35+ Great IB Computer Science IA Topic Ideas

Choosing the right topic for your IB Computer Science Internal Assessment (IA) is crucial, as it will shape the entire project, from research to testing. With so many options available, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed. In this article, you’ll discover over 35 topic ideas across various areas like data analysis, machine learning, game development, and web-based tools. These ideas challenge your programming abilities while allowing you to create practical solutions. Let’s tackle the best IB Computer Science IA topics ideas that will help you excel.

What Makes a Good IB Computer Science IA Topic?

Before exploring specific ideas, it’s important to understand what makes a strong IB Computer Science IA topic. Your project will be graded on five key criteria, so ensure your topic aligns with these and is something you genuinely enjoy.

Here’s what you should consider when choosing a topic:

Relevance to Real-World Needs

One of the key expectations of the IB is that your project should have practical applications. This means your solution should aim to solve a real-world problem or improve an existing process. Whether it’s helping individuals, businesses, or communities, your project should have value beyond the classroom. 

When choosing your topic, ask yourself: Will this project make a meaningful impact in the real world?

Appropriate Complexity for HL or SL

Your topic should match the complexity of your level. SL students can focus on basic computer science concepts, while HL students are expected to tackle more advanced topics requiring deeper algorithmic knowledge and programming skills. Choose a topic that challenges you but remains feasible within your abilities.

Feasibility of Implementation and Testing

A good IB Computer Science IA topic is creative, engaging, and achievable. Consider the resources and time you have at your disposal. Can you realistically implement and test the solution you have in mind? 

For example, if your project requires collecting data, make sure you can obtain that data easily. It’s better to choose a topic that you can fully execute, rather than one that might be too ambitious to complete.

How to Choose a Strong IA Topic

Choosing a strong topic involves balancing creativity, practicality, and technical difficulty. Here are some strategies to help you pick the right IA topic:

Pick a Problem You’re Genuinely Interested In

Stay motivated by selecting a topic that genuinely interests you. If you’re passionate about the project, you’ll be more committed to researching, solving problems, and debugging. Pick something exciting, whether it’s building a mobile app, developing a game, or using machine learning.

Make Sure the Project Has Clear Inputs and Outputs

For your IA to be structured and meet the assessment criteria, the project needs to have clear inputs and outputs. Inputs could be data from users, sensors, or external databases, while outputs could be a user interface or a set of visual results. 

Be sure to define these from the beginning, since it will guide the design and testing phases of your project. Clear inputs and outputs will make it easier to implement and evaluate your solution.

Choose a Topic That Matches Your Skill Level

While it’s tempting to pick a complex project to impress your examiners, it’s important to be realistic about your current skill set. If your project requires advanced techniques you’re not familiar with, it could lead to frustration and incomplete work. 

On the other hand, a too-simple topic may not demonstrate the depth of knowledge needed for a top grade. Choose a topic that’s challenging but achievable based on your current skills.

IB Computer Science IA Topic Ideas by Category

Now that you know what makes a good topic, let’s explore some interesting IB Computer Science IA topic ideas. These topics are divided into categories to help you find the best fit based on your interests and skills.

Data Analysis & Visualisation

Data analysis is a great way to showcase your programming skills while solving real-world problems. Here are a few ideas:

• COVID-19 Case Tracker with Graphs and Regional Filtering: Create an interactive tool that tracks COVID-19 cases globally, with the ability to filter by region and visualise trends over time.
• Personal Finance Dashboard with Category Breakdown: Build a dashboard that helps users track their spending by category, such as groceries, entertainment, and savings. It could also include budgeting features.
• School Performance Analyzer by Grades and Subjects: Develop a tool that helps students or educators envision academic performance across multiple subjects, comparing results over time.
• Local Weather Trend Visualizer Over Past Years: Create a tool that displays local weather trends, helping users understand temperature variations and potential climate changes in their area.
• Book Reading Analytics with Genre/Time Stats: Build an app that tracks reading habits, providing statistics on genres, time spent reading, and personal progress.

These projects allow you to work with real-world data, which is a great way to demonstrate your understanding of algorithms and data structures.

Educational Tools

Creating educational tools can help students learn more effectively and showcase your ability to build user-friendly software. Here are some great concepts:

• Vocabulary Flashcard App for Language Learning: Build an app that helps users learn new words using flashcards, incorporating spaced repetition to help memorise vocabulary more efficiently.
• Math Quiz Generator with Progress Tracking: Develop an app that generates random math quizzes and tracks users’ performance, showing progress over time.
• History Timeline Quiz App with Feedback System: Create a quiz app where users can test their knowledge of historical events with instant feedback and detailed explanations for each answer.
• Tutoring Assistant with Lesson Plans and Exercises: Develop a platform for tutors to organise lessons and provide exercises for students, streamlining the tutoring process.
• Science Revision Tool with Interactive Concept Maps: Build a revision tool that allows students to explore science concepts via interactive concept maps, making learning more visual and engaging.

These educational tools are helpful for students and allow you to demonstrate your ability to create engaging and interactive user interfaces.

Productivity Apps

Productivity apps help users stay organised and focused. Here are some  IB computer science ia topic ideas for simple yet effective apps:

• Daily Habit Tracker with Progress Streaks: Build an app that tracks daily habits and motivates users with streaks for consistency, such as exercising, reading, or meditating.
• Smart To-Do List with Priority and Deadlines: Create a to-do list app that helps users organise their tasks by priority and deadlines.
• Study Planner that Optimises by Subject and Date: Develop a planner that helps students schedule study time, optimising based on upcoming exams and assignments.
• Focus Timer (Pomodoro Technique) with Stats: Build a timer app that helps users focus using the Pomodoro technique, with statistics tracking their productivity and break times.
• Goal-Setting App with Milestone Tracking: Create an app that helps users set long-term goals and break them down into smaller milestones, tracking progress along the way.

These are excellent for showcasing your ability to design tools that improve efficiency and productivity.

Games and Simulations

If you enjoy creating games, these are perfect for demonstrating your skills in algorithms, logic, and user interaction:

• Pathfinding Algorithm Visualizer (e.g., A, Dijkstra): Build a visual tool to demonstrate how pathfinding algorithms work, such as the A or Dijkstra algorithm, by solving routing problems in a grid or map.
• Sudoku or Logic Puzzle Generator and Solver: Create an app that generates Sudoku puzzles and also solves them, helping users practice their problem-solving skills.
• Physics-Based Projectile Motion Simulator: Develop a simulation that models projectile motion, showing how factors like gravity, air resistance, and velocity affect the trajectory of an object.
• Two-Player Strategy Board Game: Design a simple two-player strategy game, such as chess or checkers, that allows users to play against each other.
• Typing Speed Game with Accuracy Feedback: Build a typing game that tracks speed and accuracy, providing feedback to help users improve their typing skills.

These projects allow you to explore algorithms and logic while creating something fun and interactive.

Automation and Utilities

Automation tools help users save time by simplifying repetitive tasks. Here are some ideas:

• File Organiser That Sorts by Type and Date: Create a tool that automatically organises files on a computer by type and modification date, making it easier to find documents.
• Email Filter That Detects Spam or Labels Categories: Build a tool that filters emails based on criteria like sender, subject, or keywords, automatically marking emails as spam or sorting them into folders.
• Backup Tool for Personal Documents: Develop a backup tool that automatically backs up important files to a cloud service or external storage device.
• Keyboard Shortcut Customiser Tool: Build a tool that lets users create custom keyboard shortcuts for their favourite programs or actions.
• System Cleaner for Redundant Files: Create a utility that scans a computer for redundant or temporary files and removes them to free up space.

These projects are great for showcasing your ability to create practical tools that improve everyday tasks.

Web-Based Tools

Web-based tools can be used to improve various aspects of business or personal life. Here are some topics:

• Portfolio Website Builder for Students: Build a platform where students can create and manage their own portfolio websites, showcasing their skills and projects.
• Booking System for a Tutoring Service: Develop an online booking system for a tutoring service, allowing students to schedule sessions with tutors.
• Online Study Resource Manager: Create a platform that helps students organise and access online study materials, making it easier to find and use resources.
• Restaurant Menu and Order System: Develop a system that lets restaurants manage their menu and take orders online.
• Event RSVP and Attendance Tracker: Build an app that helps event organisers track RSVPs and attendance for events.

These projects are great for web development and can be helpful to businesses or individuals in everyday life.

Machine Learning (Basic Models with Real Input Datasets)

Machine learning is a rapidly growing field with many applications. If you want to dive into AI, here are some beginner-friendly machine learning project ideas:

• Sentiment Analysis of Student Reviews: Build a model that analyses student reviews of courses or instructors and classifies them as positive, negative, or neutral.
• Image Classifier (e.g., Recognise Handwritten Digits): Create a model that recognises handwritten digits, similar to the famous MNIST dataset.
• Spam Detector Using Email Dataset: Train a machine learning model on an email dataset to classify emails as spam or not.
• Movie Recommendation System Based on User Input: Develop a system that suggests movies based on the user’s past preferences or ratings.
• Plant Disease Detector from Leaf Images: Build a model that classifies plant diseases based on images of leaves.

These projects allow you to explore the basics of machine learning while applying it to solve real-world problems.

Final Thoughts: Choose Early and Plan Ahead

Choosing the right IB Computer Science IA topic is essential for success. Pick a topic that excites you to stay motivated, and ensure it aligns with your skills so you can confidently tackle the challenges ahead.

If you’re struggling to choose a topic or work on your IA, our experienced IB Computer Science tutors at TutorsPlus can help. We offer personalised lessons tailored to your IA needs. 

Trevor Holmes, one of our clients, shared, “Amazing help with my design IA, and really good communication and understanding of my requirements. Greatly recommended!” 

Another testimonial says, “We are very happy with the service from TutorsPlus. They were responsive and offered a selection of possible tutors.” 

Just like them, we can help you tackle your IB Computer Science IA. Whether you’re developing a game, building a web tool, exploring machine learning, or working on any other tech project, we offer guidance and support to ensure you stay on track and meet the IB’s assessment criteria. 

A strong IA demonstrates your technical skills and problem-solving abilities. Plan ahead, brainstorm ideas, and choose a challenging yet manageable topic. With the right guidance, you can select a manageable topic that allows you to demonstrate your full potential. For personalised tutoring, contact TutorsPlus at 022 731 8148 or .

By Sara Lloyd

Sara has been an education consultant for TutorsPlus for 15 years, and is an expert on international IB education.  She is also a parent of two lively children.