MYP Programme Assessment Guide
A Guide by Hack Your Course
Programme Overview
The IB Middle Year Programme (MYP) spans five years and prepares students ages 11-16 for the IB Diploma programme (DP). The curriculum comprises eight subject groups: Language Acquisition, Language and Literature, Individuals and Societies, Sciences, Mathematics, Arts, Physical and Health Education, and Design. A minimum of 50 teaching hours is required for each subject group, and to allow for flexibility in meeting requirements. In years 4 and 5, students can choose to take courses from six of the eight subject groups.
Grading
IB uses both internal and optional external assessment (eAssessment for the MYP programme).
Internal Assessment
School-based assessment by classroom teachers
External Assessment
Optional eAssessment administered by IB
School Based Assessment
The first component of MYP assessment focuses on assignments that are assessed by classroom teachers who are to give judgements about the student's performance. Teachers are expected to assess the students based on the four subject-specific grading criteria and descriptors summarized below. Each of the four criteria has eight possible achievement levels, with 1 being the lowest and 8 being the highest level.
Achievement Levels Scale
Arts
The main goal of Arts in the MYP is to stimulate the imaginations of the younger generations and encourage them to understand the arts within historical contexts. This will builds their appreciation of aesthetics in real-world context and supports their development as empathetic inquirers.
Art disciplines offered:
Key concepts explored:
Arts Criteria (A-D)
Investigating
Investigate the role of the arts in the lives of individuals and communities, demonstrate knowledge of art forms and their context.
Developing
Develop skills in art-making process, demonstrate understanding of the purpose, meaning, and relationship of the art form.
Creating/Performing
Create, perform, and/or present art through practical art making, connect personal experiences with their art work.
Evaluating
Use art-specific vocabulary, reflect on their artwork during and after the art making process.
Design
Design courses include digital design (computer science, game design, web design) and product design (architecture, product design, fashion design).
Digital Design
Product Design
Design Criteria (A-D)
Inquiring and analyzing
Research and analyze design problems, develop a design brief.
Developing ideas
Generate and develop creative ideas and design solutions.
Creating the solution
Create a solution using appropriate techniques and equipment.
Evaluating
Evaluate the success of the solution against the design specification.
Individuals and Societies
Individuals and Societies can be offered as Discrete (history, geography, economics), Modular, or Integrated approach (humanities).
Discrete
Modular
Combined subject modules
Integrated
HumanitiesIndividuals and Societies Criteria (A-D)
Knowing and understanding
Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of subject-specific content and concepts.
Investigating
Research and analyze information to develop and justify conclusions.
Communicating
Communicate information and ideas effectively using appropriate style and format.
Thinking critically
Analyze and evaluate sources, and develop arguments with supporting evidence.
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Individuals and Societies
Individuals and Societies courses in the MYP can involve a range of disciplines and are chosen by each school. For example, schools can organize the study of individuals and societies as discrete courses, modular courses, or integrated courses.
Discrete courses
Focus on individual disciplines (for example sociology, psychology, philosophy, business management, global politics, etc.)
Modular courses
Focus on multiple disciplines (for example combination of global politics and sociology)
Integrated courses
Focuses on inquiry from a number of perspectives, bringing in understanding within a larger subject group (ex: social studies or the humanities).
Key concepts explored:
Assessment Criteria (A-D)
Knowing and understanding
Students develop factual and conceptual knowledge about individuals and societies.
Investigating
Students develop systematic research skills for disciplines in the humanities and social sciences. Students develop successful strategies for independent investigations and collaboration with others.
Communicating
Students develop skills to document, organize, and communicate their work in a variety of presentation formats.
Thinking critically
Students use critical thinking to apply and demonstrate their understanding.
Language Acquisition
Language Acquisition in the MYP teaches students to communicate in more than one language and provides linguistic and academic challenges for students. Additionally, it provides students with the opportunity to develop understanding into diverse cultures and the processes of crafting a unique language.
Key concepts:
Assessment Criteria (A-D)
Listening
Students interpret and derive meaning from spoken multimodal text to understand how images and other spatial aspects combine with oral text to convey ideas.
Reading
Students interpret and construct meaning from written, spatial, and visual aspects of texts.
Speaking
Students develop communication skills by speaking about topics of personal, local, and global interest and significance. Students apply their understanding of linguistic and literary concepts to develop techniques and skills.
Writing
Students use language suitable for given context and audience (e.g., informal vs. formal language, social academic language vs. language used at home). Students apply their understanding of language, form, mode, medium and literary concepts to express ideas and opinions in effective ways.
Language and Literature
The MYP Language and Literature program encourages students to develop skills in six areas: listening, speaking, reading, writing, viewing and presenting. At the heart of the program is inquiry and critical thinking, which challenges students to collaboratively and independently investigate and reflect on their learning. During the course, students will gain exposure to interacting with a wide range of texts, focusing on themes in moral, social, economic, political, cultural, and environmental contexts.
Six skill areas developed:
Key concepts:
Assessment Criteria (A-D)
Analyzing
Students demonstrate understanding of the creator's choices and the relationship between various components of a text and between texts. Students make inferences about the audience responses and the creators' purpose. Students use given texts to support their analysis and reflect on different perspectives/interpretations.
Organizing
Students understand and organize their ideas using a range of presentation and communication forms. Students recognize the importance of maintaining academic honesty (correct referencing and citations).
Producing text
Students produce creative written and spoken texts, focusing on understanding the connection between the creator and the audience.
Using language
Students develop, organize, and express their ideas, thoughts, and information in effective ways. Students use accurate and varied language appropriate to context and conventions.
Mathematics
Numerical reasoning & problem solving
The MYP mathematics framework is designed to equip students with the skills to succeed in both the standard and extended framework.
Assessment Criteria
Knowing and Understanding
Students demonstrate knowledge about the mathematics concepts, show understanding of all steps in any given task/problem, and are able to apply mathematics accurately when solving problems.
Investigating patterns
Students apply mathematical problem-solving techniques, find patterns, describe patterns both accurately and concisely, and use appropriate reasoning to reflect on findings.
Communicating
Students are able to present clear reasoning and mathematical thinking. Students are also able to explain the degree of accuracy used in the mathematics, organize their ideas, and use mathematics appropriately.
Applying mathematics in real-life contexts
Students are able to present clear reasoning and mathematical thinking. Students are also able to explain the degree of accuracy used in the mathematics, organize their ideas, and use mathematics appropriately.
Sciences
Scientific inquiry & experimentation
The MYP sciences encourage students to investigate issues through research, observation, and experimentation, working independently and collaboratively. Students develop the ability to apply scientific reasoning to address real-world problems.
Courses Offered
Assessment Criteria
Knowing and Understanding
Students understand the scientific concepts, demonstrate understanding of all terms, symbols, and theories, and connect the knowledge to solve problems in familiar and unfamiliar situations.
Inquiring and Designing
Students are able to develop and formulate testable hypotheses, explain scientific research questions or problems, understand all variables, and design logical experiments.
Processing and Evaluating
Students correctly process data through qualitative and quantitative methods, interpret data through patterns, trends, and relationships. Students also can evaluate validity of results, hypotheses, and methods.
Reflecting on the Impacts of Science
Students understand and evaluate the implications of scientific advancement on society, economy, politics, and environment. Students are able to use scientific reasoning and consider different perspectives.
Physical and Health Education
Holistic well-being & physical development
Physical and health education (PHE) addresses both the physical and emotional well-being of students by exploring the connection between physical activity and healthy living. The course aims to give students the proper tools needed to make responsible and healthy life choices.
Key Concepts
Assessment Criteria
Knowing and Understanding
Students are able to identify, describe, and analyze physical and health education knowledge, and are able to apply this knowledge using a variety of relevant examples.
Planning for Performance
Students design, explain, and justify a plan for improving physical and/or health performance. Students construct, explain and justify a plan based on relevant knowledge and data that are collected/generated.
Applying and Performing
Students apply movement concepts, principles, strategies, and appropriate techniques effectively in physical activities and games, demonstrating creativity, adaptability, and skillful performance.
Reflecting and Improving Performance
Students explain, analyze, and evaluate the effectiveness of a plan based on the outcome. Students are able to reflect and explain how the plan can be improved for the future.
The Interdisciplinary Unit
Cross-curricular integration & synthesis
The interdisciplinary unit brings together two or more subject groups to allow students to demonstrate their understanding of key concepts. The unit allows students to integrate concepts from multiple disciplines and apply them to solve problems or explore ideas.
Requirement
The interdisciplinary unit must include at least 2 subject groups.
Assessment Criteria
Evaluating
Students evaluate information and ideas from multiple disciplines in terms of validity, reliability, and quality.
Synthesizing
Students synthesize information and ideas from multiple disciplines to create new understanding, create a product or propose a solution to a problem. Student work demonstrates knowledge of diverse perspectives and disciplines.
Reflecting
Students reflect on their own learning and explain how their understanding of a topic has increased. Students discuss the importance of the different disciplinary perspectives and their results.
3. The Personal Project
Independent capstone experience
In the final year of the programme (year 5), students must develop a personal project independently, which will be internally graded by classroom teachers, but externally moderated by the IB.
Assessment Criteria
Planning
- • Students state a learning goal for the project and explain how their personal interests led to the idea.
- • Students clearly state their intended product and develop appropriate success criteria for it.
- • Students present a clear, detailed plan for the development of the project.
Applying skills
Students explain skills learned and utilized to help achieve and construct the intended goal of their product.
Reflecting
Students explain the significance and impact of the project on themselves and the world.
💡Examples of Personal Projects
- •Examine the question: "Why does rap speak to me?"
- •Design a 3D model of a solar device with instructions for construction
- •Investigate how, in history, different cultures have made use of energy for different needs
- •Debate Herve Kempf's ideas about "how the rich are destroying the Earth"
- •Explore the development of rap as a style of music across continents
🎯Examples of Motives/Goals
- •To convey emotions through music
- •To explore a culture through learning a language
- •To improve the life of financially disadvantaged teenage girls in a foreign country
- •To further build knowledge of the holocaust to create a greater understanding of current war zones around the world
4. The Optional eAssessment
External certification opportunity
Schools can register for the optional external assessment (eAssessment) for all eight subjects of the programme. This will allow students the chance to earn a formal, internationally recognized certificate if they pass the examinations.
🏆MYP Certificate Requirements
Grades from 1-7 are assigned for each subject. Students must achieve a total of at least 28 points, with a grade of 3 or higher for each eAssessment component to be eligible for the certificate.
Examination Components
Once a school registers for the eAssessment, students can participate in the following two examinations:
On-screen Examinations
Each exam lasting two hours
Externally marked by trained IB examiners
ePortfolios of Coursework
Including a compulsory ePortfolio for the personal project
Internally assessed, externally moderated by IB
eAssessment Components Summary
| Assessment Type | Offered For | Marking |
|---|---|---|
| Onscreen Examinations | Mathematics, Language & Literature, Sciences, Individuals & Societies, Interdisciplinary learning | Externally marked by IB examiners |
| Course work (ePortfolio) | Language acquisition, Physical & Health Education, Design, Arts | Internally assessed, externally moderated |
| MYP Personal Project | Required for all students | Internally marked, externally moderated by IB through dynamic sampling |
Note: The mandatory personal project and optional ePortfolio course works are internally assessed, but externally moderated by IB. On-screen examinations are externally marked by trained IB examiners.
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MYP Assessment FAQs
Common questions about IB Middle Years Programme grading, eAssessments, and success strategies
Grading Structure & Rules
How are MYP subjects graded?▼
Do students have to take all 8 subject groups?▼
What is the difference between "Language Acquisition" and "Language & Literature"?▼
Is the Personal Project mandatory?▼
What is the "Interdisciplinary Unit"?▼
What is the passing score for the IB MYP Certificate?▼
Is Physical Health Education (PHE) just "Gym Class"?▼
What is "Design" in MYP?▼
Who grades the assessments?▼
eAssessment & Tips for Success
What are MYP eAssessments?▼
How is Math assessment different in MYP?▼
What are the criteria for Arts?▼
Why are "Command Terms" important?▼
Can parents help with the Personal Project?▼
How does MYP prepare students for DP?▼
What is a "Service as Action" requirement?▼
Can HYC tutors help with MYP subjects?▼
Is the eAssessment done on paper?▼
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