Style Marking Guide For Programming Assignments (A4 - A9)

Formatting and appearance

• Inconsistent or unusual formatting conventions: -1 letter step
• Insufficient or grossly excessive use of white space: -1 letter step

Documentation

• Inadequate or excessive documentation: -1 letter step.  In general each logic block (loop, function, procedure or decision making statement should have it's own set of documentation).
• No documentation: -3 letter steps (i.e., one full letter grade)

Naming conventions for identifiers (variables, named constants, functions, procedures, new types)

• Poor naming conventions: -1 letter step for all cases (and not for each case)

Design (A5 - A9)

• Principles of modular design are not properly followed (e.g., modules do not have well defined task but instead implement many different tasks, duplication of tasks among different modules): - 1 letter step for all cases (and not for each case).

Coding style

• Program uses global variables: -1 letter step
• Unnamed constants (magic numbers) are used when a named constant can be employed: -1 letter step for all cases
• Grossly inefficient program code (e.g., cutting and pasting statements rather than using a loop, declaring large variables inside loop bodies): -1 letter step