Two hours, one laptop, no paper. The MYP e-Assessment, explained.
What actually happens on exam day, how the grade is decided, and the habits that separate a 5 from a 7. Written for students in MYP 4 and 5, and for the parents who want to help them.
Most students meet the MYP e-Assessment for the first time on the morning of the exam. That is the mistake. This exam is not hard because the content is strange. It is hard because the format is new: you read, think, draw and write your working on a screen, against the clock. Students who practise that format walk in calm. Students who do not lose marks they had earned in their heads.
What is the MYP e-Assessment?
It is the IB’s optional external assessment at the end of the Middle Years Programme, usually in Year 11 (MYP 5). Your school decides whether to register its students. There are two kinds of assessment:
💻 On-screen exams
- Language and literature
- Individuals and societies
- Sciences
- Mathematics (Standard or Extended)
- Interdisciplinary learning
📁 ePortfolios
- Language acquisition
- Arts, Design, or Physical and health education
- The Personal Project
- Marked by your teachers, then checked by the IB
The on-screen exams are written in school, on a computer, under exam conditions. They are marked by IB examiners, real people trained in each subject, using a detailed markscheme. They are looking for clear thinking and clear communication, not just a final number.
How the grade 1 to 7 is decided
Grade boundaries move a little from session to session, because the IB sets them after looking at how hard each paper turned out to be. So there is no fixed “percentage for a 7”. What you can control is the raw mark: every mark you earn pushes you up.
For the MYP certificate, students need results in eight components, a total of at least 28 points out of 56, no grade below 3, and the school’s requirements for service as action met. Many students take only some exams; your school will tell you which ones you are entered for.
Six eye-openers about exam day
Typing maths is a skill, and it takes practice
Fractions, powers, square roots and equations all have to be entered on screen. Students who meet the equation tools for the first time in the exam waste minutes and often give up writing working. Practise on screen for weeks, not days.
Working earns marks even when the answer is wrong
Examiners give credit for method, reasoning and communication. A blank space where the working should be throws those marks away. Write the steps, even when you are unsure.
The big tasks come at the end
In maths and sciences, the longer investigation and real-life tasks carry a lot of marks and usually sit near the end. Students who spend too long on early questions arrive there with ten minutes left. Plan your time before you start.
Reading the stimulus is half the job
Questions often start with a video, a data table, a map or a news-style text. Students who skim it answer a different question from the one asked. Read it twice, and underline the command word: describe, explain, justify, evaluate.
Command words decide how much you write
“State” wants a word or number. “Explain” wants a reason. “Justify” and “evaluate” want evidence and a judgement. Matching your answer length to the command word is one of the quickest ways to gain marks.
Real past papers beat every other kind of revision
The style of the e-Assessment is very particular. Practising on the real papers, with full solutions to check your work against, is the closest thing to sitting the exam before the day.
The command words, decoded
Every MYP question is built around a command word. It tells you exactly what the examiner wants, and how much to write. Learn these ten and you will stop losing marks for answering the wrong question.
| Word | What it asks you to do | A line that earns the mark |
|---|---|---|
| State | Give a name, number or fact. No reason needed. | The reaction is exothermic. |
| Outline | Give a brief summary of the main points. | Water is heated, it evaporates, then it condenses on the cold lid. |
| Describe | Give a detailed account of what happens or what you see. | The graph rises steeply for 6 minutes, then levels off at 80 °C. |
| Explain | Give the reasons or causes. | It levels off because all the ice has melted, so no more energy goes into the change of state. |
| Calculate | Work out a number, showing the steps. | Speed = 120 ÷ 8 = 15 m/s |
| Show that | Reach the given answer, with every step written. | 2(4) + 3 = 11, which matches the 11 tiles counted. |
| Justify | Give evidence or reasons that support your answer. | The rule works for n = 1, 2 and 3, and each pattern adds two tiles, so it always works. |
| Suggest | Propose a sensible answer or idea. | Repeat each trial three times to make the results more reliable. |
| Discuss | Give a balanced review with more than one view. | Solar power cuts costs over time, but the start-up cost is high for small households. |
| Evaluate | Weigh strengths and weaknesses, then give a judgement. | The method was fair but small, so the conclusion is likely but not certain. |
Try it: an MYP-style maths task
This is the kind of pattern task that appears near the end of a maths paper. Notice how the four parts climb from “find” to “justify”.
a) How many tiles are in pattern 4?
b) Find a rule for the number of tiles, T, in pattern n.
c) Verify your rule for pattern 5.
d) Justify why your rule works for every pattern.
Show the worked answer
On screen, type each step on its own line, exactly like this. An examiner can only give method marks for working they can see.
Your countdown to exam day
- 3
monthsFind your gaps
Sit one full past paper under timed conditions. Mark it with the solutions and list the three topics that cost you most.
- 6
weeksFix one topic a week
Rework the weak topics from notes and examples, then try the past-paper questions on them again.
- 2
weeksFull papers, on screen
Two complete papers per subject, on a laptop, timed, with no breaks. Practise typing working every time.
- 1
dayLight review and rest
Look over your list of common mistakes and command words. Sleep early; tiredness costs more marks than one extra hour of revision gains.
- Exam
dayPlan the two hours
Glance through the whole exam first, note where the big tasks are, and set yourself a time for each section.
📅 Make your own countdown
Enter the date of your first e-Assessment exam (your school has the timetable). We will turn the plan above into real dates.
Myth or fact?
Practise the way you will be tested. If the exam is on a laptop, your last ten practice sessions should be on a laptop too: same screen, same timer, same silence. The format should feel boring by exam day, so all your energy goes into the maths and the science.
Prof. Kitso · The Stadira Study Desk
👨👩👧For parents: how to help
- Ask the school which exams your child is entered for, and whether maths is Standard or Extended
- Make sure there is a laptop and a quiet place for two-hour practice sessions
- Ask to see a marked past paper, not just a grade
- Praise the working, not only the final score
- Protect sleep in exam month
🎒For students: start this week
- Do one past-paper question on screen every day
- Keep a “mistakes I make” page and read it before every paper
- Learn the command words and what each one asks for
- Time yourself: two hours goes faster than you think
- Ask your teacher about anything you got wrong twice
The MYP e-Assessment countdown planner
A one-page planner with the five countdown stages and spaces for your dates, the ten command words, and an exam-morning checklist. Stick it on the wall.
Download the PDF (1 page)Next big decision after Year 11? See A Levels or IB Diploma? How to choose the right road.
Questions parents and students ask
Is the MYP e-Assessment compulsory?
No. It is optional, and each school decides whether to register its students and for which subjects. Ask your MYP coordinator which exams you are entered for.
Who decides Standard or Extended maths?
Your school, usually in MYP 4 or 5, based on your progress and your plans. If you are thinking of higher-level maths or sciences later, ask about Extended early.
When do results come out?
The IB releases results some weeks after each session. Your school will tell you the exact release date and how you will receive your grades.
Do I need the MYP certificate to start the IB Diploma?
Not usually. Each Diploma school sets its own entry requirements, but strong MYP grades are good evidence that you are ready.
Can I sit the e-Assessment without my school?
No. Students are registered through their school, which must be an authorised IB MYP school.
What is the single best way to prepare?
Real past papers, done on a screen and under time, then checked against full worked solutions. Keep a list of your mistakes and read it before every practice paper.
Practise on the real papers
Stadira’s MYP courses are built around official IB e-Assessment papers, with a step-by-step solution for every part so you can mark your own work against it. Built, developed and assessed by qualified teachers.
The Stadira teaching team
This guide was written by practising IB and IGCSE teachers with over 15 years in international schools, teaching IB DP, MYP, IGCSE and BGCSE.
Prof. Kitso, pictured, is our cartoon study guide. You will meet him in the tip boxes and in our lessons.
Facts checked October 2026 against the IB’s MYP assessment pages. Exact exam lengths and requirements can change; your school’s MYP coordinator has the final word for your session.
