The guide lists natural language, flow charts, code and programming languages. They are not four different algorithms — they are four ways of writing down the same one, each easier for a different reader.
The same “count the unread messages” algorithm, written four ways.
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| Form | Best for | Weakness |
|---|---|---|
| Natural language | Explaining to anyone | Ambiguous — the one thing an algorithm must not be |
| Flow chart | Seeing branches and loops at a glance | Becomes unreadable once it is large |
| Pseudocode | Designing before building | Cannot be run |
| Code | Actually running it | Unreadable to anyone outside the language |
Reading a flow chart in the exam: A diamond is a decision with two ways out; a rectangle is a step. Follow one path at a time and write down what each variable holds — guessing the end is where marks go.
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The form an algorithm is written in decides who can check it, and that is not a technical question.
Who can read what
- Code — people who know that language, and almost nobody else.
- A flow chart — anyone who is shown one, which is why regulators ask for them.
- Plain words — the person the decision is about.
- A trained model — sometimes nobody at all, which is what “black box” means.
Real-world examples you can name
The EU Artificial Intelligence Act — agreed December 2023; entered into force August 2024, phased to 2027
The first broad law to regulate AI by risk. Some uses are banned outright, such as untargeted scraping of facial images and social scoring by public authorities; high-risk uses in areas like hiring and education carry duties for data quality, documentation and human oversight.
Who it affected: Anyone deploying AI systems in the EU, and users subject to those systems.
How this is tested — you may be shown a flow chart to read, or asked which form suits a purpose. It comes up two ways:
Paper 1 — structured question
- Part a: identify ways an algorithm can be represented
- Part b: explain why one form suits a described audience
Paper 2 — source-based question
- Q1: describe what a flow chart in a source shows
- Q2: analyse how a source presents a rule
The trap: calling everything “code”: A flow chart is not code and pseudocode is not code. Using the right name is often the mark.
Identify two ways in which an algorithm can be represented.
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Explain one reason why a regulator might ask for a flow chart rather than the code.
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