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Development Requirements

The development stage requires you to turn your detailed designs from Unit 3 Outcome 2 into a software solution.

Software Tools for Unit 4 Area of Study 1

According to the software tools and outcome-specific requirements document, students in Unit 4 Area of Study 1 are required to:

  • study and use an appropriate object-oriented programming language
  • use an appropriate tool for documenting and modifying project plans
  • use programming tools and/or integrated development environments to facilitate programming and testing

Programming Language

Use an appropriate object-oriented programming language that meets the software tools and functions, and outcome-specific requirements of the study.

If you want to use an alternative object-oriented programming language to the one studied in Unit 3 Outcome 1, make sure:

  • it meets the programming requirements of the study
  • you can demonstrate proficiency in it
  • your code can be supported and interpreted during the SAT process

The study-design reference lists the following languages as suitable examples:

  • Python
  • Visual Basic .NET
  • C#
  • PHP
  • Swift
  • Ruby
  • Golang (Go)
  • TypeScript
  • Objective-C
  • Java
  • JavaScript
  • Kotlin

The list is not exhaustive. Any language that meets the programming requirements can be used.

Programming Requirements

Your chosen language should let you develop the solution across the three conceptual layers of interface, logic and data source.

Interface

The language must allow you to build a GUI through one or more of the following:

  • an IDE with drag-and-drop / WYSIWYG tools
  • code written in the same language
  • code written in a supporting language

Logic

The language must support:

  • instructions
  • sequence, selection and iteration / repetition
  • arithmetic operators
  • logical operators
  • conditional / comparison operators
  • functions and methods
  • classes and objects

Data Source

The language must support:

  • local variables, global variables and constants
  • relevant data types such as numeric, text and Boolean
  • reading from external sources such as files and databases
  • writing to external sources such as files and databases

The study-design document specifically names these file formats:

  • TXT
  • CSV
  • XML

Your Software Solution Should Include

  • appropriate features of the selected object-oriented programming language
  • suitable data types, data structures and data sources
  • validation techniques
  • internal documentation of code