IB MYP e-assessment 2026: The complete guide for MYP coordinators

TL;DR

MYP eAssessment is the IBO's externally validated assessment for Year 5 MYP students, used to measure work against a consistent global standard and produce an IB-recognised credential that students carry into further education and employment.

What is MYP eAssessment?

MYP eAssessment is the International Baccalaureate's externally validated assessment framework for Year 5 students. It measures student work against a consistent global standard, and the result is an IB credential that students carry into further education and employment. The full framework is set out in the IBO's Principles and Practices document (2018).

MYP eAssessment runs in two models:

• On-screen examinations for subjects like Language and Literature, Sciences, and Mathematics. Externally marked by the IBO.

• ePortfolios for subjects like Arts, Design, and Physical and Health Education. Internally assessed by teachers, then externally moderated by the IBO.

Both routes validate results against the same global standard.

Why schools choose eAssessment over internal-only pathways

eAssessment is the only path to an IB-validated outcome for MYP students. Schools are not required to register their students; many issue their own school-based documents instead, and those carry no IB verification. Two school-based options exist outside eAssessment: an internal MYP Certificate, awarded by the school alone and not certified by the IB, and an MYP Record of Participation, for students who complete the programme requirements without registering for IB external assessments. Both are school-issued. The IB does not verify either.

Schools register students for eAssessment when they want either the full IB MYP Certificate or official IB MYP Course Results.

The MYP eAssessment subjects

MYP eAssessment delivers two-hour on-screen examinations across five subject groups: Language and Literature, Individuals and Societies, Sciences, Mathematics, and Interdisciplinary Learning. Other subject groups, including Language Acquisition, Arts, Design, and Physical and Health Education, are assessed via ePortfolios.

MYP eAssessment runs twice a year: a May session and a November session. Schools register for the session that fits their academic calendar. Session dates are published in the IBO's May 2026 and November 2026 examination schedules. Registration guidance lives on the IBO on-screen examinations page, and subject-specific guides sit on the IBO MYP curriculum page.

Spotlight on Interdisciplinary Learning

The MYP Interdisciplinary Learning examination is the only on-screen examination for students aged 15 and 16 that assesses interdisciplinary understanding. It tests the ability to make connections between different areas of knowledge. MYP students engage in at least one collaboratively planned interdisciplinary unit in each year of the programme, which makes this on-screen examination a natural culmination of their time in the MYP. Per the IBO's on-screen examinations page.

How an MYP on-screen exam actually runs

MYP on-screen examinations run on laptops or desktops, school-managed or personal, that meet the IBO's minimum hardware specifications. During the session, the device runs in kiosk-mode lockdown. Students interact with multimedia stimuli and on-screen tools, then submit their work digitally.

Device ownership and hardware requirements

Schools can issue laptops or desktops to students, and the IBO also permits students to use their own personal laptops. Per IBO regulations, candidates in some schools sit the examinations on personal devices. If a student uses a personal laptop, they share their login details with the school's IT coordinator so the examination software can be configured ahead of the session.

The IBO mandates the same minimum hardware specifications for school-issued and personal devices alike:

• Mac or Windows PC (laptop or desktop)

• Minimum Intel i5 CPU, or equivalent

• At least 4 GB of RAM (8 GB recommended)

• At least 4 GB of available hard-disk space

• Minimum screen resolution of 1280 x 768

• Wired headphones (where audio is required for the subject)

The full technical setup, including supported browsers, network and proxy configuration, power backup expectations, and IT support responsibilities, is documented in the MYP on-screen examinations IT requirements and school responsibilities PDF and the IBO on-screen examinations registration guidance.

The exam runs in kiosk mode

The student's device runs in kiosk mode for the duration of the session. The IBO's examination software locks down the computer: students cannot escape the package, switch to other programs, access the internet, or view unauthorised notes. That is how on-screen high-stakes exams maintain integrity without external proctoring.

The interface is interactive

The on-screen exam is built around interaction. Per the IBO's on-screen examination guidance, media and on-screen tools engage students throughout the session and help them work through tasks and questions. They include:

• Drag and drop, cut and paste, copy and paste

• Play, pause, and replay video and animations

• Interaction with animations and simulations

• The ability to plot graphs and draw lines and pictures

• On-screen graphing calculators

Specific question types and tools vary by subject and by session. Results release within several weeks of the exam window closing. The marking workflow is digital end-to-end, which cuts turnaround time compared with paper-based alternatives.

How MYP coordinators prepare their schools

Successful MYP eAssessment rollouts start preparation 9–12 months before the exam window. Coordinators who compress preparation into the final term consistently see lower student performance than coordinators who weave on-screen practice into the academic year from day one. The path runs in five phases.

Months -12 to -9: Pick the platform

Confirm your preparation platform supports all five on-screen subject groups with flexible question types that approximate live exam conditions. Test it with real teacher-generated content, not a vendor demo script.

Months -9 to -6: Train the teachers

Every MYP teacher whose subject is going on-screen runs a real assessment on the platform themselves before their students do. Criterion-based marking. Comment banks. Moderation workflows. If teachers cannot navigate the platform under stress, their students certainly will not.

Months -6 to -3: Build student familiarity

Students sit routine class tests on the on-screen platform once a week for at least a term. They learn to type under time pressure, navigate questions, and use the on-screen tools.

Months -3 to -1: Stress-test infrastructure

Mock exams on exam-day devices, in the exam-day room. IT on standby. SEN accommodations tested end-to-end. Invigilator briefings. Backup plan written down, not just agreed in a meeting.

Month 0: Deliver

Exam day should feel boring if the previous 11 months were not.

What to look for in a MYP eAssessment preparation platform

A preparation platform worth buying needs to match the rigour of the live exam, support all five on-screen subject groups, and run criterion-based rubric marking with a moderation workflow. The live MYP eAssessment is delivered through the IBO's own Digital Examination System; for preparation, including mock eAssessments, criterion marking, and student familiarity sessions, schools use third-party platforms.

A preparation platform worth buying needs to support:

• All five on-screen subject groups with flexible question types (multimedia stimuli, data interpretation, annotation, structured response)

• Criterion-based rubric marking (A/B/C/D each out of 8), with moderation workflows between teachers

• A secure delivery mode that locks down the student's device for realistic mocks

• Offline resilience so answers sync locally and reconcile if the network drops

• Accessibility features at system level, including extra time, high-contrast display, text-to-speech, and font resize

For MYP coordinators preparing students for the May or November eAssessment session, AssessPrep is the AI-powered on-screen assessment preparation platform that 800+ IB schools across 85+ countries use to run secure mocks, criterion-based marking, and AI-assisted grading under one school licence. It supports all five on-screen MYP subject groups and the requirements above. Lockdown and Paper Mode are built in as two distinct features: Lockdown runs secure on-screen mocks, Paper Mode auto-grades paper-based mocks back into digital analytics.

Common challenges and how schools solve them

Four challenges recur across MYP eAssessment rollouts. None are terminal. All need a specific plan, not a general intention.

Challenge 1: Typing speed

Students who rarely type under time pressure run out of time on the exam. Solution: regular class tests on the platform throughout the year, not drills compressed into the two weeks before the exam.

Challenge 2: Network disruption mid-exam

Even well-resourced schools see 90-second network drops during peak use. Solution: a platform with offline resilience that writes answers locally and reconciles on reconnect. Ask vendors to demonstrate this live. Do not accept "we support it" on a slide.

Challenge 3: SEN accommodations that break on exam day

Access arrangements that worked for paper exams do not automatically transfer to digital. Solution: audit your register against digital equivalents, flag any arrangement involving physical equipment, and run a full practice session in the live platform for every affected student at least six weeks out.

Challenge 4: Integrating eAssessment prep into the regular academic calendar

Year 5 students do not pause coursework for eAssessment prep. Coordinators who treat preparation as a separate track risk either student burnout, on top of everything else, or shortchanged curriculum depth. Solution: a prep calendar integrated with the academic rhythm. On-screen practice built into routine class tests from October. Mocks scheduled inside the academic calendar, not bolted on outside it. Schools running both MYP eAssessment and DP on-screen delivery on the same platform cut duplication here.

Run your MYP eAssessment preparation on AssessPrep

AssessPrep is the AI-powered on-screen assessment platform used by 800+ IB schools across 85+ countries for MYP eAssessment preparation. Built-in Lockdown for secure mock exam delivery. Paper Mode for schools transitioning from paper to digital. Criterion-based rubric marking. AI-assisted grading that cuts teacher marking hours. Offline resilience so student answers never get lost to network drops.

Book a 30-minute demo

Sources and further reading

• IBO: Principles and Practices (2018), the official document defining the MYP assessment framework

• IBO: On-Screen Examinations, overview of the MYP on-screen examination framework

• IBO: On-Screen Examinations Registration, timeline and registration guidance for May and November sessions

• IBO: MYP May 2026 Examination Schedule (PDF)

• IBO: MYP November 2026 Examination Schedule (PDF)

• IBO: MYP Assessment and Exams, overview of MYP assessment including eAssessment

• IBO: Middle Years Programme Curriculum, subject-specific guides and criteria

• IBO: MYP eAssessment overview video (Vimeo)

• MYP on-screen examinations IT requirements and school responsibilities (PDF)