Your video
Up to 5 minutesmp4, .avi or .wmvEvidence for Criterion D
The video is the examiner's evidence that your product is fully functional and that you carried out your testing strategy. It is a separate file, up to five minutes long.
What you need to produce
- A screen recording of the finished product showing every success criterion working
- Examples of your testing: normal, extreme and abnormal data, and any automated tests
Labels show where each piece of guidance comes from:
IB requirement From the official IB Computer Science guide (IA_details.pdf)IA Guide Recommendation from the IA Documentation Guide (your teacher's analysis of IB exemplars)Teaching tip Extra suggestion added by this website
What the IB requires
- IB requirementThe video provides evidence of the functionality of the product and gives examples of the testing strategy.
- IB requirementIt is submitted as a separate file in a commonly used format such as mp4, .avi or .wmv.
- IB requirementIt must be no longer than five minutes.
- IB requirementIt must demonstrate the full functionality of the product, and examples of the testing strategy used in its development.
- IB requirementIn Criterion D, a fully functional product is needed for 10–12, and the testing described in the documentation is supported by examples seen in the video. The IB's teacher support material has more on making the video.
What the examiners said about the exemplar videos
Video lengths of the eight official IB exemplars, their Criterion D marks and what the examiner wrote about the video. The three videos under two minutes went with three of the four lowest D marks.
| Example | Length | D (out of 12) | Examiner on the video |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 · Birthday card generator | 3:47 | 10 | “Full functionality is shown” |
| 2 · Quiz game | 2:34 | 7 | “The short video shows limited test data and partial functionality” |
| 3 · Chat room | 1:45 | 7 | “The video is too short to properly document the full working of the solution”; “very limited evidence of testing in the video” |
| 4 · Car management system | 4:01 | 9 | “The video demonstrates partial functionality—search has only been shown by brand” |
| 5 · Currency converter | 1:18 | 6 | “The video shows minimal functionality for a fairly trivial task” |
| 6 · IB timetable | 3:25 | 10 | “limited testing is shown in the video (especially of extreme and abnormal data)”; “no edit/delete … the output format is unclear” |
| 7 · Trip organizer | 4:19 | 8 | “a clear but short video”; more effort needed on “proper testing of normal, extreme and abnormal data, both in the documentation and in the video” |
| 8 · Flappy bird | 1:15 | 5 | “The very short video shows an underdeveloped product” |
From the IA Documentation Guide's analysis of real, examiner-graded IB Computer Science IAs.
- Videos of under two minutes (Examples 3, 5 and 8) were called too short or minimal.For your IA: Use most of your five minutes, without going over.
- Too little testing in the video, especially with extreme and abnormal data, was criticised in Examples 2, 3, 6 and 7.For your IA: Show the tests, not only the normal use.
- Partly shown features cost marks: search “only shown by brand” (Example 4), “no edit/delete” and an unclear output format (Example 6).For your IA: Show every option of every feature, and zoom in so the output can be read.
Plan your video
- IB requirementShow every success criterion working: together they are your product's full functionality.
- IB requirementShow examples of your testing strategy: the tests from your plan in Criterion C.
- IB FAQThe video is not marked on its own: it is evidence for Criterion D, showing functionality and examples of the testing strategy. It does not need to show comprehensive testing, because the testing strategy is marked from your documentation. But every IA needs a video: without one, the assessment suffers.
- IA GuideInclude extreme and abnormal data for the key features, not only normal use.
- IA GuideShow every operation (add, edit, delete, search by each option), all inside the product: nothing should need editing files by hand.
- Teaching tipFollow the order of your success criteria, so the examiner can tick them off.
- Teaching tipAdd a short caption naming the success criterion and test ID on screen (“SC4 · T6”). It links the video to your test plan without any timestamps in your documentation.
- Teaching tipIf you have automated tests, show them running: it is quick evidence of reliability and efficiency.
- Teaching tipUse test accounts and invented data, never real personal data. The IB asks for anonymous work, so keep your own name and your school's name out of the recording too.
- Teaching tipWrite a shot list like the one below and rehearse it before recording.
Worked example: PracticePal's shot list
A plan for a 4 minutes 50 seconds video. The timestamps are for planning the recording; the documentation does not need them.
| Time | What is shown | SC | Tests (C3) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0:00–0:20 | Title card (PracticePal, test accounts only). Student logs in; a wrong password is refused | SC1 | T1 normal, T2 abnormal |
| 0:20–0:40 | Week grid for P5, this week and next | SC2 | T3 normal |
| 0:40–1:00 | Book Tue 12:30 in three taps; confirmation appears | SC3 | T4 normal |
| 1:00–1:40 | Second phone tries the same slot: “Slot just taken”; joins the waiting list. First student cancels; the offer arrives and is accepted | SC4, SC7 | T6, T9 |
| 1:40–2:10 | Fourth booking in a week refused (a Sunday); loud booking next to a loud booking refused, quiet one accepted | SC5, SC6 | T7 extreme, T8 |
| 2:10–2:35 | Abnormal input: room “P9”, a 03:00 slot, text in the date field | all | T13 abnormal |
| 2:35–3:05 | No-show: the test server's clock is moved on; the booking is released and offered to the waiting list | SC8 | T10 extreme |
| 3:05–3:45 | Head of music: blocks P3 for exam week (bookings cancelled, emails sent); edits the walls between rooms | SC9, SC6 | T11 |
| 3:45–4:15 | Usage report for a busy week and an empty week; the CSV is opened and zoomed in | SC10 | T12 normal, extreme |
| 4:15–4:50 | Automated tests run: pytest, the 200-run clash test and the timing test | SC4 | T5, T6, T14 |
Illustrative only: PracticePal is a fictional project.
Recording
- Teaching tipRecord the screen at a resolution where text is readable; zoom in on outputs such as reports.
- Teaching tipNarration is optional, but clear captions or a calm voice-over help the examiner follow the tests.
- Teaching tipCut pauses, logins you have already shown and waiting time; never speed up the parts that show results.
- Teaching tipWatch the final file from start to end, check its length is five minutes or less, and check it plays on another computer.
Completion checklist
Ticks are saved in this browser only, so you can use the list while you draft.