A Level Computer Science OCR Test 2026 – 400 Free Practice Questions to Pass the Exam

Selection in programming refers to the concept of making decisions within the code, allowing the program to choose different paths of execution based on certain conditions. This involves the use of conditional statements such as "if", "else", and "switch" that enable the program to evaluate a condition and then execute specific blocks of code depending on whether that condition is true or false.

When a program encounters a selection statement, it can branch, meaning it can follow one path based on the evaluation of the condition, or potentially take a different path if the condition isn't met. This capability is essential for creating dynamic and responsive applications that can adapt their behavior based on user input or other changing factors.

In contrast, the other options describe different concepts: a series of instructions performed in order pertains to sequencing, a defined set of rules for data integrity relates to validation and constraints, and a method of formatting code for readability refers to style and conventions in coding. Each of these plays a different role in programming, but they do not encapsulate the concept of making choices or branches within the execution flow, which is the essence of selection.