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Lesson 4 of 9
  • Year 11
  • AQA

Project design

I can create a structured design for a programming project.

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View unit
Lesson 4 of 9
New
New
  • Year 11
  • AQA

Project design

I can create a structured design for a programming project.

Download all resources
Share activities with pupils

These resources will be removed by end of Summer Term 2025.

Switch to our new teaching resources now - designed by teachers and leading subject experts, and tested in classrooms.

These resources were created for remote use during the pandemic and are not designed for classroom teaching.

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Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. Structured design is the process of planning a program in detail before you start to write any code.
  2. This design stage is essential for developers to understand the program's requirements and how it will function.
  3. Tools like flowcharts provide a visual representation of a program's logic.
  4. Pseudocode offers a text-based, step-by-step description of a program's operation.
  5. Designing a program this way helps to prevent mistakes, saves time and makes final code easier to write and understand.

Keywords

  • Flowchart - a diagram that uses symbols to document the logic of an algorithm

  • Pseudocode - a way of expressing an algorithm that is independent of a specific programming language

Common misconception

Pseudocode can be executed by a computer.

Pseudocode cannot be executed by a computer. Pseudocode must be translated into a real programming language such as Python, Java or C# for it to be executed by a computer.


To help you plan your year 11 computer science lesson on: Project design, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...

Pseudocode is provided as sample responses in this lesson; pupils may have developed their own versions of pseudocode which look different from the sample answer, but the logic of the presented program should be the same.
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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Prior knowledge starter quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
Which of the following best describes "modularity" in software design?

writing code that only runs once
using only one type of programming language
saving files in different folders
Correct answer: breaking a program into independent units

Q2.
Why is "readability" important in programming?

it uses less memory
it makes code run faster
Correct answer: it helps others understand and work with your code
it prevents any errors from occurring

Q3.
Match each keyword with its correct description:

Correct Answer:modularity,dividing software into independent sections

dividing software into independent sections

Correct Answer:abstraction,focusing on key aspects and ignoring less important details

focusing on key aspects and ignoring less important details

Correct Answer:readability,ensuring code is simple to understand

ensuring code is simple to understand

Correct Answer:maintainability,making code easy to change and update

making code easy to change and update

Q4.
Which of these is NOT a benefit of modularity?

easier code management
improved teamwork
Correct answer: more difficult debugging
reusable code

Q5.
Why is abstraction useful in large projects?

Correct answer: it lets programmers focus on key ideas without distraction
it hides all the details from everyone
it makes projects longer
it increases confusion

Q6.
Put these steps for planning a new software project in the correct order:

1 - identify the main problem
2 - break the problem into modules
3 - decide how modules will interact
4 - assign tasks to team members

Assessment exit quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
What is the main purpose of structured design in programming?

to plan a program in detail before coding
to test software after it is finished
Correct answer: to plan a program in detail before coding
to choose a programming language

Q2.
Which tool provides a visual representation of a program's logic?

Correct Answer: flowchart, flow chart

Q3.
Why is it helpful to use structured design before writing code?

it makes the code run faster
it increases the program size
it reduces the number of team members needed
Correct answer: it prevents mistakes and saves time

Q4.
What must happen before pseudocode can be executed by a computer?

it must be printed out
it must be saved as a text file
it must be drawn as a flowchart
Correct answer: it must be translated into a real programming language

Q5.
Match each term to its correct description:

Correct Answer:flowchart,diagram that uses shapes to represent the logic of an algorithm

diagram that uses shapes to represent the logic of an algorithm

Correct Answer:arrows,used to connect and show the direction of flow between steps

used to connect and show the direction of flow between steps

Correct Answer:rectangle with two vertical lines symbol,represents a function or procedure in a flowchart

represents a function or procedure in a flowchart

Correct Answer:diamond symbol,represents a decision or branching point in a flowchart

represents a decision or branching point in a flowchart

Correct Answer:rectangle symbol,represents a process or instruction in a flowchart

represents a process or instruction in a flowchart

Q6.
Which of the following is a typical feature of pseudocode syntax?

uses curly brackets to define code blocks
Correct answer: written in plain language without strict rules
requires semicolons at the end of each line
follows the exact rules of Python