Source: https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/primary/computer-science/computing-year-5-and-6-national-curriculum/4-1-3-writing-programs

[Revision notes](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes.md) › [Primary](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/primary.md) › [Computer Science](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/primary/computer-science.md) › [Computing: Year 5 & 6 National Curriculum](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/primary/computer-science/computing-year-5-and-6-national-curriculum.md) › Writing Programs

# Writing Programs

Computing: Year 5 & 6 National Curriculum, topic 4.1.3

## Writing Your Own Program

Coding a game app is a good way to start learning to program. Many free programs are available online for people to learn to code.

### Coding programs online

![Coding programs online](https://image-v2.cdn.app.senecalearning.com/2025-07/d48fde3f-66cd-4676-95c6-0f427f08ea3f/dc9340be-fd30-4cfb-8438-03bcc7a167a1.png)

- Scratch, Code Monster, Minecraft and Kodable are some examples of online coding programs.
- These online coding programs often use blocks of code that are often very similar.
- These programs have easy tutorials to follow.

### Design a ‘basketball’ game

![Design a ‘basketball’ game](https://image-v2.cdn.app.senecalearning.com/2025-07/55d7f642-aa50-4f50-aa8b-fe8516b1b3f6/19351aaf-aae4-4353-b86f-a64e26b15aeb.png)

- An example task is to create a ‘basketball’ game for a mobile app.
- You need to use computational thinking and create the algorithm first.

### Things to think about

![Things to think about](https://image-v2.cdn.app.senecalearning.com/2025-07/5ef415ac-b2bb-4424-808f-c720efb842bb/d28ba87b-ae3f-4b27-8166-6a6af671ce4b.png)

- When coding a game, there are a few things to think about:
 - What will the game look like?
 - How will someone control the game (the input)?
 - What will the person see when playing the game (the output)?
 - What are the different parts of the game?

## Test yourself on Writing Programs

- What type of thinking would you use to create an algorithm?
- When coding a game, what should be the first thing that you create?
- What type of app is a good way to start learning to program?
- What are examples of online coding programs?

[Practise this topic for free](https://app.senecalearning.com/classroom/course/19eff8d0-37ca-47d8-89d9-9810d0f53c27/section/0e75f9b8-de54-4508-a06f-468916259749/session)

- Previous topic: [4.1.2 Programs](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/primary/computer-science/computing-year-5-and-6-national-curriculum/4-1-2-programs.md)
- Next topic: [4.1.4 Writing Your Own Program: Input, Outputs, Design](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/primary/computer-science/computing-year-5-and-6-national-curriculum/4-1-4-writing-your-own-program-input-outputs-design.md)

## Computing: Year 5 & 6 National Curriculum contents

### 1 Using Computers
- 1.1 Computers as a Tool
  - [1.1.1 Uses of Computers](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/primary/computer-science/computing-year-5-and-6-national-curriculum/1-1-1-uses-of-computers.md)
  - [1.1.2 More Uses of Computers](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/primary/computer-science/computing-year-5-and-6-national-curriculum/1-1-2-more-uses-of-computers.md)
  - [1.1.3 Advantages of Information Technology](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/primary/computer-science/computing-year-5-and-6-national-curriculum/1-1-3-advantages-of-information-technology.md)
  - [1.1.4 More Advantages of Information Technology](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/primary/computer-science/computing-year-5-and-6-national-curriculum/1-1-4-more-advantages-of-information-technology.md)
- 1.2 Data
  - [1.2.1 Storing Data](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/primary/computer-science/computing-year-5-and-6-national-curriculum/1-2-1-storing-data.md)
  - [1.2.2 Databases](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/primary/computer-science/computing-year-5-and-6-national-curriculum/1-2-2-databases.md)
  - [1.2.3 Sorting & Filtering Data](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/primary/computer-science/computing-year-5-and-6-national-curriculum/1-2-3-sorting-and-filtering-data.md)
  - [1.2.4 Interrogating Data](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/primary/computer-science/computing-year-5-and-6-national-curriculum/1-2-4-interrogating-data.md)
- 1.3 Plagiarism & Illegal Sharing
  - [1.3.1 Plagiarism](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/primary/computer-science/computing-year-5-and-6-national-curriculum/1-3-1-plagiarism.md)
  - [1.3.2 Copyrighted Content](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/primary/computer-science/computing-year-5-and-6-national-curriculum/1-3-2-copyrighted-content.md)

### 2 Networks & the World Wide Web
- 2.1 Networks
  - [2.1.1 Parts of Networks](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/primary/computer-science/computing-year-5-and-6-national-curriculum/2-1-1-parts-of-networks.md)
  - [2.1.2 The Internet](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/primary/computer-science/computing-year-5-and-6-national-curriculum/2-1-2-the-internet.md)
  - [2.1.3 The World Wide Web](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/primary/computer-science/computing-year-5-and-6-national-curriculum/2-1-3-the-world-wide-web.md)
- 2.2 Searching Online
  - [2.2.1 Searching the World Wide Web](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/primary/computer-science/computing-year-5-and-6-national-curriculum/2-2-1-searching-the-world-wide-web.md)
  - [2.2.2 Searching Tips](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/primary/computer-science/computing-year-5-and-6-national-curriculum/2-2-2-searching-tips.md)
  - [2.2.3 Reliable Information](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/primary/computer-science/computing-year-5-and-6-national-curriculum/2-2-3-reliable-information.md)
- 2.3 Protecting Yourself Online
  - [2.3.1 Your Digital Footprint](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/primary/computer-science/computing-year-5-and-6-national-curriculum/2-3-1-your-digital-footprint.md)
  - [2.3.2 Being Safe](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/primary/computer-science/computing-year-5-and-6-national-curriculum/2-3-2-being-safe.md)
  - [2.3.3 Online Safety](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/primary/computer-science/computing-year-5-and-6-national-curriculum/2-3-3-online-safety.md)
  - [2.3.4 Viruses](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/primary/computer-science/computing-year-5-and-6-national-curriculum/2-3-4-viruses.md)
  - [2.3.5 Malware](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/primary/computer-science/computing-year-5-and-6-national-curriculum/2-3-5-malware.md)
  - [2.3.6 People Online](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/primary/computer-science/computing-year-5-and-6-national-curriculum/2-3-6-people-online.md)
  - [2.3.7 Your Feelings](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/primary/computer-science/computing-year-5-and-6-national-curriculum/2-3-7-your-feelings.md)
  - [2.3.8 Getting Help](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/primary/computer-science/computing-year-5-and-6-national-curriculum/2-3-8-getting-help.md)

### 3 Computational Thinking
- 3.1 Computational Thinking
  - [3.1.1 Computational Thinking](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/primary/computer-science/computing-year-5-and-6-national-curriculum/3-1-1-computational-thinking.md)
  - [3.1.2 Decomposing Tasks](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/primary/computer-science/computing-year-5-and-6-national-curriculum/3-1-2-decomposing-tasks.md)
  - [3.1.3 Algorithms (1/2)](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/primary/computer-science/computing-year-5-and-6-national-curriculum/3-1-3-algorithms-12.md)
  - [3.1.4 Algorithms (2/2)](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/primary/computer-science/computing-year-5-and-6-national-curriculum/3-1-4-algorithms-22.md)
  - [3.1.5 Logical Reasoning & Debugging](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/primary/computer-science/computing-year-5-and-6-national-curriculum/3-1-5-logical-reasoning-and-debugging.md)

### 4 Computer Languages
- 4.1 Coding
  - [4.1.1 Code](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/primary/computer-science/computing-year-5-and-6-national-curriculum/4-1-1-code.md)
  - [4.1.2 Programs](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/primary/computer-science/computing-year-5-and-6-national-curriculum/4-1-2-programs.md)
  - [4.1.3 Writing Programs](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/primary/computer-science/computing-year-5-and-6-national-curriculum/4-1-3-writing-programs.md)
  - [4.1.4 Writing Your Own Program: Input, Outputs, Design](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/primary/computer-science/computing-year-5-and-6-national-curriculum/4-1-4-writing-your-own-program-input-outputs-design.md)
  - [4.1.5 Turning an Algorithm into an App (1/2)](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/primary/computer-science/computing-year-5-and-6-national-curriculum/4-1-5-turning-an-algorithm-into-an-app-12.md)
  - [4.1.6 Turning an Algorithm into an App (2/2)](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/primary/computer-science/computing-year-5-and-6-national-curriculum/4-1-6-turning-an-algorithm-into-an-app-22.md)
