3. Programming Foundations: Data, Variables and Operators
This section establishes the core features students will use in almost every program.
Combines
- text, numeric and Boolean data types
- variables
- initialising, accessing and storing data
- arithmetic operators
- logical operators
- conditional operators
Why these belong together
These ideas form the smallest useful programming toolkit. Students need them before they can confidently write programs that collect input, process data and display output.
Good folio-style tasks
- build a simple calculator or conversion program
- choose appropriate data types for a scenario
- trace how variable values change through a short program
- write expressions that combine arithmetic and logical conditions
Key skills supported
- use a range of data types
- develop a software solution using appropriate language features