AS-Level Computer Science 2026 Exam Workbook (Ant Simulation)

Python 3 Student Workbook — 25 pages
VB.NET Student Workbook — 26 pages (one extra page due to VB.NET’s more verbose code blocks)
Teacher Answer PowerPoint — 52 slides

What each workbook covers across 12 sections and 23 tasks:-

SectionTopicTasks
1Simulation overviewRecall questions on pheromone selection, decay timing, food consumption
2State transition diagramsComplete the queen ant state table; design a pheromone trail state diagram
3Algorithm tracingStrongest pheromone linear search (exact exam question); colony reduction trace (exact exam question)
4Object-oriented programmingDefine inheritance/encapsulation/abstraction; identify OOP concepts from descriptions
5Data structures & 2D arrays2D indexing; write a 2D iteration loop; design a pheromone record
6Skeleton Program subroutinesBuild a personal subroutine index; match descriptions to subroutine types
7Pheromone mechanicsDecay calculations; proportional pheromone strength; implement CalculatePheromoneStrength
8Writing functionsTrace AuditCarryingAnts; implement FindStrongestPheromone from pseudo-code
9Input validationAnalyse an existing validator; write a simulation-number validator with exclusion logic
10File handlingFormat replay.txt lines; explain overwrite vs append; write WriteReplaySnapshot
11Extended featuresPlan CompareSimulations; full implementation of CalculatePheromoneStrength with test program
12Exam techniqueSection-by-section strategy notes; mini-exam: inheritance, 2D arrays, real numbers, 5-mark validation task