Programming & Pseudocode Skills

This lesson focuses on the practical programming skills tested on AQA GCSE Computer Science Paper 1. You will learn the AQA pseudocode conventions, the Python syntax examiners expect, how to complete trace tables step by step, how marks are awarded for code writing questions, and how to approach the most common programming question types.

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AQA Pseudocode Conventions

AQA has its own pseudocode style that is used in exam questions. You must be able to read AQA pseudocode fluently, and you may choose to write your answers in pseudocode instead of Python. Here are the key conventions:

Input and Output

OUTPUT "Enter your name: "
name ← USERINPUT
OUTPUT "Hello, " + name

• OUTPUT displays text or values to the user
• USERINPUT reads input from the user
• The assignment operator is ← (left arrow)

Variables and Assignment

x ← 10
name ← "Alice"
isValid ← TRUE

• Variables do not need to be declared with a type
• Assignment uses ← (not = like Python)
• Boolean values are TRUE and FALSE (capitalised)

Selection (IF Statements)