GCSE Computer Science Revision — Arrays & Lists
Revise Arrays & Lists for GCSE Computer Science with a topic explanation, worked example and common mistakes. Check the board notes for specification differences.
At a glance
- What StudyVector is
- An exam-practice platform with board-aligned questions, explanations, and adaptive next steps.
- This topic
- Arrays & Lists in GCSE Computer Science: explanation, examples, and practice links on this page.
- Who it’s for
- Students revising GCSE Computer Science for UK exams.
- Exam boards
- Check your course page and the topic board notes for supported specifications.
- Free plan
- Sign up free to use tutor paths and feedback on your answers. Free access is Free daily revision · No card required. Pricing
- What makes it different
- Syllabus-shaped practice and progress tracking—not generic AI answers.
This page includes a topic explanation and a worked example. Check your course for current practice coverage.
Next in this topic area
Next step: String Handling
Continue in the same course — structured practice and explanations on StudyVector.
Go to String HandlingTopic explanation
What is Arrays & Lists?
An array is a data structure that stores a collection of items of the same data type in a contiguous block of memory. Each item, or element, can be accessed directly using its index number. Lists are similar to arrays but can often be more flexible in high-level languages like Python, allowing for mixed data types and dynamic resizing.
Board notes: All boards (AQA, Edexcel, OCR) require you to understand how to use one-dimensional arrays/lists, including iterating through them, accessing elements, and appending new items. Some boards may also introduce simple 2D arrays.
Step-by-step explanationWorked examples
Worked example
Imagine a list to store the scores of a player in 3 rounds: `scores = [85, 92, 78]`. To access the score from the second round, you would use its index, which is 1: `second_round_score = scores[1]`. This would assign the value 92 to the variable. To update the first round score, you would write `scores[0] = 88`.
Practise this topic
Start with low-focus cards for Arrays & Lists, then move into full exam-style practice when you want the heavier session.
Common mistakes
- 1Forgetting that array/list indices usually start at 0, not 1. So in a list of 5 items, the valid indices are 0, 1, 2, 3, and 4.
- 2Trying to access an index that is out of bounds (e.g., trying to access index 10 in a list with only 5 items), which will cause an error.
- 3Confusing the value of an element with its index. The index is the position, and the value is the data stored at that position.
Arrays & Lists exam questions
Check the available question sets for Arrays & Lists. Use your course and exam board to confirm which practice is relevant.
Arrays & Lists exam questionsGet help with Arrays & Lists
Get a personalised explanation for Arrays & Lists from the StudyVector tutor. Ask follow-up questions and work through problems with step-by-step support.
Open tutorSave your progress in Arrays & Lists
Start a free account for low-focus question cards, feedback and Play routes across available topics. Free daily limits apply; no card required.
Continue your revision
A public question for Arrays & Lists is still being reviewed. Your course page shows the topics currently available for practice.
Continue with Arrays & Lists
Create a free account to keep your course choice and save your practice progress.
Start free low-focus cardsAlready have an account? Log in
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between an array and a list in Python?
In many languages, arrays have a fixed size and data type. In Python, the data structure called a 'list' is very flexible: it can hold items of different data types and can grow or shrink in size dynamically.
What is a 2D list/array?
A 2D array, or list of lists, can be thought of as a grid or table. It's useful for representing data that has rows and columns, like a chessboard or a spreadsheet. You access elements using two indices, one for the row and one for the column.