Edexcel GCSE Computer Science 2020

6.1.4: be able to use techniques (layout, indentation, comments, meaningful identifiers, white space) to make programs easier to read, understand and maintain

Keywords:

Programming

Test your self on these keywords and definitions using the games below or Play random game

Keyword	Definition
comments	code is easier to read when each line or section of code is described in a way that helps other programmers understand what it does
identifiers	code is easier to read when variables, constants and sub programs have names which describe what they store or do
indentation	code is easier to read when tabs or spaces are used to move blocks of code across to the right. This is necessary in python but optional in other programming languages
layout	code is easier to read when it is organised into sections e.g. imports, constants, global variables, sub programs then the main program code
whitespace	code is easier to read when blank lines are used to break the code into logical paragraphs

All learning objectives

Keyword games:

BugZap

Connect the wires to complete the circuit and zap the bug. The faster you choose the right keyword, the more points you get for zapping the bug!

Crossword

Use the clues to guess the keywords and fill in the blank spaces on the crossword

Eliminate

Click on the keywords that do not match the definition

Flappy Word

Click to jump. Collect a letter each time you pass a pipe

Hangman Definitions

Guess the letters of the definition

Hangman Keywords

Guess the letters of the keyword

Jumble Keyword

Rearrange the letters of the keyword into the right order

Random

Choose a game at random

Snake

Control the snake to eat each letter of the keyword in order

TypeRace

Type out the definitions as fast as you can

Wordsearch

Find the words that match each definition

Play Random Game

Resources:

01 - Comments

02 - Identifiers

03 - Example program (turtle graphics)

There's an example of a comment on line 27 which describes what the lines of code below do

There's an example of whitespace on line 17 which breaks up the code into paragraphs

There's an example of indentation on lines 52-55 because all of those lines are repeated as part of the for loop on line 51

The comments like line 23-25 are an example of layout as the code is split into logical sections

04 - Template with layout sections