MYP grade boundaries explained: how four criteria out of 8 become a total out of 32 and a grade from 1 to 7, why eAssessment boundaries are different, the personal project, the certificate, and the cheapest way to move up one grade

"MYP grade boundaries" is searched every time reports come home, by parents who can see four numbers out of 8 and one number out of 7 and cannot see how the first four became the last one. It is one table, published by the IB, and it works the same way in every subject. This page gives the table, explains how the four numbers are reached, separates it from the eAssessment boundaries (which are a different thing and cause most of the confusion online), covers the personal project and the certificate, and shows where the next grade is cheapest to find.

The table: a total out of 32 to a grade out of 7

Every MYP subject is assessed against four criteria, A to D, each on a scale of 0 to 8. At the end of the year the four final levels are added, giving a total out of 32, and the total is converted with the IB's boundary guidelines:

Three things to notice. The bands are not equal: a 5 is five points wide and a 6 and a 4 are four. A 7 needs an average of 7 on every criterion, so one criterion at 5 has to be paid for with an 8 elsewhere. And a 4, the grade most schools treat as "meeting expectations", starts at 15, which is under half marks: the scale is not a percentage and should never be read as one.

How each of the four numbers is reached

The criteria differ by subject (in maths: A knowing and understanding, B investigating patterns, C communicating, D applying mathematics in real-life contexts; in sciences: A knowing and understanding, B inquiring and designing, C processing and evaluating, D reflecting on the impacts of science), but the scale is the same everywhere:

The teacher sets several tasks against each criterion across the year (the IB requires each criterion to be assessed at least twice) and then makes a best-fit judgement: which band describes this student's most consistent, most recent work, and which of the two levels inside it. It is not an average. A student with 4, 6, 6, 7 on criterion A over the year is a 6 or a 7, not a 5.75. This is why asking "what percentage is she on?" gets a puzzled look from an MYP teacher, and why the last two tasks of the year matter more than the first two.

A worked example

Criterion levels in maths: A 7, B 5, C 5, D 5. Total 22. Grade 5.

The parent reads "7 in knowing and understanding" and concludes the child is strong at maths and the 5 is unfair. The table says otherwise: 22 is in the 19 to 23 band. To reach a 6 the total must be 24. Raising A from 7 to 8 gives 23: still a 5. Raising C and D by one level each gives 24: a 6, and those two levels are usually a matter of habits (writing the reasoning in lines, stating the degree of accuracy, saying whether the answer makes sense in the context) rather than of new mathematics. The detail, criterion by criterion, is in MYP maths criteria explained and, for the lab-report criteria, in MYP science: how to get a 7.

eAssessment: why "out of 100" is a different thing

In the final year, MYP 5, a school can register students for eAssessment: on-screen examinations in subjects such as mathematics, sciences, language and literature, individuals and societies and interdisciplinary learning, and ePortfolios in subjects such as language acquisition, arts, design and physical and health education. These are marked or moderated by the IB, not by the school.

For these, the IB sets the grade boundaries after each session, subject by subject, once examiners have seen how the papers performed. The boundaries are expressed against the exam's own mark total, they move from one session to the next, and they are released to schools with the results. So when you see "MYP grade boundaries out of 100" or a table for a particular year, it is an eAssessment table for one session and one subject, it will not be the same next year, and it tells you nothing about a school report in MYP 2. If your child is sitting eAssessment, ask the MYP coordinator for the most recent boundaries for the subject; the school has them.

Most MYP schools do not register every student for eAssessment, and many do not offer it at all. In those schools the grade on the report is the 32-point table and nothing else.

The personal project

The personal project in MYP 5 is assessed against three criteria (planning, applying skills, reflecting) under the guide in use since 2021, each out of 8, for a total out of 24. It is marked by the school and moderated by the IB, which sets the boundaries for the final 1 to 7 grade each session. The school's supervisor will have the most recent ones. The practical point is the same as for subjects: the report is where students leave marks, because reflecting is a criterion of its own and is a third of the total.

The MYP certificate

For students registered for eAssessment, the IB awards the MYP certificate on a total out of 56: eight components (on-screen examinations, ePortfolios and the personal project), each graded 1 to 7. The certificate requires at least 28 points in total, a grade of 3 or more in each component, and the school's service requirement to be met. Students who are not registered receive the school's own MYP record instead, which is what most universities and Diploma coordinators look at in any case.

Where the next grade is cheapest

1. Find the lowest criterion and ask for the task-specific rubric. One level there is worth the same as one level anywhere, and it is always cheaper to go from 4 to 5 than from 7 to 8.
2. Read the band descriptor above the current one and find the single phrase that differs. In maths criterion C the step from 5 to 6 into 7 to 8 is "consistently" and "complete, coherent and concise lines of reasoning". That is a habit, not a topic.
3. Count the points to the boundary. A student on 23 is one level from a 6. A student on 19 is four points from a 6 and one bad criterion from a 4: protect the 5 first.
4. Weight the last tasks. Best fit looks at consistency and at recent work. The final summative in each criterion is the one to prepare properly.
5. Ask the teacher one question: "Which criterion, and what would the next level look like in her work?" Teachers answer that precisely; they cannot answer "how can she get a 7?".

Where to get help

A weekly 1-on-1 online class with a tutor who teaches MYP mathematics and sciences from MYP 1 to MYP 5 and marks every piece of work against the published criteria, so the student sees a level for A, B, C and D each week rather than a percentage: the recording after every class, and the criterion the next level is cheapest in named at the start. The MYP maths page and the MYP sciences page list what each year covers; the free 30-minute first class is a real lesson on this week's task. Families whose school uses Cambridge instead will find the equivalent explanation in Cambridge Checkpoint explained.

Questions parents ask

See how we teach this, 1-on-1 online →