Programming Paradigms (OCR A Level Computer Science)

Procedural

A subtype of imperative, structured around procedure calls.

C, Go, Rust

Procedures, function calls, structured programming

Object-Oriented

Organises code around "objects" (which combine data and functionality) rather than functions.

Java, C#, Swift

Classes, inheritance, polymorphism, encapsulation

Assembly

Low-level mnemonic representation of machine code for a specific computer architecture.

x86-64 Assembly, ARMv8 Assembly

Registers, mnemonics, memory addresses, opcodes

Procedural

• Efficient execution of straightforward tasks

• A clear flow of control (top to bottom)

• Ease of implementation for algorithms

• Strong emphasis on step-by-step procedure execution

• Can become unwieldy for large programs

• Lack of modularity can lead to code redundancy

• Not ideal for applications with complex states or behaviours

• Difficulty in managing and scaling the system as it grows

Object-Oriented

• Enhances modularity with encapsulation

• Enables real-world modelling using objects

• Code reuse through inheritance

• Polymorphism allows flexibility in interface design

• Can lead to unnecessary complexity

• Inefficiency due to overhead (e.g., memory for objects)

• Not always intuitive for all types of problems

• Misuse can lead to overly complex inheritance hierarchies

Assembly

• Direct control over hardware

• Optimised performance due to low-level operations

• A transparent understanding of how the machine operates

• Potential for very efficient code

• Extremely steep learning curve

• Hardware-specific, leading to a lack of portability

• Tedious and error-prone due to manual memory management.

• Difficult to write, debug, and maintain large programs