MYP · Sciences MYP Year 3
Electricity and Magnetism
27 min readStandardCore MYP Year 3 Sciences unit — assessed through unit tests and criterion-based tasks (Criteria A–D); no fixed exam percentage, but series/parallel calculations and circuit-diagram reasoning are the most frequently repeated question types.
Every question you'll meet on this topic collapses into one core skill: read how current and voltage behave in a circuit diagram, then explain why using the right vocabulary — path, branch, shared, split. Get the vocabulary sloppy and you lose marks even when your number is correct.
Overview — The Shape of This Topic
What examiners are actually checking
Electricity and magnetism in MYP Year 3 is really four ideas stacked together: how charge moves in a circuit, what lets it move (conductors) or blocks it (insulators), how moving charge creates a magnetic field (electromagnets), and how that connects back to permanent magnets. Static electricity is the odd one out — charge that ISN'T flowing round a loop — which is exactly why exam questions love comparing it to current electricity.
- Series vs parallel circuits is the single most repeated question type — expect a calculation AND an explanation in the same question, often using real ammeter/voltmeter readings.
- Diagram-reading questions (identify the component, explain why it's needed) test whether you actually know the symbols, not just the theory behind them.
- 'Explain' questions need a causal mechanism ('...because there is only one path for current') — restating the observation earns zero marks on its own.
The shape of the chapter
Command terms that dominate this topic's mark schemes
| Command term | What it demands | AO | Mark-earning move |
|---|---|---|---|
| State | Give a brief, precise answer with no explanation. | Recall | One mark for the correct fact/word only — extra explanation isn't required and earns no bonus. |
| Describe | Give a detailed, accurate account of a pattern or sequence, without justifying it. | Description | Marks for stating WHAT happens (e.g. 'current stays the same at every point') — no 'because' needed yet. |
| Explain | Give a reason or mechanism — a causal statement that justifies the pattern. | Reasoning | Description alone scores zero here; the causal link ('...because there's only one path, so charge can't build up or escape') carries the mark. |
| Calculate | Show working using a formula and reach a numerical answer with correct units. | Application | Method mark awarded for correct formula/substitution even with an arithmetic slip; a missing unit can still cost the final mark. |
| Identify | Name or select the correct component/quantity from a diagram or list. | Recall | A one-word or short-phrase answer earns the mark; justification isn't required. |
| Compare | State both similarities AND differences between two things. | Analysis | Marks are lost if you only give differences — examiners expect at least one similarity unless the term is 'distinguish' or 'contrast'. |
Key point
Series = one path = same current everywhere, voltage splits. Parallel = many branches = same voltage everywhere, current splits. Every 'compare series and parallel' question is testing exactly this pair of rules.
Overview