← IGCSE Computer Science Paper 2

Relational operators

Relational operators compare two values and give a BOOLEAN result (TRUE or FALSE). = equal, <> not equal, < less than, <= less or equal, > greater than, >= greater or equal.

Part of: IGCSE Computer Science 0478 — 7c Pseudocode and Flowcharts — Module 15

Understanding Relational operators in IGCSE Computer Science Paper 2

What it does: < is strictly less than, so the boundary value 40 is not included. Using <= would make 40 give TRUE. In a condition, = compares two values for equality and gives TRUE or FALSE. It does not assign a value. Cambridge pseudocode uses <> for not equal. The symbol != belongs to languages such as Python. The operator >= means greater than OR equal to. 16 is equal to 16, so the result is TRUE. A mark of exactly 40 must pass, so you need >=. Using > would wrongly fail a mark of 40. <> means not equal. X is equal to 7, so 'X is not equal to 7' is FALSE.

Common mistakes: => is not a relational operator in pseudocode. 'Greater than or equal to' is written >=, so the line should be IF Age >= 18 THEN. Pseudocode uses <> for 'not equal to', not !=. The line should be IF Guess <> 7 THEN.

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Learning

Duo

What type of value does the expression Score > 50 give?

BOOLEAN (TRUE or FALSE)INTEGER (a number)

Matches

IF Age != 18 THEN

↓

!= is not a pseudocode operator. 'Not equal to' is written <>, so it should be IF Age <> 18 THEN.

Applying

Meanings

Term

= < <= > >= <>

Meaning

Relational operators compare two values and give a BOOLEAN result (TRUE or FALSE). = equal, <> not equal, < less than, <= less or equal, > greater than, >= greater or equal.

Practice

Adult ← Age >= 18

Testing

Gaps

IF Mark 0 THEN

Check Answer

Spots

1INPUT Age

2IF Age => 18 THEN

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Quick Questions

1. What type of value does the expression Score > 50 give?

A. BOOLEAN (TRUE or FALSE) ✓

B. INTEGER (a number)

A relational operator compares two values and always gives a BOOLEAN result: TRUE or FALSE.

2. Which operator means 'not equal to' in IGCSE pseudocode?

A. <> ✓

B. !=

Cambridge pseudocode uses <> for not equal. The symbol != belongs to languages such as Python.

3. Age is 16. What does Age >= 16 give?

A. FALSE

B. TRUE ✓

The operator >= means greater than OR equal to. 16 is equal to 16, so the result is TRUE.

4. Age is 16. What does Age > 16 give?

A. TRUE

B. FALSE ✓

> means strictly greater than. 16 is not greater than 16, so the result is FALSE.

5. A pass mark is 40 or more. Which condition is correct?

A. Mark >= 40 ✓

B. Mark > 40

A mark of exactly 40 must pass, so you need >=. Using > would wrongly fail a mark of 40.

Match the Pairs

Age <> 18 → TRUE when Age is not equal to 18, otherwise FALSE

Score >= 50 → TRUE when Score is 50 or more, so 50 itself gives TRUE

Check that Mark is below 40 only, so a Mark of exactly 40 gives FALSE → Mark < 40

Check whether Password is exactly the same as the stored value Secret → Password = Secret

IF Age != 18 THEN → != is not a pseudocode operator. 'Not equal to' is written <>, so it should be IF Age <> 18 THEN.

IF Age < 18 THEN // must be 18 or over to vote → The boundary is wrong. A person aged exactly 18 should be allowed, so the test should be Age >= 18 and not Age < 18.

Key Term

= < <= > >= <>

Relational operators compare two values and give a BOOLEAN result (TRUE or FALSE). = equal, <> not equal, < less than, <= less or equal, > greater than, >= greater or equal.

Fill in the Blanks

1. IF Mark <> 0 THEN OUTPUT "Not zero" ENDIF

Hint: Type the relational operator that tests whether two values are not equal.

2. IsAdult ← Age > 17

Hint: Type the operator meaning strictly greater than, so 17 itself gives FALSE.

3. IF Age <= 12 THEN OUTPUT "Child" ENDIF

Hint: Type the operator that includes the boundary value 12 as well as smaller values.

4. IF Colour = "Red" THEN OUTPUT "Stop" ENDIF

Hint: Type the comparison operator for equal to, not the assignment arrow.

5. WHILE Count < 10 DO Count ← Count + 1 ENDWHILE

Hint: Type the operator that makes the loop stop before Count reaches the boundary value.

Spot the Error

Question 1

A INPUT Age

B IF Age => 18 THEN

C OUTPUT "Adult"

D ENDIF

Line B — => is not a relational operator in pseudocode. 'Greater than or equal to' is written >=, so the line should be IF Age >= 18 THEN.

Question 2

A INPUT Guess

B IF Guess != 7 THEN

C OUTPUT "Wrong"

D ENDIF

Line B — Pseudocode uses <> for 'not equal to', not !=. The line should be IF Guess <> 7 THEN.

Question 3

A INPUT Mark

B IF Mark > 50 THEN

C OUTPUT "50 or more: pass"

D ENDIF

Line B — Boundary error. A mark of exactly 50 should pass, but > excludes 50. It should be >= 50 so the boundary value is included.

Question 4

A INPUT Money

B Cost ← 5

C IF Money <= Cost THEN

D OUTPUT "Can buy"

E ENDIF

Line C — The operator points the wrong way. You can buy the item when Money is greater than or equal to Cost, so it should be IF Money >= Cost THEN.

Question 5

A WHILE Lives < 0 DO

B Lives ← Lives - 1

C ENDWHILE

D OUTPUT "Game over"

Line A — Lives is never less than 0 while the player is still alive, so the condition is FALSE at once and the loop never runs. It should be WHILE Lives > 0 DO.

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