O Level Previous paper

operating system (OS) ✍️ The program that controls everything on a computer. Windows, macOS, and Linux are operating systems.

syntax ✍️ The rules that determine how code must be written in order for it to work properly

hacker ✍️ A person who breaks into a computer system. “White hat” hackers work for computer security companies and look for problems in order to fix them. “Black hat” hackers break into computer systems to cause harm or to make profit from them.

hack ✍️ An ingenious change to code that makes it do something new or simplifies it. (Also, accessing a computer without permission.

GUI ✍️ The GUI, or graphical user interface, is the name for the buttons and windows that make up the part of the program you can see and interact with.

condition ✍️ A “True or False” statement used to make a decision in a program. See also Boolean expression

local variable ✍️ A variable that works only within a limited part of a program, such as a function. See also global variable

list A collection of items stored in numbered order.

parameter ✍️ A value given to a function. The value of a parameter is assigned by the line of code that calls the function

recursion ✍️ Creating a loop by telling a function to call itself.

operator ✍️ A symbol that performs a specific function: for example, “+” (addition) or “–” (subtraction).

keyword ✍️ A word that has a special meaning in a program. All programming languages have a set of keywords. These words cannot be used to name variables or functions.

dictionary ✍️ A collection of data items stored in pairs, such as countries and their capital cities