MYP Sciences Criteria Explained (A–D)

In the MYP, Sciences (whether taught as integrated Sciences or as Biology, Chemistry and Physics) is assessed against four criteria rather than a single exam mark. Each criterion is scored out of 8, and understanding what each one actually rewards is the difference between a 5 and a 7. Here is the clean breakdown.

The four MYP Sciences criteria

• Criterion A — Knowing and understanding. Recall scientific knowledge and apply it to solve problems and analyse information in familiar and unfamiliar situations. The key word is apply, not just state.
• Criterion B — Inquiring and designing. Pose a focused research question and hypothesis, identify variables, and design a logical, controlled method.
• Criterion C — Processing and evaluating. Present and process data correctly, draw valid conclusions, and evaluate the method — its reliability, limitations and improvements.
• Criterion D — Reflecting on the impacts of science. Apply science to real-world problems and evaluate its implications — ethical, environmental, social and economic — using accurate scientific language.

How the criteria become a 1–7 grade

At the end of the year (or unit), your marks across the four criteria are added — a maximum of 32 — and the school applies the official MYP grade boundaries to convert that total into a 1–7 grade. There is no fixed percentage: assessment is "best-fit" against the published descriptors, so a piece of work is matched to the band it most closely resembles. We cover the full conversion in how MYP is graded.

Where students lose marks

• Criterion A: describing a concept instead of applying it to the problem in front of them.
• Criterion B: vague variables and a method that could not actually be repeated.
• Criterion C: presenting data neatly but never evaluating reliability or suggesting improvements.
• Criterion D: listing impacts of science without evaluating them or weighing different perspectives.

How to push to a 7

Read the top-band descriptor for each criterion and write to it deliberately. Use the command terms precisely (analyse, evaluate, justify), always pair a conclusion with an evaluation, and use exact scientific vocabulary. In C and D especially, examiners reward genuine evaluation — strengths, limitations, improvements and implications — over description. Mirror the language of the criteria in your own work.

How MYP Sciences sets up IGCSE and the IB Diploma

The inquiry and evaluation skills the criteria build are exactly what later courses demand — the analytical "evaluate" of IGCSE and A-Level sciences and the internal assessment of the IB Diploma. Students who master criteria C and D in the MYP find the step up far smoother. See also does MYP prepare you for the IB Diploma.

One investigation, all four criteria

A single practical can be assessed across every criterion: you recall and apply the relevant science (A), design the experiment with a clear question and controlled variables (B), process and evaluate your data and method (C), and reflect on the wider impact of the science involved (D). Seeing how one task maps onto all four criteria is the fastest way to understand what each one is actually asking of you.

Command terms that signal each criterion

The task's command terms tell you which criterion is being marked, and matching your response to them is half the battle. "State" and "outline" point to Criterion A; "design" and "formulate" to B; "analyse", "evaluate" and "conclude" to C; and "discuss the implications" to D. Writing an evaluation when the task only asked you to state — or vice versa — quietly costs marks.

The MYP eAssessment

In MYP Year 5, schools may enter students for the optional on-screen eAssessment, which leads to an IB-validated grade and the MYP certificate. It still assesses the same four criteria, so criterion-aligned practice through the earlier years is the most reliable preparation — there is no separate "exam technique" that replaces understanding the criteria.

How MYP Science levels appear on your report

On an MYP report you will usually see a level out of 8 for each criterion, often alongside a summary 1–7 grade. The spread matters more than the headline number. A 6/8 in Criterion C but 3/8 in Criterion D, for example, tells you precisely where to focus — strong data handling, weak evaluation of impact — far more usefully than a single overall grade. When you read the report, look at the pattern across A–D and target the lowest criterion first: it is almost always where the quickest gains are, and it points straight to the skill — designing, evaluating or reflecting — that needs attention before the next assessment.

More MYP guidance: how MYP is graded, MYP Maths criteria, MYP Language & Literature criteria and MYP Individuals & Societies criteria. Tutoring: IB MYP tutoring.

Official source: IB MYP Sciences.

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