AQA GCSE Computer Science (8525)Specification point 3.2.3

AQA 8525 3.2.3: Arithmetic operations in a programming language

The free BugBot lesson that teach this point, a robot to try it on, and the past-paper questions that test it.

What it covers

Robots are numbers all the way down: speeds, distances, angles, battery percentages. The symbols that do arithmetic are called operators, and this lesson is where you make Python do the working out for you.

• The seven operators
• Integer division and remainder
• Division always gives a real number
• Order of operations
• Arithmetic with the robot

Or do it in the simulator, with tasks that mark themselves

Lessons that teach it

1. F1.9 Arithmetic operators Programming basics
   The seven operators, integer division and remainder, and the order they work in.

Try it on a robot

The task from F1.9 Arithmetic operators, running here. Change the program and press Run.

Past paper questions on this

Real exam questions that test this, each worked through with a program you can run.

• AQA 8525 June 2025 Paper 1, Question 1: Operators in a short program, and a trace of a while loop that doubles 7 marks
• AQA 8525 June 2025 Paper 1, Question 2: A loyalty card with MOD and elif, and the value of the free items 7 marks
• AQA 8525 June 2025 Paper 1, Question 7: Read a subroutine: purpose, outputs, return value, parameter 7 marks
• AQA 8525 June 2024 Paper 1, Question 2: Follow an IF, ELSEIF chain with NOT, OR, AND and MOD 5 marks
• AQA 8525 June 2024 Paper 1, Question 8: Trace a loop over three arrays that uses DIV 6 marks
• AQA 8525 June 2023 Paper 1, Question 2: Read a nested WHILE loop that uses integer division 3 marks
• AQA 8525 June 2022 Paper 1, Question 1: MOD, selection, assignment, relational operators and a definite loop 6 marks
• AQA 8525 June 2022 Paper 1, Question 3: Rewrite two lines: concatenate strings, change a calculation 2 marks
• AQA 8525 Sample Paper 1, Question 5: A taxi fare: 2 pounds a passenger plus 1.50 a kilometre 7 marks
• OCR J277 June 2024 Paper 2, Question 2: Complete a flowchart that decides odd or even with MOD 4 marks
• OCR J277 June 2023 Paper 2, Question 1(b) to (d): An assignment, the arithmetic operators, and a do until trace table 7 marks
• Edexcel 1CP2 June 2024 Paper 1, Question 1: Computational thinking: constructs by line number, errors, operators, and search and sort names 16 marks

The specification is AQA's own document; this page says which of our lessons teach point 3.2.3 and is not endorsed by the board.