New
New
Lesson 5 of 9
  • Year 11
  • AQA

Developing code for a programming project

I can develop and write code that meets functional requirements.

Lesson 5 of 9
New
New
  • Year 11
  • AQA

Developing code for a programming project

I can develop and write code that meets functional requirements.

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Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. Functional requirements define the specific actions or behaviours that a software system or application must perform.
  2. Functional requirements can be split into the inputs, processes and outputs of a program.
  3. Validation can be used to check that data is acceptable by comparing it against a set of criteria.
  4. A list is a dynamic data structure that can contain items of different data types.

Keywords

  • Functional requirements - defines the specific actions or behaviours that a software system or application must perform

  • Validation - checking that data is acceptable by comparing it against a set of criteria

  • List - a dynamic data structure that can contain items of different data types

Common misconception

The append() method will replace the existing contents of a list.

The append() method will add an item to the end of an existing list but it will not replace or overwrite any existing items in a list.


To help you plan your year 11 computer science lesson on: Developing code for a programming project, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...

This programming project is designed to come at the end of a sequence of programming units. It does include recap material on core requirements, but it would be useful if pupils had completed the units on sequence, selection and iteration before completing this lesson.
Teacher tip

Equipment

All pupils require access to devices that can edit and run Python programs.

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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Prior knowledge starter quiz

Download quiz pdf

6 Questions

Q1.
What is the main purpose of using a flowchart during program design?

to create colourful diagrams
Correct answer: to visually organise the logic and sequence of a program
to write code in a programming language
to list the hardware needed

Q2.
Which of the following best describes pseudocode?

a graphical tool
a programming language
a type of computer hardware
Correct answer: a way to express algorithms using everyday language and structure

Q3.
Why is structured design important before starting to write code?

Correct answer: It helps prevent mistakes and makes coding more efficient.
It adds unnecessary steps.
It ensures the program will run faster.
It is only used for large projects.

Q4.
In pseudocode, how are decisions typically shown?

Correct answer: with “If…then…else” statements
using curly brackets
by drawing arrows
using hashtags

Q5.
Arrange the following in the correct order for using a flowchart

1 - identify start point
2 - add process steps
3 - include decision points
4 - mark the end point

Q6.
Match each keyword to its correct description:

Correct Answer:flowchart,a diagram using symbols to show logic

a diagram using symbols to show logic

Correct Answer:pseudocode,step described in plain English

step described in plain English

Correct Answer:decision,point where a choice is made

point where a choice is made

Correct Answer:process,instruction or calculation in a sequence

instruction or calculation in a sequence

Assessment exit quiz

Download quiz pdf

6 Questions

Q1.
What are functional requirements in software development?

Correct answer: the specific actions a system must perform
the visual appearance of an application
the hardware needed for a project
the cost of the software

Q2.
What is the name for the process that checks whether input data meets certain criteria before it is accepted by a program?

Correct Answer: validation

Q3.
Match each example to the correct concept:

Correct Answer:input,user enters their username

user enters their username

Correct Answer:validation,program checks if the input is not empty

program checks if the input is not empty

Correct Answer:storage,program saves the username in a list

program saves the username in a list

Correct Answer:output,program displays a welcome message

program displays a welcome message

Q4.
What method would you use to add a new item to an existing list in Python?

Correct Answer: append()

Q5.
What happens if invalid data passes through a program without validation?

the data is automatically corrected
Correct answer: the program may behave unpredictably
the program becomes faster
the output is always accurate

Q6.
What type of data structure is a list?

only stores text
only stores numbers
fixed and unchangeable
Correct answer: dynamic and able to change size