Computational thinking has grown in importance in recent years as an important key competence of the 21st century [1]. In order to equip students for life in the digital age, it is necessary to enable them to acquire competences in this area. In this context, there are a number of concepts of computational thinking; and the curricular embedding of these competences in schools has progressed to varying extents in educational systems [2]. What is therefore required is a large-scale study that compares students’ competences in computational thinking and the underlying conditions of acquisition at an international level, as provided by the International Computer and Information Literacy Study 2018 (ICILS 2018). In addition, to draw on well-proven problem-solving theories and facilitate access for non-computer scientists, it is important to compare these competences with students’ problem-solving skills [3]. This will be accomplished through a German national extension to ICILS 2018 which, on a representative basis at the national level, will enable comprehensive analysis of this relationship. The purpose of the present paper is to introduce computational thinking and problem-solving in the context of ICILS 2018. This study should then provide a starting point for empowering students for life in the digital age.