GCSE-readyKS3 Computing: common mistakes
The wrong answers students pick most often in our Computing questions, and why they are wrong. Read these before a test, then open the lesson for anything that surprises you.
Using technology safely
- Staying safe online
- Not “None, it is just a joke”. Repeated unkind posts about someone are cyberbullying, not a joke.
- Is it true? Judging information online
- Not “See how many likes it has”. Popular posts can still be false.
- Not “Trust it if it has a photo”. Photos can be edited or taken from somewhere else.
Computer systems
- Hardware: inside a computer
- Not “It uses magnets”. Hard disk drives use magnets, not SSDs.
Computational thinking and programming
- Writing algorithms in pseudocode
- Not “Computers can only understand pseudocode”. Computers cannot run pseudocode directly; it must be turned into a real programming language.
- First steps in Python
- Not “my score”. Variable names cannot contain spaces.
- Not “2ndplace”. Variable names cannot start with a number.
From blocks to text
- From blocks to Python
- Not “score = 1”. score = 1 is like set [score] to (1), not change.
Programming in Python
- Python: making decisions with if
- Not “=”. = assigns a value; it does not compare.
- Python: working with strings
- Not “print("Score: " + score)”. This gives an error: Python cannot join a string and a number.
Networks and online life
- Your digital footprint and online identity
- Not “It cannot; deleted posts are gone forever”. Others may already have copied or shared it.
Modular programs and data structures
- Python: lists
- Not “fruit[0] = "pear"”. This replaces the first item instead of adding one.
Sorting and comparing algorithms
- Sorting: merge sort and comparing algorithms
- Not “Linear search”. Linear search finds items; it does not sort them.
- Not “Binary search”. Binary search finds items in a sorted list; it does not sort.
Networks and protocols
- How devices talk: addresses and protocols
- Not “IMAP”. IMAP is for fetching email from a server, not sending it.
Security and digital creativity
- Creating digital artefacts
- Not “Bright flashing colours”. Flashing colours can make things harder to use for some people.
- Not “Change its colours so it is yours”. Changing colours does not remove the creator's copyright.