← IGCSE Computer Science Paper 2

Comparison operators

Comparison operators compare two values and give TRUE or FALSE. = equal, <> not equal, < less than, > greater than, <= less than or equal, >= greater than or equal.

Part of: IGCSE Computer Science 0478 — 7d Standard Methods of Solution — Module 7

Understanding Comparison operators in IGCSE Computer Science Paper 2

What it does: In a condition, = compares the two values. It does not store a value (that is the job of ←). Use > when a new value must be bigger than the current one, as when finding a maximum. If Mark equals Max, the result is FALSE. Cambridge 0478 pseudocode uses <> for not equal. != is used in languages like Python, but not in the Cambridge pseudocode. The >= operator means greater than or equal to. 50 is equal to 50, so the condition is TRUE. In Cambridge pseudocode a single = tests equality inside a condition. The double == is not part of the pseudocode.

Common mistakes: The operator for 'greater than or equal to' is >=, with > first then =. => is not a valid comparison operator. It should be IF Age >= 18 THEN. A score of 50 with a pass mark of 40 is a pass, so the test must be 'greater than or equal to'. <= is the wrong way round. It should be IF Score >= Pass THEN.

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This module's key terms are also in a printable crossword (Modules 265–274) and word search (Modules 254–274).

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Learning

Duo

Which operator means 'not equal to' in Cambridge pseudocode?

<>!=

Matches

IF Count => 10 THEN

↓

The operator is written the wrong way round. It should be >= (greater than or equal to), not =>.

Applying

Meanings

Term

=, <>, <, >, <=, >=

Meaning

Comparison operators compare two values and give TRUE or FALSE. = equal, <> not equal, < less than, > greater than, <= less than or equal, >= greater than or equal.

Practice

Mark ← 65

Testing

Gaps

IF Password "abc123" THEN

Check Answer

Spots

1IF Age => 18 THEN

2 OUTPUT "Adult"

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Quick Questions

1. Which operator means 'not equal to' in Cambridge pseudocode?

A. !=

B. <> ✓

Cambridge 0478 pseudocode uses <> for not equal. != is used in languages like Python, but not in the Cambridge pseudocode.

2. Mark ← 50. What does the condition Mark >= 50 give?

A. TRUE ✓

B. FALSE

The >= operator means greater than or equal to. 50 is equal to 50, so the condition is TRUE.

3. Mark ← 50. What does the condition Mark > 50 give?

A. FALSE ✓

B. TRUE

The > operator means strictly greater than. 50 is not greater than 50, so the condition is FALSE.

4. Which line correctly tests whether Age is equal to 16 in a condition?

A. IF Age == 16 THEN

B. IF Age = 16 THEN ✓

In Cambridge pseudocode a single = tests equality inside a condition. The double == is not part of the pseudocode.

5. What type of value does a comparison such as Score < 40 give?

A. TRUE or FALSE ✓

B. A number

Every comparison operator compares two values and gives a Boolean result: TRUE or FALSE.

Match the Pairs

Score <> 0 → TRUE when Score is not equal to 0, FALSE when Score is 0

Age >= 16 → TRUE when Age is 16 or more, including exactly 16

A single = in a condition tests whether two values are equal and gives TRUE or FALSE → IF Password = "abc123" THEN

> is strictly greater than, so a value equal to the limit gives FALSE → IF Mark > Max THEN

IF Count => 10 THEN → The operator is written the wrong way round. It should be >= (greater than or equal to), not =>.

IF Number != 5 THEN → != is not a pseudocode operator. 'Not equal to' is written <>.

Key Term

=, <>, <, >, <=, >=

Comparison operators compare two values and give TRUE or FALSE. = equal, <> not equal, < less than, > greater than, <= less than or equal, >= greater than or equal.

Fill in the Blanks

1. IF Password = "abc123" THEN OUTPUT "Welcome" ENDIF

Hint: Type the operator that tests whether two values are equal.

2. IF Answer <> "yes" THEN OUTPUT "Try again" ENDIF

Hint: Type the operator that is TRUE when the two values are different.

3. IF Age >= 16 THEN OUTPUT "Allowed" ENDIF

Hint: Type the operator meaning greater than or equal to, so a person aged exactly 16 passes.

4. WHILE Lives > 0 DO Lives ← Lives - 1 ENDWHILE

Hint: Type the operator for strictly greater than, so the loop stops when the value reaches zero.

5. Mark ← 39 Fail ← Mark <= 39 OUTPUT Fail

Hint: Type the operator meaning less than or equal to, so the boundary value gives TRUE.

Spot the Error

Question 1

A IF Age => 18 THEN

B OUTPUT "Adult"

C ENDIF

Line A — The operator for 'greater than or equal to' is >=, with > first then =. => is not a valid comparison operator. It should be IF Age >= 18 THEN.

Question 2

A Score ← 50

B Pass ← 40

C IF Score <= Pass THEN

D OUTPUT "Pass"

E ENDIF

Line C — A score of 50 with a pass mark of 40 is a pass, so the test must be 'greater than or equal to'. <= is the wrong way round. It should be IF Score >= Pass THEN.

Question 3

A INPUT Guess

B IF Guess == 7 THEN

C OUTPUT "Correct"

D ENDIF

Line B — Cambridge pseudocode tests equality with a single =. == is used in some other languages but is not pseudocode. It should be IF Guess = 7 THEN.

Question 4

A INPUT Age

B Vote ← FALSE

C IF Age > 18 THEN

D Vote ← TRUE

E ENDIF

Line C — A person aged exactly 18 can vote, but > 18 would give FALSE for 18. Use >= to include the boundary value. It should be IF Age >= 18 THEN.

Question 5

A INPUT Name

B IF Name = Ava THEN

C OUTPUT "Hello Ava"

D ENDIF

Line B — Text being compared must be written in double quotes. Without them, Ava looks like a variable name. It should be IF Name = "Ava" THEN.

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