The MYP Physics eAssessment structure consists of one externally marked, two-hour on-screen examination taken near the end of MYP Year 5. The paper has 100 marks divided across three broad tasks: Knowing and understanding, Investigation skills, and Applying science. Together, these tasks assess the four MYP Sciences criteria, with approximately 25 marks per criterion.
Physics is a distinct eAssessment subject and should not be confused with Integrated Sciences. Understanding the task structure matters because success requires more than memorising formulas: students must also design investigations, process data, evaluate methods, and discuss the implications of scientific applications.
MYP Physics eAssessment structure at a glance
The IB overview of MYP assessment confirms that on-screen examinations are externally marked by trained IB examiners. Physics is listed separately from Biology, Chemistry, and Integrated Sciences in the IB's available eAssessment subjects.
| Task | Main criterion assessed | Blueprint marks |
|---|---|---|
| Knowing and understanding | Criterion A | 25 |
| Investigation skills | Criteria B and C | 50 |
| Applying science | Criterion D | 25 |
| Total | Criteria A, B, C, and D | 100 |
This blueprint is a structural guide. The exact distribution in a live examination may vary slightly while preserving balanced coverage of the criteria.
Questions use scientific contexts and stimulus material rather than appearing as a disconnected list of facts. Students may encounter diagrams, graphs, data tables, written sources, animations, or simulated investigations. Responses can include calculations, explanations, experimental designs, data processing, evaluations, and extended discussions.
What happens in the three tasks?
Task 1: Knowing and understanding
The first task primarily assesses Criterion A: Knowing and understanding. Students explain scientific knowledge, apply physics in familiar and unfamiliar situations, and use evidence to make scientifically supported judgements.
A question might ask students to calculate electrical power using , then explain energy losses in a transmission system. Another could present an unfamiliar motion graph requiring interpretation rather than simple recall. Correct formulas matter, but full marks can also depend on clear reasoning, appropriate units, and reference to the context.
Task 2: Investigation skills
The investigation task accounts for approximately half the examination. It assesses Criterion B: Inquiring and designing and Criterion C: Processing and evaluating, normally with around 25 marks for each.
Criterion B may require students to:
- formulate a testable question or hypothesis
- identify independent, dependent, and controlled variables
- explain how variables will be changed or measured
- design a logical, safe, and sufficiently detailed method
- consider measurement range, intervals, and repetition
Criterion C may require students to:
- organise and process data accurately
- construct or interpret an appropriate graph
- identify trends, relationships, and anomalies
- draw a conclusion supported by evidence
- evaluate a hypothesis or method
- propose specific improvements or extensions
The task may use one extended investigation or several shorter scenarios. Students must therefore be able to design an experiment and analyse investigations they did not conduct themselves.
Task 3: Applying science
The final task focuses mainly on Criterion D: Reflecting on the impacts of science. Students explain how physics is applied to a real problem and evaluate the consequences of that application.
For example, a nuclear power question could require an explanation of the underlying physics followed by an evaluation of environmental, economic, ethical, political, or social implications. Strong responses develop a balanced argument, support claims with scientific knowledge, consider affected groups, and reach a justified conclusion. Precise terminology and appropriate acknowledgement of supplied sources are also important.
The four assessment criteria
The official MYP Sciences subject brief summarises the four criteria used across MYP Sciences.
| Criterion | What successful Physics responses demonstrate |
|---|---|
| A: Knowing and understanding | Accurate knowledge, application, calculations, analysis, and supported judgements |
| B: Inquiring and designing | Testable questions, justified hypotheses, controlled variables, and workable methods |
| C: Processing and evaluating | Accurate data presentation, interpretation, conclusions, evaluation, and improvements |
| D: Reflecting on impacts | Explanation of applications, evaluation of implications, scientific language, and source use |
The criteria receive approximately equal weight overall. Equation practice alone is therefore insufficient because experimental reasoning, evaluation, and scientific application collectively account for most of the paper.
How MYP Physics eAssessment is graded
Official eAssessment grading differs from normal classroom MYP grading. In classroom assessment, teachers usually award achievement levels from 0 to 8 for each criterion, producing a combined total out of 32. Schools then apply the required grade conversion under their assessment policies.
The external Physics eAssessment uses another process:
- Examiners award raw marks using task-specific markschemes.
- The task marks are added to produce a total out of 100.
- The IB establishes Physics grade boundaries for that examination session.
- The total is converted into a final grade from 1 to 7.
The raw score is not automatically converted into four classroom criterion levels. Applying a classroom 32-point conversion table directly to an eAssessment percentage is therefore incorrect.
Worked grading example
| Task | Student mark | Blueprint maximum |
|---|---|---|
| Knowing and understanding | 18 | 25 |
| Investigation skills | 37 | 50 |
| Applying science | 16 | 25 |
| Total | 71 | 100 |
Suppose, purely for illustration, that grade 6 covers 69--80 and grade 7 covers 81--100 in a particular session. A total of 71 would produce grade 6. These are not official Physics boundaries; they only demonstrate the process of adding raw marks and locating the result in the relevant session's boundary table.
Why MYP Physics grade boundaries change
There is no permanent rule such as “80% always earns a 7.” The IB's explanation of assessment principles and grade awarding describes how grade awarding draws on grade descriptors, examiner judgement, candidate work, and statistical evidence.
Boundaries can change because examination papers cannot be guaranteed to have identical difficulty. Coordinators must use the boundary document for the correct subject and session. Historical figures provide context, not guaranteed targets. The RevisionDojo guide to MYP grade boundaries helps explain classroom grading, but official session documents remain decisive for eAssessment results.
Physics content and practical preparation
Physics content may include forces and energy, electromagnetism, waves, thermal physics, astrophysics, and atomic physics. Schools should consult the current subject guide and topic list in the IB Programme Resource Centre because these control the content for a particular examination cycle.
Students should revise knowledge alongside criterion skills. After reviewing forces and energy, for example, practise interpreting unfamiliar graphs and evaluating measurement reliability. After revising waves, design an investigation into how one variable affects wave behaviour.
Preparation should cover every task style:
- calculations and unfamiliar applications for Criterion A
- hypotheses, variables, and complete methods for Criterion B
- data processing and method evaluation for Criterion C
- evidence-based discussions for Criterion D
- full on-screen practice under the two-hour limit
Students must also distinguish command terms such as state, explain, analyse, evaluate, and discuss. A brief statement will not satisfy a question requiring developed reasoning or balanced evaluation.
Coordinators should use official specimen examinations, markschemes, marked examples, and subject reports. The IB's starting with eAssessment guidance explains the role of these materials. Students can supplement them with the RevisionDojo MYP Physics resource hub, MYP Physics Questionbank, and targeted Measurement in Science resources.
Common mistakes to avoid
Do not treat Physics as a combined Biology, Chemistry, and Physics paper. Physics and Integrated Sciences are separate registrations, so students must prepare for the subject in which their school registered them.
Avoid revising equations alone. Criteria B, C, and D assess investigation design, data processing, evaluation, and scientific impacts. Experimental improvements must also be specific: “use better equipment” is weaker than naming an instrument and explaining how its lower uncertainty would improve precision.
Finally, do not assume that a classroom total out of 32 directly predicts the external result. Classroom assessment and eAssessment use related criteria, but their mark aggregation and boundary-setting processes differ.
Conclusion
The MYP Physics eAssessment is a two-hour, 100-mark on-screen examination organised into three tasks and four approximately equally weighted criteria. Raw marks are added and converted to a grade from 1 to 7 using session-specific boundaries. Effective preparation balances physics knowledge with investigation design, data evaluation, and reflection on scientific impacts. RevisionDojo's MYP Physics Study Notes and Questionbank can support targeted practice before students progress to timed mock-style work.
Sources and referenced URLs
- IB MYP assessment and examinations overview
- IB list of available MYP eAssessment subjects
- Official IB MYP Sciences subject brief
- IB assessment principles and practices
- IB guidance on starting with eAssessment
- RevisionDojo guide to MYP grade boundaries
- RevisionDojo MYP Physics resources
- RevisionDojo MYP Physics Questionbank
- RevisionDojo Forces and Energy resources
- RevisionDojo Waves resources
- RevisionDojo Measurement in Science resources