What Are the MYP Physics Assessment Criteria A to D?

MYP Physics is graded against four criteria, each marked out of 8: A - Knowing and understanding, B - Inquiring and designing, C - Processing and evaluating, D - Reflecting on the impacts of science. Your school assesses each at least twice a year, and the four scores combine into your 1-7 subject grade.

Criterion A checks whether you can recall physics concepts - Newton's laws, circuits, energy transfers - and apply them to explain phenomena and solve problems. At level 7-8, the descriptor specifically asks you to apply scientific understanding to solve problems in both familiar and unfamiliar situations, not just textbook ones.

Criterion B assesses whether you can design a scientific investigation from scratch: framing a testable research question, constructing a hypothesis backed by scientific reasoning, and explaining how variables will be controlled. It's the criterion most tied to lab write-ups, and it's where students most often lose marks for a vague or unreasoned hypothesis.

Criterion C is about your data - collecting, processing and presenting it correctly (graphs, tables, uncertainty analysis) and evaluating your method's validity. Criterion D steps back from the data entirely to judge the wider impact of the science or technology involved, always supported by real evidence rather than opinion.

Each of the four MYP Sciences criteria - A, B, C and D - is marked out of 8, using the IB's achievement level descriptors banded in pairs: 1-2, 3-4, 5-6 and 7-8. That gives a maximum raw total of 32 across the four criteria, which is then converted into the final 1-7 subject grade.

Your school totals your best-fit level (0-8) for each of the four criteria, giving a raw score out of 32. That total is converted to the 1-7 grade using the IB's published MYP grade-boundary conversion table used across subject groups - for example, a total of 24-27 typically converts to a grade 6.

For 7-8 in Criterion B you need a clear, testable research question, a hypothesis with genuine scientific reasoning (not just a guess at the outcome), and a detailed explanation of how your method controls variables and gathers sufficient, relevant data. Most students lose marks by predicting an outcome without explaining the physics behind it.

Criterion D marks require evidence, not opinion. A common mistake is writing generic statements like 'this technology helps the environment' with no specific source, statistic or named study to back it up. At level 7-8 you need to discuss implications using scientific reasoning and evaluate them against verifiable information, not assumption.

Each criterion is usually assessed through a different task type: Criterion A through tests or data-response questions, Criterion B through a lab design or research proposal, Criterion C through a full investigation write-up, and Criterion D through an extended piece linking physics to a real issue. Your school decides the timing and format.

There's no single external MYP Physics exam - your teacher sets and marks all four criteria internally across MYP 4-5, usually through a mix of tests, lab reports and projects, moderated against the IB's task-specific clarifications. Some schools opt into an optional on-screen eAssessment in Year 5, but most assess entirely in-school.

MYP Physics uses four internally-marked criteria (A-D) totalling 32 marks with no compulsory external exam, while DP Physics is graded 1-7 through external written papers plus an internally assessed scientific investigation worth around 20% of the final grade. Moving from criterion-marking to timed exam papers is one of the biggest adjustments new DP students face.

Yes, though indirectly - most schools use consistent MYP performance in Criterion A and Criterion C (concept application and data handling) as the practical guide for whether your child should take DP Physics at Higher Level. A student regularly scoring 6-7 in those two criteria across MYP 4-5 is usually well-placed for HL Physics.

Topical worksheets and revision notes mapped to each of the four criteria let you practise a Criterion B research question or a Criterion C data-processing task in isolation, rather than guessing what a full assessment looks like. Past school-set tasks from your own teacher remain the best benchmark for how your specific school moderates each level.

Not necessarily - the criteria descriptors are public documents, and most students improve by comparing their own work directly against the exact level 7-8 wording for each criterion, then fixing one weak area at a time. Structured practice materials and detailed feedback on past tasks often close the gap faster than general tuition alone.