Comparing algorithm efficiency is the focus of this Grade 6 Computer Science worksheet on Algorithms and Problem Solving. Students compare different strategies for solving the same problem, decide which approach is more efficient, and justify their choice using the number of steps, operations, passes, time, or repetition involved. :contentReference[oaicite:0]{index=0}

Move beyond finding a solution

The lesson helps students recognize that two algorithms can both solve the same problem while requiring very different amounts of work. Students compare strategies and explain why one approach may be more efficient than another. They use vocabulary including efficient, compare, optimize, and strategy while discussing how an algorithm reaches its result.

This introduces an important computational thinking idea: solving a problem is only one goal. Students can also examine how the solution is reached and consider whether unnecessary steps or repeated work can be reduced.

Evaluate algorithms using clear evidence

Students practise choosing an algorithm for a scenario based on fewer steps, less time, or less repetition. They then support their decisions by pointing to the number of operations or passes required. This gives students a concrete way to compare algorithm strategies rather than relying on a general impression that one solution simply looks better.

The worksheet includes multiple-choice questions, true/false questions, short-answer responses, a dialogue, matching, a cloze passage, a labeled diagram, a reading passage, and an essay. These tasks allow students to recognize efficiency concepts, compare solution paths, interpret examples, and explain their reasoning in written form.

Teacher support is included

A separate Teacher Guide PDF accompanies the worksheet and includes learning objectives, teaching tips, discussion questions, and common mistakes. These supports can help introduce algorithm comparison, guide conversations about what makes a solution efficient, and address confusion between simply producing a correct result and producing it with fewer operations.

Use it across your algorithms unit

This Grade 6 algorithm efficiency worksheet can be used after direct instruction, during independent practice, for homework, as a review activity, or as an informal assessment. The dialogue and reading passage can support classroom discussion, while the short-answer, diagram, and essay tasks provide opportunities for students to justify why one strategy is preferable to another.

By connecting algorithm comparison, efficiency, optimization, operations, and strategy, the resource gives students focused practice with evaluating not only whether a solution works, but how effectively it solves the problem.