IB . Posted June 12, 2013 Report Share Posted June 12, 2013 Hello everyone,I recently found some websites where you can download some IB question banks for free. I was wondering if downloading them is illegal or not? By the way, they are not torrented files, but just the files to download the program.Thank you! Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
alefal Posted June 12, 2013 Report Share Posted June 12, 2013 Hey there!Given that the question banks can be bought from the IBO, they are most likely copyrighted, which suggests that downloading them are illegal. As you surely know, the breach of copyright is regarded illegal. Whether or not it's a torrent file does not matter. A torrent file is merely a way to send and receive files through bittorent programmes such as utorrent (and can, by the way, be legal too, if the material that is shared is not copyrighted / the person who owns the material shares it). If one way, for instance downloading torrents, was legal whilst another way (downloading an .exe file) was illegal, that would be the same as to say that hiding a stolen CD in a rucksack is legal whilst hiding it in a plastic bag is illegal. 3 Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
IB . Posted June 12, 2013 Author Report Share Posted June 12, 2013 Alright, thanks for the explanation. Is there any other alternative of question banks that are free?? Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
alefal Posted June 12, 2013 Report Share Posted June 12, 2013 Well, you could always ask your teachers if they have the question banks and if they are willing to let you use it. I would be surprised if they do not have the question banks, because they are very useful when making tests and mock exams. if they don't have the question banks, they should at least have past papers at least. You could also speak to your IB coordinator. If you're finishing in May 2015, you haven't started the IB yet, have you? In that case, you shouldn't worry too much at this stage. I would rather spend my time working on my time management and efficiency.If you do/are going to do any B languages, I would recommend you to practise on prepositions and other kinds of vocabulary (as well as grammar), as looking at past paper 2s won't help you that much. Paper 1 in B languages is heavily based on vocabulary and understanding as well, though it is considerably more beneficial to do a few paper 1s. You could also search for past papers in a given subject on Google. This is a bit in the grey zone, though, so if you want to keep your internet records and conscience 100% clean, you'd probably want to avoid this. The past papers are, after all, copyrighted too. Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
IB . Posted June 12, 2013 Author Report Share Posted June 12, 2013 Okay, I will definately ask my teachers if they have them. I'm just curious, so if I could use the question bank from my teacher, then why not from other people? This question might sound ridiculous (sorry if that's the case). And I just wanted to see if there are any "extra" resources/material that would help me in the math HL, chem HL, and Bio HL courses.Anyways, Thank you very much Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
alefal Posted June 12, 2013 Report Share Posted June 12, 2013 Well, I'm talking from the assumption that you want to do things the legal way. That's the notion I got anyway. The thing is that your school has probably bought the question banks (or your IB coordinator has, if your school hates any and all expenses), which makes it legal for the teachers to use the software. However, let's say that one of your friends has downloaded the software illegally. If you use it, you're per definition an accomplice. That's how it works here in Norway, though, and from my understanding also in the US (though, the US is crazy when it comes to piracy and internet crime...). I'm not entirely sure how it's in Canada, but I've heard that you're actually much more lenient when it comes to piracy, meaning that the chances that you'll be caught is considerably lower than in the US, for instance. As for extra resources for those subjects, I wouldn't know that well, as I did not take those subjects myself. However, you might want to search for Khan Academy, as they usually have very informative and good video tutorials in maths (and I think in biology and chemistry too, but I might be wrong). Exam Solutions on youtube might also be worth checking out for your enquiries in mathematics. Both are free of charge. 1 Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
IB . Posted June 12, 2013 Author Report Share Posted June 12, 2013 Yes, I do not want to break any laws or regulations. One question: What if the person that bought the question bank and decides to share it online? I'm guessing that if I download it from the person who has already payed for it is still ILLEGAL. And yes I am very familliar with those resources, I was just looking for other resources that are formated for the IB programme, such as the Question bank. Thanks once again!! Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
alefal Posted June 12, 2013 Report Share Posted June 12, 2013 Wow, I realise this was a rather long response for a simple question. If you don't want to read it all, the simple answer is that it is illegal!That is what most pirates who upload things actually do, they buy some software they think is good, and want to share it with others. Previously, this sharing took place between friends by storing copies of games or whatever on floppy disks (yes, that's quite a while ago!), but people began to realise that they could share with more people as the internet came. However, sharing by these means are actually illegal, even if it's between friends. I wholeheartedly disagree with this when it comes to sharing between friends, but that's the laws anyway. The idea is that when you copy a programme over to a CD or onto the internet, you're allowing other people to use the same software without paying for the full version. This causes the company making that software lose money, and the companies affected by this lobbied for stricter rules regarding sharing back in the day. The government agreed, and created restrictions, and this process of sharing became illegal. Note, however, that general rules were mostly in place by the late 20. century already, as it is based on breaches of copyright, which has existed for quite a while, and explains why even the first instances of piracy were illegal. However, as you might understand, this kind of sharing also entails a moral issue. Is it right to make it convenient for yourself to get something for free when it causes loss of income and possibly bankruptcy for the business that creates that awesome product? (Gah, why didn't I think of this when I prepared my TOK presentation? ) So, to come back to your original question, it is both illegal in terms of the laws and it can, depending on your ethics, also be wrong morally. And yes I am very familliar with those resources, I was just looking for other resources that are formated for the IB programme, such as the Question bank. Thanks once again!! I'm sorry I couldn't give you any new resources, if so. You should check the links that users have contributed to this page over time, though. If you go to the very top of this page, in the upper right corner there should be a button named 'Links.' It's right underneath the search box. And no worries, I'm glad I could help! 3 Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shadioo_999 Posted October 27, 2015 Report Share Posted October 27, 2015 Hey guys from where do i download question bank Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
mac117 Posted October 27, 2015 Report Share Posted October 27, 2015 Hey guys from where do i download question bank As already stated by the previous poster, it is illegal to distribute the copywritten question banks. Also, this post is over 2 years old, if you have a question, just make a new one... 2 Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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