A Level Computer Science OCR Practice Exam

Iteration in programming refers to the process of repeatedly executing a block of code as long as a specified condition holds true. This is often implemented using constructs like loops, such as "for" loops or "while" loops. The purpose of iterating is to automate tasks that require repetition, making it easier to handle operations that involve collections of data or sequences of actions.

For instance, if you need to process each item in a list, iteration allows you to write the code once and execute it multiple times for each item, rather than manually copying and pasting the code for each individual item. This enhances both the efficiency and readability of the code.

In contrast, a one-time execution of code relates to single statements or functions that run just once, searching through data pertains to locating specific values within a dataset, and creating conditional statements involves defining actions based on whether certain conditions are met. These concepts are distinct and do not capture the essence of iteration.