What Is MYP Science in Years 1 to 3?

MYP Science in Years 1 to 3 is a combined subject — students haven't split into Biology, Chemistry and Physics yet. You build scientific thinking through inquiry, hands-on experiments and real-world contexts. It's assessed against four IB criteria (A–D) and lays the groundwork for MYP 4-5 sciences and eventually DP Sciences.

Expect a rotation through biology (cells, ecosystems, classification), chemistry (particulate model, states of matter, simple reactions) and physics (forces, energy, simple circuits), alongside skills work — planning investigations, handling data and using scientific vocabulary correctly. Schools sequence these differently, but all three strands appear by the end of Year 3.

In Years 1-3, it's one combined subject called Sciences, not three separate ones. Separate Biology, Chemistry and Physics course titles typically only appear from MYP 4 onward, though some schools introduce discipline-specific units earlier as part of how they've designed their own curriculum map.

There are no external exams. Teachers assess your work against four IB criteria — A (Knowing and understanding), B (Inquiring and designing), C (Processing and evaluating), D (Reflecting on the impacts of science) — each scored out of 8, using task-specific clarifications your teacher writes for each assessment.

It's not hard in the way DP Sciences can be — there's no exam pressure — but it does demand a different skill than primary science: independent inquiry. Students who struggle usually aren't weak on content; they're weak on structuring an investigation or writing a proper conclusion for Criterion C.

There are four, each marked out of 8: Criterion A (Knowing and understanding), Criterion B (Inquiring and designing), Criterion C (Processing and evaluating), Criterion D (Reflecting on the impacts of science on communities and the environment). Your teacher combines all four to reach your final 1-7 subject grade.

Your teacher gives you a level (0-8) on each of the four criteria, adds them up out of 32, then converts that total to a 1-7 grade using boundaries published in the MYP: From Principles into Practice framework. Schools apply these boundaries consistently, but they can vary slightly by year group.

A 7 means hitting level 7-8 across most of the four criteria, not just knowing content well. The gap is usually Criterion B and D: designing a genuinely testable investigation, and reflecting critically rather than just describing. Practise writing full lab reports, not just answering worksheet questions.

MYP Science (Years 1-3) is one combined subject, criterion-assessed, with no exams. DP Sciences are separate subjects — Biology, Chemistry, Physics and others — offered at SL or HL, examined externally, and requiring an Internal Assessment. According to the IB, DP Sciences first exams under the current subject guides ran from 2025.

Most MYP schools set one to two homework tasks a week for Sciences in Years 1-3, plus regular practical lessons roughly every one to two weeks depending on your school's lab access. Written lab reports become more frequent by Year 3, as Criterion B and C tasks require full write-ups rather than short answers.

Yes — MYP Science builds the inquiry habits (designing investigations, evaluating data, considering wider impacts) that DP Sciences assume you already have. Students who took MYP Sciences seriously in Years 1-3 tend to find the DP Internal Assessment far less daunting, since it asks for the same skills at greater depth.

No. GCSE Science is externally examined with a fixed content list and a 9-1 grade from final exams. MYP Science in Years 1-3 is teacher-assessed against four skills-based criteria, with no external exam and a stronger emphasis on inquiry over content recall. They sit alongside each other in some schools but aren't interchangeable.

Look for resources organised by the actual MYP criteria (A-D), not generic textbook chapters — that's what your child is graded against. Topical worksheets that mirror real assessment tasks, clear revision notes per unit, and practice questions with mark schemes make the biggest difference for confidence heading into assessed tasks.