Ia Computational Solution practice questions.

A student adapts a sorting algorithm found in an online tutorial and uses it in the product. What must the documentation show?

• Nothing, because algorithms published on the internet are free to reuse.
• A statement that the code was typed in by hand rather than copied.
• The author's name displayed inside the program window while it runs.
• The source of the original code and the changes made for this product.

Answer: The source of the original code and the changes made for this product.

Adapted code stays acceptable as long as its origin is acknowledged and the student's own contribution is visible; unattributed reuse is malpractice. Retyping code changes nothing about who wrote it.

A student proposes a computational solution that would realistically take six months to build. What should be changed first?

• The client, so that somebody with much simpler needs is consulted
• The programming language, so that development is quicker
• The design, so that fewer diagrams have to be produced
• The scope, so that a smaller set of criteria can be met fully

Answer: The scope, so that a smaller set of criteria can be met fully

The assessment rewards a solution that meets its stated criteria and is properly evaluated, not one that attempts the most ambitious problem, so narrowing the scope raises the achievable mark rather than lowering it. Changing the language leaves the same amount of work to do, and cutting the design removes evidence the criteria are actually assessed on.

Which item belongs in the design section of the report rather than in the development section?

• A flowchart of the algorithm that will sort the records
• An explanation of why one loop had to be rewritten
• A screenshot of the finished data entry screen in use
• A note of the fault that was found when the file was first read

Answer: A flowchart of the algorithm that will sort the records

The design section sets out what will be built and how, in the form of algorithms, data structures and interface layouts, and it is written before the code exists. The other three are records of what happened while building, which is exactly what the development section and the record of tasks are for.

A finished product works well, but the report records no contact with the client after the first meeting. Which part of the assessment suffers most?

• The planning, because the problem itself was identified at that meeting
• The evaluation, which must report the client's response to the product
• The design, because the diagrams were drawn without the client
• The development, because the code was written without advice

Answer: The evaluation, which must report the client's response to the product

The evaluation is judged on whether each criterion was met and on what the client says about the finished product, so with no later contact half of that evidence does not exist. The problem was identified at the first meeting, which is why planning is the one section that survives intact.

An evaluation section takes each success criterion in turn and states, with a screenshot, that the product meets it. Identify what the section still has to provide.

• a second copy of the design overview diagrams
• a fuller description of the way the product was coded
• a list of the tools used during development
• a judgement on the criteria met only in part

Answer: a judgement on the criteria met only in part

An evaluation is a judgement, not a tour of what works: it has to say how far each success criterion was met. The criteria met only in part need that judgement most, because recommendations for further development are built on them.

At the first meeting the client says that every Friday they have to know which members have not yet paid their fees. Identify the requirement that follows directly from this statement.

• the product must list the members whose fees are outstanding
• the product must send an email to every member
• the product must store the fees in a separate data file
• the product must be usable on a mobile telephone

Answer: the product must list the members whose fees are outstanding

A requirement restates what the client needs the product to do, using nothing that the client did not say. Sending email, choosing where data is stored and picking a device are design or implementation decisions that this sentence does not force.