Deconstructing
Assessments in the DP

All you need to know about DP assessments

Camille Gautier

4 min read

Let’s start by asking a few questions:

Do you want to empower your students to excel in their DP assessments?
Are you seeking clarity on how the assessment process works within the DP?
Do you wish to enhance your understanding of the assessment principles that guide the DP?

If you’ve nodded along, then you’re on the right path. This resource is here to support educators in exploring the world of assessments in the DP.

Through this guide, we will deep dive into 6 key aspects of DP assessments:

Exploring the purpose
Unpacking the unique features
Engaging with DP assessment tools
Preparing your students for DP exams
Ensuring high-quality standards in DP assessments
Assessing to inform grading

For an in-depth understanding, download the PDF version. It goes into each topic with greater detail, offering tips, strategies for integrating AI, and pointing you to valuable DP resources! Lastly, we designed this guide to be navigated sequentially. That said, feel free to jump around to the sections you find most relevant to your context.

Purpose of DP assessments

Assessment in the DP isn’t just about final examinations; ensuring the student is learning is the ultimate goal. Below we highlight how this goal is driven by the collective efforts of the school community.

5 features of DP assessments

The DP stands out for its rigorous and diverse assessment methods, each designed to holistically evaluate students’ understanding and skills. Let’s explore the distinct characteristics that set DP assessments apart:

Assessment components in the subject groups: Tailored assessments that focus on specific skills and knowledge in each subject.
Comparing assessment in SL and HL courses: Differences in depth and complexity between SL and HL assessments.
Assessments within the DP core: Specialised assessment methods for the theory of knowledge (TOK), the extended essay (EE) and creativity, activity and service (CAS).
Bonus points system: The role of TOK and EE in contributing to the total score through bonus points.
Failing conditions of the DP: Defined criteria that determine the successful completion of the diploma.

DP assessment tools

In the DP, the tools used for assessments offer clarity and consistency in evaluating student work. This section will provide an overview of the key instruments that facilitate fair and accurate grading:

Markschemes and marking rubrics: These documents detail the guidelines, standards and criteria essential for assessing student assignments.
Understanding mark bands: These are a set of descriptors attached to scores used to determine the qualities of a student’s work and grade their performance. The best-fit approach is implemented to accurately match the students’ work to these scores.
The subject report: Twice a year, the Principal examiner and their team of senior examiners provide valuable insights through subject reports to help educators prepare students effectively for their final exams.

Learn how to implement the best-fit approach while using markbands!

Download the guide

Preparing students for exams

As you refine your assessment practices, ensure your students are primed for success with the right exam preparation strategies:

Command terms: Guide students to analyse the command term in the examination questions to ensure precision in their responses.
Unpacking the assessment criteria: Integrate marking rubrics into your teaching to showcase how students’ work will be marked.
Self- and peer-assessment: Promote self- and peer-assessment to build students’ familiarity with the intricacies of the marking process.

Ensuring high-quality standards

Maintaining the quality of assessments hinges on their fairness and the upholding of academic integrity. While IB marking rubrics offer guidance, the subjective nature of assessment requires a collective approach to ensure consistency. Here are two crucial factors to consider:

Moderation of assessments: To guarantee uniformity in marking, especially for major assessments like IAs and mock exams, teachers in the same subject group should collaboratively assess a selection of responses.
Emphasising academic integrity: Academic honesty is crucial for all major assessments and is particularly important for work submitted to the IB.

Assessing to inform grading

Transitioning from assessment to grading is a crucial step in translating assessment outcomes into meaningful grades. But how do you turn your assessments into grades that you can communicate with stakeholders?

Grade boundaries: Grade boundaries define the cut-off points for assigning final grades.
Grade descriptors: Grade descriptors provide a detailed explanation of the qualities expected at each grade level.
Aggregating assessment data: From individual assessment grades, you need to master the art of transferring your assessment data to the grade transcript.

We’ve only scratched the surface of assessments in the DP. In the resource, you’ll find:

Answers to pressing questions like “How do I generate predicted grades?” and “How do I effectively use grade boundaries?“
Assessment-related AI prompts to help you craft your IB-style exams and provide students with insightful feedback.
Additional resources that will help you take a deep dive into the extended essay and TOK, to name just a couple.
Tips and insights related to IB documentation.

Explore IBDP markbands, grade descriptors, predicted grades and more!

Download the guide

Camille Gautier

Camille Gautier is originally from France but started her teaching career as a foreign language teacher in the UK before taking up a teaching position at the British International School of Moscow. In 2012, she moved to India to teach French at DSB International School in Mumbai. She became DP coordinator in 2015 and Head of Secondary in 2018. She is also a co-author for the DP French B Kognity textbook and a senior French B HL examiner.

Disclaimer : The ideas and resources presented in this blog have been developed independently from and are not endorsed by the International Baccalaureate (IB)

Deconstructing Assessments in the DP