AQA 8525 3.7.1: Relational databases
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
A CSV file is fine for one small list. A school's records, a shop's orders, or a year of robot runs from a whole class need more: many kinds of data, linked together, searched quickly, and kept consistent. That is what a database is for. This lesson is about how a relational database organises data into linked tables, using the class's robot runs as the example.
- Tables, records and fields
- The trouble with one big table
- Splitting into linked tables
- Keys
- A database in Python
- Following a foreign key
Or do it in the simulator, with tasks that mark themselves
Lessons that teach it
- F7.2 Relational databases Files and databases
Tables, records, fields, primary and foreign keys, and avoiding redundancy.
Try it on a robot
The task from F7.2 Relational databases, 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.
- OCR J277 June 2025 Paper 2, Question 6(b): Correct four errors in an SQL statement, a record, and data types 7 marks
- OCR J277 June 2024 Paper 2, Question 9(d): Complete an SQL statement with WHERE 4 marks
- OCR J277 June 2023 Paper 2, Question 6(d): An SQL SELECT with two conditions 3 marks
- OCR J277 June 2022 Paper 2, Question 5(a)(iii): Correct an SQL statement: SELECT *, WHERE and the comparison 4 marks
The specification is AQA's own document; this page says which of our lessons teach point 3.7.1 and is not endorsed by the board.