Arrays & Lists — GCSE Computer Science Revision
Revise Arrays & Lists for GCSE Computer Science. Step-by-step explanation, worked examples, common mistakes and exam-style practice aligned to AQA, Edexcel, OCR, WJEC, Eduqas, CCEA, Cambridge International (CIE), SQA, IB, AP.
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Go to String HandlingWhat is Arrays & Lists?
An array is a data structure that stores a collection of items of the same data type in a contiguous block of memory. Each item, or element, can be accessed directly using its index number. Lists are similar to arrays but can often be more flexible in high-level languages like Python, allowing for mixed data types and dynamic resizing.
Board notes: All boards (AQA, Edexcel, OCR) require you to understand how to use one-dimensional arrays/lists, including iterating through them, accessing elements, and appending new items. Some boards may also introduce simple 2D arrays.
Step-by-step explanationWorked example
Imagine a list to store the scores of a player in 3 rounds: `scores = [85, 92, 78]`. To access the score from the second round, you would use its index, which is 1: `second_round_score = scores[1]`. This would assign the value 92 to the variable. To update the first round score, you would write `scores[0] = 88`.
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Common mistakes
- 1Forgetting that array/list indices usually start at 0, not 1. So in a list of 5 items, the valid indices are 0, 1, 2, 3, and 4.
- 2Trying to access an index that is out of bounds (e.g., trying to access index 10 in a list with only 5 items), which will cause an error.
- 3Confusing the value of an element with its index. The index is the position, and the value is the data stored at that position.
Arrays & Lists exam questions
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Step-by-step method
Step-by-step explanation
4 steps · Worked method for Arrays & Lists
Core concept
An array is a data structure that stores a collection of items of the same data type in a contiguous block of memory. Each item, or element, can be accessed directly using its index number. Lists are …
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between an array and a list in Python?
In many languages, arrays have a fixed size and data type. In Python, the data structure called a 'list' is very flexible: it can hold items of different data types and can grow or shrink in size dynamically.
What is a 2D list/array?
A 2D array, or list of lists, can be thought of as a grid or table. It's useful for representing data that has rows and columns, like a chessboard or a spreadsheet. You access elements using two indices, one for the row and one for the column.