Many students walk into MYP Sciences expecting something familiar.
Learn the topic.
Memorise the facts.
Answer questions that look like the examples.
Instead, they encounter questions that feel broader, less predictable, and harder to revise for.
That’s because the IB Middle Years Programme is built around concept-based learning — not content coverage. Once students understand what that actually means, science stops feeling vague and starts making sense.
What Concept-Based Learning Really Means
Concept-based learning shifts the focus from:
- What facts do you know?
to - How do ideas connect, apply, and transfer?
In MYP Sciences, topics like cells, forces, or chemical reactions are not the goal.
They are examples used to explore bigger ideas, such as:
- Change
- Systems
- Relationships
- Cause and effect
The content changes.
The concepts stay relevant across topics and years.
Why the MYP Uses Concepts in Science
The goal of concept-based learning is transfer.
Students are expected to:
- Apply scientific understanding in new contexts
- Recognise patterns across different topics
- Explain phenomena they haven’t memorised
This mirrors how science works in the real world — and how students are assessed later.
That’s why MYP science questions often feel unfamiliar, even when the content is familiar.
How Concepts Appear in MYP Science Questions
Concept-based questions often:
- Use new scenarios
- Combine ideas from different units
- Focus on explanation rather than recall
For example, instead of asking:
Define diffusion
An MYP question might ask:
Explain how diffusion affects gas exchange in a new biological system.
Students who memorised definitions struggle.
Students who understand the concept succeed.
Concepts Help Connect Biology, Chemistry, and Physics
One of the strengths of concept-based learning is that it connects disciplines.
For example:
- Energy appears in all sciences
- Systems apply to ecosystems, circuits, and chemical processes
- Change underpins reactions, motion, and adaptation
Students who think conceptually find it easier to:
- Transfer understanding between subjects
- Adapt to unfamiliar questions
- Build deeper explanations
Why Memorisation Alone Stops Working
Memorisation creates rigid knowledge.
Conceptual understanding creates flexible knowledge.
In MYP Sciences, rigid knowledge:
- Works only in familiar questions
- Breaks down in new contexts
Flexible knowledge:
- Adapts to unfamiliar situations
- Supports explanation and evaluation
- Leads to higher marks across criteria
This is why students who “know everything” sometimes score lower than expected.
How Students Should Revise for Concept-Based Science
Effective revision for MYP Sciences looks different.
Strong strategies include:
- Revising by concept instead of chapter
- Practising application questions
- Explaining ideas in multiple contexts
- Comparing similar concepts across topics
For example, revising energy transfer across biology, chemistry, and physics builds far stronger understanding than memorising one unit in isolation.
Where Question-Based Practice Becomes Essential
Concept-based learning can’t be revised passively.
Students need to practise:
- Applying ideas to unfamiliar scenarios
- Explaining cause-and-effect relationships
- Interpreting data linked to concepts
This is why structured question practice matters so much. Platforms like RevisionDojo support concept-based learning by offering MYP-style science questions that require application, explanation, and reflection — not just recall.
The result is deeper understanding with less memorisation.
Questions Students and Parents Often Ask
Does concept-based learning mean content isn’t important?
No. Content matters — but only as a tool for understanding bigger ideas.
Why do exams feel harder than classwork?
Because assessments test whether students can apply concepts, not repeat examples.
Can students improve without learning more facts?
Often, yes. Many students already know enough content but struggle to apply it conceptually.
How should parents support concept-based learning at home?
By encouraging explanation (“why?” and “how?”) rather than memorisation.
The Shift That Makes MYP Sciences Click
Students succeed in MYP Sciences when they stop asking:
What do I need to memorise?
and start asking:
Which concept is this testing — and how do I apply it here?
Once that shift happens, science becomes more connected, more logical, and far less overwhelming.
