If you take the MYP History on-screen eAssessment, your responses are marked by examiners appointed and trained by the International Baccalaureate (IB), not by your classroom teacher. Ordinary classroom History assignments, however, are normally created and marked by teachers using the MYP Individuals and Societies criteria.
Understanding this distinction matters because classroom assessment, external marking, and moderation are separate processes. Each has a different purpose and involves different people.
Who marks MYP History?
There are two main marking situations:
| Assessment type | Who marks it? | Main purpose |
|---|---|---|
| Classroom MYP History work | Your classroom teacher or teaching team | Feedback, criterion levels, and school reporting |
| MYP History on-screen eAssessment | IB-appointed and trained examiners | External MYP course results and, where applicable, the MYP certificate |
MYP assessment is primarily based on tasks created and marked by classroom teachers. The optional on-screen examinations taken in the final year of the programme are different because they are externally assessed. History is available within the MYP Individuals and Societies subject group.
Your school controls practical arrangements such as devices, rooms, seating, and invigilation. It does not control the official marking of submitted eAssessment responses.
What does the classroom teacher mark?
Teachers mark investigations, source analyses, essays, presentations, projects, and other course assignments. They apply the four Individuals and Societies criteria:
- Criterion A: Knowing and understanding
- Criterion B: Investigating
- Criterion C: Communicating
- Criterion D: Thinking critically
Each criterion has achievement levels from 1 to 8. Teachers use published descriptors to determine how effectively a student demonstrates subject knowledge, research skills, communication, and critical thinking.
Schools may conduct internal standardization, particularly when several teachers teach the same subject. Teachers compare sample work and discuss how descriptors should be interpreted so that judgments remain consistent across classes.
How is the MYP History eAssessment marked?
The MYP History eAssessment is externally marked by IB-appointed examiners. These examiners are subject specialists who receive training and standardization materials before marking live responses.
Examiners use the relevant markscheme and task-specific guidance rather than personal preferences. Student responses are generally anonymized and distributed through an electronic marking system, helping prevent knowledge of a student or school from influencing the judgment.
Marking is also monitored. Examiners may encounter responses that senior examiners have already marked, allowing the system to identify marking that becomes unusually severe, generous, or inconsistent. Senior examining teams establish the expected standard, address difficult interpretations, and support consistency across countries and schools.
What does the examiner assess?
MYP History is not assessed only through the recall of dates, events, and historical figures. Questions can require students to evaluate sources, compare perspectives, explain relationships, communicate findings, or construct a supported historical argument.
Credit is awarded according to the criteria and guidance attached to each task. A successful response therefore needs to:
- Follow the command term precisely
- Use accurate and relevant historical evidence
- Explain how evidence supports the argument
- Evaluate perspectives or limitations when required
- Reach a justified conclusion rather than making an unsupported assertion
The assessment blueprint determines the balance and structure of tasks for the relevant examination session. Students should therefore use current information supplied by their school rather than assuming every session will be identical.
Does the teacher also mark the final examination?
No. Teachers may explain assessment criteria, use specimen materials, mark practice responses, and provide feedback before the examination. They do not assign the official mark for a submitted MYP History on-screen examination.
This differs from moderation. In moderated components, including MYP ePortfolios and the Personal Project, teachers initially assess work and the IB reviews samples to check whether the school has applied the standard correctly. External marking means IB-appointed examiners mark the submitted examination responses themselves.
What happens on MYP History exam day?
The school administers the examination under controlled conditions. It prepares approved devices, installs or accesses the required materials, arranges invigilation, and manages submission according to IB instructions.
An on-screen examination is not simply an ordinary online quiz. Materials may be installed locally, so the examination does not necessarily depend on a continuous internet connection while students are working. Exact arrangements vary between schools.
Before exam day, ask your coordinator about:
- The device and compatibility checks
- Permitted materials
- Your room and arrival time
- Approved access arrangements
- Procedures for technical problems
- How completed responses are collected and submitted
The invigilator supervises the session but does not mark your answers. Once submitted through the approved process, responses enter the external marking system.
How should students prepare?
Prepare for the criteria and task demands rather than trying to predict an examiner’s preferences. Examiners can only credit reasoning and knowledge that are clearly visible in the response.
Practise identifying command terms, selecting precise evidence, explaining significance, and responding to unfamiliar sources. Avoid memorizing one model essay because external questions may place familiar historical skills in a new context.
RevisionDojo’s MYP History resources provide Study Notes, Flashcards, and structured revision support. The MYP History Questionbank can help students practise source analysis and timed responses.
Conclusion
Classroom MYP History assignments are normally marked by teachers, while the optional on-screen eAssessment is marked externally by trained IB examiners. Schools manage exam-day logistics, but the IB controls the external marking standard. Confirm session-specific arrangements with your coordinator, then use RevisionDojo resources and the Questionbank for focused practice.
