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1CP2-CT-6.1 Reading Turtle movement and repeated shapes

Part 1 of 2 · 1CP2-CT-6 · Turtle problem solving

The reading and prediction worksheet for the Turtle topic, sitting after the first two practical Workspace lessons.

Students will:

  • track the Turtle's position, direction and pen state rather than just the commands
  • predict where a short route ends and what it draws
  • position the Turtle deliberately before drawing
  • replace repeated commands with iteration
  • reuse a shape through a subprogram

Every listing here is for reading and prediction. Students draw and run their own Turtle programs in the Workspace lessons this worksheet sits between.

Inside: 7 explanation cells, 3 multiple-choice questions, 2 fill-in-the-blanks cells and 4 written answers. 19 marks, about 45 minutes.

Series: 1CP2-CT-6 · Turtle problem solving, part 1 of 2.

Shared by Coding PathwayVerified teacher

  • 16 cells
  • About 45 minutes
  • CC BY-SA 4.0
  • Shared 17 Aug 2026

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The whole resource, exactly as a class sees it. Answers and marking are held back.

Reading Turtle movement and repeated shapes

This worksheet follows the first practical Turtle lessons. You will reason about position, direction, pen state, repetition and reusable subprograms. All listings are for reading and prediction; draw and run Turtle programs in the Workspace.

1. Track state, not just commands

Turtle stateEach command changes part of the Turtle statecurrent stateposition: (0, 0)heading: east (0°)pen: downforward(80)new stateposition: (80, 0)heading: east (0°)pen: downvisible lineWith the pen up, position changes in the same way but no line is drawn.

Pearson's programming subset uses standard mode by default: a new turtle faces east. forward and back change position. left and right change heading. penup and pendown control whether movement leaves a line.

Fill in the blanks3 marks
A new Turtle in standard mode faces gap 1. The left and right methods change its gap 2. With the pen gap 3, movement changes position without drawing.
  • down
  • east
  • heading
  • up
  • west

2. Predict a route

Read this code without running it:

import turtle
artist = turtle.Turtle()
artist.forward(60)
artist.left(90)
artist.forward(40)
artist.right(90)
artist.forward(20)

A left turn is counterclockwise and a right turn is clockwise.

Multiple choice1 mark

Which direction is artist facing after the listing?

  • Anorth
  • Beast
  • Csouth
  • Dwest
Written answer3 marks

Describe the three line segments drawn, including their directions and lengths.

Start at (0, 0), facing east.

Students type their answer here.

3. Position deliberately

setposition(x, y) moves to an exact Cartesian coordinate. If the pen is down, the movement draws a line. Use this safe repositioning pattern when no joining line is wanted:

artist.penup()
artist.setposition(-100, 50)
artist.pendown()

Negative x-values are left of the origin. Positive y-values are above it.

Multiple choice1 mark

The turtle is at (20, -30) with its pen down. What happens when setposition(20, 50) runs?

  • AIt draws a horizontal line 80 units right.
  • BIt moves without drawing because coordinates lift the pen.
  • CIt turns north but stays at the same position.
  • DIt draws a vertical line 80 units upwards.
Written answer2 marks

Write the three Turtle method calls needed to move artist to (-70, 90) without drawing a joining line, then make it ready to draw again.

Use the exact method names in Pearson's programming subset.

Students type their answer here.

4. Replace repeated commands with iteration

A regular polygon repeats the same move and turn. Its exterior turn is 360 / number_of_sides.

for side in range(5):
    artist.forward(70)
    artist.right(72)

The loop runs five times. Five turns of 72° total 360°, so the turtle returns to its original heading after drawing a regular pentagon.

Fill in the blanks3 marks
A regular hexagon repeats the drawing step gap 1 times. Its exterior turn is gap 2 degrees because a full turn is gap 3 degrees.
  • 6
  • 60
  • 72
  • 180
  • 360
Written answer2 marks

A student uses for side in range(4) with artist.right(60) and expects a square. Identify the error and give the correction.

Relate the number of equal turns to one full turn.

Students type their answer here.

5. Reuse a shape through a subprogram

A parameter lets one procedure draw related shapes at different sizes:

def square(size):
    for side in range(4):
        artist.forward(size)
        artist.right(90)

square(40)
square(80)

The procedure definition stores the algorithm. Each call supplies an argument for size. This reduces duplication and makes a change easier to apply consistently.

Written answer3 marks

Explain two benefits of using square(size) instead of copying the four movement commands every time.

Give a benefit and its consequence, then a different benefit and consequence.

Students type their answer here.

Multiple choice1 mark

Which call draws the same square procedure with side length 120?

  • A`square(120)`
  • B`square = 120`
  • C`def square(120)`
  • D`artist.square(120)`

Ready for the next practical lesson

You can now trace Turtle state, reason with coordinates, calculate regular-polygon turns and explain reusable shape procedures. Return to the Workspace to apply colour, fill and circles before the second follow-up worksheet.