A student who can explain photosynthesis or solve a quadratic in conversation can still lose a large share of the marks on an MYP assessment. The gap usually has little to do with what the child knows. Each task is scored against published criteria, and those criteria ask for more than correct content.
The short answer is that MYP assessments measure how a student uses what they know: the command term in the question, the structure of the response, the evidence it includes and the reasoning shown along the way. A child who has only learned the content has not yet practised those skills, and that is the gap to close. More revision of the lesson rarely closes it on its own.
Understanding a topic is not the same as meeting a criterion
Think of the difference between knowing a fact and proving you know it. In class, a correct answer given aloud is often enough. In an MYP task, the teacher is looking for evidence set out in a particular way, and marks are awarded for each part of that evidence.
Across subjects, the criteria are named differently, but the pattern is similar. Early criteria tend to reward knowing and understanding. Later ones reward investigating, communicating clearly and applying knowledge to unfamiliar situations. A student can score well on the first and poorly on the rest, and the total then looks disappointing even though the child understood the lesson.
Reading the command term before writing the answer
Command terms such as describe, explain, evaluate and compare tell the student what kind of response is expected. Many students answer the topic rather than the question. They write everything they remember about the subject when the task asks for a judgement or a comparison.
A practical habit helps here. Before writing, ask your child to underline the command term and say, in one sentence, what the answer must do. If they cannot, the problem is interpretation, not memory. Practising this with old tasks for a few weeks often shows a clear difference in the quality of answers.
Where the marks really go
When a child brings home a disappointing result, it helps to look at the feedback criterion by criterion rather than at the total. Patterns usually appear quickly:
- Correct facts with no explanation of how they answer the question
- Strong conclusions with no evidence or working shown
- Good ideas written in a loose order that is hard for a marker to follow
- Answers that stop at the first step of a multi-step problem
Each of these needs a different fix. Treating them all as a need for more revision wastes time and leaves the real issue untouched.
Practical steps you can take at home
- Ask for the rubric or criteria for the task, and keep it beside the work.
- Have your child mark one of their own answers against the criteria, using a different colour for each one.
- Practise short answers that end with a clear judgement, since many lost marks sit in the final sentence.
- Once a month, review the feedback together and pick one criterion to focus on for the next fortnight.
These steps take little time, but they move attention from how much your child has read to how well they can show it.
How targeted, criteria-aligned practice closes the gap
This is where tutoring can help, provided it is aimed at the criteria rather than at more content. At INACADEMICS, placement starts with a short diagnostic and a plan for each subject, so the first question is which criterion is holding a student back. Our teachers work in small batches of four to eight students, which means they can see how each child reasons and correct it while the habit is still forming.
Sessions follow the MYP rubrics and command terms, and weekly worksheets are built around them. Monthly mocks show whether the change is holding under timed conditions, and parents receive regular updates tracked against the plan. Our IB MYP tuition programme for Grades 8 to 10 is designed around exactly this approach.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does my child do well in class tests but poorly in MYP assessments?
Class tests often reward recall, while MYP assessments reward the way a response is built. Marks are awarded for explaining reasoning, using evidence and answering the command term. A child can know the content thoroughly and still lose marks if these elements are missing. The feedback usually shows which criterion is affected.
Should my child simply practise more past papers?
Past papers help only when they are reviewed against the criteria. Doing many tasks without feedback can reinforce the same mistakes. It is more useful to mark a few answers carefully, identify one pattern, and practise that pattern until it improves.
How does INACADEMICS find out which criterion is causing the problem?
We begin with free counselling and a short diagnostic in each subject, then compare the results with the relevant MYP criteria. The child is placed in a small batch, and the plan focuses on the specific skills that are costing marks. Progress is checked through weekly worksheets, monthly mocks and regular parent updates.
Is this problem only for Grade 10 students?
No. The MYP years from Grade 8 onward all use criteria-based assessment, so the habits that help are worth building early. Students who learn to read command terms and show their reasoning in Grade 8 usually find the later years far less of a shock.
Getting the next result right
If your child understands the lessons but the marks do not reflect that, the most useful step is to look at the criteria and the feedback rather than the total. Small changes in how answers are structured often make a visible difference within a term. If you would like a clearer picture of where marks are being lost, you can read more in our guides for parents and students, or contact us for free counselling on +91 9014010410 or WhatsApp. You are also welcome to visit the centre at 117, 1st Floor, Raichandani Business Bay, Kokapet, above Karachi Bakery.