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Year 10
AQA

Variables and constants in programs

I can apply appropriate naming conventions and explain the differences between variables and constants.

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New
New
Year 10
AQA

Variables and constants in programs

I can apply appropriate naming conventions and explain the differences between variables and constants.

Download all resources
Share activities with pupils

Link copied to clipboard

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Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. Naming conventions improve code readability and maintainability.
  2. A variable is a named piece of data stored in a computer’s memory.
  3. A variable can be accessed and changed by a computer program.
  4. Variables must be declared and assigned values in a program.
  5. Constants hold fixed values that do not change throughout the running of the program.

Keywords

  • Variable - a named piece of data stored in a computer’s memory which can be accessed and changed by a computer program

  • Declaration - the process of stating the name of a variable or constant and defining its data type

  • Initialisation - assigning a starting value to a variable to let the compiler know that a memory location is required

  • Constant - a value that cannot be changed during the execution of a program

Common misconception

You can define a constant in any programming language.

Python does not have constants. But if you want a value to be treated as a constant, it's a common naming convention for the identifier to be written in capital letters.


To help you plan your year 10 computer science lesson on: Variables and constants in programs, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...

Demonstrate the use of constants in a programming language that supports them. Pupils should see how constants cannot be changed once initially assigned.
Teacher tip

Equipment

Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2025), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

Lesson video

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Starter quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
What does IDE stand for?
Intelligent Debugging Engine
Internal Data Exchange
Interactive Design Editor
Correct answer: Integrated Development Environment
Q2.
Match the terms to their definitions:
Correct Answer:input,data sent to a program to be processed

data sent to a program to be processed

Correct Answer:output,information produced by a computer system

information produced by a computer system

Correct Answer:IDE,an application that facilitates the writing and running of programs

an application that facilitates the writing and running of programs

Q3.
What feature uses colours to distinguish code elements?
Correct Answer: Syntax highlighting
Q4.
What Python function is used to receive data from the user during program execution?
Correct Answer: input()
Q5.
What Python function is used to display output to the user during program execution?
Correct Answer: print()
Q6.
What is the primary purpose of output devices?
to send data to the computer
Correct answer: to display or produce information from the computer
to store data
to process data

Exit quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
What is a variable?
a piece of data that cannot be changed
a type of constant used in programs
a value that always remains fixed
Correct answer: a named piece of data stored in memory that can be accessed and changed
Q2.
What is a constant?
Correct answer: a value that cannot be changed during the execution of a program
a type of variable
a naming convention for variables
a temporary value stored in a program
Q3.
What is the purpose of naming conventions?
to make the code run faster
to reduce memory usage
Correct answer: to improve code readability and maintainability
to avoid using variables
Q4.
What is initialisation in programming?
declaring a variable as a specific data type
Correct answer: assigning an initial value to a variable
assigning a value to a constant
using a variable without declaring it
Q5.
Is it possible to define a constant in Python?
Yes, Python has built-in constants.
Yes, constants can be declared using a specific keyword.
Correct answer: No, Python does not allow the use of constants.
Q6.
What variable name would be commonly used to store a first name in Python?
Correct Answer: first_name