Edexcel 1CP2 6.1.6: Test data and evaluation
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 program that works for the one example you tried is not a tested program. Testing is running a program on purpose with inputs chosen to find its mistakes, and checking each result against what it should be. Good testers do not try to show a program works; they try hard to make it fail, so that users never do.
- When to test
- Choosing test data
- A test plan
- Tests the program runs itself
- Testing a robot
Or do it in the simulator, with tasks that mark themselves
Lessons that teach it
- F6.3 Testing and test data Robust programs
Iterative and final testing; normal, boundary, invalid and erroneous data; test plans in code.
Try it on a robot
The task from F6.3 Testing and test data, 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 4: Validate a name by length until it is accepted, test data, and a username flowchart 13 marks
- AQA 8525 June 2024 Paper 1, Question 3: random.randrange, a test plan, and a syntax and a logic error 6 marks
- AQA 8525 June 2023 Paper 1, Question 11: Normal, erroneous and boundary test data, and a logic error 5 marks
- OCR J277 June 2025 Paper 2, Question 1: Normal, boundary and invalid test data, and a 1 to 100 range check 9 marks
- OCR J277 June 2024 Paper 2, Question 9(c): A range check that outputs VALID or NOT VALID, and its test data 7 marks
- OCR J277 June 2022 Paper 2, Question 5(b): Validate a booking with three checks, and plan the tests 8 marks
The specification is Edexcel's own document; this page says which of our lessons teach point 6.1.6 and is not endorsed by the board.