How MYP maths grades work
A plain-English guide for students and parents: the four criteria, what a level from 0 to 8 means, how four final levels add up to a total out of 32, and how that total becomes an MYP grade from 1 to 7.
IB Math Revision is an independent site. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by or connected to the International Baccalaureate (IB). This guide is written in our own words; for the official criteria and descriptors, see the IB's MYP mathematics subject brief (PDF) and your school's subject guide.
The short version
- Each piece of assessed work is marked against one or more of four criteria, A to D.
- For each criterion your teacher gives a level from 0 to 8.
- At the end of a reporting period your teacher decides one final level per criterion, looking at all your work. This is a judgement of where you are now, not an average.
- The four final levels are added up to give a total out of 32.
- The total is turned into an MYP grade from 1 to 7 using a table of grade boundaries.
The four criteria
Every MYP maths task is assessed on one or more of these. A test might cover A only; an investigation might cover B and C; a real-world project might cover C and D. Over a year you should be assessed on all four, more than once.
AKnowing and understanding
Can you do the maths? Choosing a method, carrying it out accurately and solving problems in familiar and less familiar situations.
BInvestigating patterns
Can you find a rule? Exploring a pattern, describing it in words and symbols, and showing that your rule works.
CCommunicating
Can someone else follow your maths? Using correct notation, diagrams, tables and graphs, and setting out your reasoning in a clear, logical order.
DApplying mathematics in real-life contexts
Can you use maths on a real situation? Picking out the maths that matters, using it, and judging whether your answer makes sense in the real world.
What the levels mean
Levels run from 0 to 8 and come in pairs. In general terms (our summary, not the official wording):
| Levels | In plain terms |
|---|---|
| 0 | Nothing yet reaches the first level. |
| 1–2 | Some correct starts on simple, familiar work, with a lot of help or many gaps. |
| 3–4 | Mostly correct on familiar work; some success with less familiar work, with reasoning that is partly shown. |
| 5–6 | Usually correct, including less familiar problems; methods and reasons are shown and mostly clear. |
| 7–8 | Consistently correct, including unfamiliar and harder problems; reasoning is complete, clear and checked. |
Within a pair, the higher level usually means the work does what the band describes more fully or more consistently.
Final levels: best fit, not an average
Your teacher does not average your task levels. If you scored 3 on criterion B in September and 6 in December, an average (4.5) would hide how much you have improved. Instead, your teacher looks at all your work for that criterion and decides which level best fits where you are now. Recent work often counts for more because it shows what you can do today, but a single unusual result should not decide the final level.
From a total out of 32 to a grade
Add the four final levels. The total (0 to 32) gives the grade using a table like this one, which is the table our markbook uses:
| Total (out of 32) | MYP grade |
|---|---|
| 1–5 | 1 |
| 6–9 | 2 |
| 10–14 | 3 |
| 15–18 | 4 |
| 19–23 | 5 |
| 24–27 | 6 |
| 28–32 | 7 |
These boundaries are a guide: your school may use different ones, so check with your teacher. A total of 0 gives no grade. If a criterion has no final level yet, there is no total: the MYP grade needs all four.
A worked example
Final levels: A 6, B 5, C 7, D 6.
Total: 6 + 5 + 7 + 6 = 24 out of 32.
24 is in the 24–27 row, so the MYP grade is 6.
One more level on any criterion would not change the grade (25 is still a 6). To reach a 7 this student needs four more levels in total, for example 7, 6, 8, 7.
Level 5 or level 7: what is the difference?
Using criterion A (knowing and understanding) as an example, in our own words:
The same idea runs through B, C and D: higher levels mean harder or less familiar situations handled successfully, with reasoning that is complete and clear. The quickest gains usually come from showing your reasoning (it helps every criterion) and from checking your answer makes sense (it matters most in D).
Questions parents ask
Is the grade an average of my child's marks?
No. Each criterion gets one final level, the teacher's best-fit judgement from all the evidence. The four levels are added, not averaged, and the total gives the grade.
Why does the report say "n/a" for the total?
At least one criterion has no final level yet, usually because it has not been assessed this period. MYP grades need all four criteria, so the total waits until it has them.
Is a 4 a pass?
Schools set their own expectations, so ask the school. As a rough guide, 4 means solid work on familiar material, and higher grades show increasing success with unfamiliar and more complex problems.
Where can my child see their levels?
On IB Math Revision, students see each task's criterion levels on their homework page, and the final levels, total and grade once the teacher sets them.
Next steps
Moving from MYP into the Diploma Programme? Start with the free bridging unit.
Unit 0: skills DP maths assumes PreIB bridging programme Parents' guide