This introduction covers Permanent Storage within File Handling for GCSE Computer Science. Revise File Handling in 3.2 Programming for GCSE Computer Science with 15 exam-style questions and 10 flashcards. This is a high-frequency topic, so it is worth revising until the explanation feels precise and repeatable. It is section 2 of 7 in this topic. Use this introduction to connect the idea to the wider topic before moving on to questions and flashcards.
Permanent Storage
Variables are temporary - turn off the computer and they're gone! Files provide permanent storage. Think of files like notebooks - you can write in them, read from them, and they're still there tomorrow. Games save your progress to files. Apps store your settings. Databases are just organised files. Without file handling, every program would start fresh every time!
Practice questions for File Handling
Which OCR pseudocode command is used to open a file called 'scores.txt' for reading?
Describe how OCR pseudocode reads all lines from a text file, using a WHILE loop. Include the role of endOfFile() in your answer.