Paper 1 — the kinds of question you'll get

1. Reading code & predicting the output

You're shown a short algorithm and asked what it prints, or which line does a certain thing (where selection, iteration or assignment is first used).

How to approach it

• Be the computer: go one line at a time, top to bottom. Never skip ahead in your head.
• Watch DIV (whole-number division) and MOD (remainder) — the most common slip.
• When you output a string, write it without quotes — that's the AQA convention.
• Read > vs ≥ carefully, and remember "inclusive" means the boundary counts.

2. Trace tables

You fill in a grid showing how each variable changes as the program runs — one column per variable (and often an OUTPUT column).

How to approach it

• Add a new row each time a value changes; leave a cell blank if it didn't change.
• Track the loop condition — the moment it becomes false is the moment the loop stops. Don't do one loop too many.
• For REPEAT … UNTIL, the body always runs at least once (the check is at the bottom).
• In our quiz, trace tables are marked per column with the same leniency AQA uses — layout, repeated values, case and quotes don't matter, so focus on the values.

3. Short answers about code

Quick, closed questions: state the data type of a variable, name the data structure, give a better identifier, say what a line does.

How to approach it

• Know your data types: Integer, Real, Boolean, Character, String — and when each fits.
• Remember indexing starts at 0: the last position is LEN − 1, not LEN.
• Know the difference between an array (same type, by index) and a record (named fields, mixed types).

4. Finding & fixing errors

You're given code with a mistake and asked to identify the line and correct it, or to explain the difference between a syntax error and a logic error.

How to approach it

• Syntax error = broken grammar; the program won't run. Logic error = it runs but does the wrong thing.
• Trace the code to spot logic errors — they hide where the output is simply wrong, often an off-by-one or a wrong operator.

5. Writing & completing programs

The biggest questions: write a whole program or subroutine from a description, fill in the gaps in given code, or extend it. Answered in VB.NET.

How to approach it

• Break the task into: get the input(s) → do the logic → produce the output.
• Each side of AND/OR must be a full condition (letter = "A" OR letter = "B", not OR "B").
• Know when to output (show on screen) vs return (send a value back to the caller). Doing the wrong one loses the mark.
• Use the loop that fits: FOR (known count), WHILE (may run zero times), REPEAT (runs at least once).

In our quiz these are self-marked: you write your answer, then a model answer and mark scheme appear and you tick what you earned. Your self-marked score is kept separate from your verified score.