[Scott Leiper]

31/08/2016 at 2:19 pm

Looking through the Unit Assessment Support notes, I was going through the “Judging Evidence” grids with my class and I noticed Input Validation is no longer mentioned.  I remember something along the lines of exemplification and implementation of algorithms: input validation.

I don’t keep copies of the support notes on my system and prefer to grab a new copy from the secure site whenever I need them so I can’t check back.

Is this no longer required content, or just not assessed in the unit work?

[DCullen]

31/08/2016 at 2:29 pm

Have a look at

http://www.sqa.org.uk/files_ccc/N5CAS_ComputingScience.pdf

Under Algorithm Specification section it still has….

 Description, exemplification and implementation of standard
algorithms, including:
 input validation

[Scott Leiper]

31/08/2016 at 2:37 pm

Thank you, I had just been looking at that and spotted it still in the mandatory content, and I also found the UA Support Notes ver.1.0 and standard algorithms have never been mentioned in them, so its just my phantom memories.

I did point out to me class that as the assessment says ‘validate input’ I’d still fail’em if they didn’t use it.

[Peter Thoresen]

31/08/2016 at 2:41 pm

Although Input Validation has always been in the N5 Course Assessment Specification, with several variations to the current “Description, exemplification and implementation…”

Although the N5 Unit Support Packs tasks usually tell pupils to implement input validation this has never been explicitly required in the Assessment Standards or Making Assessment Judgements.

 

[Enrico Vanni]

31/08/2016 at 3:09 pm

On the subject of the SD+D assessment stating that input should be validated, I have had candidates in the past implement validation for Pack 3 Outcome 2 using a restricted choice ‘drop down menu’ (aka. comboBox in VB) rather than the traditional (and IMO old-hat, stuck in the 1980’s) command-line and conditional loop method we all recognise as the ‘standard algorithm’.

 

I allowed it as by the wording of the Assessment Standards/Making Assessment Judgements, our traditional input validation algorithm is not specifically asked for (even though it is implemented – incorrectly I may add – in the sample solution).

 

I am glad that my intepretation has been confirmed!