Input and Output

AQA 4.1.1.8 — Keyboard input, screen output, file input, file output

Retrieval: you've been using input() and print() since the very first lesson of this course without a dedicated explanation - this lesson makes that knowledge explicit and extends it to files.

Keyboard input and screen output

name = input("Enter your name: ")
score = int(input("Enter your score: "))
print(f"{name} scored {score}.")

input() always returns a string — convert it with int() or float() if you need a number.

Writing to a file

with open("scores.txt", "a") as f:
    f.write(f"{name},{score}\n")

"a" (append) adds to the end of the file without erasing what's there; "w" (write) would overwrite it. The with statement automatically closes the file afterwards, even if an error occurs.

Reading from a file

with open("scores.txt", "r") as f:
    for line in f:
        student, mark = line.strip().split(",")
        print(f"{student}: {mark}")

.strip() removes the trailing newline; .split(",") breaks the line into its comma-separated fields.

Worked example — a student record logger

def log_result(name, score):
    with open("results.txt", "a") as f:
        f.write(f"{name},{score}\n")

def show_all_results():
    with open("results.txt", "r") as f:
        for line in f:
            name, score = line.strip().split(",")
            print(f"{name}: {score}")

This mirrors a real SOW practical task — a Student Record Logger that stores and retrieves names and assessment scores from text files.

Reflection

What would go wrong if you opened the file with "w" instead of "a" inside log_result, and called it twice in a row for two different students?