Embedded Files
The coursework task is open book. You can look at practical tasks you have done already and reuse bit of them if you need to. You can also refer to the notes on this wiki. In particular you will find the following sections useful:
You can also refer to anything in your folders. The "Common Errors in ..." helpsheets and the "Design to Python" helpsheet are especially useful. Check below for any helpsheets you might be missing
You are also allowed to access online resources. w3schools is particularly useful for the website and databases section.
The tasks can be completed in any order. If you are having difficulty in completing one section, move onto a different section and attempt it instead.
The COVID alterations are still in place for N5 Computing Science. That means you have 6 hours to complete the task. It is very unlikely you will get this 6 hours in one session.
If there is something that you have not been able to do, you have a chance to think and talk about it and find out more between sessions. You can then use anything you have learned between sessions to attempt parts you were unable to do previously! However, you can't ask your teacher for help between sessions - they aren't allowed to help you.
You can attempt the sections in any order. A good order to do the sections in is databases, then programming. The databases section is usually a bit easier than the programming, so it might be good to pick up marks there first.
Here are some good tips for completing the database
If you have to create a table, remember to include all the validation and restricted choices. This includes setting the field size of fields as stated in the data dictionary
If you have to link tables together, remember to add referential integrity between the tables. It won't work if either table is open though. Make sure they are closed before opening the relationships window in Access.
If you have to make SQL queries that change the values of the database, make a copy of the database before you start, just in case you make a mistake
Look at your SQL queries from practical work in class, see if you can find something similar. Copy it, change the field and table names and conditions to make it work for the coursework database
Write the query in SQL - the marker will spot if you try to use the query designer.
If the name of a field has a space in it, it should be enclosed in [ ]. If not leave them out. For example [phone number] uses [ ], but phone does not
Here are some good tips for completing the program:
Do it a little bit at a time - create a line or two of code, then run it to see that it works. It's easier to find bugs in one or two lines of code than in a whole program
Do this bits you can do first if that helps. Sometimes it's a good idea to make something happen once, then put it in a loop if you need to.
It's a good idea to work from tops to bottom / left to right through the plan if you can though, since later parts of the program always use earlier parts
See if you have written a program earlier that does something similar - in whole or in part. Copy the bits of the program you need, change the variables, number of times loops completes and conditions so they match what the assignment needs
When fixing a bug in your program, check the line indicated by IDLE, but check the line of code above it too! The helpsheet "Common Python Errors" above may be helpful in working out how to fix an error
If you get to an unfixable error, don't give up. Try to complete the rest of the program even if you can't run it. You may still pick up marks
Failing to successfully code a python program does not stop you testing. You can still devise appropriate test data, and attempt to test it. Your printout of testing will simply show that the program did not run or crashed.
You can evaluate a program that doesn't work too! Your evaluation should honestly reflect that your program doesn't work and is therefore not fit for purpose.
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