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MYP eAssessment explained: exams, ePortfolios and the certificate

Global TutorsOctober 13, 2026

In the final year of the IB Middle Years Programme (MYP), students can be assessed externally by the IB. The IB calls this MYP eAssessment, and it isn't a set of paper exams: it combines on-screen examinations with coursework submitted as ePortfolios. This guide explains how MYP eAssessment works, what the MYP certificate requires and how students can prepare, using the IB's own published information.

What MYP eAssessment is

The MYP is a five-year programme. MYP assessment focuses on school-based tasks, created and marked by classroom teachers against each subject group's assessment criteria.

External assessment comes in the final year (year five) and has two parts:

  1. The personal project. Every MYP student must develop a personal project independently in the final year, and the IB externally validates it. All year-five students must take part in the personal project eAssessment.
  2. Optional eAssessment in other subjects. Schools can register for optional external assessment in the other elements of the programme. It gives students the chance to earn a formal, internationally recognized certificate if they meet the success criteria.

So whether your child sits MYP on-screen exams depends on whether their school registers for eAssessment.

The two types of MYP eAssessment

Once a school registers for MYP eAssessment, students can take two types of assessment:

  • On-screen examinations. Each exam lasts between 1 hour 45 minutes and 2 hours. They're externally marked by trained IB examiners. On-screen exams are set in language and literature, language acquisition, individuals and societies, sciences, mathematics, and interdisciplinary learning.
  • ePortfolios of coursework. These include the compulsory ePortfolio for the personal project, plus ePortfolios in subjects such as arts, design and physical and health education. Teachers mark them, and the IB moderates the marking.

The language acquisition assessment comprises one on-screen examination and one internally assessed individual speaking assessment.

How on-screen exams are built

The IB publishes examination blueprints that show what each eAssessment will look like. Two details are useful for revision:

  • There are always four criteria in a blueprint, and each is equally weighted.
  • The IB says that in any session, examinations won't deviate from the blueprint by more than three marks.

The blueprint is the IB's own guide to how an on-screen exam is structured. Students should practise against the four criteria for each subject, not only the content.

What the MYP certificate requires

The certificate is built from eight separate results, each graded from 1 to 7.

Bar of eight IB MYP eAssessments worth up to 7 points each, 56 in total, with a marker at the 28-point minimum and a note that eight grade 3s make 24 points

Candidates for the IB MYP certificate must complete eight eAssessments:

  • On-screen examinations in language and literature, language acquisition, individuals and societies, sciences, mathematics, and interdisciplinary learning.
  • ePortfolios in language acquisition, in physical and health education, arts or design, and the MYP personal project.

Each required eAssessment is graded from 1 to 7, so the maximum total is 56. To be eligible for the certificate, a student must:

  • achieve a total of at least 28 points
  • achieve a grade 3 or higher in each eAssessment component
  • meet the school's requirements for participation in service as action.

The arithmetic matters. A student with a 3 in all eight components has 8 × 3 = 24 points, which meets the minimum grade rule but is 4 points short of 28. They need higher grades somewhere, for example a 4 in four components and a 3 in the other four, which gives 16 + 12 = 28.

If a student completes more than one eAssessment for a required subject group, the highest available grade for that requirement counts towards the total.

There's also an IB MYP bilingual certificate, which needs successful results in a second language and literature course, or one or more science, individuals and societies or interdisciplinary exams in a language other than the student's chosen language and literature course.

MYP results and what students receive

The IB issues MYP results on 1 August for May examinations and on 1 February for November examinations, through IBIS.

Students receive IB MYP course results showing each subject taken through eAssessment and the grade achieved (1 to 7), as well as their achievement in the personal project and the interdisciplinary on-screen examination.

How to prepare for MYP eAssessment

  1. Find out what your school has registered for. It decides whether your child takes on-screen exams, ePortfolios, or only the personal project.
  2. Learn the criteria. Each subject is assessed against criteria, and the blueprint uses four equally weighted criteria. Students should know what each criterion rewards.
  3. Practise on screen. On-screen exams last up to two hours. Practise answering on a computer, not only on paper.
  4. Start the personal project early. It's compulsory, independent and completed over an extended period.
  5. Don't neglect weaker subjects. A grade below 3 in any one component rules out the certificate, whatever the total.

FAQ

Is MYP eAssessment compulsory?

The personal project eAssessment is compulsory for all year-five students. Other eAssessments are optional, and the school decides whether to register for them.

How long are MYP on-screen exams?

Between 1 hour 45 minutes and 2 hours each.

What is the maximum MYP certificate score?

56 points: eight eAssessments, each graded from 1 to 7.

What score do you need for the MYP certificate?

At least 28 points, with a grade 3 or higher in every eAssessment, plus meeting the school's service as action requirements.

When do MYP results come out?

1 August for May examinations and 1 February for November examinations.

Get help from an MYP tutor

Our 124 tutors include 16 with examiner, marker or moderator experience, and 51% hold a teaching qualification. An IB MYP tutor can help your child understand the subject criteria, practise on-screen exam questions and plan coursework and the personal project. We'll match you with a tutor within a day, starting with a free, no-obligation Meet & Greet. There's no long-term contract.

IB MYP maths tutoring | IB MYP sciences tutoring | IB MYP English tutoring

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