Fiducia TogetherValidation and verification
Checking data is sensible, and checking it was entered correctly. Different jobs.
Please note: This page explains a word or a process in education. It is general information about the system, the law and the guidance in England — not advice about your child, your school or your exam. If a decision is going against you, get advice from one of the free services we link to before you agree to anything or miss a deadline. If you are revising, check your own exam board's specification: boards word things differently and yours is the one that marks you.
What it is
Validation checks input meets defined rules — range, type, format, presence, length. Verification checks data has been entered accurately, by double entry or by visual check.
Where it applies
GCSE and A Level computer science.
How it works
Validation cannot detect a plausible wrong value. A date of birth in 1985 passes every validation rule and may still be the wrong year, which is what verification addresses.
How to use it in your work
Name the specific check type — range check, format check, presence check — rather than saying 'it validates the input'.
Say what validation cannot do. That distinction is exactly what the question is testing.
Where to get help
Your teacher and your board's specification and mark scheme.
Revise this with a song
These are ours. We write revision songs because a lot of people remember a tune when they cannot remember a page, and because revising out loud in the kitchen beats staring at a highlighter.
- The Computer Science Song The GCSE computer science topics, set to music.
Where to read more
Last reviewed 2026-08-28 by Fiducia Together · Next review due 2027-08-28
Please note: This page explains a word or a process in education. It is general information about the system, the law and the guidance in England — not advice about your child, your school or your exam. If a decision is going against you, get advice from one of the free services we link to before you agree to anything or miss a deadline. If you are revising, check your own exam board's specification: boards word things differently and yours is the one that marks you.