What is IB MYP?
The International Baccalaureate Middle Years Programme (MYP) is a secondary school course designed for ages 11-16. It is the precursor to the Diploma Programme (DP). MYP has a wide range of subjects available and it gives schools a lot of flexibility in terms of teaching and assessment, but the overall goal is usually to qualify for the MYP Certificate through a mix of examinations and coursework.
Which schools use MYP?
A number of Hong Kong Secondary Schools offer the MYP or have it as their main secondary programme. In terms of examination, however, some will go through the MYP course and assessments, whereas some will do the MYP course but then use another type of qualifications for final certification, such as IGCSE.
Hong Kong schools that use MYP include (but are not limited to):
– Victoria Shanghai Academy (VSA)
– Canadian International School (CDNIS)
– Chinese International School (CIS)
– Hong Kong Academy
– ISF Academy
– Various English Schools Foundation (ESF) Schools
What will my child do in MYP?
MYP can be hard to understand as it gives schools a lot of freedom in how they use and assess it. For instance, some schools may not ask their students to sit MYP exams in Grade 10. Some schools will essentially just follow the IGCSE syllabus while officially doing the MYP and some will follow their own curriculum and do their own assessments. Most schools use and assess the MYP differently. The best tip really is to ask the school what exactly your child is doing and building up to.
That way, you can make decisions about whether you want your child to do a different course and whether they need private tutoring in a particular subject.
IB MYP tutoring is something that many Hong Kong tutoring centres are familiar with.
How is it different from IGCSE?
The IGCSE has no overall certificate covering all exams, instead a student is awarded individual grades and certificates for each subject he/she studies. Thus, a student will finish Grade 10 with a list of IGCSEs and a grade for each one.
For MYP, however, the course builds into one overall certificate which the student will receive. Additionally, the MYP, if the full course and certification are taken, has a gradual grading throughout the course which is eventually brought together into one overall MYP mark out of seven.
There are several other smaller differences, for example, MYP requires a student to learn a foreign language whereas IGCSE does not, and MYP has more of a focus on investigation and learning about why the student is studying these things. Overall, MYP has less examination. IGCSE is more about learning what is in the textbook, studying it, doing coursework on it and then sitting an exam on it.
MYP also has a personal project. Usually in Year 5 of the MYP, students will be required to complete a personal project in order to qualify for the MYP Certificate.
The topic of the project is of the student’s own choosing and it usually involves writing an extended essay about the chosen subject. The idea is to encourage the student to research and write about a topic of their own interest.If you have any further questions about the IB MYP or wish to enquire about tutoring or advisory help, click here. We have advisors and private tutors in Hong Kong who can guide with your child’s tutoring needs.