[Year 12 SofDev] Sample Exam Questions

[Mark KELLY]

Last one for today.  I'm down to Chardonnay fumes...

It's about SD exam pseudocode.

Beat me around the buttocks with a birch twig if I'm wrong* but VCAA has
never published an explanation of the pseudocode they use in SD exam
questions.  We've got used to it over time, and tend to accept it as
'standard' but I don't believe there is such a thing as 'standard
pseudocode'.  Again, reach for a twig if I'm wrong*.

VCAA pseudocode is pretty easy to read, but rather tedious with the painful
<- assignment operator.  Is that really necessary since no language in the
world (fetch a twig*) uses it.  Why not just use "=" or in a pinch "==" for
assignment?

They seem to use IF/ENDIF statements freely, so why not also use standard
WHILE/WEND (or 'END WHILE' if you prefer) and similar structures (WHILE
condition/END WHILE) and even a standardised FOR loop (e.g. LOOP i FROM 1 TO
100 / END LOOP).

The bog-standard pseudocode constructs used by the examiners is like using
flowchart shapes instead of compact NS shapes: really clumsy and bulky and
they get in the way of interpreting code logic.

I'd like to see the examiners publish their pseudocode standards, and also
consider updating them so common structural constructs can be safely used in
exam questions.

Mark


*Really, you can. I have a pile of suitable twigs available.


On 21 April 2011 11:00, Claudia Graham <claudia.graham at overnewton.vic.edu.au
> wrote:

>  Hi all,
>
>
>
> Not sure if others are aware, but sample SD exam questions are now on VCAA
> web site
>
>
>
>
> http://www.vcaa.vic.edu.au/vcaa/vce/studies/infotech/softwaredevel/IT-softwaredev-samp-w.pdf
>
>
>
> Off to read some more about stacks... back to the old comp sci textbooks!
>
>
>
> Claudia
>
>
>
> *********************************************************************
>
> Claudia Graham
>
> VCE Coordinator
>
> Overnewton College
>
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-- 
Mark Kelly
Manager of ICT, Reporting, IT Learning Area
McKinnon Secondary College
McKinnon Rd McKinnon 3204, Victoria, Australia
Direct line / Voicemail: +613 8520 9085, Fax +613 9578 9253
kel at mckinnonsc.vic.edu.au
VCE IT Lecture Notes: http://vceit.com
Moderator: IT Applications Edulist

All generalisations are false, except this one.
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