(a) State what is meant by debugging in software development. [1] (b) Describe one tool or technique a developer could use to help find errors in a program....

Assessment: Information and Communication Technology (9-1) 0983 | Paper 1 Mock 21 | Theory Subject: Information and Communication Technology - 0417

Question 1 Report

(a) State what is meant by debugging in software development. [1]

(b) Describe one tool or technique a developer could use to help find errors in a program. [1]

(c) Explain the difference between a syntax error and a logic error. [2]

Answer Details

(a) Debugging is the process of finding and correcting errors (bugs) in a program's code so that it functions as intended. [1]

(b) A trace table can be used to track the values of variables step by step as the program executes. By recording how each variable changes at each stage, the developer can identify the exact point where a value becomes incorrect, revealing where the logic error occurs. [1]

(c) A syntax error is a mistake in the grammar or structure of the programming language, such as a missing bracket, misspelled keyword or incorrect punctuation. The program cannot run at all until syntax errors are fixed because the compiler or interpreter cannot understand the instruction. [1] A logic error is a mistake in the program's reasoning or algorithm. The code runs without crashing, but it produces incorrect or unexpected results, for example using addition instead of subtraction in a calculation. Logic errors are harder to find because the program appears to work normally. [1]

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