Unit 4 Test Plans and Testing
Normal, boundary, invalid and extreme data, expected outcomes, dry runs, unit and system testing, debugging, correction and retesting.
How to study for CCEA GCSE Digital Technology
Connect precise digital concepts to scenario evidence, design decisions, testing and evaluation, then rehearse the controlled-practice lifecycle under your centre's current CCEA instructions.
Core concepts
Concept 1
A test plan selects data for a stated purpose and records the expected outcome before execution.
Exam cue: Give the exact test value, its category and the behaviour it probes.
Concept 2
Normal, boundary, invalid and extreme data expose different risks in validation and algorithm behaviour.
Exam cue: Derive an expected result independently rather than copying program output.
Concept 3
Testing discovers evidence about behaviour; debugging locates and corrects the cause, followed by retesting.
Exam cue: Connect every correction to a failed test and record the new observed outcome.
Risk pitfalls and guardrails
Labelling data as boundary without stating the boundary rule.
Guardrail: Keep to Northern Ireland CCEA scope, never add the weights of both routes, and distinguish a digital concept from unsupported product or technology claims.
Using invalid data but expecting it to be processed as valid.
Guardrail: Keep to Northern Ireland CCEA scope, never add the weights of both routes, and distinguish a digital concept from unsupported product or technology claims.
Equating a successful compilation with a fully tested solution.
Guardrail: Keep to Northern Ireland CCEA scope, never add the weights of both routes, and distinguish a digital concept from unsupported product or technology claims.
Memory anchors
Normal data
Typical valid input within the accepted range.
Boundary data
Input at or immediately beside an acceptance limit.
Invalid data
Input that violates a defined validation rule.
Expected outcome
The result specified before executing a test.
Dry run
Manual tracing of an algorithm using selected data.
Debugging
Locating and correcting the cause of an observed defect.
Checkpoint rule
Do the check-up only after you can summarize each concept in one sentence and identify one dangerous pitfall from memory.
Knowledge Check (after reading)
Short check-up to confirm understanding of this module.
Check-up Questions
[Programming route] What is normal test data?
For an accepted age 18–65 inclusive, which is a lower boundary test?
Answer all questions to submit.
Next step personalized recommendations
Continue learning
Move forward only after this module is stable.
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