9618/23 · May/June 2026
Download PDFRefer to the insert for the list of pseudocode functions and operators. Study the pseudocode. i ← 1 REPEAT OUTPUT i*i i ← i + 1 UNTIL i = 6
Identify the type of programming construct used in the pseudocode.
State how many iterations are carried out by the pseudocode.
A control program is being developed for a robot floor vacuum cleaner. The settings for the robot can be changed and include: • the strength of the suction (numerical values: 0, 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5) • the total vacuum cleaning time (a whole number of minutes). The robot has a number of sensors. The control program includes the variables: variable: MainsOn description: TRUE when the mains power is on variable: DisplayOn description: TRUE when the user display is shown variable: Suction description: TRUE when the program detects that the user has selected a non-zero value for the strength of the suction
Identify the data type used for the three variables.
Write a pseudocode statement to set the DisplayOn variable to TRUE when the mains power is on.
When the robot is ready to move, the program assigns the value TRUE to a variable, Move The control program contains the pseudocode logic expression: Move ← MainsOn AND Suction Explain the pseudocode statement.
The pseudocode for the control program contains the procedure CleanProgram() PROCEDURE CleanProgram() // declaration of variables has been omitted Finished ← FALSE OUTPUT "Total clean time (minutes)" INPUT TotalCleanTime OUTPUT "Suction strength (0,1,2,3,4,5)" INPUT SuctionStrength WHILE Finished = FALSE // TimeSoFar is a global variable which changes // as the procedure is executed // TimeSoFar is the time the robot has been cleaning (in seconds) TimeRemaining ← TotalCleanTime – INT(TimeSoFar/60) ENDWHILE ENDPROCEDURE When the program is under development and running, the programmer can temporarily stop the execution at a set point in the program. Identify this feature of the Integrated Development Environment (IDE).
The programmer runs the program. • The user is prompted and inputs the value 40 (total clean time in minutes). • The user is prompted and inputs the value 3 (for the suction strength). • The programmer interrupts its execution; the TimeSoFar is shown in a report window as 125 (the cleaning time so far in seconds). State the current value of TimeRemaining
A company wishes to replace the point-of-sale software that each shop uses at its checkout. A software company is developing a new system.
Complete the summary about the development of the new system. The initial ...................................................................... stage is carried out by studying in detail the current system. A design for the proposed new system is produced. Following the design and coding stages, it is decided to install the completed new software initially in only two of the shops. ...................................................................... testing is carried out. The final stage of the project uses ...................................................................... testing to test all programs on the company’s hardware. After successful testing, the company approves the new system. The company then installs the new software in all shops. In the first week of its use, unexpected bugs are reported. ...................................................................... maintenance has to be carried out.
For this large project, the task was divided between two programming teams. Team A were responsible for the screen designs and all outputs; they involved the company at the earliest possible stage and obtained feedback. Team B used a more traditional approach to the program development life cycle; the stages in the development followed an agreed sequence. Identify the program development life cycle model adopted by each team, and describe one additional feature of each approach. team A model ............................................................................................................................ feature ...................................................................................................................................... ................................................................................................................................................... team B model ........................................................................................................................... feature ...................................................................................................................................... ...................................................................................................................................................
State three activities carried out during the design stage of the program development life cycle. 1 ................................................................................................................................................ ................................................................................................................................................... 2 ................................................................................................................................................ ................................................................................................................................................... 3 ................................................................................................................................................ ...................................................................................................................................................
An algorithm is expressed as: • A user inputs a sequence of integers. • The user will input value –1 to indicate there are no more integers to be input. • The program will calculate the total number of integers greater than 120. • Output the total number of integers greater than 120 after the –1 terminator is input. Write a structured English description for this algorithm as a sequence of steps. Do not include pseudocode statements in your description. Your answer might not require all six steps shown. step 1 ............................................................................................................................................... .......................................................................................................................................................... step 2 ............................................................................................................................................... .......................................................................................................................................................... step 3 ............................................................................................................................................... .......................................................................................................................................................... step 4 ............................................................................................................................................... .......................................................................................................................................................... step 5 ............................................................................................................................................... .......................................................................................................................................................... step 6 ............................................................................................................................................... ..........................................................................................................................................................
Data is stored about people who have attended a job interview. Each interview is held at one of three office locations. Each person’s data is stored as a data packet made up of four data items: <initial><shortened surname><office code><summary of the interview> • The initial is a single character. • The shortened surname is the first five characters of the surname. ○ You can assume all surnames are at least five characters. • The office code is a single character ‘A’, ‘B’ or ‘C’. • The interview summary text is of variable length. Example: Peter Watkins was interviewed at office ‘B’. After the interview it was decided to invite him for a second interview. His data packet is stored by variable Applicant: Applicant ← "PWatkiBSecond interview"
A pseudocode function InterviewSummary() will: • take the data packet as a single parameter • return the interview summary text. Write the pseudocode for the function InterviewSummary()
The data for all interviews is saved in this format in a text file JobApps.txt Each line of the file stores one data packet. A procedure Search() is written to search for a particular applicant. If the applicant is found, the program will output ‘Name found’, otherwise it will output ‘Name not found’. Complete the pseudocode for procedure Search() PROCEDURE Search(Initial : CHAR, ShortSurname : STRING) DECLARE ThisApplicant, ThisSurname : STRING DECLARE ThisInitial : CHAR DECLARE Found : BOOLEAN OPENFILE "JobApps.txt" ......................................................... Found ← FALSE REPEAT ......................................................... "JobApps.txt", ThisApplicant ThisInitial ← LEFT(ThisApplicant, 1) ThisSurname ← ......................................................... IF ThisSurname = ShortSurname ......................................................... THEN ......................................................... OUTPUT "Name found" ENDIF UNTIL Found = TRUE ......................................................... IF Found = FALSE THEN OUTPUT "Name not found" ENDIF ......................................................... ENDPROCEDURE
A linked list is an example of an Abstract Data Type (ADT). A linked list is implemented using: • a 1D array for the data items • a 1D array for the link pointers • a start pointer. The linked list maintains the data items in alphabetical order.
The state of the linked list after five data items have been added is: start pointer: 5 ANT -> 3, BISON -> 2, DOG -> 1, LEOPARD -> 4, ZEBRA -> 0 Complete the diagram to show the StartPointer and the contents of the arrays Data and Pointer StartPointer ................... Data | Pointer 1 2 3 4 5 6 ... 19 20
State what the pointer value 0 (null pointer) indicates.
To maintain the linked list, algorithms are required to: • insert a new data item into the linked list • delete a data item from the linked list. The data item ‘DOG’ is to be deleted from the linked list given in 6(a). Complete the diagram to show the new state of the linked list. start pointer: [ ] ANT [ ], BISON [ ], DOG [ ], LEOPARD [ ], ZEBRA [ ]
To delete a data item, the algorithm will have special cases. One special case is the linked list is empty. Describe two other special cases which must be considered when deleting a data item. 1 ........................................................................................................................................ ........................................................................................................................................... 2 ........................................................................................................................................ ...........................................................................................................................................
The linked list given in 6(a) is repeated here. Data item ‘BAT’ is to be added to the linked list. start pointer: 5 ANT -> 3, BISON -> 2, DOG -> 1, LEOPARD -> 4, ZEBRA -> 0 Describe how the data item ‘BAT’ is added to the linked list. Do not attempt to write pseudocode.
Study the pseudocode algorithm. Numbers will be copied into the Data array. // STAGE 1 Num1 ← 12 Index ← 1 FOR i ← 2 TO Num1 DIV 2 IF Num1 MOD i = 0 THEN Data[Index] ← i Index ← Index + 1 ENDIF NEXT i Index ← Index - 1 OUTPUT Index, " values were found"
Complete the trace table for STAGE 1 Num1 | Index | i | Data: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6
State how the numbers in the Data array are related.
The complete algorithm has a second stage. // STAGE 2 Num2 ← 8 Match ← FALSE REPEAT IF Num2 MOD Data[Index] = 0 THEN Match ← TRUE ELSE Index ← Index - 1 ENDIF UNTIL Match = TRUE OR Index = 0 IF Match = TRUE THEN OUTPUT Data[Index] ELSE OUTPUT "Nothing found" ENDIF One line of the STAGE 1 code is changed: Num1 ← 20 The programmer creates a final program with the STAGE 1 code followed immediately by the STAGE 2 code. The STAGE 1 trace table shows the relevant final variable values after the completion of STAGE 1 Num1: 20, Num2: blank, Index: 4, Match: blank, Data: 1: 2, 2: 4, 3: 5, 4: 10, 5: blank, 6: blank This is followed by running of the STAGE 2 code. Complete the trace table for STAGE 2
State the purpose of the STAGE 2 algorithm.
A warehouse stores stock in bins. A bin is a container which stores the stock items; each bin can store many identical items. The warehouse is organised on three different levels – level 0 (ground level), then level 1 and level 2. Each level has 120 bins, numbered 1 to 120. A bin is identified by the level and a bin number. The data item stored for each bin is a Boolean value; this indicates whether the bin is in use (contains stock items) or not in use (contains no stock items).
Complete the pseudocode to declare a 2D array Bins DECLARE ...........................................................................................................................
A pseudocode module InactiveReport() will produce a report that will show: • a header for each level • the bin number for each bin that is not in use on that level • the total number of bins that are not in use on all levels. The module is initially developed for only five bins on each level. An example program output: Level: ground floor Bin 1 Bin 3 Level: 1 Bin 4 Level: 2 Bin 1 Bin 2 Bin 5 6 bins are not in use Shows: • the header for each level • a list of bin numbers for bins that are not in use on that level • the total number of bins not in use. Complete the pseudocode for the procedure InactiveReport() Assume that the Bins array is a global variable and has already been populated with data. PROCEDURE InactiveReport() ENDPROCEDURE
Test data were chosen to produce this output: Level: ground floor Bin 1 Bin 3 Level: 1 Bin 4 Level: 2 Bin 1 Bin 2 Bin 5 6 bins are not in use Complete the pseudocode test data which would produce the output given. Reminder: The module is initially developed for only five bins on each level. // Ground floor Bins[0, 1] ← FALSE Bins[0, 2] ← TRUE Bins[0, 3] ← ......................................................... Bins[0, 4] ← TRUE Bins[0, 5] ← TRUE // Level 1 Bins[1, 1] ← TRUE Bins[1, 2] ← ......................................................... Bins[1, 3] ← TRUE Bins[1, 4] ← FALSE Bins[1, 5] ← TRUE // Level 2 ........................................................................................................................................... ........................................................................................................................................... ........................................................................................................................................... ........................................................................................................................................... ...........................................................................................................................................
It is decided to change the 2D array Bins so that more information is available about each bin. Data items for each bin are: • bin size (coded as ‘Small’, ‘Medium’ or ‘Large’) • active – is the bin currently in use? • stock item code for the stock item stored (four-digit string) • stock level (0 to 500 items). Complete the pseudocode to create a record structure with the identifier BinData TYPE BinData ENDTYPE
A stock item is to be allocated to an unused bin. A function FindBin() is required that finds and returns the location of the first bin not in use which has a suitable size. The function will search on the ground floor first, then search level 1 and finally search level 2. The function uses the global 2D array Bins using the revised record structure BinData The function FindBin(): • takes a parameter for the bin size required (coded as ‘Small’, ‘Medium’ or ‘Large’) • searches for an available bin that matches the size required • outputs the level and bin number (as a string) of the first unused bin with the matching size ○ for example, ‘Level: 0 Bin: 4’ ○ or if there are no available bins ‘No bins available’. Write the pseudocode function FindBin()