Computer Science A Level | AQA | 7517

Non-Exam Assessment
Companion
for A Level AQA Computer Science
J Dix

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7758

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 Contents

Thank You for Choosing ZigZag Education ...................................................................................................... ii

Teacher Feedback Opportunity ........................................................................................................................ iii
Terms and Conditions of Use ............................................................................................................................ iv
Teacher’s Introduction ....................................................................................................................................... v
1. Choosing Your Project.................................................................................................................................... 1
1.1 – Types of project ............................................................................................................................................................ 1
1.2 – Choosing a project within your skill set ....................................................................................................................... 2
1.3 – Getting a real end-user ................................................................................................................................................. 3
1.4 – Choosing the right programming language ................................................................................................................. 3
1.5 – Getting approval from your teacher ............................................................................................................................ 3
1.6 – How you will be assessed ............................................................................................................................................. 3
1.7 – First steps ...................................................................................................................................................................... 3
Project Proposal Form............................................................................................................................................................ 4
Alternative Project idea ......................................................................................................................................................... 5
2. Analysis ........................................................................................................................................................... 6
2.1 – Investigating the project problem ................................................................................................................................ 6
2.2 – Describing the problem to be solved ......................................................................................................................... 12
2.3 – Modelling the problem or the existing system .......................................................................................................... 14
2.4 – Describing the specific objectives of the new system (including performance criteria)............................................................ 21
2.5 – Consideration of possible solutions to the problem ................................................................................................. 22
Analysis: Evidence Checklist ................................................................................................................................................ 23
Analysis: Assessment Criteria .............................................................................................................................................. 24
3. Getting Started with Programming ............................................................................................................25
3.1 – Choosing a critical path through your project ........................................................................................................... 25
3.2 – Prototyping ................................................................................................................................................................. 26
4. Documented Design Section .......................................................................................................................27
4.1 – Documentation advice specific to data-handling projects ........................................................................................ 27
4.2 – Overall system design ................................................................................................................................................. 31
4.3 – Data dictionaries / record structure / data structures .............................................................................................. 33
4.4 – OOP class design ......................................................................................................................................................... 35
4.5 – Interface design .......................................................................................................................................................... 36
4.6 – Algorithms ................................................................................................................................................................... 37
Documented Design: Evidence Checklist ............................................................................................................................ 38
Documented Design: Assessment Criteria .......................................................................................................................... 38
5. Technical Solution ........................................................................................................................................39
5.1 – Documentation advice specific to data-handling projects ........................................................................................ 39
5.2 – System Overview ........................................................................................................................................................ 40
5.3 – Evidence of built classes ............................................................................................................................................. 41
5.4 – Evidence of complete code listings and user Interface ............................................................................................. 42
5.5 – Evidence of procedures and variables ....................................................................................................................... 43
Technical Solution: Evidence Checklist ................................................................................................................................ 44
Technical Solution: Assessment Criteria ............................................................................................................................. 46

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6. Testing ...........................................................................................................................................................48
6.1 – What needs testing? ................................................................................................................................................... 48
6.2 – Choosing a testing strategy ........................................................................................................................................ 48
6.3 – Setting out a test plan ................................................................................................................................................ 49
6.4 – The different types of test data ................................................................................................................................. 49
6.5 – Test evidence .............................................................................................................................................................. 50
6.6 – Testing qualitative objectives ..................................................................................................................................... 52
Testing: Evidence Checklist ................................................................................................................................................. 53
Testing: Assessment Criteria ............................................................................................................................................... 53
7. Evaluation .....................................................................................................................................................54
7.1 – Comparing performance against the objectives ....................................................................................................... 54
7.2 – Getting and analysing independent feedback ........................................................................................................... 55
7.3 – How could the outcomes be improved? .................................................................................................................... 56
Evaluation: Evidence Checklist ............................................................................................................................................ 56
Evaluation: Assessment Criteria .......................................................................................................................................... 57
Notes .................................................................................................................................................................58

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Teacher Feedback Opportunity

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 Terms and Conditions of Use
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 Teacher’s Introduction
IMPORTANT – please read before using this resource
This resource is intended to supplement your teaching only. As with all Non-Exam Assessment (NEA) materials it is the
teacher’s responsibility to decide what level of support is appropriate for their students and in accordance with the
rules from the exam board. For example, you may simply wish to read this material to better inform yourself.
Alternatively, you may consider whether it is appropriate to distribute some of the material to students for reference.
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any future task released by AQA or any other exam board is co-incidental. However, we remind you that it is the
teachers’ responsibility to decide how this resource can be used to support your students.

The Non-Examined Assessment (NEA) component of the AQA A Level in Computer Science is designed as an
opportunity for candidates to display their programming skill by creating a piece of software on a topic that
interest them. This may be a problem to solve or a programmed investigation of a computer science concept.

This component is worth 20% of the overall A Level and is a major piece of work.

This guide is intended to support students produce the required documentation for their NEA, which is marked by
the teacher and moderated by the exam board. It attempts to achieve this by providing a breakdown of the
marking criteria, with tips, examples and checklist prompts given throughout.

It does not replace the role of the teacher or tutor who may need to supplement the advice contained herein in
the context of their own students’ work.

When photocopying the resource, it is useful if the notes page (found at the back of the guide) is photocopied
multiple times and placed at the end of each section of the guide. This is then a useful place for students, and
possibly teachers / tutors, to add their own notes or comments.

J Dix

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A Level AQA Computer Science NEA Companion -v- © ZigZag Education, 2017
 A Level AQA Computer Science
Non-Exam Assessment Guide
Section Deadline

Project Idea ..............................................

Formal investigation ..............................................

Analysis ..............................................

Design ..............................................

Technical Solution ..............................................

Testing ..............................................

Evaluation ..............................................

GCSE (9–1) OCR Computer Science Revision Guide Page vi of 58 © ZigZag Education, 2017
In many respects this is the most important part of your project and you should take note of the advice below.
First and foremost though make sure that you choose a project that interests you and preferably relates to
something that you already have some knowledge of.

A data-processing This is a type of project that will insert, update, delete, retrieve and process data
project from some kind of data storage file (typically a database, DAT files or text files).
Typically it will link to a data storage file through a GUI interface (through the use of
a programming language) or web interface (through the use of server-side
scripting). Typical projects of this nature include:

Booking Systems (Appointments, Seats, products and services etc.)

Stock Control systems
Service systems (to enter, allocate and monitor service requests –,e.g.
printing, reprographics, technical assistance)
Information systems (this can also include the use of APIs, live feeds to
retrieve and feed in live data. It is also possible to use live twitter feeds (for
example) to accumulate a large data set for further investigation or to model
a scenario)
Revision/ testing programs for students. This can be done for any subject
and allows users to take quizzes or tests, reinforces key teaching points and
stores scores and other performance data.
Mathematical If you choose to do a mathematical project then the mathematical processing you
Projects are modelling should be to at least KS5 standard. Projects of this nature might
include graphing, trigonometry, decision maths, etc.
Simulations This would be a program that simulates a real world event. Examples of this type of
project are orbital simulations, environmental simulations, financial simulations and
time based organisational simulations (e.g. queuing simulations).
Computer Games Bound to be a very popular option but you must ensure that your game is all about
the programming of it and you don’t spend all your time producing beautiful
graphics that don’t do anything. Also, seek clear guidance from your project
supervisor when setting out objectives for your game (what it will do). It is very
common for students not to finish computer game projects because the scope of the
objectives is too large to fit into the available time-frame.
Control Systems A system that controls a robot, or another device.
[Link]
Websites with These will normally connect to remote databases (online shops, online ordering,
dynamically online booking, online information systems etc.) It must be for a client-server model
changing content and should have significant processing. There are no marks awarded for your skill at
writing HTML as this is not a programming language.
Optimisation These types of projects might use algorithms to compile the most efficient routes
problems around an area, the most efficient rota for an organisation, timetabling issues etc.
Apps for mobile You need to ensure there are considerable amounts of potential processing in the
devices app you want to build. Additionally you should avoid development environments
that use drag and drop components and do a significant amount of the
programming for you.
Artificial These can be projects like games where a player plays against the computer.
intelligence Additionally it is possible to develop an expert system that allows non- expert users
to navigate a knowledge base. Such systems are often used in call-handling centres
to both route and handle calls.

A Level AQA Computer Science NEA Companion Page 1 of 58 © ZigZag Education, 2017
 Investigatory This is where you choose an area of a subject you are interested in and you conduct
Projects a programmed investigation of this area. Examples of this type of project might be:
Big Data – analysing live data feeds such as Twitter
Exploring large publicly available data sets (such as the World Bank)
Machine Learning algorithms
Maze problems
Traversal algorithms
Encryption algorithms

You must consider whether or not the problem you choose will give you the opportunity to demonstrate the
level of technical skill you are capable of. The solution you come up with must be a fully-coded solution (all
processing is done with code that you have written yourself). The biggest section of marks is for the technical
solution and in order to get top marks in this section you will need to demonstrate a high degree of
programming competence. Table 1 below shows the kind of skills that get you those marks. It is not
intended to be an exhaustive list nor is it simply a tick list of things you must do – it is intended as a guide to
judging skill level. Your teacher will be able to give you firm guidance about which mark band a particular
feature of your code might fall into.
In reality you want to make sure that you will be able to use a range of skills that at least falls into the middle
mark band as just using skills from the lower mark band will severely restrict the amount of marks you can be
awarded for your technical solution. Very competent programmers should of course aim at the top mark
band technique.
When deciding which mark band your technical solution falls into, your teacher will apply a “best fit” policy.
Table 1 – Skills List

Top Mark band Middle mark band Lower Mark band

(very good programmer) (fair programmer) (some programming skill)

Include a range of these skills Include a range of these skills 1-D arrays
Candidate written classes (OOP) Use of arrays (2-D) Uses a small range of
(including inheritance, aggregation etc.) Some standard algorithms different data types
OOP objects created at runtime like bubble sorts and binary Uses linear searching
Complex standard algorithms and searches methods
structures (structures, arrays of records, Simple client-server model Uses simple
stacks, queues, linked lists, trees and graphs) Some simple OOP classes mathematical
Use of regular expressions calculations
Data- handling solutions
Use of hashing techniques Accesses table data
Simple data model with a
Use of recursion without the use of SQL
few inter-linked tables
Merge sorting or equivalent
Single-table SQL
Implementing complex mathematical
processes (KS5 Maths at least) statements
Use of text files for storing
Time simulation / scheduling
and retrieving data
Complex client server model

Specific to Data- handling solutions

A complex data model with many related
tables (multiple normalised entities to at
least 3rd normal form)
Using parameterised cross-table SQL
statements embedded in the
programming language
User generated Data definition statements
(CREATE TABLE embedded in the code

A Level AQA Computer Science NEA Companion Page 2 of 58 © ZigZag Education, 2017
There is no formal requirement that you have an end-user, real or otherwise. However, it is a good idea to find
someone who can act as your end-user, i.e. the person who commissions your project because they have a
problem(s) for you to solve with a programmed solution. They can give you valuable realistic feedback on your
design and solution. You do need convenient access to them so you can ask questions about the problem and
get feedback. However this can be done through a variety of electronic methods (email, Skype, text, online
forms) as well as face to face. Additionally it is a good idea to have contact with some potential users of your
system, allowing them to give you feedback which can be used to help frame objectives and design.

This is quite simple really; choose a language that you are familiar with. It is true that some students decide to
learn a new language in order to use it for their project but if you do this then you will need to factor in extra time.

Your teacher should give you advice about a number of issues so do make use of their expertise when
choosing a project. They can tell you:
whether your project ideas are within your programming skill set
whether your project can be achieved within the timescale and if not give you advice about reducing the
scope of it.
whether your project is substantially similar to another student’s project in your cohort. It is a
requirement that the problem you choose should be different from that chosen by others so that there is
no possibility of collusion.

Your project is assessed through the use of a written report. The report is split into a number of sections.

Section Title Max Mark

Analysis 9
Documented Design 12
Technical Solution 42
Testing 8
Evaluation 4
Total 75

Your teacher will set regular deadlines for the various sections of work to be completed by. Use the booklet
cover to fill in those deadlines so that you don’t miss them.

The first step is to do decide what type of project you want to do and find an end-user. Of course sometimes
it happens the other way round, you get an end-user and that determines the type of project you do.
Whichever way it is for you, your teacher will normally ask you to complete some kind of project proposal (or
you can use the one below). It is a good idea to try and find a couple of alternatives initially, just in case one
of your ideas is substantially similar to another student’s proposal.

A Level AQA Computer Science NEA Companion Page 3 of 58 © ZigZag Education, 2017
 Name: Class:

Type of Project:

Project title (Working title):

Potential end-user(s) and the

organisation they represent:

Outline description of your

project idea:

What problems does the existing

system have that might need a
potential computer solution?

What kind of access do you have

to your potential end-user?

What potential programming

skills (from Table 1) will it enable
you to demonstrate

A Level AQA Computer Science NEA Companion Page 4 of 58 © ZigZag Education, 2017
 Name: Class:

Type of Project:

Project title (Working title):

Potential end-user(s) and the

organisation they represent:

Outline description of your

project idea:

What problems does the existing

system have that might need a
potential computer solution?

What kind of access do you have

to your potential end-user?

What potential programming

skills (from Table 1) will it enable
you to demonstrate

A Level AQA Computer Science NEA Companion Page 5 of 58 © ZigZag Education, 2017
You should think of Analysis as an opportunity! It is your opportunity to explain the scope of your project to the
marker / moderator and this needs to be done in a variety of ways of which the important areas are:

1. An investigation of the project or problem area (interviews, observations, questionnaires, research and
examining documents)

2. A description of the problem(s) of the existing system for which your end-user is wanting a solution (or a
new solution)

3. A modelling of the project area or how the existing system actually works (before you start designing
and building a new system to solve its problems). This will involve the use of diagrams that model how
aspects of the system work.

4. A list of numbered and SMART objectives (what the new system must do) that arise out of the
investigation you have done. This should include both qualitative and quantitative objectives
5. A list of performance criteria for your objectives that include specific details of how you will judge the
success of each objective

6. Some consideration of the different types of solution that might be available to fulfil your objectives.

The investigation is the section of your analysis where you find the information you need to complete the rest
of the analysis so it needs to be done thoroughly. The assessment criteria clearly state that there must be
evidence of dialogue with an end-user or potential users that helps to frame the requirements of the system
you will build.

Before you embark on this section you should ensure you have two very important items firmed up:
1. You have found a problem to solve and someone who can act as your end-user. Delays in contacting your end
user at this stage can have a serious impact on timescales if you are relying on their feedback to make progress.
You may also need access to other users of the system so make sure that this won’t be a problem either.
2. Your NEA supervisor (your tutor or teacher) has approved your project. Your teacher or tutor will have a
good idea of whether your project idea will give you access to a mark range that is reflective of your
ability and can be realistically achieved within the allowed timescale – so you should always run your idea
past them first before you embark on your formal investigation.

There are a number of methods that can be used to investigate the project problem and the existing system
(if there is one). You must select the methods that are appropriate to your end-user, other users and the
project. In general a good investigation will have used a variety of methods to find the required information
that will help you complete the other sections of your analysis.

Interviews
This is often the most common way of investigating that students tend to use and may be used with your
actual end-user as well as with other potential users of the system. You prepare a list of questions,
arrange a date and then ask your prepared questions noting down the answers as your end user gives
you them. Although interviews are normally face to face it is acceptable to conduct interviews over the
phone or through applications like Skype.

If other issues (that you have not anticipated with a question) come out during the interview then these
can always be added at the end of your interview responses.

A Level AQA Computer Science NEA Companion Page 6 of 58 © ZigZag Education, 2017
An extract from a competed interview is shown in Fig 1

Figure 1 – Classic Furnishings: Interview

Interview with Ms End User

Sole Proprietor of Classic Furnishings

Date of interview – 22/10/17

Place of interview – End user’s home (address)

Q1 – Can you give me some background information about your business?

Classic furnishings is run just by me. I have run this business from my own home
for more than 10 years. I do not employ any other people. I design, make and fit
mostly curtains and blinds, although I occasionally make other soft furnishing items
like bed covers and cushion covers on request. All soft furnishing items are
bespoke and made to the individual customer’s requirements.

Q2 – What happens when you receive an order?

Customers ring up and ask me to come out and see them so that I can measure up,
discuss their requirements and show them my sample books of suitable materials.
I take with me my order book, my books of sample material and my catalogue of
trimmings and fittings. I write down the customer’s requirements in my order
book. Every customer’s order is put onto a new page in my order book. When I get
home I do some calculations and write down the projected cost onto the
appropriate order page. Form this I then word process a quotation to send to the
customer.

A Level AQA Computer Science NEA Companion Page 7 of 58 © ZigZag Education, 2017
 Observations
This is a useful method if your end user or other users find it difficult to describe the methods they use.
Again in preparation you should write up a series of observation points (to focus your mind on what you
are looking for from the observation), arrange a date for the observation and then as you are conducting
the observation write down notes on what you observe under the appropriate observation points.

Extracts from an observation are shown in Fig 1 and Fig 2. Fig 2 is the empty template ready for notes to
be written down during the observation and Fig 3 is an extract from the competed observation notes.

Figure 2 – Classic Furnishings: Observation Template Example

Observation of Ms End User (Sole Proprietor of Classic Furnishings)

visiting a Customer

Date of observation – 22/10/17

Place of observation – Mrs Smith home (address)

Point 1 – What does the end user do (order of events)?

Point 2 – What does the end user record and where?

A Level AQA Computer Science NEA Companion Page 8 of 58 © ZigZag Education, 2017
 Figure 3 – Classic Furnishings: Example Interview

Observation of Ms End User (Sole Proprietor of Classic Furnishings)

visiting a customer
Date of observation – 22/10/17
Place of observation – Mrs Smith home (address)

Point 1 – What does the end user do (order of events)?

Greets the customer and spends some time chatting about what ideas Mrs Smith has and
what items she wants making
Measures up the lounge window (height and width)
Draws a sketch of the window in the order book – this seems to help her note any additional
or unusual features of the window. Adds the measurements to the sketch.
Asks Mrs Smith what fullness of curtain material she desires. This is about how much
gathering she wants in the curtains.
Mrs Smith then selects an appropriate curtain material and trimmings
Then end user makes a note of Mrs Smith’s selection in her order book

Point 2 – What does the end user record and where?

Customer first name and surname
Customer contact number
Sketch of the window
Dimensions:
a) Height (drop)
b) Width (of the window)
c) Fullness (gathering)
d) Depth
Material number
Material name
Material cost per metre

All noted in the order book

A Level AQA Computer Science NEA Companion Page 9 of 58 © ZigZag Education, 2017
 Questionnaires / Online Surveys
These are particularly useful where you may have a largish number of potential users to obtain
information from. It is also possible to quantify the responses from certain questions and represent the
findings in the form of charts and graphs. There are many online tools that you can use to both build
your questionnaire and quantify responses for you.

Fig 4 and 5 show extracts from an online survey that students were asked to complete to find out which
method of revision they favoured the most

Figures 4 & 5 – Classic Furnishings: Online Survey

Examining Documents
This will involve looking at any documentation that the existing system uses. It is particularly useful for
finding data items that are input into the system (where data collection forms are used)

Research
This might be useful as additional evidence of the nature of a problem. For example – A popular data-
handling project is providing online or electronic revision systems for students at various levels. Your end
user might justify their need for a new revision system by explaining the shortcomings of what is already
available online. You could therefore do some research on online revision offerings to help you point out
and explain why these existing systems are not meeting the user’s needs.

A Level AQA Computer Science NEA Companion Page 10 of 58 © ZigZag Education, 2017
 If you are doing an investigatory project (e.g. Big Data – using live data feeds) then you would need to
demonstrate that you have done some thorough research on your investigatory area:

- Why I have chosen this area to investigate

- Background technical information
- Other relevant investigations done in this area
- The purpose of my investigation

Although the information you need to be looking for in your formal investigation will vary from project to
project depending on the nature of your project – there are a number of areas you should consider when
framing questions for your interview, observation, etc.

Table 2 – Possible information needed for the investigation

Include questions about… Explanation / example

The organisation/department Find out some background information about what your end user does
or what the organisation or department do. You need to have some
idea about the scope of their operations as background information

e.g. “Can you give me some background information about your business?”
Aims and objectives of the Your end user will normally have some kind of system in place at the
current system moment – so you need some idea of what that system is supposed to
deliver
General procedures including You need to know how frequently the system is used and how it is used
time-lines/frequency of events e.g. “What happens when you receive an order?

Followed by:
“How often are orders made, how many items will be in an order?”
Users of the current system Who actually uses the current system? This will probably include your
and/or potential users of a new end user but might also include other users, as well as users of different
system types.

e.g. for a revision system – there will probably be a number of admin

users who set quizzes and upload questions but there may be a large
number of student users who might use the system to revise
Information/data gathered to be What data items are actually input into the current system?
input – what and how?
Documents/reports that are What kind of outputs might the current system produce – this might be
produced using the gathered anything from written reports to screen displays, sending emails or
data, i.e. outputs messages etc.
How the data is processed into This is about what processing methods are used to transform the input
the output information data into the output information.

For the Example in Fig 3 – this may be the calculations that are done to
work out how much material is needed to fulfil an order.
Security, storage of data and You do need to ask some questions about how securely they store data
backup issues (and on what type of storage device if it is done electronically) at the
moment particularly if they are subject to the Data Protection Act.
Additionally questions that find out how often they back up or archive
data will also be useful?

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 Include questions about… Explanation / example
Problems encountered during any This is about what kinds of issues or problems they are having with
of the above procedures including their current system that has prompted a desire to upgrade / renewal /
errors caused and encountered change
Hardware and software available What kind of hardware / Software do they have available and are they
on-site and/or planned to willing to purchase new if this is not suitable for the new system. This
purchase for the new system may well be a limiting factor if they are not.
Users’ ICT skills – current ICT What level of ICT skills do the prospective users of the new system
usage, training etc. have? This may well have an impact on your interface design and any
training they may require to familiarise themselves with the new
system
Client’s requirements regarding a What does you client / end user think they need in a new system?
new system with reference to the Have they got any specific requests with regard to a new system
above

You should include your actual interview / observation notes, copies of documents, copies of
questionnaires or evidence of research in the body of your Analysis or as an appendix to the analysis
section.
Write a summary of what you found out from your investigation methods
Summarise what you feel are the needs of your project / end user arising from your investigation and
what you found out.

This is the point at which you start writing the formal report using the information you found out in your
formal investigation – starting with a description of the problem you are attempting to solve. This will include:

Describe the organisation (if there is one) in very general terms and give some brief background information
about it, i.e. nature of its business; is it a large/small organisation. If you have a specified end-user, then
identify them. Additionally, it is good to identify any other users of the system. Fig 6 shows an example of
how this may be done

Figure 6 – Classic Furnishings: Background Information

Classic Furnishings
Classic furnishings is run by a sole proprietor by the name of Mrs Sandy Smith. She has run this
business herself from her own home for more than 10 years. She does not employ any other people.
She designs, makes and fits mostly curtains and blinds, although she does not make any other soft
furnishing items like bed covers and cushion covers on request. All soft furnishing items are bespoke
and made to the individual customer’s requirements.
…

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If your problem does not have an organisation or if it is an investigatory project, then give some general
background information to your project area.

This is your opportunity to explain the rationale for the new system or whatever you plan to build. What
problems exist with the current system or what gap in the market will your system fill or what gap in the
market will your system fill? Make sure you break the problem down into its specific parts. Fig 7 shows an
example from the Classic Furnishings scenario.

Figure 7 – Classic Furnishings: Overview of the problem

…
Problems with the current system
Mrs Smith is looking to update her system as she is finding that she is spending too much time doing
paperwork. This takes away from the time she needs to spend making and fitting soft furnishings
and visiting new customers. Additionally, she would like to be able to give customers a much more
speedy quotation for an order. The two aspects of her problem in detail are:

Recording customer personal details

Mrs Smith currently records her customer’s personal details in an address book which she normally
carries around in her workbag. When she gets home the address book is transferred to her desk.
There are various problems with this:

Sometimes she leaves it at a client’s house – this causes a problem if she needs to use an
address from it later at home when making up quotes. Sometimes she loses her address book
altogether – this causes a major problem as the only other place she might have addresses is on
previous correspondence she has sent to a customer – but it then takes time to find the
information that she needs. Mrs Smith also worries about security and an unauthorised person
picking up her address book with her customer’s personal details in.

Recording/Calculating orders
When she goes out to visit a customer, she records the measurements of whatever soft furnishings
she is being asked to produce. Each new order and its measurements are written on a new page in
her order book. Materials required will be added to this order when the customer has chosen them
and notified her. Mrs Smith sends an email or letter to her customer outlining the order, the
materials required and showing a breakdown of costs including her labour and VAT. This letter is not
done until she gets home. There are several issues with this:

Mrs Smith is unable to give a precise idea of price until after she leaves the customer, goes
home and works it all out. It can be as long as a week before the customer receives the
quotation. Quite often, customers decide not to go ahead with the order because they change
their mind or she has to go out again to see them because they decide to go for cheaper
materials. Either way, this causes loss of profit for Mrs Smith as well as being a very time-
consuming exercise.
Making up a quotation is a time-consuming process as Mrs Smith has first to look up all of the
prices of the different materials from her sample books (she has 15 sample books from
different suppliers) and then use a calculator to work out the cost of each material that makes
up the order. She then has to calculate a profit margin on the materials, add labour costs,
calculate VAT on the whole order and calculate the total.

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This section needs to contain some idea of what type of limitations or constraints you will need to bear in
mind when you start forming your objectives and requirements. For example there is no point designing a
complicated interface if your intended users are ICT novices or have particular accessibility needs.
The following are typical constraints and limitations to investigate and comment upon:
User’s ICT skill level – this will have an impact on the type and complexity of the interface you design and build
User’s Accessibility needs – are any of the potential users visually impaired or have other accessibility
needs. This again will impact on the design of the interface that is required.
Legal issues concerning Data Protection (for systems that will collect and store personal data). If your
system will potentially store personal data you will need to comply with current legislation covering data
protection issues. You should state what principles may cover your system and what constraints this may
impose (e.g. the need for security)
Hardware and software restrictions – what kind of hardware and software does the end user have
available for you to install the potential new system on
Time constraints – you may need to restrict your project to a particular area of the problem in order to
ensure you can complete within the available time frame.

The purpose of this section of evidence is to describe through diagrams and descriptions how the existing
system works or aspects of the problem you intend to solve. This can be done through a variety of different
diagrams with each type of diagram having a specific purpose. You should ensure that you use the diagrams
appropriate for the purpose. So, for example, if your problem area involves data handling then you really
need to include Entity Relationship Diagrams and Data Flow Diagrams. On the other hand if you are doing a
route-finding program then you will need to include additional items like maps, graphs or trees and possibly
adjacency lists or matrices. If you are doing a game then it might be useful to include object diagrams to show
what objects (characters, sprites, backgrounds etc.) are used in games of this type and what their likely
behaviours are. It is not possible to cover the entire range of diagrams that might be needed but the most
commonly needed ones are covered in this section.

As per the Fig 8 diagram, the purpose of an IPSO is to list what data items are input into the system, what
processing actions are carried out on the input data, what data items are then stored in the system and what
type of information is output from the system. This gives a good overview of the system or problem area. This
is a suitable diagram for all types of system.

Figure 8 – IPSO Overview

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Table 3 shows an example of an Analysis IPSO chart. This type of layout for an IPSO is particularly useful
because it connects the investigation you did with your description of the system by linking in where the
evidence for what you are describing can be found in the investigation.

Table 3 – Classic Furnishings: Analysis IPSO chart

IPSO Information Evidence

Customer Information:
– First Name – Address
Input Observation Notes/Interview
– Surname – Telephone Number
– Email
Order Information:
– Date order placed – Width of material
Input (height * width) Observation Notes
– Window dimensions – Length of required drop
– Type of material chosen – Fullness of curtains required
Process Calculate amount of material required (drop * width * fullness) Observation Notes
Calculate cost of making up the curtains (quotation)
Process Amount of material * material cost per metre Observation
Total cost of material + fitting + labour + VAT
Customer information (see items above)
Store Order information (see items above) Observation Notes
Quotation information
Output – Quotation information – Final invoice Observation notes/Interview

The purpose of a data dictionary is to state the data types of the data items used by the system and how these
are validated (if at all). Table 4 shows an example of a data dictionary for the classic furnishings scenario. This is
a suitable modelling technique for all types of system.

Table 4 – Classic Furnishings: Data Dictionary

Data Item Data Type Validation Sample Data

Customer Firstname String Janet
Customer Surname String Brookes
Customer Email String janetbrookes@[Link]
Customer Telephone Number String = 11 digits 07790034045
Customer Address String 42 Stoney Lane, Newcastle, ST5 6GB
Date Ordered Date >= current date 15/3/14
Material Type String Cotton Daisy Print
Material Number Integer 345456
Window Height (m) Real 2.2
Window Width (m) Real 3
Drop required (m) Real 3.6
Material Width (m) Real 1.25
Fullness Required Real 2
Amount of material required (m) Integer 15

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You should provide either an explanation of the volumes of data that flows through the current system (see
above) or a table of volumes. This is to give an idea of how much data will be input, output, processed and
stored on a daily or weekly or monthly basis. This is a particularly valuable technique to include if you are
doing a data-handling problem or a problem that includes some significant data-handling.

Table 5 – Data Volume Table

Data object Volume of data
New customers Average of 20 per year
Customer quotations given Average of 136 per year
Customer orders made (and invoices generated) Average of 110 orders per year
No of items in an order Average of 4 items per order
Supplier orders generated Average of 105 orders per year

A context diagram (sometimes referred to as a level 0 data flow diagram) shows the sources and destinations
for data in the system (who or what provides information and who or what does it go to from the system).
This is a good technique to use if you are doing a data-handling problem or a problem that includes some
significant data-handling.

Fig 9 shows an example of how a context diagram might be displayed. Note that the direction of data flow
arrows are annotated to explain what data items flow in each direction.

Figure 9 – Classic Furnishings: Context Diagram

Order information
(type of required)

Customer information
Mrs Smith (name, address, email,
Labour cost,
telephone number) Customer
VAT rate

Classic
Quotation
Furnishings (cost breakdown)
Order of material invoice

Cost of material
Supplier

TIP: Drawing Diagrams – online tools

Whilst the tools in various word processing programs can be adapted to draw the various required
diagrams you may find it useful to use one of the free programs available. An example of this is
[Link]

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The purpose of a data flow diagram is to show the flow of data through the system. You should provide a
Level 1 DFD for each of the major processes that occur in the current system.

Fig 10 below shows an example of a Level 1 DFD for the classic furnishings scenario, showing how a quotation
would be produced. DFDSs are particularly appropriate for problems that include significant data-handling
whilst flowcharts are generally suitable for all types of problem.

Figure 10 – Classic Furnishings: Example Level 1 DFD

(Showing the process of compiling a quotation)

Material Order book

(drop * Window width, fullness, drop

Material required window width
Customer
* fullness) /
material width
Materials book
Material
Amount of material width
required
Costs
Total amount Material cost per metre
of material *
Quotation sent to cost for one
customer metre + fitting
+ labour + VAT

Cost of material plus

other costs
Quotation Customer book
Compile letter
using Customer first name,
surname and address
calculations and
customer data

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Sometimes it is more appropriate to use a Systems Flowchart to show how a system works and this is
particularly true of non-data-handling projects. Whilst a DFD shows the flow of data through a system a
systems flowchart shows the order of input, output, processing, and storage events and also allows the display
of branching events (where decisions are made and one of two different events occurs).

Fig 11 below shows how a flowchart might be compiled for the generation of a quotation for a customer in
the classic furnishings scenario.

Figure 11 – Classic Furnishings: Example Flowchart

(Showing the process of compiling a quotation)

Start

MaterialCost,
Width, Drop, Fullness,
MaterialWidth, VATRate
Labour, Fitting

Width * Drop * Fullness

/ MaterialWidth

MatAmount * MaterialCost
+ Fitting + Labour + VAT

Send letter no Does customer yes Send email

have email?

Store letter Store email

Stop

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An Entity Relationship Diagram (see below) is a diagram that shows the degree of relationship between the
entities in a system. An Entity Attribute Model also shows the degree of the relationship between entities but
additionally shows what attributes each entity has. An Entity Relationship Diagram and Entity Attribute model
are needed if you are working on a data handling problem. Complete an Entity Relationship Diagram just for
the entities and then expand it to an Entity Attribute Model showing what attributes are stored for each entity.

Terminology
Entity – an object person of thing about which data is to be held
Attribute – a characteristic of an entity

The Fig 12 shows an Entity Relationship Diagram and Fig 13 that you can see the corresponding Entity
Attribute Model.

Figure 12 – Classic Furnishings: Example Entity Relationship Model

Customer Orders

Suppliers Materials

The customer may make many orders but each order will only be for one customer – therefore
their relationship is one-to-many.
Each order may have any materials in it and each material may be in more than one order –
therefore their relationship is many-to-many.
Finally, the supplier may supply materials and each material may come from more than one
supplier – therefore their relationship is many-to-many.

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 Figure 11 – Classic Furnishings: Example Entity Attribute Model

Customer Orders
First Name Order Date
Surname Material required
Address Window Height
Email Window Width
Contact No Drop required
Fullness required
Labour Cost
VAT
OrderTotal

Suppliers Materials
Supplier Name Material Name
Supplier Address Material Number
Window Contact No Material Width
Window Email

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It is important in this section of your analysis that your objectives indicate that your project is of A Level
standard. You can do this by making sure that your objectives refer to A-Level concepts that might be used to
implement an objective. For example, using a queue data structure is an A-Level concept. Therefore an
objective could be framed that included a reference to a queue being used.

Another example from the Classic furnishings scenario is:

I will create a secure storage area for customer details and their orders.

It could be made clear that this was an A-Level objective by adding:

I will create a secure storage area for customer details and their orders using a database. It will be secured using
hashed passwords for users with access.

Purpose of this section

The purpose of this section of the analysis is to state what the objectives of the system are and how their
success will be judged. Your objectives will arise from two possible sources:
As a consequence of the identification of a specific problem (arising from your investigation and
dialogue with an end-user or potential users)
As a consequence of a direct request from your end-user
Definitions of key terms
- Objectives – What the system must be able to do when complete
- Performance criteria – how will you know that a particular objective has been successful?
- Qualitative objectives – are objectives that can’t easily be measured and are very often subjective
(e.g. the system should be user friendly) but are important for the project to be successful
- Quantitative objectives – where the successful outcome can easily be objectively measured

Make a numbered list of your objectives

Using a table similar to the example shown in table 6 – you need to describe your objectives for the new
system based on what you found out about your user needs during your investigation. You should try to
add performance criteria so that your objectives are measurable (you know how the success of your
objectives needs to be judged).

Table 6 – A set of objectives and performance criteria for some of the Classic furnishings scenario

No Objective Performance Criteria

1 Create a secure storage area for customer This must be secured so that only the end user can access
details using a database and secured with this data.
hashed passwords for users with access
2 Allow customer data to be searched, It must be searchable by customer surname or first name to
updated, archived and inserted using SQL find customer phone numbers so that the client can arrange
appointments to visit or fit curtains. It must be searchable
by customer surname or first name so that the client can
find addresses when she needs to visit. Additionally, she
must be able to update specific customer details when they
change houses or phone numbers etc. Must be able to
archive old customers when no new orders have been
received for 5 years.

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 No Objective Performance Criteria
3 Create a storage area for materials and These need to be searchable by price range, colour, type of
their suppliers and allow this data to be material, material name or supplier. Searching for a
searched so that the client can get prices supplier will also bring up the supplier address and email so
when compiling a quote and send material that a material order can be sent off for materials to make
orders off to suppliers so that she has the up the customer order.
materials to fill an order
4 Create a feature that allows the client to It will work out the number of metres of curtain fabric (and
input window dimensions and work out how possibly trimmings if selected) required based on the input
many metres of material will be needed dimensions of the window. These should be stored and used
later in the generation of the quotation and invoice
5 Create a feature that allows the client to It will allow the client to select the materials to be used for
add materials to an order and works out a potential order. It will work out a quotation based on the:
the total cost of the potential order Number of metres of material needed
including labour and VAT to generate a The cost of the materials selected per metre x
quotation number of metres needed (or number of items
selected)
Add a labour cost based on the number of hours the
client thinks it will take her to complete the order
Calculate a sub-total
Add VAT based on the sub-total
Calculate the final total cost including Vat
When all costs have been calculated it should print out or
email a quotation for the customer. This information should
be saved in case the client needs to amend a quotation.

This section involves some consideration of what types of programming language, environments and
platforms might be used to build the new system. While it generally holds true that most students will choose
to use the programming language they have been taught at their school /college there does need to be more
consideration than simply choosing a language because it’s the only one you know how to program in.

NOTE – be careful of choosing developer environments that code for you. The emphasis of this project is
on demonstrating your coding ability. For example, some programming environments (through the use of
wizards) allow you to connect to and interrogate a database without much in the way of actual coding.
However, to demonstrate coding ability it would be expected that a student would write the code themselves
that connects to a database, creates tables, datasets and commands that search the database. The same is
true of app development environments that use drag and drop components with limited use of coding.

DATA-HANDLING PROJECTS – whilst it is acceptable to use database software to store data in relational data
storage areas (tables) – you should do the following in code:
Consider using CREATE DB & CREATE TABLE statements to create databases, tables / relationships when
the system is run for the first time
Use code to create objects like connections, datasets, data tables and data commands.
Create queries using SQL statements (embedded in code)

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Key to the importance of sections of evidence:
Any item marked with an E is essential and must be included if you are to gain good marks in this section
Any item marked with a D is desirable and should be included, it will help to gain good marks but is not
always essential
Any item marked with a C is complementary. It may help explain aspects of your project but is not essential

Item
Have you included??? Tick
No
Evidence of an investigation (interview notes, questionnaires, online forms, research
notes, observation or examining documents notes)

This should include:

Actual interview / observation notes, copies of documents, copies of
1
questionnaires or evidence of research in the body of your Analysis or as an
appendix to the analysis section. [E]
Write a summary of what you found out from your investigation methods [E]
Summarise what you feel are the needs of your end user/ project arising from
your investigation. [E]
Describe the background to your problem / project [E] and identify your end user (if
2
you have one) [E]
3 Describe the problems faced by the existing system in detail (if there is one) [D]
Describe the constraints and limitations that any system will need to contend with
4
in this organisation [C]
Model the existing system or project problem in detail using appropriate diagrams
and modelling techniques where appropriate (IPSO chart, Analysis data dictionary,
5
Context diagram, DFDs and/or systems flowcharts, ERDs and Entity Attribute models,
Data volumes) [E]
6 List your objectives (including performance criteria for each one) [E]
Consider the potential solutions to the problem (languages, developer
7
environments and platforms) [C]

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There is a maximum of 9 marks awarded for this section
Mark band Advice Marks
The real problem / investigation you are intending to solve has been fully
investigated and described which means that somebody else can easily
understand the scope of the problem(s) you are intending to solve

It is evident that your objectives cover all the needs of your end user as described
in your analysis documentation. There is clear evidence of dialogue with end user
/ potential users that have informed the objectives.
Upper Mark
All your objectives should be fully documented and cover all the required 7–9
band
functionality for a problem / investigation of this type**. They should be
measurable (i.e. you have set performance criteria and will be able to prove that
they have been achieved) and are appropriate for the problem / investigation you
have described.

Your description of the existing system (using modelling techniques) is thorough

enough that it will be of use in the later stages of your project like design.)
The real problem you are intending to solve has been investigated and described
although there are some omissions that don’t prevent the scope of the problem(s)
you are intending to solve being understood by someone else

It is evident that your objectives cover most of the needs of your end user as
described in your analysis documentation. There is some evidence of dialogue
with end user / potential users that have informed the objectives.
Middle Mark
Most, but not all, of your objectives are fully documented – they are measurable 4–6
band
(i.e. you will be able to prove that they have been achieved) and appropriate for
the problem / investigation you have described**

Your description of the existing system (thorough modelling diagrams) may have
some omissions but will still be of reasonable use in design and other later stages.
For example, a data-handling solution that has no entity-relationship modelling or
a route-finding problem that has no maps or graphs / trees.
The problem you are intending to solve has been partially investigated and described

It is evident that there is some attempt through dialogue to discover the needs of
your end user or potential users.
Lower Mark Your objectives are partially documented – they are not all measurable and / or 0–3
band appropriate for the problem / investigation you have described**. They cover only
some of the required functionality for a problem / investigation of this type.

Your description of the existing system (thorough modelling techniques) will be of

some use in design.

** Whether your objectives cover all the required functionality of your problem or investigation will be of crucial
importance in the technical solution. You are awarded marks there (out of 15) based on how complete your solution is.
This is not just about how many of your original objectives you have completed but is also about what objectives you
could reasonably be expected to have for a problem or investigation of the type identified in your Analysis.
For example, a student has completed a solution for a quiz program to help students revise for a subject. The student
achieves all the original objectives set in Analysis but failed to include an objective that would allow the teacher to add
new questions to the program. This solution could not then be awarded full marks for the solution (even though all the
original objectives had been achieved) as it is reasonable to expect a revision system to include a facility for updating/
replacing/ adding new questions – otherwise such a system becomes redundant pretty quickly.

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It is a good idea (once you have a set of initial objectives) to make a start on the coding as early as possible,
particularly if your solution is going to involve techniques you have never used before and therefore need to be
researched. Before you start any coding you should choose the critical path through your project.

This refers to the order in which you develop your project objectives. This will be different for everybody but
to start with you make a decision about which objectives are critical to the success of your system and start
with those. For example, if I am developing a game to quiz KS3 students about computing topics then the
critical path will be the part of the program that asks questions and checks answers. Any log in system, admin
rights, scoring system, leader board and interactive graphics can be added in later prototypes. See example 1
below:

Example 1
A student has been asked by a school to develop an entertaining game to test student’s space science
knowledge.

As Space is one of the topics that these Year 6 students study the school wants the game set around an
entertaining space theme. The student has started their project with these initial objectives:

1 The game must allow two players to play against each other
When the game starts the program works out a space name for each player based on extracting
2
substrings from the player’s name, place of birth, surname and mother’s maiden name.
3 The program must allow each player to place their spaceships on their playing board
4 The program must draw actual spaceship pictures using drawing tools
5 The program must check that each player has the required number and type of spaceships
6 The program must randomise who goes first
The program must allow each player in turn to choose a location on the grid to fire a missile at:
The location choice must be checked to ensure it is valid
The program must ask the player a space science question
If they get it right then their chosen location is fired at. If they get it wrong then the other player
7 gets their turn
A message should be output (hit, miss or destroyed – depending on whether there is an
opponent’s ship in that location)
If all spaceships for the other player have been destroyed then a game won message should be
output
The program should produce output a list of the last 5 (space names ) of players who have recently
8
won games

The critical path through these objectives is to attempt 1, 3, 6 and 7 first and produce a partial solution that
fulfils those objectives before then going on to tackle additional objectives. In this example the second critical
path might include objectives 2, 5 and 8 and, when those are complete, any remaining objectives to complete
the solution. In this way those objectives that are critical to the success of the solution are tackled and
achieved early on in the development of the system.

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A prototype (in programming terms) is an example of your system which will not be fully functional. It will
have a few to some of the capabilities of the intended final product. Building a prototype (or series of
prototypes) is useful because it allows you to involve your end user in the development process
As each prototype is built it can be used to tease out further requirements from your client and get valuable
feedback which helps further development. It enables your end user to see what the system will look like and
how it can be used.

You can choose this as a method to develop and document your project and if you do then your analysis
design, technical solution, testing and evaluation becomes more of an iterative process. If you do choose this
method then make sure you have easy access to your end user as their feedback is vital and could hold up
your progress if they are difficult to get hold of.

How many prototypes should I build?

This is a difficult one to state a definitive answer to, as all projects are different, but in general around 1 or 2
prototypes and a final product would probably be enough for most A-Level projects.

How would I document my project if I used prototypes?

If you do use prototype versions then it is a good idea to reflect that in your documentation. The table below
(Table 1) shows how you might document a prototype solution

Table 1
Sections Prototype 1 Prototype 2 Final product
Analysis Do your analysis section as Review the objectives – do any Review the objectives –
normal – for the whole need amending, removing or do any need amending,
problem adding in light of the feedback removing or adding in
received from Prototype 1? light of the feedback
Choose the next critical path received from Prototype
through the remaining objectives 1?
Design Design Prototype1- cover all Design Prototype 2- you need to Design the final product-
the required areas for the cover the required areas for the Cover the required areas
objectives you plan to build in next set of (critical path) objectives for the remaining
your first prototype. you plan to add to the system. , objectives you need to
e.g. it might just involve some extra satisfy in order to have a
This first prototype should interface design and additional fully working solution
include the critical areas of your algorithms but might not need any
project (see previous chapter further alterations to the data
on choosing a critical path) dictionary or other design items.
Technical Build and document Build and document the Build and document the
Solution prototype 1 additional areas of prototype 2 additional required areas
Testing Test plan and testing Test plan and testing Test plan and testing
screenshots should cover the screenshots should cover the screenshots should cover
built objectives additional built objectives the additional built
objectives and any testing
needed for the whole system
Evaluation With your end user evaluate With your end user evaluate the With your end user
the success of this first success of this second prototype. evaluate the success of the
prototype. Get some Get some feedback from them final product. Get some
feedback from them and and revisit your objectives in feedback from them and
revisit your objectives in light light of this feedback suggest further possible
of this feedback extension in light of the
feedback they give

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In this section of your project you are designing a solution to the objectives and requirements that you identified
in your Analysis section and this must be evident in your design documentation. A relatively competent 3rd
party should be able to implement your ideas from your Analysis and Design documentation.

Whilst a top mark band design will include all elements of design the most important section of design is the
processing design (algorithms, data, data structures) and for a data-handling project, data structure and
extraction design plus algorithms.

If your project will involve any data handling using a relational data structure (two or more related tables) then
you must provide evidence of:
1.1 An entity relationship diagram (ERD) and an entity attribute model (EAM). These may be similar to the
diagrams you used in Analysis although there may be subtle differences (more or less entities and/or
more or less attributes for those entities)
1.2 Putting the attributes identified into standard notation for database tables and normalising to at least
3rd normal form and possibly Boyce-Codd.
1.3 Producing a post-normalisation Entity Relationship diagram. This will be slightly different to the pre-
normalisation diagram as extra (link) tables may have been added.
1.4 Producing data dictionaries for each table based on the normalised design
1.5 Producing SQL statements that will be used in algorithms to create the database and described tables,
extract, import, update, delete and archive data – to meet the identified data requirements of the system.
1.6 Producing Data Flow diagrams for the main data processing objectives

The following diagrams are examples of how to present your evidence. First draw your ERD. You can do this
by copying your ERD from Analysis and making any subtle changes that are necessary to reflect your
requirements. Fig 14 represents the ERD for the Classic Furnishings scenario before normalisation.

Figure 14 – Classic Furnishings: Example of a Pre-Normalisation Entity Relationship Diagram

Customer Orders

Suppliers Materials

The customer may make many orders but each order will only be for one customer –
therefore their relationship is one-to-many.
Each order may have any materials in it and each material may be in more than one order –
therefore their relationship is many-to-many.
Finally, the supplier may supply materials and each material may come from more than one
supplier – therefore their relationship is many-to-many.

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Once you have done this then expand the diagram to include the attributes that need to be stored about each
entity. Fig 15 shows the EAM for Fig 14.

Figure 15 – Classic Furnishings: Example of an Entity Attribute Model

Customer Orders Materials

First name Order date Material name
Surname Material required Material number
Address Window height Material width
Email Window width
Contact no. Drop required
Fullness required
Labour cost
VAT Suppliers
Order total Supplier name
Supplier address
Supplier contact no.
Supplier email

Once you know what attributes need to be stored about each entity then they can be placed into standard
notation for database tables. The following example shows the EAM above placed into standard notation.
Note that the primary key for each table is placed as the first attribute inside the brackets.

Tables / Fields for Classic Furnishings Data Structure

tblCustomer(CustEmail, FirstName, Surname, Address, Town/City, PostCode, ContactNo)
tblOrders(OrderID, OrderDate, LabourCost, VAT, OrderTotal, WindowHeight, WindowWidth,
DropRequired, FullnessRequired, MaterialName)
tblMaterials(MaterialNumber, MaterialName, MaterialWidth, CostPerMetre)
tblSuppliers(SuppEmail, SuppName, SuppAddress, SuppTown/City, SuppPostCode, SuppcontactNo)

A thorough design will show the stages of normalisation as well as a normalised design

First Normal Form for Classic Furnishings (RA) stands for repeating attribute
tblCustomer(CustEmail, FirstName, Surname, Address, Town/City, PostCode, ContactNo)
tblOrders(OrderID, MaterialNumber (RA)OrderDate, LabourCost, VAT, OrderTotal, WindowHeight,
WindowWidth, DropRequired, FullnessRequired, MaterialName, CustEmail,)
tblMaterials(MaterialNumber, SuppEmail, MaterialName, MaterialWidth, CostPerMetre)
tblSuppliers(SuppEmail, SuppName, SuppAddress, SuppTown/City, SuppPostCode, SuppcontactNo)

Second Normal Form for Classic Furnishings (now fully normalised)

tblCustomer(CustEmail, FirstName, Surname, Address, Town/City, PostCode, ContactNo)
tblOrders(OrderID, OrderDate, LabourCost, VAT, OrderTotal, WindowHeight, WindowWidth,
DropRequired, FullnessRequired, CustEmail,)
tblOrderMaterials(OrderID, MaterialNumber, NoOfMetres)
tblMaterials(MaterialNumber, MaterialName, MaterialWidth, CostPerMetre)
tblSuppMaterials(SuppEmail, MaterialNumber)
tblSuppliers(SuppEmail, SuppName, SuppAddress, SuppTown/City, SuppPostCode, SuppcontactNo)

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Once normalisation is complete then it is good practice to display the normalised Entity Relationship Diagram.
This diagram will also help you to set your relationships accurately during the creation of your solution. Below
is the normalised diagram for Classic Furnishings which clearly shows the insertion of two new tables which
indicates that the design now has no remaining many-to-many relationships. Fig 16 shows the post
normalisation ERD for Fig 14.

Figure 16 – Classic Furnishings: Example of a Post-Normalisation Entity-Relationship Diagram

Customer Orders

Suppliers Order Materials

Supplier Materials Materials

In this section it is necessary to create a data dictionary for each table in the data structure that displays data
types for each field, identification of the keys and any validation that will be required on the fields at the
point of data entry and storage. The examples (Table7 and 8) show how this evidence might be set out.

Table 7 – Classic Furnishings: Data Dictionary for Relational Data Table

Table Name TBLCUSTOMER

Primary Key CustEmail
Foreign Keys N/A
Data Item Data type Validation Sample data
CustEmail String NotNull janetbrookes@[Link]
FirstName String Janet
Surname String NotNull Brookes
ContactNo String =11 digits 07790034045
Address String 42 Stoney Lane
Town/City String Newcastle
PostCode String St5 6GB

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 Table 8 – Classic Furnishings: Data Dictionary for Relational Data Table

Table Name TBLORDERS

Primary Key OrderID
Foreign Keys N/A
Data Item Data Type Validation Sample data
OrderID Integer >0 125
DateOrdered Date >=currentdate 15/3/14
LabourCost Real To 2 decimal places – formatted as currency £50
VAT Real To 2 decimal places – formatted as currency £23.45
Calculated (material cost + Labour *VAT rate
OrderTotal Real To 2 decimal places – formatted as currency £480
Calculated (material cost + Labour *VAT rate
WindowHeight Real 2.2

WindowWidth Real 3
DropRequired Real Cannot be less than window height 3.6
FullnessRequired Real 2
CustEmail String NotNull janetbrookes@[Link]

In this section you should list and describe the SQL statements that you will need in order to meet your
requirements. For example, your requirements may need you to:

Create database (once only) Insert new records into data tables
Create data tables (once only) Update existing records in data tables
Extract data from data tables Delete or archive existing data

The following examples show how to present this evidence. Remember that for you to score high marks in
your technical solution you will need to be running queries that extract, update, delete or insert data from
more than one table at the same time.

Example 1 –Cross-table Parameterised Select Query Example 2 –SQL Statement to Create a Database Table

A query to extract all orders for a particular customer A DDL (Data Definition Language) statement to create
with a particular order date. Results need to show the the customer table at first runtime.
dimensions of the window for which curtains are to be
CREATE TABLE Customers
made up. The customer name and order date to be (CustEmail VARCHAR(100) NOT NULL
searched for will be passed as parameters to the PRIMARY KEY,
search at runtime FirstName VARCHAR(50),
Surname VARCHAR(50) NOT NULL,
SELECT FirstName, Surname, Address VARCHAR(200),
WindowHeight, WindowWidth, Town/City VARCHAR(30),
DropRequired, FullnessRequired PostCode VARCHAR(8),
ContactNo VARCHAR(11);)
FROM Customers INNERJOIN Orders ON
[Link] = [Link]
WHERE Surname = [parameter] AND
OrderDate = >[parameter]

Try and include a DFD to Level 1 for each of your main data processing objectives.

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The purpose of this section of evidence is to describe the overall system design needed to meet your requirements. This can be done through a top-down diagram
and an IPSO chart.

The example (Fig 17) below is a top-down design diagram for a program called Space Battleships where up to two players will try to guess where each other’s
spaceships are in order to win the game.

Figure 17 – Space Battleships: Example of a Top-Down Design Diagram

Gamestart

Get Space Names Set Up Players Load Existing

Play New Game Save Game
For Players Spaceships Game

Create Bomber Set Up Game Get Guess Check If Co- Check For
Make The Guess Check For Hit
Spaceship Board Co-ordinates ordinates Are Valid Game Won

Create Fighter
Load Menu
Spaceship

Create Comand
Spaceship

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The purpose of an IPSO is to list what data items are input into the system, what processing actions are
carried out on the input data, what data items are then stored in the system and what type of information is
output from the system. The IPSO chart in Table 9 shows how the Spaceships game might be categorised into
input, process, storage and output.

Table 9 – Spaceships: An Example of a Design IPSO Chart

IPSO Program Section Item

Player One First Name
Player One Surname
Player One Mother’s Maiden Name
Player One’s place of birth
Getting Space Names
Player Two First Name
Player Two Surname
Player Two Mother’s Maiden Name
Player Two’s place of birth
Command spaceship Co-ordinates (X and Y)

Bomber spaceship 1 Co-ordinates (X and Y)

Input Bomber spaceship 2 Co-ordinates (X and Y) Bomber spaceship 3
Co-ordinates (X and Y)
Setting up Spaceships
Fighter spaceship 1 Co-ordinates (X and Y)
Fighter spaceship 2 Co-ordinates (X and Y)
Fighter spaceship 3 Co-ordinates (X and Y)
Fighter spaceship 4 Co-ordinates (X and Y)
Fighter spaceship 5 Co-ordinates (X and Y)
Fighter spaceship 6 Co-ordinates (X and Y)
Choosing a game MenuNumberOption
Guess Position X Co-ordinate
Guessing a ship position
Guess Position Y Co-ordinate
Setting Up Spaceship positions Is Grid Position (XY Co-ordinate) empty?
Check if Valid Guess Is the Guess a valid XY co-ordinate on the grid
Check for hit Do the guess co-ordinates have a ship occupying the space
Processing
Make the guess If position guessed has a ship, then mark position as a hit
Check both player1 grid and player 2 grid – if all ship positions are
Check if Game won
hits then game is won
Storage Save Gameboard All positions on player 1 and player 2 gameboards saved to a text file
Setting Up Spaceship positions Gameboard for player 1 and 2
Check if Valid Guess Message “invalid co-ordinates – please re-enter”
Output
Check for hit Message “that is a hit” or “that is a miss”
Check if Game won Message “Player (x) has won the game”

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Even if you have a non-data handling project you will still need a data dictionary that covers the data items
used by your program. This should show both elementary and composite data types like structures.
Additionally, if you plan to store records in a text file or DAT file then you need to show your record structure.

The purpose of a data dictionary is to state the data types of the data items used by the system and how
these are validated (if at all). The Data dictionary in Table 10 shows some of the data items that might be
used by the Spaceship program. Where user defined data structures are to be used it should be explained
what elementary or composite data types the structures are composed of.

Table 10 – Spaceships: Example of a Data Dictionary (non-database project)

Data item Data Type Validation Sample data

Player first name string “Robert”
Player Surname string <>““ “Brock”
Mother’s maiden name string “Wilson”
Place of birth string <>““ “Tetbury”
Command structure
Command spaceship (3, 4) (3, 5)
(CPos 1, 2 ,3, 4 as
co-ordinates (4, 4) (4, 5)
spaceship)
Bomber spaceship Bomber structure (BPos 1, (1, 2)
co-ordinates 2 as spaceship) (2, 2)
Spaceship structure
Fighter spaceship YCo-rd >= 0 AND <=11
(X Co-ord as integer, Y 4, 9
co-ordinates X Co-rd >=0 AND <=9
Co-rd as integer)
Menu option integer >=1 AND <=6 6 (Quit)
Guess X Co-ordinate integer X Co-rd >=0 AND <=9
Guess Y Co-ordinate integer YCo-rd >= 0 AND <=11
(““,”“,”“,”B”,”B”, ““,
Player 1 ships 2-D string array
““……….)
(““, “S”, ““, ““, “B”,
Player 2 ships 2-D string array
“B”………)

If you are going to be saving records to a text file, then it is necessary to design the structure for one record
that will be saved into the file.

In the case of the spaceship program it will be possible to save the state of the gameplay – the example in
table 11 shows how a single record that might be saved to the “Saved Games” file would be constructed

Table 11 – Spaceships: Example of a Record Structure

Record element Size

Player 1 ships 120 characters = 960 bytes
Player 2 ships 120 characters = 960 bytes
One record = 1920 bytes

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If you plan to use a structure, a tree, a graph, stack, queue or linked list then you should show how these will be
implemented.

STRUCTURE FIGHTER This example shows the data items and their data types
FighterName as String for a User-defined Fighter Structure

FighterXC-ord as integer
FighterYCo-ord as integer
FighterHealth as Integer
FighterSize as integer
FighterDestroyed as Boolean
END STRUCTURE

LINEAR Queue
At the end of the game the user will be presented with a list of the ships
destroyed in the order in which they were destroyed. I will use a linear
queue to hold this information. As each ship is destroyed it will be added
to their “Destroyed” Queue. When the game is over the Queue will be
output to the interface in the order in which items were added.

Player1Destroyed Queue (Array of Records) This example shows how you

describe the way in which a queue
[0] Fighter object Variables will be needed for might be implemented
[1] FrontPointer and RearPointer
[2] (integers) and QueueLength
[3] (integer)
[4]
[5]
[6]
[7]
[8]
[9]

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If you are going to be using user-defined classes in your program, then you should include both an
inheritance diagram and class definitions for each parent and sub class in your design section. When it comes
to the marking of your technical solution, using your own defined classes is considered a higher level skill and
will help to place you in the higher mark bands.

Fig 18 shows an inheritance diagram for the Spaceship program and class definitions for the parent class and
one of the sub classes.

Figure 18 – Spaceships: Inheritance Diagram and Class Definitions

Spaceship

Bomber Fighter Command

CLASS Spaceship
Public Function GetSpaceshipType
Public Sub SetCo-ordinates

Private Type : String

Private XCo-rdinate : integer
Private YCo-ordinate: integer

CLASS Bomber Inherits Spaceship

Public Function GetSpaceshipType Overrides
Public Sub SetNumberofPositions

Private Type : String

Private NumberofPositions: integer

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In this section you need to show a selection of the main screens you intend to use for an interface. This
should include screens that accept input as well as screens that show output. Although at one time sketches
of how the interface would look was required now it is perfectly acceptable to actually build the interface in
the programming environment you intend to use. In this way they are prototype screens. The purpose is to
show how your end user will interact with the program through the interface and to explain your interface
design reasoning in relation to the needs of your end user.

The example Fig 19 shows one prototype screen for the Spaceships game and how the design of it might be
explained

Figure 19 – Spaceships: An example of a Prototype screen design and interface explanation

1. When the form loads (using the form load event) this label will display whether it is player 1 or player 2’s
turn. The algorithm placed on the load event will randomly choose either player 1 or player two to start first.
2. The player will insert the co-ordinates into the text boxes where they want to guess at the position of the
other player’s spaceships. There will be validation placed on this to ensure that the co-ordinates that are
entered are valid for the grid.
3. When the player clicks the button it will pass the entered co-ordinates as arguments to the [Link].
methods of the grid.
4. This will result in the backcolour of the cell changing (Aqua for a miss, red for a hit, green if a whole ship
has now been destroyed) and either the text “Miss”, “hit” or “destroyed” appearing in the cell.
5. Finally, a message will be output to the label below the grid to make it clear whether the guess was a hit, a
sinking or a miss. A timer will hold the message on the screen for 10 seconds before the player1 grid goes
invisible and the player 2 grid becomes visible. At the same time the label showing the players name will
change to the other player and the guess co-ordinate textboxes will clear.

It is also a good idea to briefly justify your choice of a particular type of interface. Some examples you might
decide to use are:

Form or windows interface (Graphical User Interface) Menu-driven interface

Command line interface (Console window interface) Web interface

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This is arguably the most important section in your design and certainly you cannot achieve high marks in this
section without it being completed to a high standard. Your algorithm design should cover the main
processing objectives for your project and you should endeavour to use standard pseudocode. They should
not be written in any particular programming language.

As a guide when describing your algorithms, you should:

State what part the algorithm will play in your program (what objective will it satisfy)
Describe the algorithm in pseudo-code

For complex algorithms you should explain how the different parts of the algorithm work.

Example 3 shows part of an algorithm that will check for a hit in the Spaceships program.

Example 3 – Spaceships: Example of an algorithm described in pseudo-code

SUB PROCEDURE HitCheck (HitBoard (,) ShipBoard (,) PlayerNumber)

IF ShipBoard(x, y) NOT " " THEN

IF ShipBoard(x, y) "F" THEN

PlayerStats(PlayerNumber).FighterHealth destroyed
[Link](x).Cells(y).Backcolor RED
[Link](x).Cells(y).Value "destroyed"
Shipboard(x, y) D
OUTPUT MESSAGE "Well done the spaceship is destroyed

ELSEIF ShipBoard(x, y) "B" THEN

PlayerStats(Playernumber).Positions Positions – 1
CALL CheckBomberSunk(PlayerNumber, PlayerStats, Shipboard)
IF Bombersunk true THEN
[Link](x).Cells(y).Backcolor GREEN
[Link](x).Cells(y).Value "destroyed"
Shipboard(x, y) D
OUPUT MESSAGE "Well done the spaceship is destroyed"
ELSE
[Link](x).Cells(y).Backcolor RED
[Link](x).Cells(y).Value "hit"
Shipboard(x, y) H
OUTPUT MESSAGE "Well done – that is a hit"

END SUB

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Key to the importance of sections of evidence:
Any item marked with an E is essential and must be included if you are to gain reasonable marks in this section
Any item marked with a D is desirable and should be included, it will help to gain good marks but is not
always essential
Any item marked with a C is complementary. It may help explain aspects of your project but is not essential

Item No Have you included??? Tick

For Data-Handling projects only:
ERD and EAM [E]
Normalisation [E]
1
Data Dictionaries [E]
SQL statements [E]
Data Flow Diagrams (to show main data processing) [D]
Overall System Design
Top Down diagram [E]
2
IPSO chart [E]
Flowcharts to show main processing (non-data handling projects) [D]
3 Data dictionaries / Record Structure / Data Structures [E]
4 OOP Class Design (if OOP is used) [E]
5 Interface Design [E]
6 Algorithms [E]
7 Hardware Selection / Design (if appropriate) [D]
8 Security and Integrity of Data [C]

There is a maximum of 12 marks awarded for this section

Mark
Mark band Advice
range
A third party would be able to understand how all the key parts of the system
are supposed to work – overview, interface, data dictionary, data structures, class
design (if OOP).
Upper Mark
Algorithms are present that cover all the key processing areas. 10–12
band
For a data-handling project there is accurate normalisation and description of
tables that produces a workable data structure for the problem. There is a range
of SQL statements that covers all the key data-handling requirements.
A third party would be able to understand how most of the key elements of the
system are supposed to work - overview, interface, data dictionary, data
Upper Middle structures, class design (if OOP).
7–9
Mark band Algorithms are present that cover most of the key processing areas.
For a data-handling project there is a good attempt to normalise relations,
describe the structure to be built and SQL to be used.
A third party would be able to understand how some key parts of the system are
Lower Middle supposed to work (half or less).
4–6
Mark band Some algorithms are included. For a data-handling project there is some attempt
to normalise relations, describe the structure to be built and SQL to be used.
Lower Mark This would be a difficult design for a third party to understand as key information
0–3
band (algorithms, data dictionaries, data structures) is missing or incomplete

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The purpose of the section of your project report is to show that you have built a solution to meet your objectives
(set out in Analysis). This is the section with the largest marks so you should ensure that this is thoroughly
documented. If you are producing your technical solution as a series of prototypes make sure you read the
chapter on prototyping first.

If your project involves any data handling using a relational data structure (two or more related tables) then
you should provide evidence of:

Because there is a requirement for a fully coded solution – the setting up of the tables and relationships
should be done using DDL statements embedded in whichever programming language you are using to
create your solution. (CREATE TABLE). See Example 4 (created in [Link]):

Example 4 – An example of code used to create a relational database structure

Private Sub createorderstable(ByRef dbconnectstring As String)
'the connection provider and filepath to the database (data source) are passed
as a parameter from the procedure where the button on the form is clicked to
create the tables
Using con As New OleDbConnection(dbconnectstring)
[Link]()
'the connection to the database is opened
Using cmd As New OleDbCommand
[Link] = con
'the command that will create the tables is set to use the provider and
filepath passed as a parameter to connect with
[Link] = "CREATE TABLE TBLOrders(OrderID INT NOT NULL PRIMARY
KEY,OrderMadeDate DATE NOT NULL,OrderTotal CURRENCY,OrderVAT
CURRENCY,LabourCost CURRENCY,DateCompleted DATE, CustomerID INT
CONSTRAINT FK_CustomerID REFERENCES tblCustomers (CustomerID))"
'this is the command that will be executed
Try
[Link]()
'the create table statement is executed within the database
[Link] = "Table created"
'a message is output to the label if there are no exceptions
Catch ex As Exception
'if an error/ exception occurs then an error message is displayed
[Link] = [Link]
End Try

End Using
[Link]()
'the connection to the database is closed

End Using

Obviously there will be a need for this script to run once during the setting up and installation of the program
although depending on the objectives for your project it could be done again at some other point. However

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you do need to show in your solution (or in testing) that this element has produced the tables because you
will need to input and manipulate data into and from those tables.

Additionally it is a good idea to enable the file path of the database to be set/ manipulated dynamically from
the interface of your system (see Fig 20 below). If you fix the file path in the code to your own file
structure/system this prevents the ultimate user from placing the database component within their own file
structure.

Figure 20 – Classic Furnishings: Setting the Filepath

When the system is run for the first time (and

perhaps later if the database needs to be moved for
any reason) the user will enter the file path where
the database is to be stored. It is this file path then
should be used throughout the program to connect to
the database

Dim dbconnectstring As String = "Provider =

[Link].12.0;" & "Data source =" & [Link]

Show your system overview diagram or top-down diagram of your built system. This gives the marker
/moderator a good overview of how the different parts of your built system link together.

Fig 21 shows the system overview for the Classic Furnishings example used previously in the booklet

Figure 21 – Classic Furnishings: System Overview

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If you have built classes which are subsequently used in the rest of your code then completely list the code for
them. You should make sure that your classes are adequately annotated to describe how your methods work.
Additionally it is a good idea to show the class diagram (Fig 22) before the related code listing.

Figure 22 – Example of how to display evidence of classes used in the solution.

Of course this example just shows one of the classes but you would need to show all your built classes (i.e. classes
you have coded yourself)

Connection class

ExecuteSelect ExecuteInsertUpdateDelete ExecuteSelectAlll

This class acts as the parent class that is inherited by the other database classes. This class contains the
details of the connection to the database and the method to set the SQL statement to execute.

Imports [Link]
Public Class Connection
Protected connection As New
OleDbConnection("Provider=[Link].12.0;" & databasefilepath)
'Declares a variable that can only be accessed in this class or by inherited
classes - this variable stores text enabling the connection to the
database(connecting string)
Protected dbcommand As New OleDbCommand
'Declares a variable that can only be accessed in this class or by inherited
[Link] variable stores the sql command to be executed

Public WriteOnly Property retrievesql() As String

Set(ByVal sql As String)
'the parameter that is passed to this property is to the variable sql
[Link]()
'closes a connection if there is a open connection
[Link] = sql
'sets the sql command to be executed
[Link] = connection
'sets the connecting string to be used to connect to the database
End Set
End Property
End Class

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The purpose of this section of evidence is to show your complete code listing for all parts of your project. If
your project modules are built around forms or windows so that each form has a module of code attached
to it then it is a good idea to show a screenshot of the form followed by the code listing for the module
attached to that form (see example 5).

Annotating your code – the purpose of annotation is to explain how your code works to someone who has
not seen you developing your program. Whilst it is not necessary to annotate every single line of code you
should ensure that code is adequately annotated to explain how small sections work. This is particularly true
of complex sections of code which will need to be more thoroughly annotated than the more straightforward
sections. In the Function Retrievedirectory in example 5 each loop has been annotated to explain how the
function extracts the directory path from the whole filepath.

Example 5 – an example of documentation of a form and its associated code module

(NB. only some procedures shown here whereas you should list all your code)

txtdbfilepath

btnCreateTable
s

btnAddData

Imports [Link] count = [Link] – 1

Public Class Dbcreate
Dim textfiledir As String Do Until count = 0 Or directory(count) = “\”
directory(count) = “Z”
Private Sub btnCreateTables_Click_1(ByVal sender As count = count – 1
[Link], ByVal e As [Link]) Handles ‘this replaces all the characters after the last
[Link] backslash to Z’s
Dim dbconnectstring As String = “Provider = Loop
[Link].12.0;” & “Data source =“ & count2 = 0
[Link] Do Until directory(count2) = “Z”
Dim filepath As String = [Link] dirpath = dirpath & directory(count2)
Call retrievedirectory(filepath) ‘ this retireves a count2 = count2 + 1
directory path for the textfile ‘this concatenates a string made of all the
Call SaveFilepath(filepath, textfiledir) ‘ this saves characters in the array that make up the directory path
the filepath of the database as a text string (in a (not including the characters that make up the filename
text file) in the same directory as the database and extension)
Call CreateCustomerTable(dbconnectstring) ‘ this
creates the customer table Loop
[Link] = ““ ‘ clears the message label textfiledir = dirpath
Call createorderstable(dbconnectstring) ‘creates the Return textfiledir
orders table and associated relations ‘the directory path for the database is returned to
End Sub the calling procedure
End Function
Private Function retrievedirectory(ByRef filepath As End Class
String)
Dim directory([Link]) As Char
Dim count As Integer
Dim count2 As Integer
Dim dirpath As String = ““
For i = 0 To [Link] – 1
directory(i) = [Link](i, 1)
‘assigns all the characters in the filepath string to
an array (that has the same number of indicies as there
are characters in the filepath)
Next

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This should be a complete listing of the procedures and variables used in your code. This is best presented as
table with columns like example 6.

Example 6 – How procedures and variables might be described for example 5

Form DBCreate – This form will be accessible from the main menu. It will be used after installation to set
the filepath for the database and create the required tables
Global Variables Textfiledir (holds the location of the text file that will hold the filepath of the
database for use when the connection string is needed)
Procedures Purpose Variables
When the Create tables button is clicked
dbconnectstring
Sub CreateTables_Click this procedure will create the required
filepath
tables in the database
Creates the customer table in the database Con
Sub CreateCustomerTable
when called by CreateTables cmd
Creates the Orders table in the database Con
Sub CreateOrdersTable
when called by CreateTables cmd
Filepath (parameter passed)
This procedure writes the text file to the
Textfiledir (parameter passed)
Sub SaveFilepath location specified by the function
Textfilepath
RetrieveDirectory
objwriter
This function calculates from the entered Filepath (parameter passed)
filepath of the database, the directory where Directory(array)
the text file is to be stored (same directory Count
Function Retrievedirectory
as the database). It returns the directory Count2
path to CreateTables and is used in dirpath
SaveFilepath.

The AQA specification lists the required skills for each mark band and you should consult this alongside this
guide to ensure that your project has the desired technical competence.

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Key to the importance of sections of evidence:
Any item marked with an E is essential and must be included if you are to gain good marks in this
section
Any item marked with a D is desirable and should be included, it will help to gain good marks but is not
always essential
Any item marked with a C is complementary. It may help explain aspects of your project but is not
essential

Items 6 and 7 in the list are not really part of your evidence but are things you should take into account as
they have an impact on how your project is marked (See “Applying the Assessment Criteria” below).

Item
Have you included??? Tick
No
For Data-Handling projects only:
1 Evidence of CREATE TABLE statements (for first run of the program)
Evidence of created tables and accurately set relationships [E]
2 OOP Built classes (if you have them) [E]
3 Interface Screenshots [D]
4 Complete Annotated Code listings [E]
5 Procedures and variables Listings [D]
How complete is my solution?
Check how many of your original objectives have you achieved
** You are awarded marks out of 15 based on how complete your solution is. This is not just about
how many of your original objectives you have completed but is also about what objectives you could
reasonably be expected to have for a problem or investigation of the type identified in your Analysis.
6
For example, a student has completed a solution for a Quiz program to help students revise for a
subject. The student achieves all the original objectives set in Analysis but failed to include an
objective that would allow the teacher to add new questions to the program. This solution could not
then be awarded full marks for the solution (even though all the original objectives had been
achieved) as it is reasonable to expect a revision system to include a facility for updating/ replacing/
adding new questions – otherwise such a system becomes redundant pretty quickly
Skills check (see table below and tick off the skills you think you have achieved OR
7
ask your teacher/tutor/NEA supervisor to tick the skills they think you have achieved)

Top Mark band Middle mark band Lower Mark band

(excellent programmer) (good programmer) (some programming skill)
Candidate written classes (OOP) Use of arrays (2-D) 1-D arrays
Complex standard algorithms and Some standard algorithms Uses a small range of
structures (structures, arrays of like bubble sorts and different data types
records, stacks, queues, linked lists, binary searches Uses linear searching
trees and graphs) Simple OOP classes methods
Use of regular expressions Simple client-server Uses simple mathematical
Use of hashing techniques model calculations
Use of recursion Accesses table data without
Merge sorting or equivalent For Data- handling solutions the use of SQL
Simple data model with a
few inter-linked tables

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 Implementing complex Single-table SQL
mathematical processes (KS5 Maths statements
at least) Use of text files for storing
Time simulation / scheduling and retrieving data
Complex client server model

Specific to Data- handling solutions

A complex data model with many
related tables (multiple normalised
entities to at least 3rd normal form)
Using parameterised cross-table
SQL statements embedded in the
programming language
User generated Data Definition
statements (e.g. CREATE TABLE
embedded in the code)

Top Mark band Middle mark band Lower Mark band

(excellent coding style) (good coding style) (basic coding style)
Code is split into appropriate Use of subroutines Meaningful identifier names
subroutines (procedures and Well-designed user interface are used for variables /
functions with parameters Minimal use of global structures / procedures, from
passed where appropriate) variables controls etc.)
Subroutines have a single Appropriate use of local Code is annotated to explain
purpose variables how sections of code work.
Subroutines whose purpose Any casting (data type
are related are grouped conversion) needed is
together managed by the programmer
Good use of defensive Constants are used where
programming – attempting to appropriate
deal with issues that might File paths are parameterised
cause your program to crash. (not hard coded into the
There is good use of solution)
exception handling Code is appropriately
indented
Code is appropriately
annotated

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There is a maximum of 42 marks awarded for this section. This is based on two strands of evidence (Skill and
coding style AND completeness of solution)

1. How skilful is my solution (check which skill band your solution mostly falls into from the skills table
above) and then:
a. What is the quality of my coding style? This will help to determine where you are placed in the
SKILLS mark band. For example if you have achieved a good range of the skills in the “excellent
programmer” band in the skills table and mostly “good coding style” in the coding style table then
you will be placed towards the middle of the range 19-27. The coding style is cumulative. To be
considered to have excellent coding style you must also have satisfied the appropriate criteria in the
lower two coding style bands.

2. How complete is my solution? The remaining 15 marks are awarded for the completeness of your solution
– how many of your original objectives you have achieved. Remember that completeness is not just about
the objectives you have set but what should have been reasonably set for a project of this type.

Skill and Coding Style

Mark
Mark band Skill level achieved
range
1. The programming skills used are mostly Top mark band (very good
programmer) with
a. Excellent coding style (towards the top of the mark range 25–27).
This means that all the good coding techniques and all / nearly all
of the excellent coding techniques have been used.
Upper Mark
b. Good coding style (middle of the mark range 22–24). This means 19–27
band
that all the good coding techniques have been used and a
majority of the excellent techniques.
c. Adequate coding style (lower end of the mark range 19–21). This
means that coding techniques used are mostly good with some
excellent characteristics.
2. The programming skills used are mostly middle mark band (fair
programmer)
a. Excellent coding style (towards the top of the mark range, 16–18).
This means that all the good coding techniques have been used
and a majority of the excellent techniques
Middle Mark
b. Good coding style (middle of the mark range, 13–15). This means 10–18
band
that coding techniques used are mostly good with some excellent
characteristics.
c. Adequate coding style (lower end of the mark range, 10–12). All
to almost all of the good coding techniques with perhaps one
example of an excellent technique
3. The programming techniques used are mostly lower mark band
(some programming skill)
a. Excellent coding style (towards the top of the mark range, 7–9).
Lower Mark All to almost all of the good coding techniques.
0–9
band b. Good coding style (middle of the mark range, 4–6). Uses some
good coding style characteristics.
c. Adequate coding style (lower end of the mark range, 0–3), uses
basic coding techniques.

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Completeness of Solution
Mark
Mark band Completeness of Solution Criteria
range
Upper Mark A solution that meets all / nearly all of the objectives of the system
band (including those that might reasonably be expected for a system of this type 11–15
which you may or may not have included in your original objectives)
Middle Mark A solution that meet many of the objectives of the system (including some
band of the important ones)
6–10
(including those that might reasonably be expected for a system of this type
which you may or may not have included in your original objectives)
Lower Mark A solution that has made an attempt to tackle some parts of the system
band (including those objectives that might reasonably be expected for a system of 0–5
this type which you may or may not have included in your original objectives)

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This is the section of your project where you prove that your solution works as intended and therefore that
you have met your objectives set out in analysis. So you need to draw up a test plan of what needs to be
tested (and how it will be tested) carefully in order to show clearly that objectives have been achieved. It
needs to cover your key processing objectives including:

That any planned validation of input works as intended

That valid inputs are accepted by the system
That data is processed to produce the intended outputs
That any planned navigation works as intended
That the system works as a whole system

It is a good idea to set out (briefly) your testing strategy. What methods of testing do you intend to use to
prove your solution works? If you are unsure of what methods are available consult your A Level textbook.
Some common methods used for testing (in A-Level projects) are listed below in Table 12 although this list is
not exhaustive.

Table 12 – Common testing methods

Testing Method Description of how it is applied

Concerned with testing interaction with the interface. Do the inputs produce the
Black-box testing
required outputs?
This is also known as structural testing to test every possible logical path through
White box testing
individual modules of code. Might include the use of trace tables
Module testing This is testing individual components of a system (like procedures or functions)
Often know as beta testing. The end users use your system with real data and
End-User testing
report any faults or errors

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It is considered good practice to use a testing table to plan out your tests. Table 13 shows the suggested
headings you should use as well as an example of an entered test. You may wish to add an extra column for
additional notes on any failed tests or this can be done under a separate heading in your testing document.

Table 13 – An example test plan showing suggested headings and a test example

Test No 1
Objective / Requirement No 1a
Purpose of test To ensure that players of the spaceships game can only enter valid co-ordinates
(between 1 and 10) when choosing a grid location on the game board to fire a missile at
Description of test When the game asks for co-ordinates to be entered – the stated test data will be
input
Test data A) T = 5,8
B) Er = 4,11
C) Ex = (1,10), (0,11), (2,9)
Expected result Typical data should be accepted and a missile fired at that location
Erroneous should be rejected and an invalid input message output. User should be
prompted to re-enter valid co-ordinates
Extreme data – data within and on the boundaries (1, 10 and 2, 9) should be
accepted and a missile fired at that location. Data outside the boundary (0,11)
should be rejected the same as erroneous data
Actual result Typical data = pass
Erroneous data = pass
Extreme data
(1, 10) and (2, 9) = pass
(0,11) = pass
Key to Test data types: T = typical, Er = Erroneous (abnormal), Ex = extreme (boundary)

There are three types of data that can be used in testing:

1. Typical (normal) data – valid data that would normally be entered for a specific feature
2. Erroneous (abnormal) – invalid data for a specific feature
3. Extreme (boundary) data – data that is just before, on and just after the outer limits of a valid range. ,e.g.
if a valid range is 1-5 then extreme test data is 0, 1, 2, 4, 5, and 6. If a valid input has to be >=10 then
extreme test data would be 9, 10 and 11.

It is generally a good idea to use all three types of test data – typical, erroneous (abnormal) and extreme
(boundary). You should try to use extreme (boundary) data where possible in your testing.

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You need to provide annotated and cross-referenced screenshots of the actual results produced by your tests.
These screenshots should clearly show the input that led to the processed output. See example 5 and 6.

It is possible to refer to testing screenshots provided in your technical solution as long as these screenshots
are cross-referenced with a test number next to the screenshot and the page number of the screenshot is
placed in the test plan.

Example 5 – Test number 1a (typical data) from Table 13

It can clearly be seen that when valid co-ordinates

of 5, 8 are entered, there are no warning messages
and a missile has been fired (and missed) at the
entered co-ordinates

Example 6 – Test evidence for test 1b (erroneous data) from Table 13

When invalid co-ordinates are entered (4, 11 – with the Y co-

ordinate being invalid) a message is output asking for co-
ordinates to be re-entered and no missile is fired. This message
continues to appear until valid co-ordinates are entered

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There are some systems that do not readily lend themselves to taking screenshots that prove the system
works (e.g. control systems for robots, games). Consider taking some video evidence or photographs that
prove the required outcomes were achieved. Video evidence is also useful for proving that the system works
as a whole. Video evidence should be uploaded to YouTube and a link provided in your documentation. Any
video evidence of testing does need to be explained though. This can be done by overlaying the video with an
explanatory soundtrack or text explanations or by providing a written explanation to go with each video test
in your documentation.

If you have any tests that do not produce the expected results and are therefore classified as a fail – try and fix
the issue that is stopping the test from passing. Document any changes you make to the code, and possibly the
interface, in order to make this happen. If you do manage to fix the issue, then re-run the test, showing that the
desired result has been achieved. Example 7 below how a failed (and then fixed) test might be documented.

Example 7 – An example of how to document (with screenshots) a test that fails to work

Invalid co-ordinates produced a miss at

co-ordinates 4, 2. This should not happen as
co-ordinates entered were 4, 11

This seems to be due to the method I have used to find the individual co-ordinates from the string
entered. For the Y co-ordinate it is only taking the first character of the string (1) and I have the Y co-
ordinates numbered 1-10 rather than 0-9.

I have now fixed this problem by using a split string function instead – this splits the entered string at the
“,” so no numbers are lost off the X and Y co-ordinates

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If you have any objectives that are qualitative then these may need to be tested by your end user. ,e.g. An
objective that states that the interface must be user –friendly. This can only really be judged by the end user
as what is user friendly to one person might be incomprehensible to someone else. Provide a separate test
plan for this and get feedback from your user on the outcomes of the tests carried out. See Table 14.

Table 14 – Example of end user testing from the Spaceships scenario

Actual result /
Objective / Description of
Test No Purpose of test Test data Expected result End user
Requirement No test
comments
1 8 To test whether When the end Typical Pop-up message I entered co-
the end user user goes to (user appears on ordinates (5 8)
finds the help enter the co- chooses textbox gaining and this was
message pop- ordinates they valid co- focus (“You rejected as
ups useful when want to fire a ordinates) must enter co- invalid.
trying to enter missile at , the ordinates Additional
valid co- following between 0 and information is
ordinates messages 9”). User finds needed on the
appear: this prompt help message
When the co- useful and then about the format
ordinate textbox can correctly expected or
gains focus a enter valid co- additional code
message ordinates that will process
appears the co-ordinates
prompting entry without a comma
within the valid in-between
range.

If your end user does make reasonable suggestions at this point then it is a good idea to try and implement
those changes, making sure that you document your changes and include them in your testing section. Re-
run the test with your end user and document their fresh response.

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Key to the importance of sections of evidence:
Any item marked with an E is essential and must be included if you are to gain good marks in this section
Any item marked with a D is desirable and should be included, it will help to gain good marks but is not
always essential
Any item marked with a C is complementary. It may help explain aspects of your project but is not
essential

Item No Have you included??? Tick

1 My testing strategy [C]
My test plan:
Including a description of the test
What objective it covers
2 What test data I will use and what type of data it is
The expected result
The actual result [E]
Make sure you include typical, erroneous and extreme data (where appropriate).
Testing screenshots (or video evidence) cross referenced to the test plan and
3
annotated to describe what happened when the test was run. [E]
4 Any improvements that were made to the solution as a result of failed tests [E]
5 End-user testing (particularly of qualitative objectives) [D – useful in Evaluation]

Mark
Mark band Advice
range
The solution is thoroughly tested proving that the complete (or nearly
complete) solution is robust (doesn’t crash).
Upper Mark To achieve a mark in this range your testing must prove that the system as a
7–8
band whole works as intended.
Test evidence must be clearly and thoroughly explained
It proves that the objectives identified in analysis have been achieved
A good, fairly extensive, range of testing has been carried out but it is not
obvious that all the core objectives have been achieved.
Upper Middle This might be because some key tests are not clear enough (poor screenshots,
5–6
Mark band limited annotation of screenshots or poorly defined tests) or because some key
elements have not been tested
The testing evidence must be explained
The system has been mostly tested but does not demonstrate that the key
Lower Middle
objectives have been achieved and the solution is robust 3–4
Mark band
There is an attempt to explain the evidence
Lower Mark Some parts of the system have been tested which demonstrates that some of
1–2
band the objectives have been achieved

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In this section of work you are evaluating the success of the objectives you set out in your analysis section. If you set
performance criteria for your objectives then you use these to help judge the success or otherwise of your solution.

It is possible to simply copy over from analysis the table where you set the original objectives and
performance criteria. Add an extra column to the table so that you can evaluate how successful your actual
solution was in meeting each individual objective. It is useful to state whether or not this objective was
completely achieved. Alternatively each numbered objective should be stated with an explanation in a
following paragraph of what was achieved and how well it was achieved. Table 15 shows how one particular
objective has been evaluated. Here the objective was completely successful so the emphasis in the evaluation
is about specifying exactly how well the performance criteria were met.

Table 15 – Original objective number 1 from the Classic Furnishings Scenario

(see Analysis chapter – Table 6)

No Objective Performance Criteria Evaluation

1 Create a This must be secured - COMPLETELY ACHIEVED -
secure so that only the end The system I built is password protected so that only the client can
storage area user can access this access the system. Initially she will need to log in with the pre-set
for customer data. password but will be prompted to change it to a strong password on
details first use. The system will insist that passwords must be more than
8 characters long using lowercase letters, at least one upper case
letter, numbers and some special symbols out of a pre-set list.
Additionally the system allows the user to password protect the
database with a password independently of the system in case the
database file is compromised rather than the system. The system
allows the client to change the password on the database if she feels
that the set password might be compromised. As a further level of
security all sensitive data (password information, client data) stored
in the database has been encrypted. Testing shows that it is not
possible to log in to the system (page reference) or open the
database (page reference) without the correct password. Nor is it
possible to set a weak password (page reference). Testing
screenshots of the database also prove that password data and client
data has been encrypted and made unreadable (page reference).

With objectives that are partially met, the emphasis will be on explaining what works and what doesn’t. Table
16 shows the objective from table 15 if it had been partially met. The changes from table 15 are shown in
italics. If you have any objectives that have not been met you should try and explain what you tried to do to
achieve this objective and what hurdles prevented you from completing it in the end.

IMPORTANT TIP!
There is often a temptation, when some objectives have not been achieved to actually remove them from the
project altogether. However you must be careful as this may adversely affect marks in Analysis (and possibly
the technical solution –completeness strand) as your objectives will no longer cover all the needs of your end
user (as specified in the assessment criteria).It is recommended that you seek your teacher’s advice about the
advisability of removing objectives and what impact it may have on marks in other areas of your project.

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 Table 16 – Example of an objective that has been partially achieved

No Objective Performance Criteria Evaluation

1 Create a This must be secured - PARTIALLY ACHIEVED -
secure so that only the end The system I built is password protected so that only the client can
storage area user can access this access the system. Initially she will need to log in with the pre-set
for customer data. password but will be prompted to change it to a strong password on
details first use. The system will insist that passwords must be more than
8 characters long using lowercase letters, at least one upper case
letter, numbers and some special symbols out of a pre-set list.
Testing shows that it is not possible to log in to the system without
the correct password. Nor is it possible to set a weak password.
However although the system is secure the database file itself is
not. This could be opened independently from the system and the
data inside could be accessed and even edited using database
software. I did try putting a password on the database but then had
problems with the database connection string so I had to remove the
password from the database before the connection string would
work. (Note: this would probably be because the password was not
included in the connection string)

As well as completing your own evaluation of your objectives you also need to obtain feedback from your end
user on how well they think your system met their identified needs. This can be done through a combination
of end-user testing and end-user evaluation. Some qualitative objectives can really only be evaluated by your
end user. For example any objective that states the interface must be user-friendly can only be tested for user
friendliness and evaluated as to success by the end user or someone who will be using the system built.

Table 17 shows an extract from End-User evaluation of the classic furnishings scenario

No Objective Performance Criteria Evaluation

1 The end user must The end user can enter the “I found this feature hard to use initially as it was not
be able to create the location of the database file creating the database tables. I realised after some trial
database when the and create the database and error that it was because I wasn’t using the correct
system is run for tables on first run of the syntax in the filepath I was inputting. How the filepath
the first time after program after installation should be constructed needs to be made more obvious –
installation especially if we ever have cause to recreate the tables
again

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Once your end user has evaluated the success of your objectives (from their point of view) you need to do
some analysis of what they have said. Any points they have made about features that cause difficulties, or
features they have now realised they need, must be included in your suggestions for how the outcomes of
your project could be improved. See table 18 which shows how a candidate might analyse the feedback from
table 17.

Table 18 – Example of analysis of evaluation

No Objective Performance Criteria Evaluation

1 The end user must be The end user can enter “I found this feature hard to use initially as it was not
able to create the the location of the creating the database tables. I realised after some trial
database when the database file and create and error that it was because I wasn’t using the correct
system is run for the the database tables on syntax in the filepath I was inputting. How the filepath
first time after first run of the program should be constructed needs to be made more obvious –
installation after installation especially if we ever have cause to recreate the tables
again”

How this outcome could be improved?

I can see that this is a big problem for the end user if
they struggle to get this part right as it prevents the
entire system from being of use. I need to add a help
feature that explains to the user how to construct the
filepath and also I could use a regular expression to
validate the filepath entry.

Key to the importance of sections of evidence:

Any item marked with an E is essential and must be included if you are to gain good marks in this
section
Any item marked with a D is desirable and should be included, it will help to gain good marks but is not
always essential
Any item marked with a C is complementary. It may help explain aspects of your project but is not
essential

Item
Have you included??? Tick
No
1 Have you evaluated your own performance against your original objectives? [E]
2 Have you got some independent feedback on your performance against the objectives? [E]
3 Have you analysed that feedback? [E]
Have you made suggestions as to how the outcomes could be improved (using the
4
feedback gained) [E]

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There are 4 marks available for this section
Mark
Mark band Advice
range
There is a detailed description of how well each objective has been achieved
There is evidence of the gaining, and analysis of the results, of realistic
Upper Mark
independent feedback of the solution 4
band
The feedback has been used to discuss meaningful ways in which the solution
could be improved if the problem that was attempted was revisited
There is a detailed description of how well all to nearly all of the objectives have
been achieved
Upper
There is evidence of the gaining of realistic independent feedback of the
Middle 3
solution but there is limited analysis of this.
Mark band
There is some discussion of meaningful ways in which the solution could be
improved if the problem was revisited
There is a description of how well some objectives have been achieved.
Lower
(this may be because not all of the objectives were achieved or because they have
Middle 2
just been left out)
Mark band
There is either no independent feedback or it is so superficial as to be of little use
Lower Mark There is a limited description of how well some objectives have been achieved.
1
band There is either no independent feedback or it is so superficial as to be of little use

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