IB Middle Years Programme students celebrate eAssessment exam success

This week nearly 9,000 International Baccalaureate (IB) Middle Years Programme (MYP) students from around the world have received their results from the May 2017 examination session.

This represents a 20.3% increase compared with last year. 703 schools in 95 countries participated and students received an average score of 35.8 points (of 56 possible maximum).

290 students received their results in the UK and received an average score of 41.5 points.

This is the second year that year 5 MYP students have had the opportunity to take part in the eAssessments (on-screen examinations and ePortfolios) launched in May 2016. The examinations are rich and authentic offering meaningful and relevant ways that students can engage with the assessments through media and interactive functions.

Angela Brassington, an MYP coordinator at Munich International School said: “Generally, speaking there is no comparison between on-screen and traditional paper examinations in terms of assessing the quality of student learning and students are much more engaged with on-screen exams. Students prefer the on-screen examination because this reflects how they learn on a daily basis. The on-screen examinations are media rich and dynamic so questions can be designed that require much more creative responses or responses that require students to manipulate data and present new understandings in a way that is not possible on paper.”

The MYP is available for students aged 11–16 years and comprises of eight subject groups which span several disciplines to deliver both a depth and breadth of learning. The new eAssessment, which is regulated by Ofqual in the UK, is undertaken by 16-year olds upon completion of the MYP, and is designed to assess students beyond the rote memorisation of content. Just 25 percent of the assessment is based explicitly on knowledge and understanding. Schools managed well with the technical aspects of the programme’s ePortfolio upload and administering the on-screen examinations.

Brassington said: “Memorising subject knowledge is not essential to be successful with eAssessments therefore the most effective preparation is based around understanding the global context, subject objectives, approaches to learning, topic lists, and the command terms. Most importantly, eAssessments are designed to be an on-going part of the IB assessment for learning continuum.”

Paula Wilcock, IB’s Chief Assessment Officer, said, “It is wonderful to see an increased number of students taking part in MYP on-screen assessment this year as we remain committed to delivering valid, reliable and meaningful examinations on a large scale. I wish all those students receiving their results our very best. They can feel proud of their strong commitment to learning and a great deal of hard work.

“I would also like the thank the many IB examiners from all over the world who work tirelessly to ensure we deliver those results. MYP eAssessment is a reliable, globally consistent and highly innovative assessment model that can provide greater assurance and recognition for IB World Schools. The questions they pose help students engage with real world issues and raises their expectations and aspirations of what high quality assessment means. Furthermore, as we evolve and innovate our assessment practices to give students the best possible experience, I continue to be inspired and motivated by the many professionals who support us in those endeavours.”