All assessments of student work in the Primary Years Programme are carried out by teachers in participating schools; there are no externally set examinations or externally moderated work. Assessment in the PYP is of two types, each of which has a specific function:
Formative Assessment is interwoven with daily learning and helps teachers and students find out what the students already know in order to plan the next stage of learning. For assessment and teaching are directly linked, neither can function effectively without the other.
Summative Assessment happens at the end of the teaching and learning process. It provides the student opportunities to demonstrate what they have learned.
Assessment through the PYP Portfolio
The PYP portfolio - a profile of student achievement and accomplishments - is an important mechanism for documenting a student’s educational progress through the curriculum. The student and teachers collaborate on selections for the portfolio, which may contain examples of the student’s work:
Examples of the student’s work:
Information about any extracurricular achievements or other activities undertaken by the student.
A self-assessment by the student:
The portfolio also serves to assist in handling transfers of students between schools offering the Primary Years Programme.
Assessment through the PYP Exhibition
Students in the 10-12 age range who are in the final year of the PYP are expected to carry out an extended, collaborative inquiry project - the PYP Exhibition - under the guidance of a teacher. There is considerable flexibility in the choice of the central idea to be explored in the exhibition.
Secondary Assessment
In Years 7 to 10, students will focus on specific subjects rather than follow the generalist approach they have used in the Primary School. All four classes are either (Years 7&8) bridging years to - or actually (Years 9&10) preparing for - the International examinations.
International examination sessions occur twice a year, in May/June and October/November. Results are issued in August and January respectively.
As a skills-based curriculum, International examinations use a wide range of assessment processes and techniques to complement formal written examinations - orals, practicals and projects are all used in various contexts, when they are the most effective and appropriate means of measuring attainment.
Oral assessment is optional in all first languages and compulsory in all foreign languages.
Schools have the option of assessing students either using only external examinations or, in most subjects, combining examinations with coursework.
The coursework is set and marked by the teacher and externally moderated by overseas. Only teachers who have received training, or who possess suitable prior experience of marking coursework, may carry out this assessment.
We use an eight-point grade scale: A*, A, B, C, D, E, F and G. Grade A* is awarded for the highest level of achievement, and grade G indicates minimum satisfactory performance.
In Years 9 & 10, International subjects are offered at 2 levels: Extended subjects which attract grades from A* to G, and Core subjects which attract grades from C to G.
Grades A* to C are generally considered to be passes
Year 10 students sit most of the subjects during the May/June session. However, Indonesian - Foreign Language is available only during either the October/November session.
