The ITGS internal assessment project can be a difficult undertaking – students can struggle to find clients with appropriate problems that can be solved using IT, and teachers can find it difficult to know the level of detail and complexity required. To help,over at www.itgstextbook.com I have added 5 complete example ITGS projects, including full criteria A-F, the complete product, and an explanation of the marking. Even better, each of this projects scored IB grade 7s in the May 2012 exams, so you can be sure they are excellent!
The example projects include databases, web sites, and desktop publishing (DTP):
ITGS project – REDHOR Magazine (Desktop publishing)
ITGS project – Iglesia Luz y Verdad (Database)
ITGS project – El Salvador cricket (Website)
ITGS project – Luis Peralta Photography (Website)
ITGS project – Salazar Romero (Microsoft Access Database)
Update: It is worth noting that since these projects were created the IB requirements for ITGS internal assessment projects have changed slightly. Most of the content in these examples is still relevant, however there are changes worth noting:
- The screencast is now a requirement, not an option
- There is 1 additional mark available in criteria G now (for the screencast)
- There is 1 less mark available in criteria E
Greetings,
Thanks for providing examples of projects. I am not able to open the database files after downloading them. What should I do to access these files.
Thanks
The database projects are both in Microsoft Access 2007 format. Are you having problems with one of the projects or both?
Most of the downloads DO NOT work, they are not active.
Simon
I have just tried all of the project downloads and they all work fine here. Which links are you having problems with?
Good information.
Hello Mr. Gray!
I'm a student currently taking ITGS SL and I am working on my project.
I just had a few questions that I hope you could answer.
My questions:
– For my evidence of an initial consultation, the guide says that a "written summary" is appropriate. I took that to mean a paragraph just describing what was asked and what the responses were (paraphrased to an extent), rather than a transcript with questions and answers on separate lines. Is this alright?
– For Criterion D, what is the difference between "overall" and "internal" structure? I looked at the guide and some websites but none clearly defined what internal structure is.
– For Criterion E I am a bit confused about citations. I have a bibliography; should that be a separate document or go at the end of Crit. E (and does it count against the word count in that case)?.
What to cite also confused me. If I learned about how to do something with HTML from a book and used it in my project, should I cite that book when I bring up the method in Criterion E?
Thanks so much!
Well, the best thing to do is follow your teacher's advice, as they may have other, equally valid, ways to approach this. With that in mind, this is how I advise my students:
The exemplars include a transcript of the interview, and I always advise my students to do that. I also advise them to include a video of the interview too (the video also means making the transcript is easier).
The overall structure and internal structure depend on the type of project. If you see the examples on my web site (www.itgstextbook.com), the overall structure for a website is a sitemap with the design of individual pages as the internal structure; for a database some form of Entity Relationship Diagram is the overall structure and the details of individual tables, forms, etc is the internal.
I advise my students to put bibliographies, if needed, at the end of E. In the IB bibliographies do not generally count in word counts. If you copy and paste some code directly (even if you then make modifications to it), you need to VERY clearly cite that in criteria E. If you used other resources to help you it is good to cite those too, but you MUST make it clear if you have copy and pasted something directly.
I hope this helps.
Thanks a lot! One more thing…for Criterion F what counts as 'extended writing'? Here (http://itgsopedia.wikispaces.com/Project+Special+Event+21+Sep+2011) it says we should include the extended writing only the word count. Does that include the specific performance criteria (which are under lettered bullet points) and the 'this objective has been partially met' text?
Extended writing basically means 'not bullet points'. So it includes your paragraph but does not include the specific performance criteria.
Dear Mr Gray,
I have created a website on cancer awareness in SharePoint for my IA.My question is – does it have to be a real website(hosted) or can we have it on Gdrive or weebly or any of the free website hosts available online?
Thanks in advance.
Websites do not need to be on a paid webhost (though if they are a real project for a real client, it is likely that the client would be willing to pay the cost of hosting). Whether it is hosted or not, the website's files (HTML, CSS, etc) need to be placed in the Product folder of the CD for submission, and you also need to complete the screencast to show the product is functioning.
Thanks!
Is it a must that the screencast is provided?
Yes. I didn't include them in the links above because of the file size, but you can find an example on this page.
Hi, I have a student who wants to develop a website using Google sites and incorporate advanced techniques such as image manipulation and point to a URL. Is this OK or do web files need to be saved in a separate folder – not possible using google sites.
Hi,
If you check on the OCC you will find quite a few people who are in similar situations. The OCC is also the best place to get the official advice. The general answer seems to be that it is possible (provided the student meets the advanced skills requirements) but the screencast will really have to demonstrate that the product functions, and *something* has to be saved in the product folder. Can't individual pages be exported as HTML files, even if the structure breaks?
Hi Mr Gray, How would you rate a well documented and well shot film edited using Adobe premiere .Can my student expect level 7 if all criteria are well met.
Well, the boundary for a 7 is 23/30 marks according to the subject report. This assumes the project meets the project requirements (including the complex skills) of course.
What website/program would you recommend to use for a ia over a video?
Any tips for successfully creating a complex video?
To be honest I have never had a student create a really good ITGS IA video project. The problems I have seen, and which therefore should presumably be avoided for good projects, include:
Low quality video material – low resolution, poor technique, focus issues, no use of a tripod, etc
Low quality audio material – poor quality microphones, background noise, sound levels incorrect, etc. Often students think recording all sound on camera is enough, but it rarely is.
Poor editing techniques – including the use of templates, standard ‘fancy’ fades, dissolves, etc, without application of appropriate film editing techniques (students should research these)
Poor planning – footage often taken opportunistically, rather than being planned and scripted. This can result in other problems, such as people passing by looking at the camera, excessive background noise, and so on.
Hi,
I am an IB student. The thing I wanted to ask is that can u provide me with an Idea for IA of ITGS.
Well, there are lots of ideas available here in these posts – but ultimately it depends on you having the availability of a client. Your teachers (but not your ITGS teacher), local groups, small businesses, churches, and so on are all potentially good sources of clients. The key thing is that the client must be real and must have a real problem that needs solving, and can be solved using IT.
Hello sir,
I’ve created a site for my IA on wix. I’ve created a video(using iMovie), a logo(Adobe Illustrator), and edited pictures to put on the site (Adobe Photoshop). Do you think these are complex enough for the complexity criteria?
Thank you!
-Student
It sounds like they could be, but it depends on which features of the programs you have used. For example, simply resizing an image in Photoshop probably would not be considered complex enough.
Also, do remember that the final product must be a single article (i.e. the video and the photos must be incorporated into the website).
Hello Sir,
Do you have an example of a spreadsheet project?
Hello,
I’m sorry, I don’t have a spreadsheet example. In general I advised my students against spreadsheet projects as it seems quite hard to access the advanced techniques in these cases.
Hello. Do you know if an iPhone or Android app is acceptable for an IA project? Are there any examples?
Potentially, although there are always issues with programming projects. With a smart phone project there is an even greater difficulty as the moderator has to be able to use the project. I haven’t got any examples of such projects, sorry.
hi, sir, I am an IB student and taking ITGS SL. So, I will start my IA soon can you guide me how to do it in order to get the highest mark from the whole school.
kind regards
A good place to start would be looking at the exemplars that have been published, reading the marking criteria in the subject guide, and following the advice your teacher gives you.
Hello I am an IB student doing ITGS SL and I am designing a website. I tried opening the exemplar websites but could not access them. Can you please show me how to fix it.
Which project(s) are you trying to access? What error message are you receiving? The links I have just tested seem to work fine.