The IB Learner Profile is a set of ten attributes that describe the kind of learner the IB hopes to develop across all of its programmes, MYP included. It functions less like a checklist and more like a shared vocabulary — teachers, students, and parents all refer back to the same ten traits when discussing growth, behavior, and goals.

The ten attributes

  • Inquirers — nurture curiosity and develop skills for sustained, independent inquiry.
  • Knowledgeable — explore concepts, ideas, and issues of local and global significance.
  • Thinkers — use critical and creative thinking to analyze and act on complex problems.
  • Communicators — express ideas confidently and creatively in more than one language and in multiple modes.
  • Principled — act with integrity and honesty, and take responsibility for one's own actions.
  • Open-minded — critically appreciate one's own culture and personal history, as well as the values of others.
  • Caring — show empathy, compassion, and respect toward the needs and feelings of others.
  • Risk-takers — approach uncertainty with forethought and determination, and work independently and cooperatively to explore new ideas.
  • Balanced — understand the importance of balancing different aspects of one's life — intellectual, physical, and emotional.
  • Reflective — thoughtfully consider one's own learning and experience, to assess strengths and areas for growth.

How it's used in practice

Rather than being assessed directly, the Learner Profile is woven into everyday language: unit reflections, student self-assessment, and school reports often reference specific attributes. Many schools display the ten attributes prominently in classrooms as a shared reference point for behavior and learning goals.

Together with the MYP Philosophy, the Learner Profile forms the values foundation that every subject-specific unit is meant to build toward.