Programming

8.1 Programming concepts

Candidates should be able to:

1. Declare and use variables and constants

2. Understand and use the basic data types

Note and guidance

• Including:
  • integer
  • real
  • char
  • string
  • Boolean

3. Understand and use input and output

Note and guidance

4. • Understand and use the concept of sequence
   • Understand and use the concept of selection
   • Understand and use the concept of iteration
   • Understand and use the concepts of totalling and counting
   • Understand and use the concept of string handling
   • Understand and use arithmetic, logical and Boolean operators

Note and guidance

• Including:
  • IF statements
  • CASE statements
• Including:
  • count-controlled loops
  • pre-condition loops
  • post-condition loops
• Including:
  • length
  • substring
  • upper
  • lower
• The first character of the string can be position zero or one
• Arithmetic, limited to:
  • +
  • –
  • /
  • *
  • ^ (raised to power of)
  • MOD
  • DIV
• Logical, limited to:
  • =
  • <
  • <=
  • >
  • >=
  • <> (not equal to)
• Boolean, limited to:
  • AND
  • OR
  • NOT

5. Understand and use nested statements

Note and guidance

• Including nested selection and iteration
• Candidates will not be required to write more than three levels of nested statements

6. • Understand what is meant by procedures, functions and parameters
   • Define and use procedures and functions, with or without parameters
   • Understand and use local and global variables

Note and guidance

• Procedures and functions may have up to two parameters

7. Understand and use library routines

Note and guidance

• Including:
  • MOD
  • DIV
  • ROUND
  • RANDOM

8. Understand how to create a maintainable program

Note and guidance

• Including appropriate use of:
  • meaningful identifiers
  • the commenting feature provided by the programming language
  • procedures and functions
  • relevant and appropriate commenting of syntax
• Use meaningful identifiers for:
  • variables
  • constants
  • arrays
  • procedures and functions

8.2 Arrays

Candidates should be able to:

1. Declare and use one-dimensional (1D) and two-dimensional (2D) arrays

2. Understand the use of arrays

Note and guidance

• Including the use of variables as indexes in arrays
• The first index can be zero or one

3. Write values into and read values from an array using iteration

Note and guidance

• Including nested iteration

8.3 File handling

Candidates should be able to:

1. Understand the purpose of storing data in a file to be used by a program

2. Open, close and use a file for reading and writing

Note and guidance

• Including:
  • read and write single items of data
  • read and write a line of text