If it is not a pure programming class, you should have choice of programming language. As long as it produces right results within reasonable time, you should be fine.

The correctness of the program should really be tested with various input to see if required output can be obtained. GUI programming is a different thing where 'sometime' look and feel becomes more subjective issue rather than objective.

You should not be penalized for using 'Perl'. It's your choice of language and you feel comfortable with. If possible you should talk to higher-up about this issue. They should know that Perl is feely available and does the work what is required.

artist