Pearson Edexcel GCSE Computer Science (1CP2)Specification point 6.3.3

Edexcel 1CP2 6.3.3: String manipulation

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

What it covers

Text in a program is a string: a string of characters, in order. Robots report what they are doing in strings, users type strings, and messages between robots are strings. This lesson is about taking strings apart and putting them together.

• Joining strings
• Length and indexing
• Slicing
• Searching
• Building reports with f-strings

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

Lessons that teach it

1. F3.1 String handling Strings, lists and records
   Length, indexing, slicing, searching and joining strings, and f-strings.
2. F3.2 Character codes and conversion Strings, lists and records
   ord and chr, ASCII, comparing strings, and a Caesar cipher.

Try it on a robot

The task from F3.1 String handling, 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 8: Trace a loop that compares two binary strings with OR, NOT and AND 6 marks
• AQA 8525 June 2025 Paper 1, Question 11: Trace findLetter, then write the word game that calls it 14 marks
• AQA 8525 June 2024 Paper 1, Question 1: LEN, POSITION, a data type, assignment, and a two line program 6 marks
• AQA 8525 June 2024 Paper 1, Question 7: Build a stock code with string indexing and concatenation 4 marks
• AQA 8525 June 2023 Paper 1, Question 13: Validate a grid reference until it is correct 6 marks
• AQA 8525 June 2022 Paper 1, Question 3: Rewrite two lines: concatenate strings, change a calculation 2 marks
• AQA 8525 June 2022 Paper 1, Question 9: String indexing, LEN and SUBSTRING 5 marks
• AQA 8525 Sample Paper 1, Question 8: Output LOWER or NOT LOWER for a character 7 marks
• OCR J277 June 2025 Paper 2, Question 5(d): Validate a 4 character PIN that must not be 1234 or 4321 6 marks
• OCR J277 June 2024 Paper 2, Question 6: String methods: upper, left, right with a cast, and concatenation 6 marks
• OCR J277 June 2023 Paper 2, Question 6(c): Find the concatenation, a variable, a function call and the constructs 6 marks
• OCR J277 Sample Paper 2, Question 4: Usernames from a flowchart, then an algorithm for teachers and students 8 marks

The specification is Edexcel's own document; this page says which of our lessons teach point 6.3.3 and is not endorsed by the board.