Do all MYP schools use the same Physics assessment criteria?

Yes, authorized MYP schools use the prescribed sciences criteria: Knowing and understanding, Inquiring and designing, Processing and evaluating, and Reflecting on the impacts of science. Each criterion has a maximum achievement level of 8 and is equally weighted in the final criterion total. The descriptors become more demanding across the programme years, so students must be assessed using the expectations appropriate to their stage. Schools can design different tasks and teach content in different sequences, provided their assessment allows students to demonstrate the required objectives. The criteria are therefore common, while the exact assessments and evidence used may differ.

Can the same Physics work receive different marks at two MYP schools?

It is possible because classroom assessment involves teacher professional judgment, especially when selecting a best-fit level within a descriptor band. Differences may also arise if the task instructions, available evidence, programme year, or reporting period are not identical. Schools reduce this variation through internal standardization, during which teachers compare samples and agree how descriptors should be applied. A substantial unexplained difference should prompt a review of the task, rubric, feedback, and school assessment policy. An official eAssessment result is more directly comparable because it is produced through a common external marking process.

Are MYP Physics eAssessment grades the same as school report grades?

No, the two grades are related to the same sciences objectives but are produced differently. A school report grade normally comes from teacher-assessed evidence across Criteria A, B, C, and D, resulting in a total out of 32 and then a grade from 1 to 7. The Physics eAssessment is an IB-designed on-screen examination that is externally marked. Its raw examination mark is converted using boundaries established for the relevant subject and session. A student can therefore receive a school grade and an official eAssessment grade that are not identical.

Do MYP Physics eAssessment grade boundaries change every year?

External MYP Physics grade boundaries may change between examination sessions. The IB considers expert judgments about candidate work, the demands of the paper, statistical evidence, and the need to maintain comparable standards. A more demanding paper may require different raw cut-offs from a less demanding one, even though the meaning of the final grade should remain stable. Boundaries are therefore not simply fixed percentages announced permanently in advance. Students should use past boundaries cautiously and focus on meeting the assessment criteria rather than targeting an assumed raw mark.

Does a teacher average every MYP Physics criterion score?

Not necessarily, because MYP assessment uses a best-fit judgment rather than requiring a simple arithmetic average of every task result. The teacher reviews sufficient evidence and decides which achievement level most accurately represents the student's demonstrated performance in each criterion. Recent, sustained evidence may provide a better description than an early result produced while the skill was still developing. This does not mean teachers may disregard inconvenient marks without explanation, since the judgment must remain evidence-based and consistent with school policy. Students should ask which evidence informed each final criterion level if the result is unclear.

How can a student compare MYP Physics grades after changing schools?

Begin by comparing the individual levels for Criteria A, B, C, and D rather than looking only at the final 1--7 grade. Ask both schools which programme-year descriptors they used, what period the grade covers, and whether the result is internal or an official eAssessment grade. Bring marked tests, investigation reports, task instructions, rubrics, and teacher comments because these show the quality and range of the underlying evidence. Check whether either school has added a local percentage or letter-grade conversion that is not part of the international MYP scale. The receiving school can then make a better-informed placement or reporting decision without treating two superficially similar numbers as automatically equivalent.

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Is MYP Physics Graded the Same Across Schools?

MYP Physics Assessment MYP IB Physics IB Grading

Michael R.

• 11 Sept 2026•10

Is MYP Physics Graded the Same Across Schools?

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Is MYP Physics Graded the Same Across Schools? | RevisionDojo

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Is MYP Physics Graded the Same Across Schools?

MYP Physics Assessment MYP IB Physics IB Grading

Michael R.

• 11 Sept 2026•10

MYP Physics grading uses the same IB sciences criteria across authorized schools, but classroom grades are not necessarily identical or directly comparable. Teachers follow a common criterion-related framework, while schools design many of their own assessments, organize content differently, and apply local reporting policies.

Official MYP Physics eAssessment results are more standardized because the IB sets the examination, oversees external marking, and establishes session-specific grade boundaries. The key distinction is therefore between a school-awarded classroom grade and an IB-awarded eAssessment result.

The shared MYP Physics grading framework

All MYP schools assess sciences through four prescribed criteria:

Criterion A: Knowing and understanding
Criterion B: Inquiring and designing
Criterion C: Processing and evaluating
Criterion D: Reflecting on the impacts of science

Each criterion has a maximum achievement level of 8 and contributes equally to the final criterion total. The descriptors explain what students must demonstrate at different achievement levels, with expectations becoming more demanding across the programme years.

MYP assessment is criterion-related. A student's work is judged against published descriptors rather than ranked against classmates, so schools should not limit the number of students who can receive a particular grade.

The internationally consistent elements are the objectives, criteria, achievement-level structure, and 1--7 scale. The less consistent elements include individual classroom tasks, the timing and quantity of evidence, teacher judgments, and any local percentage or letter-grade conversions.

How classroom MYP Physics assessment works

Criterion	Maximum level	What it measures in Physics
A: Knowing and understanding	8	Explaining principles, applying equations, solving problems, and making supported judgments
B: Inquiring and designing	8	Formulating questions and hypotheses, identifying variables, and designing investigations
C: Processing and evaluating	8	Presenting data, interpreting results, evaluating methods, and proposing improvements
D: Reflecting on the impacts of science	8	Evaluating applications of physics, discussing implications, and documenting sources

A forces test might assess Criterion A, while a pendulum investigation could assess Criteria B and C. A task evaluating nuclear energy or renewable electricity might assess Criterion D. One assignment does not need to assess all four criteria.

Teachers collect evidence and determine a best-fit achievement level for each criterion. Best fit is not automatically the arithmetic mean of every result. The teacher considers the quality, consistency, relevance, and pattern of evidence to decide which descriptor most accurately represents the student's demonstrated achievement.

Schools should conduct internal standardization when several teachers assess the same subject. Teachers might mark common samples, compare interpretations of descriptors, and discuss borderline work so that a level 6 has a reasonably consistent meaning across classes.

Converting criterion levels into a 1--7 grade

After selecting one final level for each criterion, the school adds the four levels to produce a total out of 32. The commonly used MYP conversion guidelines are:

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

For example, levels of 6, 5, 6, and 5 produce a total of 22 out of 32, corresponding to a final grade of 5. It would be misleading to convert 22 out of 32 into 68.75% and then apply an unrelated percentage scale. Achievement levels describe performance against qualitative criteria, not conventional test percentages.

A student who excels at calculations but struggles to design investigations or evaluate evidence may not receive the highest overall grade. RevisionDojo's guide to MYP assessment criteria provides additional examples of this conversion process.

Why classroom grades can differ across schools

Several legitimate differences can affect internally awarded grades:

Assessment design: Schools may use different tests, investigations, or research tasks.
Timing: A semester report may contain less evidence than an end-of-year report.
Course organization: Physics topics can be sequenced and contextualized differently.
Professional judgment: Best-fit assessment requires teachers to interpret evidence.
Reporting policy: Schools may add local percentages, letter grades, or progress indicators.
Programme year: Expected complexity increases as students advance through the MYP.

These differences do not allow schools to redefine excellent scientific work. Authorized schools must align assessment with MYP objectives and criteria. However, ordinary report grades are not routinely marked or validated by IB examiners, so perfect school-to-school equivalence should not be assumed.

Students changing schools should provide criterion-level results, marked investigations, task instructions, teacher feedback, and course outlines. These materials communicate achievement more accurately than one final number.

How Physics eAssessment improves consistency

In MYP Year 5, participating schools may register students for the optional eAssessment system. Physics is available as an IB-designed on-screen sciences examination that is externally marked by IB-appointed examiners.

The official MYP sciences subject brief organizes the examination into three broad areas:

Task area	Criteria assessed	Approximate marks
Knowing and understanding	A	25
Investigation skills	B and C	50
Applying science	D	25

The examination lasts up to two hours and samples all four sciences criteria. The IB applies common markschemes and markbands before converting raw marks into a grade from 1 to 7 using boundaries established for that subject and session.

Because candidates complete a common IB assessment under standardized conditions, eAssessment results offer stronger cross-school comparability than internal grades. The official MYP grading and awards guidance explains how externally assessed results contribute to MYP certification.

Understanding MYP Physics grade boundaries

Classroom and eAssessment boundaries are not interchangeable. For school reporting, the four final criterion levels produce a total out of 32, which is usually converted using the guideline table above.

The eAssessment instead produces a raw examination mark. The IB establishes boundaries after considering the paper's demands, expert judgments of candidate work, and statistical evidence. Boundaries can change between sessions so that grades represent comparable standards even when examinations differ in difficulty.

A raw mark of 70% is therefore not guaranteed to produce the same grade in every session. Students should not apply the classroom 0--32 table to an eAssessment percentage. RevisionDojo's MYP grade-boundary guide explains the distinction further.

Practical checks for students

Before comparing results, determine whether the number is a task criterion level, an internal report grade, a predicted eAssessment grade, or an official IB result. Request separate levels for Criteria A, B, C, and D, and ask whether the school has added a local conversion system.

For exam preparation, use the MYP Physics Questionbank alongside the broader MYP Physics resources. Effective practice should include experimental design, data processing, method evaluation, and scientific implications rather than equations alone.

Conclusion

MYP Physics is based on a consistent international assessment framework, but internal grades are not produced identically at every school. Local tasks, evidence, reporting systems, and teacher judgments can create variation, while official eAssessment results are more comparable because the IB controls the examination and external marking.

Students should identify what kind of grade they are viewing and examine individual criterion levels. RevisionDojo's Questionbank, Study Notes, and Jojo AI can support criterion-focused practice and help students address weaknesses across all four sciences criteria.

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