What are the four MYP Individuals and Societies criteria?

The four criteria are A: Knowing and understanding, B: Investigating, C: Communicating, and D: Thinking critically. Criterion A focuses on terminology and factual and conceptual knowledge. Criterion B assesses research questions, planning, methods, information collection and evaluation of an investigation. Criterion C covers organization, audience, purpose, format and documentation of sources, while Criterion D examines analysis, synthesis, perspectives and supported judgments. Together, they represent the knowledge and inquiry skills expected across the Individuals and Societies subject group.

Is each MYP Individuals and Societies criterion marked out of 8?

Yes, each criterion has a maximum achievement level of 8. The main descriptor bands are 1-2, 3-4, 5-6 and 7-8, while level 0 applies when the work does not reach a described standard. Teachers select the level that best fits the evidence rather than assigning a percentage to each strand. The four final criterion levels can produce a maximum classroom total of 32. A criterion level should therefore be interpreted through its descriptor, not as a percentage score.

How is the final MYP Individuals and Societies grade calculated?

For classroom assessment, the final levels for Criteria A, B, C and D are added to produce a total out of 32. That total is matched to the MYP grade boundary table to produce a grade from 1 to 7. For example, levels of 7, 6, 5 and 7 produce a total of 25, corresponding to a grade 6 under the standard classroom boundaries. Teachers determine each final criterion level using best-fit professional judgment and sufficient evidence rather than mechanically averaging every task score. External eAssessment uses a separate raw-mark and session-boundary process.

What score is needed for a grade 7 in MYP Individuals and Societies?

Under the standard classroom conversion table, a combined criterion total of 28-32 corresponds to a final grade 7. This does not mean a student must receive level 7 or 8 in every criterion, because different combinations can produce a total of at least 28. For example, criterion levels of 7, 7, 6 and 8 total 28 and therefore reach the grade 7 boundary. The work should nevertheless reflect the overall grade descriptor, including comprehensive understanding and sophisticated critical thinking. For external eAssessment, the required raw mark varies by examination session, so the classroom boundary must not be substituted.

How are the criteria tested in MYP Individuals and Societies eAssessment?

The on-screen examination contains investigating, communicating and thinking critically tasks worth a combined 80 marks. The investigating task assesses Criteria A and B, the communicating task assesses A and C, and the thinking critically task assesses A, C and D. Across the full examination, each of the four criteria contributes 20 marks even though the individual tasks are not equal in size. The examination requires students to interpret sources, plan investigations, communicate for a stated purpose and construct supported arguments. Raw marks are converted into grades using IB boundaries established for the particular subject and examination session.

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MYP Individuals and Societies Criteria Explained

Q: Do all MYP Individuals and Societies assignments assess all four criteria?

No, an individual assignment may assess one criterion or a combination of criteria, depending on its design. Students should check the task sheet because the selected criteria and task-specific clarifications determine what evidence is required. Criterion B must be combined with at least one other Individuals and Societies criterion when it is used in a summative assessment. Across the year, however, schools must provide sufficient opportunities to assess all strands of all four criteria. This allows the final levels to reflect a balanced body of evidence rather than performance on one assignment.

MYP Individuals and Societies Assessment MYP IB Grading

• 16 Sept 2026•11

MYP Individuals and Societies Criteria Explained

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MYP Individuals and Societies Criteria Explained | RevisionDojo

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MYP Individuals and Societies Criteria Explained

MYP Individuals and Societies Assessment MYP IB Grading

• 16 Sept 2026•11

The MYP Individuals and Societies criteria are Criterion A: Knowing and understanding, Criterion B: Investigating, Criterion C: Communicating, and Criterion D: Thinking critically. Each has a maximum achievement level of 8, creating a combined classroom total of 32 before conversion to a final MYP grade from 1 to 7.

The criteria apply across the Individuals and Societies subject group, although descriptors become more demanding as students progress. Understanding them helps students identify the evidence required by an assessment rather than treating the rubric as a general checklist.

The four MYP Individuals and Societies criteria

Criterion	Maximum level	Main focus
A: Knowing and understanding	8	Terminology, knowledge, concepts, explanations and examples
B: Investigating	8	Research questions, plans, methods, information and evaluation
C: Communicating	8	Audience, purpose, organization, format and source documentation
D: Thinking critically	8	Analysis, source evaluation, perspectives and supported arguments

The criteria are equally weighted in school-based assessment, but an individual assignment need not assess all four. Students should check the selected criteria, strands and task-specific clarifications on each task sheet.

Criterion A: Knowing and understanding

Criterion A assesses the use of subject terminology and knowledge of relevant content and concepts. Strong responses do more than list accurate facts: they select evidence that answers the question and develop it through explanations and examples.

For example, an answer about urbanization should not stop after defining the term. It should use evidence to explain causes, consequences and relationships, possibly connecting them to concepts such as change, systems, globalization, sustainability or power.

Criterion B: Investigating

Criterion B assesses the research process. In MYP Year 5, students are expected to:

formulate and justify a clear, focused research question
create and follow an action plan
use appropriate methods to collect and record varied information
evaluate the investigation's process and results

“What is migration?” is too broad for a developed investigation. A stronger question is: “To what extent did employment opportunities influence rural-to-urban migration in China between 1990 and 2010?” It establishes an issue, place, period and arguable line of inquiry.

For summative assessment, Criterion B must be used with at least one other Individuals and Societies criterion. An investigation should lead to demonstrated knowledge, effective communication or critical analysis rather than being assessed as an isolated procedural exercise.

Criterion C: Communicating

Criterion C considers how effectively students present information and ideas. Year 5 students must use a style appropriate to the audience and purpose, organize ideas according to the required format and document sources through a recognized convention.

A policy briefing, historical essay, infographic and oral presentation require different structures and registers. Referencing contributes to Criterion C, but organization, clarity and compliance with the specified format also matter.

Criterion D: Thinking critically

Criterion D assesses reasoning. Students analyse concepts and issues, synthesize information into supported arguments, evaluate sources through their origin and purpose, and examine perspectives and their implications.

Description alone is insufficient. “The policy reduced traffic” reports a claim; a critical response tests the evidence, considers who benefited, identifies limitations and reaches a qualified judgment. The RevisionDojo guide to using MYP case studies explains how evidence can support significance, perspective and evaluation.

How achievement levels are awarded

Each criterion uses the achievement bands 1-2, 3-4, 5-6 and 7-8. Level 0 applies when the work does not reach a standard described by the rubric.

Teachers use a best-fit judgment, comparing the complete body of evidence with the published descriptor. They do not calculate a percentage for every strand, and a student need not satisfy every word of a descriptor perfectly to receive a level within that band.

Descriptors are published for MYP Years 1, 3 and 5. Schools teaching Years 2 or 4 adjust the complexity appropriately while preparing students for the next published stage. Across the year, all strands of all four criteria must be assessed at least twice, while final levels are determined from sufficient evidence of sustained performance rather than a mechanical average.

MYP Individuals and Societies grade boundaries

For classroom reporting, the four final criterion levels are added:

\text{Criterion total}=A+B+C+D

The maximum is 32, and the standard conversion boundaries are:

Criterion total out of 32	Final MYP grade
1-5	1
6-9	2
10-14	3
15-18	4
19-23	5
24-27	6
28-32	7

These are criterion-total boundaries, not percentages. A level 6 does not mean 75%, so assignments should not be converted into percentages before applying the MYP rubric.

For example, final levels of A: 7, B: 6, C: 5 and D: 7 produce:

7+6+5+7=25

A total of 25 falls within the 24-27 boundary and produces a final classroom grade of 6. The result is found by matching the total to the table, not by averaging the four levels and rounding.

How MYP Individuals and Societies eAssessment differs

The MYP Individuals and Societies eAssessment is an optional external, two-hour on-screen examination used by schools seeking IB-validated course results or the MYP certificate. It is available in history, geography and integrated humanities.

The official IB Individuals and Societies subject brief outlines three tasks:

eAssessment task	Criteria assessed	Marks
Investigating	A and B	26
Communicating	A and C	18
Thinking critically	A, C and D	36
Total	All four criteria	80

Although the tasks have different totals, each underlying criterion contributes 20 marks across the examination. Criterion A appears in all three tasks, while the thinking critically task contains the largest individual mark allocation.

External grades cannot be calculated using the classroom total out of 32. Examiners award marks out of 80, and the IB applies subject- and session-specific grade boundaries. Under the IB MYP grading and awards guidance, each eAssessment receives a grade from 1 to 7; the full certificate also requires at least 28 points overall and at least 3 in every required component.

How to improve against the criteria

Students should revise by criterion as well as topic:

Identify the assessed criteria and strands.
Translate each strand into visible evidence, such as a focused question or supported judgment.
Review the necessary concepts and case evidence.
Complete a response under realistic conditions.
Compare it with the descriptor and rewrite the weakest section.

For Criterion A, the MYP Individuals and Societies glossary supports terminology practice. The essay-structure guide helps students connect claims, evidence and judgments.

Students can also use the MYP Individuals and Societies Questionbank and the broader resource hub for criterion-focused practice, Study Notes and Flashcards. Jojo AI can help identify unsupported claims or missing perspectives, but students remain responsible for interpreting the rubric and producing assessed work independently.

Common misunderstandings

The criteria are not four exam papers. They assess different forms of evidence.
More facts do not guarantee a high Criterion A level. Knowledge must be relevant and explained.
Referencing alone does not secure Criterion C. Audience, structure, purpose and format also count.
Source evaluation is not merely identifying bias. Explain specific values and limitations.
Classroom and eAssessment boundaries are not interchangeable. They use different scoring systems.
Final criterion levels are not mechanical averages. Teachers use sufficient evidence and best-fit judgment.

Conclusion

MYP Individuals and Societies assesses knowledge, investigation, communication and critical thinking. Each classroom criterion is reported from 0 to 8, with the final levels combined into a total out of 32 and converted to a grade from 1 to 7. External eAssessment instead uses an 80-mark examination and session-specific boundaries.

Effective preparation means identifying the assessed strands and producing visible evidence for each one. RevisionDojo's Questionbank, Study Notes, Flashcards and Jojo AI can support this process alongside the official rubric and teacher guidance.

Sources and referenced URLs

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