During the pandemic, a lot of debate has arisen around the shortcomings of GCSEs, with the situation perhaps exposing an over-reliance on exams as assessments.

Numerous alternatives have been touted - but one that schools could investigate is the International Baccalaureate’s Middle Years Programme (MYP). I have spent the past 5 years teaching this approach having previously only ever taught the English National Curriculum and GCSEs.

It’s often overlooked - only 15 schools in the UK currently offer the MYP - and tend to cater for a transient or expat population of children.

There is (or was, perhaps) an attitude among some teachers that if you haven’t taught the IB you couldn’t possibly understand it or be any good at it. 

A learning curve

It’s a catch-22 but to a certain extent, I can see the conundrum. There is, without question, lots to grapple with when you first start to wrestle with IB teaching.

A cavalcade of acronyms, especially in the MYP, where you will need to become familiar with SOIs (statements of inquiry), ATLs (approaches to learning), GCs (global contexts) and KCs (key concepts), can be pretty off-putting. 

Furthermore, a devilish assessment system that awards 1-8 grades by criterion but 1-7 as a final grade will also keep you on your toes. And just try explaining that to parents…

However, my stance has always been that if you are a “good” teacher (by “good” I tend to think of teachers who are always open to learning themselves and who are prepared to put in the work at understanding new systems or concepts), the MYP is not the abstract beast it may appear. 

So why would you consider it?

The only mandatory externally moderated part of the MYP at the age of 16 is the Personal Project, which students self-direct with guidance from a supervisor. 

However, schools are also able to register for optional eAssessment in all other elements of the programme, leading to a formal, internationally recognised certificate if all criteria is met. 

This innovative approach allows students to keep a broad subject mix with a global focus, unlike GCSEs where they narrow down their choices at a much earlier age. 

Onscreen examinations are externally marked in subjects such as maths, language and literature, sciences and individuals and societies, whereas coursework is produced in the form of a portfolio for language acquisition, design, arts and physical and health education. 

This makes it much easier to make connections across a vertical curriculum and concentrate on developing the knowledge and skills students will need for the future. 

Being able to focus on the learner holistically is a much more rewarding prospect than the incessant drilling for exams that you might find in other systems.

What’s in it for students?

Because of the approach outlined above, the MYP offers the opportunity for a well-rounded curriculum that is more relevant to the sorts of modern skills and mindsets that will serve our students well in their future - whatever that might be.

1. The integration of “approaches to learning” teaches students how to learn through explicitly taught communication, research, self-management, collaboration and critical thinking skills.
2. Critical thinking is encouraged, and students are explicitly taught to analyse and evaluate issues and consider new perspectives.
3. Students explore ideas and issues that are globally significant and are encouraged to make connections between subjects, using interdisciplinary units to transfer knowledge.
4. Service and action projects teach students to value their community and connect what they learn in the classroom to real life.
5. Students learn for understanding, and although knowledge is explicitly taught, there is less focus on an exam as an end result meaning that personal interests or topical content can be pursued.
6. International mindedness teaches MYP students to value and critically appreciate their own and others’ cultures.

If 2020 comes to be seen as the year when everything changed, perhaps the MYP is ideally placed as a programme that challenges students with academic rigour, while at the same time forming individuals who can cope in a rapidly changing world. 

Students who can apply their conceptual understanding from the classroom to the shifting contexts of an unfamiliar future are surely going to be in demand.

Emily Hardwicke is assistant head, MYP coordinator and head of English at an international school in Switzerland