With the MYP eAssessments racing towards us, it is completely natural for both you and your child to feel the pressure of counting down the weeks and days. For this precise reason CourseLeap consulted experts in IB and MYP, Rini Ghosh and Sangeeta Chowdhary for the best advice that students can get as they come face to face with the MYP exams. Rini is an IB leader in MYP language acquisition and a DP coordinator with over two decades of experience in senior leadership across leading IB world schools. Sangeeta is a head of school and IB examiner with deep expertise in IB-aligned assessment and feedback.

The MYP eAssessments are a culmination of five years of hard work and multiple MYP courses, but like any board exam, they can seem very intimidating. We’ve put together some of the best strategies you can use at this key juncture to turn that pre-exam anxiety into confidence, as shared by actual IB professionals.

1. Know the Criteria, Master the Command Terms: It’s All in the Verb

The biggest secret to acing the MYP eAssessments is realizing that the MYP exams aren’t only focused on content but on the “cognitive process”. They want to know what and how you think about what you know. 

The MYP criteria are deeply linked to command terms, as the assessment is a cognitive process where the structure of a student’s response must change if the command term changes. Following this, questions in the MYP exam papers follow specific patterns and include specific command terms. Your success depends on how well you respond to the specific verb in the question.

• The Verb is the Instruction: Sangeeta emphasizes a golden rule: “If the command term changes, the structure of your response changes”.
• Don’t Over-explain: If a question says “state,” the student shouldn’t waste time giving examples or analysis—they just need to provide the specific answer.
• Go for the High Band: For “discuss” questions, students often write a long paragraph explaining just one side. However, Sangeeta points out that to reach the top marks, you must “explore different viewpoints, show complexity, and then present a balanced argument”.

2. Time Management is Your Secret Weapon

In a two-hour digital exam, every minute counts. Rini highlights that “time management” is absolutely critical to acing the exam.

• The 1-Minute Rule: For a one-mark question, spend no more than 1 to 1.15 minutes.
• The 2+6 Strategy: For an eight-mark question, spend 2 minutes planning on a rough sheet and 6 minutes writing.
• Watch Smartly: When an exam includes a video that you need to watch before answering the question, Rini suggests you keep the question’s keywords in mind so “you can actually capture” exactly what you need to listen for.

3. Use the “P.E.E.L.” Model and Stimulus

When writing long responses, structure is key to meeting all the criteria. The experts recommend the P.E.E.L. model: Point, Evidence, Explanation, and Link.

• Stimulus is Not Decoration: Sangeeta warns that provided graphs or images are actually “a mark scheme”. You must “quote, refer or extract something from the stimulus in your response” to show the examiner you are using it as a pivot for your answer.
• The Global Link in IDU: Linking your answer back to the “Global Context” is what moves a score from the middle range to the top.

4. Bridge Your Thinking in the IDU

For the Interdisciplinary Unit (IDU), where two subjects meet, avoid “forced integration”. Sangeeta explains that connections should happen “very organically”. 

• Use a “bridging sentence” to show how one subject’s perspective meaningfully complements the other.
• Avoid Parallel Thinking: Sangeeta notes that “parallel lines never meet,” so students must explicitly show how subjects interact meaningfully to solve a problem.

• Balanced Approach: To achieve higher marks, students must strike a balance between both subjects rather than taking a stance focused only on one.
• Synthesis Over Summary: It is not enough to just copy ideas from the reading material; students are evaluated on how they evaluate, synthesize, and reflect on those materials in an unfamiliar context.

5. Take Help If You Need It

This is not the time to struggle in silence or try to do everything on your own. If something isn’t clicking, act on it early. Revise with a friend, ask a parent to quiz you, or reach out to a teacher to clarify concepts—this is exactly what they’re there for.

If you need more structured support, consider external help such as targeted MYP tutoring or MYP courses, which can give you clarity, direction, and a stronger sense of control in the lead-up to your MYP eAssessments.

How Parents Can Support at Home

Parents can play a huge role in this final month by helping to “create that exam mode at home”.

• Simulate the MYP eAssessment Exam as best you can: Set up a quiet space for a full-length, two-hour practice paper to build stamina and “scribe speed”.
• Review Command Terms: These are the “key to unlocking a high-graded” paper. You can help by simply reviewing what terms like “analyze” vs. “evaluate” actually means, ensuring that your child understands them.
• Focus on Skills: Remind your child that while knowledge can be time-bound, the “skills” they’ve learned—such as how to reflect and justify—are what really matter in the long run.
• Seek help where needed: If you sense that your child may need support in one or two key areas it would be very helpful to sign up for a masterclass or a few sessions of focused MYP tutoring with an expert.

You’ve got this! One month of focused, strategic practice is all it takes to turn five years of hard work into a fantastic set of results.

If you feel that you need a last minute crash course or individual masterclasses for the MYP eAssessments, contact us at CourseLeap  for MYP online tutoring as soon as possible. We’ll get you to the finish line.