Internal Assessment (IA) Overview

Welcome to the Internal Assessment (IA) component of the IB Diploma Programme Computer Science course. This essential part of your studies provides an opportunity to apply your knowledge and skills to solve a real-world problem by developing a software solution. The IA is a significant project, accounting for a portion of your final grade, and it requires careful planning, execution, and reflection.

Purpose and Objectives

The IA is designed to:

• Demonstrate Your Skills: Showcase your ability to analyze a problem, design a solution, and implement it effectively using appropriate tools and techniques.
• Solve Real-World Problems: Engage with a real client to identify a genuine problem and develop a tailored solution.
• Document the Process: Maintain comprehensive documentation throughout the project, ensuring that your design, development, and evaluation processes are clearly articulated.

Time Commitment and Scope

• 30 hours of class time is allocated for the IA.
• Your final submission should include a maximum of 2,000 words of documentation, excluding certain components like the appendix and code comments.
• Important: Projects that are overly ambitious, such as full library systems or complex school timetabling systems, are beyond the scope of the IA and should be avoided. Focus on projects that are challenging yet manageable within the given time and resources.

The Systems Development Life Cycle (SDLC)

Following the Systems Development Life Cycle (SDLC) is highly recommended. This structured approach will help you cover all necessary stages of your project, from planning to evaluation, ensuring that you do not overlook critical steps. Proper documentation at each stage will also support your ability to meet the assessment criteria effectively.

Key Criteria and What to Focus On

The IA is assessed against five key criteria, each of which has a dedicated page with detailed guidance. Here’s an overview of what each criterion involves:

1. Criterion A: Planning

• What to Do: Identify a real client with a genuine problem, engage in meaningful consultation, and create a well-justified rationale for your solution.
• Important: Success Criteria (CfS) should be specific, measurable, and sufficient to fully describe a functional solution. Weak or superficial CfS can negatively impact your performance across multiple criteria.
• Learn More

2. Criterion B: Solution Overview

• What to Do: Develop a comprehensive design overview, including structure charts, data flow diagrams, and detailed algorithms. Maintain a thorough Record of Tasks (RoT) that documents your project’s progress.
• Important: Avoid the “fill in the boxes” approach. Your design documentation should demonstrate clear algorithmic thinking and be specific to your solution, not generic.
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3. Criterion C: Development

• What to Do: Implement your solution, ensuring it demonstrates both complexity and ingenuity. Annotate your code excerpts to explain and justify the tools and techniques you used.
• Important: Projects should not just narrate what was done; they should provide detailed explanations supported by code annotations to achieve higher marks.
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4. Criterion D: Functionality and Extensibility

• What to Do: Create a video demonstration of your product’s full functionality, ensuring you show persistence of data, comprehensive testing, and adherence to the CfS.
• Important: The video should be a maximum of 7 minutes, unsped, and focused only on demonstrating the solution’s functionality. Extensibility requires thorough documentation in your design and code comments.
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5. Criterion E: Evaluation

• What to Do: Critically evaluate your solution against the CfS, incorporating meaningful client feedback. Propose realistic improvements based on issues identified during testing.
• Important: Simply quoting client feedback is not enough; your evaluation must demonstrate your own critical assessment. Recommendations should go beyond trivial improvements like “adding more features.”
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Submission Guidelines

• Complete and Accurate Submission: Ensure that all required documents are included in your submission. Missing or incomplete submissions may negatively impact your score, and linked components (such as external links to products or videos) will be ignored.
• Video Demonstration: Limit your video to 7 minutes, focusing solely on demonstrating the functionality of your solution. Do not include code explanations or extensibility features in the video.
• Double-Check Before Submission: After uploading your sample to IBIS, double-check to ensure all components are present and not corrupted. Moderators will not follow up on missing elements.

Keys to Success

• Engage with a Real Client: Projects that solve real problems for real clients tend to perform better. Ensure your project is grounded in genuine needs.
• Focus on Specific and Measurable Success Criteria: Strong CfS are crucial to the success of your IA. They guide your development process and are central to your evaluation.
• Document Thoroughly: Comprehensive documentation at every stage—from design to evaluation—demonstrates your understanding and attention to detail. Avoid superficial approaches.
• Test Rigorously: Your test plan should cover all aspects of your solution, including edge cases and data persistence. Ensure that your product functions as intended and meets all CfS.

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This overview provides a clear and comprehensive introduction to the IA, guiding you through the expectations and key components of the project. For detailed guidance on each criterion, please navigate to the corresponding pages.