Programming

What Programming covers

Programming is examined in Paper 1, Computational thinking and programming skills. It covers data types, variables, constants and assignment, sequence, selection and iteration, arithmetic, relational and Boolean operators, arrays and records, input, output, string handling and random numbers, subroutines and structured programming and validation, authentication and testing.

The 8 subtopics

Each one has its own page.

• Data typesInteger, real, Boolean, character and string, choosing the right type for a phone number, a price or a grade, and why 7 + 3 and '7' + '3' give different results.Open →
• Variables, constants and assignmentVariables, constants and declaration, assignment with the arrow, tracing a few lines of assignments, the difference between ← and =, and choosing meaningful identifier names.Open →
• Sequence, selection and iterationThe three basic constructs, definite and indefinite iteration, WHILE, REPEAT…UNTIL and DO…WHILE loops, nested loops and nested selection, and the output of short loops.Open →
• Arithmetic, relational and Boolean operatorsReal division, DIV and MOD with worked examples, the order of operations, the six relational operators, and AND, OR and NOT in conditions such as a mark between 1 and 10.Open →
• Arrays and recordsOne- and two-dimensional arrays indexed from zero, reading and changing items, totalling an array with a loop, record data structures and their fields, and arrays of records.Open →
• Input, output, string handling and random numbersUSERINPUT and OUTPUT, LEN, POSITION and SUBSTRING, concatenation, character codes, converting between strings and numbers, and generating random whole numbers with RANDOM_INT.Open →
• Subroutines and structured programmingProcedures and functions, parameters and return values, local variables, clear interfaces, and why subroutines and the structured approach make programs easier to write, share and debug.Open →
• Validation, authentication and testingRange, length and presence checks, looping until input is valid, simple authentication routines, normal, boundary and erroneous test data, and telling syntax errors from logic errors.Open →

What you need to know

Answer each one before you reveal it.

Take Programming further

The same content, four other ways.

Commonly confused

Pairs that lose marks when they are blurred together.

• Variable vs Constant

  Variable: a named store whose value can change while a program runs. Constant: a named value that stays fixed for the whole time a program runs.

• Definite iteration vs Indefinite iteration

  Definite iteration: repeating a block a fixed number of times known in advance. Indefinite iteration: repeating a block until some condition is met.

• Procedure vs Function

  Procedure: a named block of code that carries out a task without sending anything back. Function: a named block of code that sends a value back to the code that called it.

Questions from this topic

Each one with the model answer underneath.

1. 1

   What is a data type?

   Model answer

   A data type sets the kind of value a variable can hold. The data type also decides which operations can be carried out on that value.

2. 2

   What is the integer data type?

   Model answer

   An integer is a whole number with no fractional part. Integers can be positive, negative or zero, such as 42, 0 and −7.

3. 3

   What is the real data type?

   Model answer

   A real is a number that can have a fractional part, such as 3.75 or −0.5. Some languages call a real a float.

4. 4

   What is the Boolean data type?

   Model answer

   A Boolean holds only one of two values, True or False. Booleans are used in conditions and to record whether something has happened.

5. 5

   What is the character data type?

   Model answer

   A character is a single letter, digit, symbol or space. Examples of characters are 'A', '7' and '#'.

6. 6

   What is the string data type?

   Model answer

   A string is a sequence of characters, such as a name or a sentence. A string can also be empty, holding no characters at all.

What is inside Levo

Six ways to work the same material.

Programming revision questions

What does Programming cover in AQA GCSE Computer Science?

8 subtopics: data types, variables, constants and assignment, sequence, selection and iteration, arithmetic, relational and boolean operators, arrays and records, input, output, string handling and random numbers, subroutines and structured programming and validation, authentication and testing. Each one has its own page with questions and model answers.

How is Programming organised?

By the AQA 8525 specification, subtopic by subtopic, so it matches the order you are taught it in.