Middle Years Programme
The International Baccalaureate (IB) Middle Years Programme (MYP) is a rigorous and engaging educational framework designed for students aged 11–16. It encourages students to make meaningful connections between their learning and the world around them, developing the knowledge, skills, and attitudes needed to thrive in an increasingly complex and interconnected world.
The MYP nurtures active learners, creative thinkers, and responsible global citizens. Through inquiry-based learning, students explore issues and ideas of local, national, and global significance, developing the confidence to ask questions, think critically, and take informed action.
At our school, we offer the final two years of the programme (MYP 4 and MYP 5). Many of our students continue their MYP journey with us after completing MYP 1–3 at Danila Kumar International School.
A Holistic Approach to Learning
While the MYP is built around academic disciplines, it places equal emphasis on the connections between them. This interdisciplinary approach helps students see knowledge as interconnected and relevant to real-life contexts.
The programme is grounded in key elements that characterize an IB education:
- Development of the IB Learner Profile attributes
- Approaches to Teaching and Learning
- International-mindedness and intercultural understanding
- A balanced and coherent curriculum across subject groups
- Meaningful learning experiences that prepare students for future study and life
The MYP Framework
The MYP curriculum is designed to help students develop both subject-specific knowledge and interdisciplinary understanding. Learning is guided by the following key elements:
- Approaches to Learning (ATL) – Students develop essential skills for lifelong learning, including communication, collaboration, research, critical and creative thinking, and self-management.
- Concepts – Key and related concepts encourage students to explore big ideas, make connections across subjects, and deepen their understanding.
- Global contexts – Students investigate real-world issues through global contexts, helping them understand their shared humanity and responsibility for the world around them.
- Inquiry based learning – a student-centred approach that develops curiosity, critical thinking, and independent learning.
- Interdisciplinary learning – In each year of the programme, students engage in at least one collaboratively planned interdisciplinary unit that involves at least two subject groups.
- Service as action – Action and service have always been shared values of the IB community. Students take action when they apply what they are learning in the classroom and beyond. IB learners strive to be caring members of the community who demonstrate a commitment to service—making a positive difference to the lives of others and to the environment.
The Personal Project
The MYP culminates in the Personal Project, an independent inquiry that allows students to explore an area of personal interest. Over an extended period, students plan, create, and reflect on a significant piece of work, demonstrating the knowledge, skills, and attitudes they have developed throughout the programme.
The Personal Project is a celebration of student agency, creativity, and learning, and serves as an important preparation for future academic challenges.
Curriculum at Gimnazija Bežigrad
The curriculum is illustrated by eight subject groups integrated through global contexts and approaches to learning. MYP holistically addresses students’ well-being, provides students with opportunities to develop the knowledge, attitudes and skills they need take responsible action for the future, empowers students to participate in service with the community and helps to prepare students for further education, the workplace and a lifetime of learning.
The subjects offered are:
- Language and literature: English, English ESL, Slovene
- Language acquisition: German/French/Spanish and Slovene
- Individuals and societies: History and Geography
- Sciences: Biology, Chemistry and Physics
- Mathematics: standard and extended
- Arts: Visual arts
- Design
- Physical and health education
| Subject | MYP 4 | MYP 5 |
|---|---|---|
| Language and literature | ||
| English / English ESL | 4 | 4 |
| Slovene | 3 | 3 |
| Language acquistion | ||
| Slovene (emergent/capable) | 3 | 3 |
| German / French / Spanish | 3 | 3 |
| Mathematics | ||
| Mathematics (standard/extended) | 4 | 4 |
| Sciences | ||
| Biology | 2 | 2 |
| Chemistry | 2 | 2 |
| Physics | 2 | 2 |
| Individuals and societies | ||
| Geography | 2 | 2 |
| History | 2 | 2 |
| Arts | ||
| Visual arts | - | 3 |
| Design | ||
| Design | 3 | - |
| Physical and health education | ||
| Physical and health education | 3 | 3 |
| Extra | ||
| Homeroom | 1 | 1 |
| Personal project | 1 | 1 |
| Additional support Mathematics | 1 | 1 |
| Additional support English | 2 | 2 |
Transitions from the MYP
The MYP provides a strong foundation for the final years of secondary education and beyond. After completing the programme, students may continue their studies in our IB Diploma Programme (DP) or pursue a range of national and international pathways for students aged 16–19.
Through the MYP, students develop essential skills such as critical thinking, inquiry, communication, and self-management, which prepare them for the academic challenges of further study.
Assessment and Grading
Internal assessment
MYP assessment is based on school-based assessment tasks designed and marked by subject teachers who are appropriately trained to make professional judgments about student achievement. A range of assessment strategies is used to ensure that evidence of learning is valid, reliable, and representative of student progress.
Each subject group has specific prescribed objectives that are assessed using IB-designed criteria. Student achievement is measured against these criteria, which describe levels of performance in relation to the objectives of each subject group.
| Subject group | Criterion A | Criterion B | Criterion C | Criterion D |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Language and literature | Analysing | Organizing | Producing text | Using language |
| Language acquisition | Listening | Reading | Speaking | Writing |
| Individuals and societies | Knowing and understanding | Investigating | Communicating | Thinking critically |
| Sciences | Knowing and understanding | Inquiring and designing | Processing and evaluating | Reflecting on the impacts of science |
| Mathematics | Knowing and understanding | Investigating patterns | Communicating | Applying mathematics in real-world contexts |
| Visual arts | Investigating | Developing | Creating | Evaluating |
| Design | Inquiring and analysing | Developing ideas | Creating the solution | Evaluating |
| Physical and health education | Knowing and understanding | Planning for performance | Applying and performing | Reflecting and improving performance |
| Personal project | Planning | Applying skills | Reflecting | - |
| Interdisciplinary learning | Evaluating | Synthesizing | Reflecting | - |
Final grades in the MYP are reported on the IB 1–7 scale. To determine a student’s final achievement level, teachers add together the student’s levels of achievement across all criteria within a subject group.
A grade ranging from 1 to 3 is considered a failing grade in any of the subjects except Personal project where 3 is still a passing grade.
| Grade | Grade boundaries | Descriptor |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1-5 | Produces work of very limited quality. Conveys many significant misunderstandings or lacks understanding of most concepts and contexts. Very rarely demonstrates critical or creative thinking. Very inflexible, rarely using knowledge or skills. |
| 2 | 6-9 | Produces work of limited quality. Expresses misunderstandings or significant gaps in understanding for many concepts and contexts. Infrequently demonstrates critical or creative thinking. Generally inflexible in the use of knowledge and skills, infrequently applying knowledge and skills. |
| 3 | 10-14 | Produces work of an acceptable quality. Communicates basic understanding of many concepts and contexts, with occasionally significant misunderstandings or gaps. Begins to demonstrate some basic critical and creative thinking. Is often inflexible in the use of knowledge and skills, requiring support even in familiar classroom situations. |
| 4 | 15-18 | Produces good-quality work. Communicates basic understanding of most concepts and contexts with few misunderstandings and minor gaps. Often demonstrates basic critical and creative thinking. Uses knowledge and skills with some flexibility in familiar classroom situations, but requires support in unfamiliar situations. |
| 5 | 19-23 | Produces generally high-quality work. Communicates secure understanding of concepts and contexts. Demonstrates critical and creative thinking, sometimes with sophistication. Uses knowledge and skills in familiar classroom and real-world situations and, with support, some unfamiliar real-world situations. |
| 6 | 24-27 | Produces high-quality, occasionally innovative work. Communicates extensive understanding of concepts and contexts. Demonstrates critical and creative thinking, frequently with sophistication. Uses knowledge and skills in familiar and unfamiliar classroom and real-world situations, often with independence. |
| 7 | 28-32 | Produces high-quality, frequently innovative work. Communicates comprehensive, nuanced understanding of concepts and contexts. Consistently demonstrates sophisticated critical and creative thinking. Frequently transfers knowledge and skills with independence and expertise in a variety of complex classroom and real-world situations. |
External assessment
In MYP 5, each student must develop a personal project independently, which the IB externally validates. Producing a truly personal and creative piece of work over an extended period stands as a summative review of a student’s ability to conduct independent work.
