IB Middle Years Programme

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IB Middle Years Programme

The MYP is a GCSE equivalence of the International Baccalaureate curriculum. It follows from the IB Primary Years Programme (PYP) and prepares students for the IB Diploma (DP). Though MYP years are usually referred to as Years 10-11 (Grades 9-10), it actually encompasses Years 7-11 (Grades 6-10). The MYP prepares students for the IB Diploma/Certificate programme. The unique characteristic of the MYP curriculum are the Areas of Interaction which aims to make effective lifelong learners.

Grading

The MYP grades on a grading scale of 1-7, similar to the IB Diploma scale. Though the criteria are different for each subject, it follows the same principles, and thus allows students to get used to the system before moving onto IB.

The Final MYP score assesses 8 subject areas and a Personal Project component, adding up to a score out of 63:

1. English [A/B] 2. World Languages [A/B] 3. Maths [Core/Core-Plus/Extended/Extended-Plus] 4. Sciences [Biology, Chemistry and Physics] 5. Humanities [History/Commerce/Geography] 6. Creative Arts [Music/Art/Drama] 7. Technology [Design Technology, Information Technology] 8. Health and Physical Education (PE + Lifeskills) 9. Personal Project (which focuses on one or more Areas of Interaction)

The candidate who passes the MYP with more than 36 points out of 63 and with more than 15 CAS points (accumulated from the last 2 years of MYP) will receive an MYP certificate. Any who fails the MYP are discouraged from continuing with the IB Diploma (though it is possible to move onto IB Diploma/Certificate).

Personal Project

The Personal Project is an individual project which prepares students for the Diploma Extended Essay. It consists of 3 components: A Product, Process Journal, and a Personal Statement (3000 words). The majority of the scores achieved comes from the Personal Statement. A Personal Project is done over a period of 9 months during the last two years of MYP. The project must focus on one or two Areas of Interaction (Homo-Faber, Environment, Health&Social Education, Community and Service, Approaches to Learning). Like the Extended Essay, the nature of the Personal Project and its statement is dependent on the AoI which it focuses on.

Recognition

Though it is part of the IB programme, MYP is still considerably less popular than the IB Diploma, and not all schools who offer the IB DP offer the MYP. Students are assessed Internally but MYP works are often moderated with other MYP schools, as the IB is moderated. There is no standardized exams that are taken at the same time of year like the IB.

Overall

Just like the IB is (arguably) much more challenging than A levels, the GCSE's are unarguably more challenging than the MYP. As highly as i think of the IB, I dislike the MYP more. The grading criteria are so gradually increased, that the harshness of the IB criteria come as a shock. The whole workload is much lighter than the IB programme and so doesnt prepare you enough. in my opinion the best combination is GCSE followed by IB

However, quality and intensity of MYP varies alot depending on each school, and if done well, can help a student prepare for IB better than the GCSEs...however, as the trend goes, these schools are still rare, and MYP is still much less popular than GCSEs.

External Links

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