Which phase will my child be placed in?

The school decides, usually with a placement test on entry. Phases describe the level, not the age: a 14-year-old can start in phase 1 and a 12-year-old can be in phase 4. We work from the school's placement and the tutor confirms the level in the first lesson.

My child will start in Grade 9 with little English. Will the school take them?

Ask the school early. Several schools say they cannot support beginners from Grade 9: Inter-Community School Zurich states this directly, Munich International School offers EAL only in Grades 1 to 8, and Frankfurt International School expects intermediate English from Grade 9. Where that is the case, a bridge of 20 hours or more before entry is the realistic route.

Is there an MYP English exam?

At most schools, no. The IB's MYP eAssessment is optional; the IB reported 337 participating schools worldwide for May 2025. The grade on the report comes from the school's own assessment against the four criteria.

Language Acquisition or Language and Literature?

The school places the student. Language Acquisition phases 5 and 6 are close to first-language use, and students usually move to Language and Literature from there. For the Diploma, English A assumes Language and Literature-level reading and writing; English B is the course for late entrants.

Can the tutor follow my child's school units?

Yes, and we prefer it. Share the unit titles, the task sheets and the criteria the teacher has highlighted. Tutors plan around them rather than running a parallel course.

Can lessons be explained in German?

For beginners, yes: tutors can explain grammar and tasks in German where that unblocks a student. Lessons move into English as quickly as the student can manage, because that is what school requires.

MYP English

MYP English tutoring for ages 11 to 16

In short: We teach MYP English 1-to-1 online: Language Acquisition from phase 1 to phase 6, Language and Literature for students who have moved beyond acquisition, and structured catch-up for children who join an international school with little English. Tutors teach to the four MYP criteria the school grades on, in 60-minute lessons from £52.50 an hour.

Around 41 schools in Germany, Austria and Switzerland teach the IB Middle Years Programme, and at most of them English runs as two courses: Language Acquisition for students still building the language, in six phases, and Language and Literature for students who use English as a first or near-first language. Both are graded on four criteria, each out of 8, by the school's own teachers.

The catch for families who arrive mid-programme is time. Several schools provide English support only up to Grade 8 or Grade 10 and expect intermediate English from Grade 9, and the Diploma Programme in Grades 11 and 12 needs academic English from day one. A child who joins at 13 or 14 has one or two school years to close a gap that the school no longer closes for them.

Our tutors follow the school's current unit and the exact criteria, so lessons feed straight into the grades on the report. For newcomers we start with classroom English and the vocabulary of the other subjects, because that is what decides whether a student can follow science and humanities lessons in week three.

11 to 16
Ages: 1:1
1-to-1 online, 60-minute lessons: from £52.50
per hour: 17 October 2026
Facts checked

Who this is for

Students in Grades 6 to 10 at an MYP school in Germany, Austria or Switzerland, in Language Acquisition or in Language and Literature.
Children joining an international school with little or no English, before the move or in the first months after it.
Students whose in-school support is ending: several schools limit English support to Grade 8 or Grade 10 and expect intermediate English from Grade 9.
Students in Grade 9 or 10 preparing for the Diploma Programme, where English A or English B assumes academic reading and writing.
Families who want a tutor who knows the MYP phases and criteria, not a general conversation teacher.

What the course covers

The plan follows the student's phase or course and the school's units. These are the building blocks we draw on.

Language Acquisition, phases 1 to 6

Listening, reading, speaking and writing against the four criteria, with the vocabulary and text types of the student's current phase, and a clear path to the next one.

Language and Literature

Analysing texts, organising ideas, producing text and using language accurately: close reading, literary and media analysis, essays and creative writing to the four criteria.

Newcomer catch-up

Classroom English first, then the academic vocabulary of science, humanities and maths, following the school's own units so the student can take part in lessons quickly.

Academic writing

Paragraph structure, essay planning, command terms and the summative tasks the school sets, with written feedback the student can act on.

Speaking and oral tasks

Presentations, discussions and the interactive oral tasks, practised live with the tutor until they feel routine.

Bridge to the Diploma

In Grades 9 and 10: reading stamina, timed essays and the difference between what English A and English B will ask, so the DP choice is made with open eyes.

MYP English at a glance

Language Acquisition	Six phases. Students join at the phase that matches their level, not their age or year group, and move up as they progress.
Criteria, Language Acquisition	A Listening, B Reading, C Speaking, D Writing, each marked 1 to 8.
Criteria, Language and Literature	A Analysing, B Organizing, C Producing text, D Using language, each marked 1 to 8.
Grades	A school-awarded grade from 1 to 7, built from the criterion levels. The external MYP eAssessment is optional; the IB reported 337 participating schools worldwide for May 2025.
MYP schools in DACH	About 41: Germany 20, Switzerland 14, Austria 7 (IB country listings, October 2026).
In-school English support	Commonly ends between Grade 8 and Grade 10. Munich International School offers it in Grades 1 to 8, Zurich International School in Grades 9 and 10 only, the International School of Düsseldorf up to Grade 10; Inter-Community School Zurich cannot take English beginners in Grades 9 or 10.

Phases and criteria as published by the IB; school examples from each school's own admissions or support pages, checked on the date below.

There is no external MYP English exam at most schools

Progress shows in the criterion levels on the report and in moving up a phase, not in a certificate. We track exactly those: each block ends with a short note on where the student stands against the four criteria.

Some schools charge for English support

Vienna International School lists an ELA fee of €870 per semester, Danube International School €1,605 per semester, and AMADEUS International School €9,000 per year for its English Academy. Ask what your school includes before you buy hours, and use tutoring for what the school does not cover.

How it works

1
Tell us the school and the course
Which school, which grade, Language Acquisition or Language and Literature, and the phase if the school has told you.
2
Level check in lesson one
The tutor checks the four skills against the criteria of the student's phase and agrees a plan with you: what to cover and how many hours.
3
Lessons that follow the school
Share the current unit and any task sheets. Lessons use the school's text types and criteria, so homework and tutoring pull in the same direction.
4
A note after each block
After every 10 hours a short written note: criterion levels, what moved, what is next. Parents see it without having to ask.

How many hours?

Catch-up before or after a move usually takes 20 hours over a term. Support alongside school works in blocks of 10 hours per half-term, or 50 hours across a year. The level check in the first lesson turns these ranges into a plan for your child.

10 hours

£650

£65 per hour

Half a term of weekly lessons alongside school, or a focused block on one criterion.

20 hours

£1,250

£62.50 per hour

A summer bridge before the move, or a term of catch-up at two lessons a week.

50 hours

£2,900

£58 per hour

A school year of weekly support; hours can be shared across siblings and subjects.

Not sure yet? Start with the 3-hour Taster for £210: the level check plus two full lessons.

Prices are the same bundles as every IB Doctor subject; hours can be shared across courses and siblings.

Get matched See all bundles

Frequently asked questions

Which phase will my child be placed in?: The school decides, usually with a placement test on entry. Phases describe the level, not the age: a 14-year-old can start in phase 1 and a 12-year-old can be in phase 4. We work from the school's placement and the tutor confirms the level in the first lesson.
My child will start in Grade 9 with little English. Will the school take them?: Ask the school early. Several schools say they cannot support beginners from Grade 9: Inter-Community School Zurich states this directly, Munich International School offers EAL only in Grades 1 to 8, and Frankfurt International School expects intermediate English from Grade 9. Where that is the case, a bridge of 20 hours or more before entry is the realistic route.
Is there an MYP English exam?: At most schools, no. The IB's MYP eAssessment is optional; the IB reported 337 participating schools worldwide for May 2025. The grade on the report comes from the school's own assessment against the four criteria.
Language Acquisition or Language and Literature?: The school places the student. Language Acquisition phases 5 and 6 are close to first-language use, and students usually move to Language and Literature from there. For the Diploma, English A assumes Language and Literature-level reading and writing; English B is the course for late entrants.
Can the tutor follow my child's school units?: Yes, and we prefer it. Share the unit titles, the task sheets and the criteria the teacher has highlighted. Tutors plan around them rather than running a parallel course.
Can lessons be explained in German?: For beginners, yes: tutors can explain grammar and tasks in German where that unblocks a student. Lessons move into English as quickly as the student can manage, because that is what school requires.

Also on this site

Related courses

Guides

Ready to start?

Tell us the goal, the school or the exam date, and we match a tutor who teaches exactly this, usually within 24 hours on weekdays.