How to Write an IB MYP Unit Planner That Passes Moderation (A Tactical Playbook)

The 3 Reasons MYP Unit Planners Fail Moderation

Moderators are not trying to fail your planner. But they will - if you trip on these three wires.

1. A Statement of Inquiry That Describes Instead of Provokes

This is the #1 killer. Most teachers write a Statement of Inquiry that sounds like a textbook caption. "Students will explore how ecosystems are interconnected." That's a topic summary, not a conceptual statement. Moderators are looking for a transferable idea — something a student could apply to a completely different context. If your SOI could appear in a textbook chapter heading, rewrite it.

2. Misaligned ATL Skills

You picked "Communication" because it felt safe. But your summative task is a solo data analysis report. There's no communication happening. Moderators cross-reference your ATL skills against your summative assessment task. If they don't match, you fail. Every ATL skill you list must be *practiced and assessed* somewhere visible in the planner.

3. Summative Tasks That Don't Reflect the Criterion Descriptors

This one is subtle but brutal. You write a great summative task, then tag it to Criterion A and Criterion C. But when the moderator reads the task description, it only addresses Criterion A. Criterion C is nowhere in the actual task. You have to show — explicitly — how each criterion you claim is actually being assessed. Vague task descriptions get flagged every time.

The Copy-Pasteable Framework for Writing a Statement of Inquiry

Stop staring at a blank box. Use this formula:

[Key Concept] + [Related Concept] + [Global Context] = A transferable idea expressed as a complete sentence.

Here's the formula in plain English:

[How/The way/When] [Key Concept expressed as a noun or verb phrase] [connects to / shapes / challenges / transforms] [Related Concept], [it reveals / we see / it changes] [a human truth tied to your Global Context].

Example (Sciences, Grade 8):

• Key Concept: Systems
• Related Concept: Interaction
• Global Context: Scientific and Technical Innovation

Draft SOI: "When complex systems break down, the interactions between their parts reveal how innovation depends on understanding failure, not just success."

That SOI is transferable. A student could apply it to ecosystems, supply chains, or the human immune system. That's what moderators want to see.

Quick Checklist Before You Submit Your SOI:

• Does it contain a conceptual idea (not a topic)?
• Could it apply to at least two different real-world contexts?
• Does it avoid naming the specific unit topic?
• Is it one sentence, not a paragraph?

If you answered yes to all four — you're done with the SOI. Move on.

The Inquiry Questions: Don't Skip the Structure

Your three inquiry questions are not optional decoration. Moderators check that you have all three types:

1. Factual: What is it? (Knowledge recall)
2. Conceptual: How does it work? Why does it matter? (Understanding)
3. Debatable: Is it always true? Who decides? (Critical thinking)

If all three of your questions start with "What," you have a problem. Your debatable question must genuinely have more than one defensible answer. "Is climate change real?" is not debatable in an academic context. "Should governments prioritize economic growth over environmental protection?" is.

ATL Skills: Pick Two, Go Deep

Most planners list five ATL skills and address none of them properly. Moderators know this trick.

Pick two ATL skills maximum. Then answer these questions for each one in your planner:

• Where do students practice this skill? (Name the specific activity)
• Where do students reflect on this skill? (Learner Profile connection or journal prompt)?
• Where is this skill visible in the summative task?

If you can't answer all three for a skill — cut it. A planner with two well-evidenced ATL skills passes. A planner with six vague ones fails.

3 Hours vs. 12 Seconds

Here's the honest math of what you just read.

• Writing a compliant Statement of Inquiry from scratch: 45 minutes (if you know the formula).
• Aligning ATL skills to your summative task and checking for gaps: 30 minutes.
• Writing three properly structured inquiry questions that a moderator won't flag: 20 minutes.
• Cross-referencing your criterion tags against your actual task description: 40 minutes.
• Formatting everything into the MYP planner template so it reads coherently: 45 minutes.

Total: Roughly 3 hours. On a good day. When you're not already running on fumes.

This is exactly the problem that Band Seven's MYP Unit Planner tool was built to solve.

You input your subject, grade level, key concept, related concept, and global context. In less than 60 seconds, Band Seven generates:

• A moderation-ready Statement of Inquiry
• Three structured inquiry questions (factual, conceptual, debatable)
• ATL skill recommendations aligned to your summative task type
• Criterion alignment suggestions with language pulled directly from the MYP descriptor banks

It doesn't replace your teaching expertise. It removes the 3-hour documentation tax that was never part of your job description in the first place.

Your planner deserves to pass. You deserve to sleep.

Band Seven is built for IB teachers, by people who understand the MYP framework. Every output is aligned to current IB documentation standards.