Computer science updates

The new DP computer science course will be launched in February 2025 for first teaching in August 2025. First assessment will take place in May 2027.

Below you will find an overview of the course updates. For a technical breakdown of the DP curriculum and assessment methods for this course, read the computer science subject brief.

You also can view information on the current computer science course.

To view all subject briefs, visit the DP curriculum page.

Overview of the new course

The content of the course has been revised to ensure that the focus is computer science and not information technology. This supports students in developing the skills to apply their knowledge of problem-solving in computer science to different contexts, being able to study computer science at the university level and developing their computing skills in future careers.

DP computer science requires an understanding of the fundamental concepts of computing systems and the computational thinking process to solve problems in the real world. The course is organized into two key themes:

A: Concepts of computer science

B: Computational thinking and problem-solving

Theme A focuses on how computing systems work, and Theme B focuses on how students can use computing systems to solve real-world problems. The course is future-facing and includes a topic on machine learning. There also is a case study so that emerging technologies can be considered during the lifetime of the course. Finally, the course has a practical programme that consists of the development of a computational solution and a collaborative science project.

Component	Recommended teaching hours
	SL	HL
Syllabus content A: Concepts of computer science A.1 Computer fundamentals A.2 Networks A.3 Databases A.4 Machine learning   B: Computational thinking and problem solving B.1 Computational thinking B.2 Programming B.3 Object Oriented Programming (OOP) B.4 Abstract data types (HL only)	105 38           52	195 72           93
Case study	15	30
Internal assessment The computational solution	35 35	35 35
Collaborative sciences project	10	10
Total teaching hours	150	240

The focus of the course is for students to apply the computational thinking process to solve real world problems using the skills of computer science, algorithmic thinking and programming. In terms of programming, students can study the course using either Java or Python programming language. The course includes a case study to study emerging technologies.

Changes to the assessment model

The assessment model has many elements that remain the same as the previous curriculum , including the case study for HL, although this now is assessed in Paper 1, and the current Paper 3 has been removed. The case study also is now in the SL syllabus, assessed in Paper 1.

Option papers have been removed and the key ideas from them have been absorbed into the core syllabus. Paper 1 is focused on theme A, how computing systems work; Paper 2 is focused on solving problems using computing—in particular, algorithmic thinking. All students will be assessed on questions that require knowledge of programming on Paper 2.

The updated internal assessment (the computational solution) is similar to the existing curriculum, although there is a new focus on the computational thinking process. The internal assessment is aimed to be a unifying assessment, bringing together both theme A and theme B for a problem that the student has chosen to solve using the computational thinking process while also demonstrating their skills in algorithmic thinking and programming.

The assessment of both standard level and higher level is made up of 80% written external examination and 20% internal assessment.

Type of assessment	Format of assessment	Time (Weighting of final grade)
		SL	HL
External		2 hours 30 minutes (70%)	4 hours (80%)
Paper 1	A: Concepts of computer science and the case study	1 hour 15 minutes (35%)	2 hours (40%)
Paper 2	B: Computational thinking and problem solving   Students can answer questions in either Java or Python.	1 hour 15 minutes (35%)	2 hours (40%)
Internal
The computational solution	A solution to a real-world problem of the student’s own choosing.	35 hours (30%)	35 Hours (20%)