Please think about an IA topic and review for our upcoming test. 


Purpose of internal assessment

IA is an integral part of the course and is compulsory for both SL and HL students. The assessment criteria
are identical for both SL and HL students.

The IA task for computer science is a computational solution. This component brings together the two main
themes of the syllabus in a single task where students can demonstrate their knowledge of, and ability to
apply, the computational thinking process.

For the computational solution, students:
• select a topic within computer science
• specify a problem of their own choosing
• create a computational solution to this problem that demonstrates their skills and knowledge of the
computational thinking process and of their chosen topic.

The IA task should, as far as possible, be woven into normal classroom learning and teaching and not be a
separate activity that is unrelated to other elements of the course.
Students can choose their problem from a wide range of contexts, and it should be of personal interest to
them.

During their work on the computational solution, students can demonstrate their knowledge of processes
such as decomposition, pattern recognition, algorithmic thinking, writing programs, debugging and
testing. This task allows them to do this without the time limitations and other constraints associated with
written examinations.

The final product of the computational solution is a document that defines the problem and clearly
demonstrates the solution using computational thinking in line with the assessment criteria. This will also
be accompanied by a video where the student demonstrates the functionality of their solution and
examples of their testing strategy