IB Computer Science SL study guide
IB Computer Science SL · Work through your exam, one topic at a time.
Computer science sits in the sciences group of the IB Diploma Programme, the international qualification for students aged roughly 16 to 19 that the International Baccalaureate organisation describes as part of a continuum of programmes for students aged 3 to 19. The IB states that its programmes are offered through four challenging, high quality educational programmes, and the Diploma Programme is the one that carries computer science as a sciences-group subject. The IB Computer Science SL study guide has 4 sections and about 1,595 words.
01System Fundamentals: Deploying, Changing and Protecting Systems
Topic 1 examines how computer systems are deployed inside organizations - what a system is made of, how a new system is installed and changed, and how it is backed up and supported. Exam questions are almost always scenario-based: you are given a school, hospital or business and must justify a choice rather than name a term.
418 words, about 2 min02Computer Organization: CPU, Memory, Storage and the Operating System
Topic 2 is the machine itself: how the CPU executes instructions, how memory is addressed, how data is represented and stored, and how the operating system manages resources. Questions often ask you to follow the instruction cycle in order or to perform a short calculation, so precision matters more than breadth.
416 words, about 2 min03Networks: Types, Layering, Protocols and Security
Topic 3 tests how data moves between devices: the kinds of network, the hardware that connects them, the layered model that organizes communication, and the controls that keep traffic trustworthy. Answers score when a protocol or device is matched to a specific requirement in the scenario.
378 words, about 2 min04Computational Thinking, Problem-Solving and Programming
Topic 4 is where you design and trace algorithms. The exam asks you to decompose a problem, write or complete pseudocode, and follow code exactly as written - including code you believe is wrong.
383 words, about 2 min