While Loops in Python|Cambridge 0478 / 9618 |PPT |Worksheet| Activity| MCQ |Mark Scheme

Teach while loops with a complete lesson that’s ready to go.

The while loop is where students move from “repeat this 10 times” to “repeat until something happens”. It is also behind input validation, menus and games, and it appears in many exam programming questions. This pack takes students from “when do I use a while loop?” to writing and tracing them with confidence. It is aligned to Cambridge IGCSE/AS/A Level Computer Science 0478 / 9618 (Programming) and needs no prep.

WHAT’S INCLUDED

• PowerPoint lesson ([X] slides): worked examples, live-code demos and built-in check-for-understanding questions

• Student worksheet ([X] pages): scaffolded tasks from recall, to predicting outputs, to exam-style problems

• Hands-on coding activity: students write programs that use while loops, such as a password check, a number-guessing game and a running total

• MCQ quiz ([X] questions): quick-fire questions to check understanding and catch misconceptions

• Answers and full mark scheme: model answers with mark allocations, so marking takes minutes

WHAT STUDENTS WILL LEARN

What condition-controlled iteration is, and how it differs from count-controlled loops
The while loop structure: syntax, condition, colon and indentation
Initialising, testing and updating the loop variable
Input validation with a while loop, such as repeating until a valid value is entered
Sentinel values: stopping a loop when the user enters a special value
Running totals and counters inside a while loop
Infinite loops: why they happen and how to avoid them
Tracing while loops with a trace table to predict the output
Choosing between a for loop and a while loop
How Python’s while loop maps to WHILE…ENDWHILE and REPEAT…UNTIL in Cambridge pseudocode
Common errors: forgetting to update the variable, using < instead of <=, testing the wrong condition, and not setting the starting value before the loop

WHY TEACHERS LOVE IT

Exam-focused: questions follow Cambridge command words and mark-scheme style
Targets real misconceptions: the mistakes students make every year, especially infinite loops
Differentiated: support tasks plus stretch questions for top-grade students
Non-specialist friendly: clear explanations and full answers included
Flexible: works as a single lesson, homework, cover or revision
Print-and-go: no editing needed (editable PPT included)

PERFECT FOR
Cambridge IGCSE/AS/A Leve teachers, heads of department, non-specialist and cover staff, and students learning independently. It suits ages 14-16 (Year 10-11 / Grade 9-10).

PART OF A FULL SERIES
This pack belongs to my Cambridge IGCSE/AS/A Leve Python collection. Check my shop for matching packs on Introduction to Python, variables and data types, operators and expressions, string handling, selection, for loops and range(), arrays, subroutines and file handling.

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