There’s a buzz at Malvern College Hong Kong (MCHK), as its first cohort of Sixth Form pupils has just started the highly regarded two-year IB Diploma Programme. They’ll sit for their final exams in Upper Sixth (Year 13) in May 2023. Good luck! While the pupils will be nervous as they set out on the journey, they should also be brimming with confidence. That’s because they’re fresh from recording some stellar results in the MYP eAssessment. This is the IB’s Middle Years education qualification, which was launched in 2016 and can be obtained in Year 11 (or “Hundred” as it’s known at Malvern).
MCHK was one of only two schools in Hong Kong to offer the eAssessment in the past academic year, and in May 2021 its first cohort of Year 11 pupils sat the exams. Here’s how they fared.
Malvern’s MYP scorecard
- 100 percent pass rate
- Score of 45 points or more (out of 56): 60 percent
- Score of 50 points or more: 27 percent
- Malvern average score: 44
- World average score: 38
- Percentage awarded the Bilingual Certificate (studying both English and Chinese Language and Literature): 47 percent
- Average grade for the MYP Personal Project: 5 (highest grade: 7)
- World average grade: 3.9
The upshot of these strong results is that the school’s Lower Sixth (Year 12) cohort can embrace the beginning of their IB Diploma studies with plenty of self-belief about achieving great success ahead. Hear what a couple of them have to say.
A word from Lower Sixth pupils
“The eAssessment is quite different from traditional, knowledge-based exams. In Science, for example, I had to design and evaluate a smartphone app related to earthquakes. The open-ended nature of this task gave me space for critical thinking and creative approaches, and the autonomy to develop my own meaningful connections around the topic. The eAssessment also highlighted areas for improvement, like time management and organisation skills. I’ll definitely work on these when preparing for the upcoming IB Diploma.”
– Miguel
“While traditional exams focus mainly on content, in the eAssessment we were also assessed in research, critical thinking, application and communication skills. This will definitely help me for the IB Diploma. The exam taught me that if I set myself a goal and stay determined, I can achieve great results! This new understanding of my strengths has supported me to stay motivated and committed at school, and has really helped me to believe in myself.”
– Lila
A word from MCHK staff
It’s no surprise, too, that the teachers are confident about the senior year group’s upcoming Diploma on the back of their results.
As Wayne Maher, Acting Deputy Head and Head of Secondary, notes, “The eAssessment is not only a rigorous, internationally standardised assessment that allows for external validation of school results, but it also gives an insight into future studies in the Diploma. The pupils’ experiences and achievements give them an informed pathway through their subject choices for the Diploma Programme and further education.”
The school’s IB MYP Coordinator, Katrina Englart, adds: “In addition to the many benefits for the pupils, the analysis of the results allows us to enhance our practices across all five years of the MYP. This opportunity to refine our MYP practices helps us to build a stronger bridge into the IB Diploma years.
MCHK opened in August 2018 and received the IB PYP, MYP and DP accreditation in the academic year 2020/21. The school is located at 3 Fo Chun Road, Pak Shek Kok, New Territories, adjacent to the Hong Kong Science Park.
3898 4688 | malverncollege.org.hk
This article first appeared in the Autumn 2021 issue of Expat Living magazine. Subscribe now so you never miss an issue.
