Circuit switching may be used as a method of data transmission. State two benefits and two drawbacks of circuit switching. Benefit 1 Benefit 2 Drawback 1 Drawback 2

Mark scheme

Marking points from the official mark scheme (May/June 2025). The mark or mark type is shown in brackets.

1. MP1 Suitable for long continuous transmission once the connection is made, it is available until the end of the transmission
2. MP2 No time lost in resending/rearranging packets as no loss of packets or out of order packets
3. MP3 Steady/high rate of transmission because the whole of the bandwidth is available
4. MP4 Data loss unlikely as all data follows the same path
5. MP5 Delays due to dedicated connection required to be set up/established before transmission can begin
6. MP6 The dedicated connection cannot be used to transmit any other data
7. MP7 System resources may be underutilised/inefficient/not very flexible because the bandwidth can't be shared/high bandwidth is required // Bandwidth may be wasted // May send empty frames // the circuit is always there whether or not used
8. MP8 There are no alternative routes if there is a failure or fault on the line
9. MP9 Reduced security due to use of single path
10. MP10 Scalability is difficult