Writing precise conditions (7c)

Name:

Date:

Class:

Quick Questions

Shade in the A or B circle for each question.

1. Which condition is written precisely enough to earn the mark in an IGCSE answer?

A IF Age >= 18 THEN

B IF Age is 18 or more THEN

2. Which condition correctly tests that Mark is not zero?

A Mark is not zero

B Mark <> 0

3. Which condition correctly checks that Name is Ali?

A Name = "Ali"

B Name is Ali

4. A decision diamond in a flowchart needs a condition. Which should be written inside it?

A Score > 50

B Is the score greater than 50?

5. True or false: 'x is greater than y' is accepted as a condition in pseudocode.

A True

B False

Match the Pairs

Draw a line connecting each item on the left to its match on the right.

Left column		Right column
1Age >= 18		AThe condition is written in words. It should use a symbol: IF Age >= 18 THEN.
2Mark <> 0		BA precise condition that is true when Age is 18 or more
3To test whether a name is Ali, use the = symbol with the text in double quotes, not words		CThe condition is written in words. It should be IF Mark <> 0 THEN, using the not equal symbol.
4A decision in a flowchart must also hold a symbol condition, not a sentence		DAge >= 18 ?
5IF Age is 18 or more THEN		EA precise condition that is true when Mark is not zero
6IF Mark is not zero THEN		FName = "Ali"

Definitions

Age >= 18

Fill in the Blanks

Complete each line of code by filling in the missing parts.

IF Age __ 18 THEN OUTPUT "Adult" ENDIF

IF Mark __ 0 THEN OUTPUT "Has a mark" ENDIF

IF Name _ "Ali" THEN OUTPUT "Hello Ali" ENDIF

Flowchart decision diamond: Age _ 18 ?

IF Age >= 18 ___ Age <= 65 THEN

Spot the Error

Shade in the letter of the line that contains an error.

Question 1

A OUTPUT "Enter age"

B INPUT Age

C IF Age is 18 or more THEN

D OUTPUT "Adult"

E ENDIF

Question 2

A DECLARE Mark : INTEGER

B REPEAT

C INPUT Mark

D UNTIL Mark is from 0 to 100

Question 3

A INPUT Mark

B Total ← 100

C IF Mark is not zero THEN

D Average ← Total / Mark

E ENDIF

Question 4

A INPUT Name

B IF Name is Ali THEN

C OUTPUT "Welcome back"

D ENDIF

Question 5

A WHILE Count is below 10 DO

B Count ← Count + 1

C ENDWHILE

Answer Key

Writing precise conditions (7c)

Section A: Quick Questions

A — IF Age >= 18 THEN

B — Mark <> 0

A — Name = "Ali"

A — Score > 50

B — False

Section B: Match the Pairs

Age >= 18 → A precise condition that is true when Age is 18 or more

Mark <> 0 → A precise condition that is true when Mark is not zero

To test whether a name is Ali, use the = symbol with the text in double quotes, not words → Name = "Ali"

A decision in a flowchart must also hold a symbol condition, not a sentence → Age >= 18 ?

IF Age is 18 or more THEN → The condition is written in words. It should use a symbol: IF Age >= 18 THEN.

IF Mark is not zero THEN → The condition is written in words. It should be IF Mark <> 0 THEN, using the not equal symbol.

Section C: Definitions

Age >= 18 — Write a condition with symbols such as >=, <> and =, not words. Age >= 18 is correct; 'Age is 18 or more' is not accepted. This applies in pseudocode and flowcharts.

Section D: Fill in the Blanks

IF Age >= 18 THEN
  OUTPUT "Adult"
ENDIF

IF Mark <> 0 THEN
  OUTPUT "Has a mark"
ENDIF

IF Name = "Ali" THEN
  OUTPUT "Hello Ali"
ENDIF

Flowchart decision diamond:
Age < 18 ?

IF Age >= 18 AND Age <= 65 THEN

Section E: Spot the Error

C — The condition is written in words. Exam answers must use symbols, so it should be IF Age >= 18 THEN.

D — A range check must be written precisely with relational and logical operators. It should be UNTIL Mark >= 0 AND Mark <= 100.

C — 'is not zero' is words, not a precise condition. Use the not-equal symbol: IF Mark <> 0 THEN.

B — Text must be compared with the = symbol and the literal must be in double quotes. It should be IF Name = "Ali" THEN.

A — A loop condition must use symbols, not words. It should be WHILE Count < 10 DO.