Practical Programming Skills - GCSE Computers
Assessment of Practical Programming Skills: Component 2
All programming code given in examination papers will be presented using the OCR Exam Reference Language.
Section A
Section A assesses a student’s ability to structure answers logically without a focus on syntactic precision. Students have flexibility and choice in how they present their answer.
The following table shows how we will set our questions within this section, and how students must respond.
Section A Questions & Responses
| Questions asked in: | Students respond using: |
|---|---|
| Natural English OCR Exam Reference Language Flowcharts | • Pseudocode • Flowcharts • Bullet points • OCR Exam Reference Language or a high-level programming language • Natural English |
Section B
Section B assesses a student’s ability to design, write, test and refine programs. The following table shows how we will set our questions within this section, and how students must respond.
Section B Question Focus & Expectations
| Question focus | Questions asked in: | Students respond using: |
|---|---|---|
| Design | Natural English | • Pseudocode • Flowcharts • Tick-box responses • Natural English |
| Write | Pseudocode Natural English Flowcharts | • OCR Exam Reference Language • A high-level programming language |
| Test | OCR Exam Reference Language | • Trace tables • Creating test plans • Identifying suitable test data |
| Refine | OCR Exam Reference Language | • OCR Exam Reference Language • A high-level programming language • Natural English |
Precision & Syntax Guidelines
Where a response requires an answer in OCR Exam Reference Language or a high-level programming language, a student's level of precision will be assessed. These questions are designed to test both a student's programming logic and understanding of core programming structures. Answers written in pseudocode, natural English or bullet points will not be awarded marks.
Responses in OCR Exam Reference Language or a high-level programming language test a student's ability to form an answer using precise programming commands but we will avoid penalising them for minor errors in syntax. This reflects real-life scenarios, where often minor errors would have been flagged within their development environment.