MYP Individuals and Societies has four assessment criteria, labelled A, B, C and D. Each criterion has a maximum achievement level of 8, giving a highest combined classroom-assessment total of 32.
The criteria assess knowing and understanding, investigating, communicating and thinking critically. Understanding these distinctions helps students interpret rubrics, respond to command terms and avoid confusing classroom assessment with the separate MYP Individuals and Societies eAssessment.
How many criteria does MYP Individuals and Societies have?
The official answer is four equally weighted criteria:
| Criterion | Official name | Maximum level | Main focus |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | Knowing and understanding | 8 | Knowledge, concepts, terminology and examples |
| B | Investigating | 8 | Research questions, planning, methods and reflection |
| C | Communicating | 8 | Organization, appropriate formats and source documentation |
| D | Thinking critically | 8 | Analysis, source evaluation, perspectives and arguments |
Each criterion contributes one quarter of the maximum combined total: 8 + 8 + 8 + 8 = 32.
Some older school documents reverse the names of Criteria C and D. Under the framework in the IB's publicly available Individuals and Societies subject brief, Criterion C is Communicating and Criterion D is Thinking critically. Students should still use the age-appropriate rubric supplied by their teacher because strand wording develops across MYP years.
What each Individuals and Societies criterion assesses
Criterion A: Knowing and understanding
Criterion A assesses accurate subject terminology and factual and conceptual understanding. Strong responses do not merely list memorized information; they explain relationships and apply relevant examples.
For example, an answer about urbanization could explain how rural-to-urban migration affects housing, employment and infrastructure, supported by evidence from a studied city. This demonstrates connected understanding rather than simple recall.
Criterion B: Investigating
Criterion B concerns the research process. Depending on the MYP year, students may formulate or justify a focused research question, develop an action plan, collect relevant information, use suitable methods and evaluate the investigation.
“What caused war?” is too broad for a focused investigation. “To what extent did economic instability contribute to political extremism in Germany between 1929 and 1933?” establishes a factor, place, period and evaluative direction.
Criterion C: Communicating
Criterion C assesses how effectively students organize and present information for a specified audience, purpose and format. It also includes documenting sources according to expectations appropriate to the student's MYP year.
Accurate knowledge may not earn a high level under Criterion C if ideas are poorly ordered, the required format is ignored or sources are undocumented. A museum display, speech and analytical essay require different structural and stylistic choices.
Criterion D: Thinking critically
Criterion D rewards analysis, evaluation and supported judgment rather than unsupported description. Students may examine concepts, arguments, sources, models and data, compare perspectives and construct evidence-based conclusions.
Saying that a policy was unpopular is descriptive. Explaining why groups responded differently, evaluating evidence and reaching a qualified judgment demonstrates critical thinking. The rubric's command terms become more demanding as students progress.
How the four criteria produce an MYP grade
MYP assessment is criterion-related, not simply percentage-based. Teachers compare work with published descriptors and make a best-fit judgment about the achievement level demonstrated for each criterion.
Descriptors are generally organized into bands of 1-2, 3-4, 5-6 and 7-8. A level of 0 means the work has not reached a standard described by the rubric. An 8 does not mean 100 percent; it means the evidence best matches the highest descriptor.
Final criterion levels should not be calculated by mechanically averaging every task. Teachers consider the available evidence, including its consistency and the quality of later demonstrations, to identify the level that best represents current achievement. A school's assessment policy should explain how this process is applied.
Worked classroom-assessment example
Suppose the final achievement levels are:
| Criterion | Final level |
|---|---|
| A: Knowing and understanding | 6 |
| B: Investigating | 5 |
| C: Communicating | 7 |
| D: Thinking critically | 6 |
| Total | 24 out of 32 |
A total of 24 converts to a grade 6 using the standard MYP ranges:
| Combined criterion total | MYP grade |
|---|---|
| 1-5 | 1 |
| 6-9 | 2 |
| 10-14 | 3 |
| 15-18 | 4 |
| 19-23 | 5 |
| 24-27 | 6 |
| 28-32 | 7 |
These ranges are not percentages. Although 24 out of 32 is numerically 75 percent, the reported grade comes from the MYP conversion table rather than a school's conventional percentage scale. A total of zero indicates that none of the published descriptors has been reached; schools should follow current IB procedures when evidence is missing or insufficient.
How MYP Individuals and Societies eAssessment differs
Classroom criterion assessment and the optional MYP Individuals and Societies eAssessment use related skills but different numerical structures. Classroom reporting combines four criterion levels into a total out of 32. The externally marked on-screen examination has a raw total of 80 marks.
The IB subject brief organizes the examination into three tasks:
| On-screen task | Criteria assessed | Raw marks |
|---|---|---|
| Investigating | A and B | 26 |
| Communicating | A and C | 18 |
| Thinking critically | A, C and D | 36 |
| Total | All four criteria | 80 |
Criteria may appear in multiple tasks, so each examination section does not correspond to only one criterion. Criterion A appears throughout because accurate knowledge supports investigation, communication and analysis.
The raw mark is converted to a 1-7 eAssessment grade using boundaries established for the relevant examination session. Students should not assume that a previous session's raw boundary will remain fixed. Grade awarding uses evidence including examiner judgment, candidate work and statistical information.
MYP eAssessment outside the personal project is optional at programme level, although a school may require participation. On-screen examinations are externally marked by IB examiners, while ordinary classroom assessments are created and marked by teachers. The IB's MYP assessment overview explains this distinction.
Common grading mistakes
An individual task does not have to assess all four criteria. Teachers assess only criteria and strands for which the task provides valid evidence, while planning sufficient opportunities across the course to address the required objectives.
Common mistakes include:
- Treating a criterion level as a percentage
- Averaging task levels without applying best fit
- Assuming Criterion A alone determines the grade
- Using an outdated rubric with Criteria C and D reversed
- Applying the 32-point classroom table to the 80-mark eAssessment
- Treating previous eAssessment boundaries as permanent
Students should read the rubric and task-specific clarification before starting. Command terms such as “describe,” “explain,” “analyse” and “evaluate” require different reasoning. RevisionDojo's guide to common MYP Geography and History response errors provides practical examples.
How to improve across all four criteria
First identify which criteria the task assesses. Turn each relevant rubric strand into a checklist and make the required evidence visible. For example, attaching a bibliography does not satisfy a strand that requires evaluation of sources.
A practical study sequence is:
- Build accurate concepts and examples for Criterion A.
- Practise focused questions and research planning for Criterion B.
- Match structure, style and referencing to the required format for Criterion C.
- Analyse evidence, compare perspectives and justify conclusions for Criterion D.
Use the MYP Individuals and Societies resource hub for content review and the Individuals and Societies Questionbank for unfamiliar prompts. Broader explanations are available in RevisionDojo's guides to MYP assessment criteria and good MYP scores.
Conclusion
MYP Individuals and Societies has four criteria, each assessed from 0 to 8. Their combined classroom total out of 32 converts to an MYP grade from 1 to 7, while the eAssessment uses an 80-mark examination and session-specific boundaries.
Students should prepare for the distinct skills behind each criterion rather than focusing only on factual recall. RevisionDojo Study Notes and Flashcards can support Criterion A, while the Questionbank and Jojo AI can help students practise structured communication and critical analysis.
Sources and referenced URLs
- IB Individuals and Societies subject brief
- IB overview of MYP assessment and examinations
- IB explanation of MYP grading and awards
- IB MYP passing criteria
- IB assessment principles and practices
- RevisionDojo MYP Individuals and Societies resources
- RevisionDojo Individuals and Societies Questionbank
- RevisionDojo guide to MYP assessment criteria
- RevisionDojo guide to good MYP scores
- RevisionDojo guide to common Geography and History errors