← IGCSE Computer Science Paper 2

Relational operators = < <= > >= <>

Relational operators compare two values and give TRUE or FALSE: = equal, < less, <= at most, > greater, >= at least, <> not equal. Use = to compare, ← to assign.

Part of: IGCSE Computer Science 0478 — 7a Program Development Life Cycle — Module 34

Understanding Relational operators = < <= > >= <> in IGCSE Computer Science Paper 2

What it does: In a condition, = checks whether the two values are equal. Assigning a value uses ← instead. The ← arrow stores the value 0 in Total. It does not compare anything and gives no TRUE or FALSE result. 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.

Common mistakes: => is not a relational operator in Cambridge pseudocode. 'Greater than or equal to' is written >=, so the line should be IF Age >= 18 THEN. Cambridge pseudocode writes 'not equal to' as <>, not !=. The line should be IF Name <> "Admin" THEN.

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Learning

Duo

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

!=<>

Matches

IF Mark != 40 THEN

↓

!= is not Cambridge pseudocode. Not equal is written <>, so it should be IF Mark <> 40 THEN.

Applying

Meanings

Term

= < <= > >= <>

Meaning

Relational operators compare two values and give TRUE or FALSE: = equal, < less, <= at most, > greater, >= at least, <> not equal. Use = to compare, ← to assign.

Practice

Score ← 65

Testing

Gaps

IF Age 18 THEN

Check Answer

Spots

3// 18 or over is an adult

4IF Age => 18 THEN

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Quick Questions

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

A. !=

B. <> ✓

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

2. Which line compares Age with 18 and gives TRUE or FALSE?

A. Age = 18 ✓

B. Age ← 18

= compares two values and gives a BOOLEAN result. ← assigns the value 18 to Age, so it does not compare.

3. Age is 16. What is the result of Age >= 16?

A. TRUE ✓

B. FALSE

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

4. Score is 50. What is the result of Score < 50?

A. FALSE ✓

B. TRUE

< means strictly less than. 50 is not less than 50, so the result is FALSE. Score <= 50 would be TRUE.

5. Which line stores the value 7 in the variable Count?

A. Count = 7

B. Count ← 7 ✓

← is the assignment operator and stores a value in a variable. In a condition, = compares instead.

Match the Pairs

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

Score >= 50 → TRUE when Score is 50 or more, FALSE when Score is below 50

Use = to compare two values and get TRUE or FALSE, not to store a value → IF Password = "abc123" THEN

Use ← to assign a value to a variable, while = only compares values → Total ← 0

IF Mark != 40 THEN → != is not Cambridge pseudocode. Not equal is written <>, so it should be IF Mark <> 40 THEN.

IF Age ← 18 THEN → ← assigns a value and cannot compare. Use = in the condition: IF Age = 18 THEN.

Key Term

= < <= > >= <>

Relational operators compare two values and give TRUE or FALSE: = equal, < less, <= at most, > greater, >= at least, <> not equal. Use = to compare, ← to assign.

Fill in the Blanks

1. IF Age >= 18 THEN OUTPUT "Adult" ENDIF

Hint: Type the relational operator meaning greater than or equal to (at least).

2. IF Password <> "abc123" THEN OUTPUT "Wrong password" ENDIF

Hint: Type the relational operator meaning not equal to.

3. IF Choice = 1 THEN OUTPUT "You chose option 1" ENDIF

Hint: Type the operator that compares two values to test if they are equal.

4. IsTeen ← Age <= 19 OUTPUT IsTeen

Hint: Type the operator meaning less than or equal to. The comparison gives TRUE or FALSE.

5. Total ← 0 IF Total = 0 THEN OUTPUT "Empty" ENDIF

Hint: Type the symbol that assigns (stores) a value in a variable, not one that compares.

Spot the Error

Question 1

A INPUT Age

B Adult ← FALSE

C // 18 or over is an adult

D IF Age => 18 THEN

E Adult ← TRUE

F ENDIF

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

Question 2

A IF Name != "Admin" THEN

B OUTPUT "Access limited"

C ENDIF

Line A — Cambridge pseudocode writes 'not equal to' as <>, not !=. The line should be IF Name <> "Admin" THEN.

Question 3

A WHILE Guess = Secret DO

B INPUT Guess

C ENDWHILE

Line A — The loop must keep asking while the guess is NOT the secret. Using = would stop the loop at once for a wrong guess. It should be WHILE Guess <> Secret DO.

Question 4

A INPUT Mark

B // 40 or more is a pass

C IF Mark > 40 THEN

D OUTPUT "Pass"

E ENDIF

Line C — A mark of exactly 40 should pass, but > leaves 40 out. 'At least 40' needs >=, so the line should be IF Mark >= 40 THEN.

Question 5

A INPUT Code

B IF Code ← 1234 THEN

C OUTPUT "Welcome"

D ENDIF

Line B — ← assigns a value, but an IF needs a comparison that gives TRUE or FALSE. Use = to compare: IF Code = 1234 THEN.

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