The most important thing about your grade

Grading, assessment, and knowing

Click here for a PDF describing grades in IB computer science

memorizing vs understanding

You can memorize your way to a 3 or a 4. You can understand your way to a 5 or 6. Please make sure you understand this distinction.

The most important thing I care about is if you really understand this material. The most important thing you should care about is if you understand this material. I also care after you, our class social environment, and other stuff. However, what matters most to me if you understand computer science.

Understanding something isn't a yes/no or true/false. The best way to answer this question is to ask yourself to what extent do you understand this material.

I understand you worry about your grade. You should worry more about how well you understand and can apply our material.

how your grade is calculated

The final grade for an IB (International Baccalaureate) Computer Science course is calculated through a combination of internal assessments (IA) and external assessments (EA). Here is a general breakdown:

1. Internal Assessment (IA):

  - This is a project that students complete over an extended period, usually in their second year of the course. It accounts for 20-30% of the final grade, depending on the level of the course (Standard Level or Higher Level).
  - The IA is graded by the teacher and then samples are sent to the IB for moderation to ensure consistent marking standards.

2. External Assessment (EA):

  - These are exams that the IB sets and marks.
  - For Computer Science, the external assessment typically consists of two or three papers (written exams), depending on whether the student is taking the course at Standard Level (SL) or Higher Level (HL).
  - **Paper 1**: This paper tests students on core topics and accounts for a significant portion of the final grade (about 40% for SL and 30% for HL).
  - **Paper 2**: This paper focuses on the option topics chosen by the student and accounts for 20% (SL) or 25% (HL) of the final grade.
  - **Paper 3** (HL only): This paper is based on a case study provided by the IB and accounts for 20% of the final grade for HL students.

The final mark is based on the boundary scales provided by the IB for that examination session. The IB grades on a scale of 1 to 7, with 7 being the highest. The overall final grade is a combination of the weighted scores of both the IA and the EA.

To calculate a final grade, each component's score is multiplied by its weight, and these weighted scores are added together. This sum is then matched against the grade boundaries for that year's examination session to determine the final IB grade.

For example, if a student scores a 6 on the IA (weighted at 20%), and 5 on Paper 1 (40%), 6 on Paper 2 (20%), and 5 on Paper 3 (20%) for HL, the calculation would be as follows:

- IA: 6 x 0.20 = 1.2 - Paper 1: 5 x 0.40 = 2.0 - Paper 2: 6 x 0.20 = 1.2 - Paper 3: 5 x 0.20 = 1.0

Total: 1.2 + 2.0 + 1.2 + 1.0 = 5.4, which would then be matched to the closest grade boundary (usually this would round down to a 5).

Teachers can provide predicted grades to universities, which are their professional estimation of how the student will score based on their performance in the course up to that point.

Please note that the specific percentages and structure can vary slightly with each examination session and course update.

Consider the merits or otherwise of an argument or concept. Opinions and conclusions should be presented clearly and supported with appropriate evidence and sound argument.

Use an idea, equation, principle, theory or law in relation to a given problem or issue.

Devote time and attention to gaining knowledge of (an academic subject), especially by means of books

Obtain a numerical answer showing the relevant stages in the working.

Obtain the only possible answer.