is the difference between a well-formed and a valid XML document?

A well-formed document follows the syntax rules: one root, every element closed, correct nesting, quoted attribute values and case-consistent names. A valid document is well-formed and also matches its DTD, so the right elements appear in the right order with the right attributes. Chapter 03 · XML Documents, Parsing and DTD Validation

Which wins, an ID selector or several classes?

The ID wins. Specificity compares IDs first, and only when the ID counts are equal does it look at classes, then element types. One ID outranks any number of classes, and if two selectors tie in every column the rule applied last takes effect. Chapter 04 · CSS Selectors, Properties and the Box Model

When should a form use GET and when POST?

GET appends the data to the URL as name and value pairs, so it suits searches and filters that may be bookmarked or shared, but never passwords or other sensitive data. POST sends the data in the request body, with no practical size limit, and suits logins, payments and changes to stored data. Chapter 05 · HTML Forms, Tables and CSS Layout

How does a PHP script read what a form sent?

Each control's name attribute becomes a key in a built-in array: $_GET when the form used method get and $_POST when it used post. A field named price is read as $_POST["price"]; cast it with (float) or (int) before comparing or calculating. Chapter 06 · The Client-Server Model, Apache and PHP

What is the difference between the CMA and the CDA?

The content management application is the back end where authorised users create and edit content, usually behind an admin directory that should be renamed. The content delivery application is the public front end that compiles content into pages from templates, caches them and only reads data. Chapter 07 · Content Management, XPath and PHP Templates

How do I stop a form submitting when a field is empty?

Write a function that checks whether the field's value equals the empty string, shows an alert and returns false, and otherwise returns true. Call it with return, either from the submit button's onclick or from the form's onsubmit, but never from both. Chapter 08 · JavaScript, the DOM and Form Validation

What are the four accessibility principles?

Content must be perceivable, with text equivalents such as alt text; the interface must be operable, including by keyboard and without flashing content; content must be understandable and consistently organised; and the site must be robust enough for current and future user agents, including assistive technology. Chapter 09 · Website Structure, Design Principles and SEO

How is the compression amount calculated for a Huffman question?

Assume each character normally takes 8 bits, so the original size is the number of characters times 8. The compression amount is 1 minus the compressed bits divided by the original bits, which you can give as a fraction and a percentage. State which way round you write any ratio. Chapter 10 · Encoding, Error Checking and Compression

Why is a mono-alphabetic substitution cipher weak despite its huge key space?

Each letter always maps to the same symbol, so the ciphertext keeps the letter frequencies and patterns of the language. An attacker sorts the symbols by frequency and matches them to common letters such as e and t, without trying the keys one by one. Chapter 11 · Encryption, Data Integrity and Certificates

What is the difference between a virus and a worm?

A virus copies itself into other files and spreads only when its host file is run. A worm spreads from computer to computer on its own, with no host activation. Both are malware, but not all malware is a virus. Chapter 12 · Security, Privacy and Ethics

How to study for the exam

Work through the chapters in schedule order and, for each one, rewrite its code listings from memory on paper before checking them, because the final exam is handwritten. Keep a running error list of slips in syntax, such as a missing semicolon in PHP or a + that joins strings in JavaScript, and review it each week. Revise Weeks 1 to 5 together before the quiz, using the drills at the end of each chapter.

In the last fortnight, practise the CRC and Huffman methods on new strings every day, write at least one PHP form-processing script and one JavaScript function from a blank page, and answer one short theory question per chapter in full sentences. Draft the A4 memory aid by hand, then test it by sitting the practice bank under a 120-minute timer and adjusting the sheet where time ran out.

Your AI Computer Science tutor for SENG1050

Stuck on a hard SENG1050 question? Sia is AskSia’s AI Computer Science tutor — ask any SENG1050 Web Technologies question and get a clear, step-by-step explanation grounded in how the course is actually taught and assessed. Read this whole study guide free, then take your hardest questions to Sia.