Understanding IB Diploma Grading
A Guide by Hack Your Course
Official IB sources reviewed
. The rules and explanations on this page were checked against the IB's current public guidance.
Diploma Structure
2-year programme, 6 subjects total.
3–4 Higher Level (HL) subjects and the remaining 2–3 at Standard Level (SL).
Subjects graded 1 (lowest) to 7 (highest).
Max subject score: 42 points (6 subjects x 7 points).
Minimum 24 points plus every diploma condition: at least 12 HL points and 9 SL points. With 4 HLs, the best 3 HL grades count; with 2 SLs, at least 5 SL points are required.
DP Core: CAS, TOK, EE
Completion of all 3 (Creativity, Activity, Service; Theory of Knowledge; Extended Essay) is mandatory for the Diploma.
Up to 3 Bonus Points awarded based on TOK & EE grades (using points matrix).
Maximum possible score: 45 points (42 + 3 bonus).
Predicted Grades
A teacher's evidence-based estimate of the final grade a candidate is expected to achieve, informed by the candidate's work and IB standards.
Schools communicate IB assessment predictions to the IB; the IB distinguishes these from predictions used for university or college entry.
Admissions use and timing vary by school, country, university and application system; there is no universal January/February schedule.
Final grades come from actual performance across the assessed components, not from the prediction.
Grade Descriptors (Grade 7 Highlights)
These describe top performance. Full descriptors vary by subject group.
Assessments: IA vs EA
Internal Assessment (IA): Marked by teachers, moderated by IB examiners. Samples checked to ensure consistent grading standards.
External Assessment (EA): Marked solely by IB examiners (e.g., Final Exams, TOK Essay, EE).
Grade Boundaries
Determined each year by IB based on examiner judgment, stats, and descriptors.
Boundaries can shift based on exam difficulty and overall candidate performance.
Example: A lower raw score might still achieve a Grade 6 or 7 if the exam was particularly difficult that year.
Comprehensive Overview
Diploma Program Grading Guidelines
The IB Diploma Programme spans two years and requires assessment in six subjects plus the DP core. Each candidate takes at least three, but no more than four, subjects at Higher Level (HL); the remaining subjects are at Standard Level (SL). That means the permitted combinations are 3 HL with 3 SL or 4 HL with 2 SL. Each subject is graded from 1 to 7, so the six subjects contribute up to 42 points before the TOK/EE core points are added. At least 24 total points are required, but 24 alone does not guarantee the diploma. Candidates must meet every passing condition, including at least 12 points at HL and at least 9 points at SL. For 4-HL candidates, the best three HL grades count toward the 12-point condition; for 2-SL candidates, the SL minimum is 5 points.
Creativity, Activity, Service (CAS), Theory of Knowledge (ToK), and The Extended Essay (EE)
These three components constitute the DP Core; earning the diploma depends on completing and passing all three of these components. You can also earn 1, 2, or 3 bonus points based on your ToK and EE grades; these points are added to the aggregate marks you earn from your six subjects. Therefore, the top mark in the DP program is 45 with 42 points from the 6 subjects and a maximum of 3 bonus points from TOK and the EE. IB uses a 'points matrix' for determining how these bonus points are calculated; click here to find the points matrix from 2015 onwards.
The Theory of Knowledge and Extended Essay grades each range from A-E, with A meaning "Excellent", B meaning "Good", C meaning "Satisfactory", D meaning "Mediocre", and E meaning "Elementary". Any student awarded a grade of "E" in either ToK or the EE is a 'failing condition', meaning the student will not receive the diploma no matter how well the subject grades are. So…it's important to take the DP Core seriously if you want to earn a diploma for your two years of hard work.
Important: A grade of "E" in either ToK or EE is a failing condition; you will not receive the diploma regardless of your subject grades.
Predicted Grades in IB Diploma Programme
An IB predicted grade is a teacher's evidence-based estimate of the final grade a candidate is expected to achieve. It should reflect the candidate's available work and the teacher's knowledge of IB standards. It is a grade, 1–7 for subjects or A–E for TOK and the Extended Essay, not a mark calculated from a previous session's grade boundaries.
Schools communicate IB assessment predictions to the IB as part of IB-validated assessment. The IB explicitly distinguishes those predictions from predicted grades used for university or college entry. A school may also use or share predictions during university applications, but the purpose, timing and format vary by school, country, institution and application system. There is no universal January/February release or submission date.
How the timing works
Remember: A predicted grade is an estimate, not a guaranteed result. Final grades are based on performance across the course's assessed components, including externally assessed work and moderated internal assessment where applicable.
Need Help Navigating the IB?
Most Hack Your Course tutors are career tutors who earn their living primarily through tutoring. The wider roster also includes certified teachers who tutor outside school hours, IB-trained or credentialed educators, IB examiners, university instructors, and experienced professional subject specialists. Categories overlap and credentials vary. We do not hire current undergraduate tutors; every tutor has completed at least a bachelor's degree, and many, but not all, hold graduate degrees. We match relevant experience to the student's IB assessment needs.
Get Expert IB Support Today!Grade Descriptors
Grade descriptors are written by senior examiners, and they are usually how examiners and teachers determine a student's grade or predicted grade. The descriptors for each subject group (broad categories under which each subject is separated under) vary, and they are summarized below.
Group 1 (Studies in Language and Literature)
Includes the following subjects: Language A: Literature, Language A: Language and Literature, and Literature and Performance (SL only)
A student who receives a Grade 7 demonstrates:
- Excellent understanding and appreciation of the relationship between form and content in response to the essay question or task
- Responses that are detailed, convincing, and unique in analysis and evaluation
- Developed and articulated expressions (both written and oral)
- A great degree of accuracy and clarity
- Awareness of context and effects on the audience/readers
- Effective evidence to support the argument
- Critical engagement with thoughts, feelings, ideas expressed in the work(s)
Group 2 (Language Acquisition)
*Includes the following subjects: Language ab initio, Language B, and Classical Languages
A student who receives a Grade 7 demonstrates:
- Fluency and clarity when speaking
- Varied and idiomatic usage of language
- Skillful expression of complex ideas
- Thorough understanding of the meaning and purpose of written texts
- Excellent command of vocabulary and high level of grammatical accuracy
- Clarity of thought in the organization of work
- Write detailed and expressive texts
Group 3 (Individuals and Societies)
*Includes the following subjects: Business Management, Economics, Geography, History, Philosophy, Psychology, World Religions, etc.
A student who receives a Grade 7 demonstrates:
- Awareness, insight, and knowledge which are evident in critical thinking
- Ability to provide answers that are fully developed and structured in a logical and coherent manner
- Precise use of terminology specific to the subject
- Familiarity with the literature of the subject
- Ability to evaluate evidence, synthesize knowledge and concepts
- Awareness of alternative points of view and potential biases
- Proficiency in analyzing and evaluating data
Group 4 (Sciences)
*Includes the following subjects: Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Design and Technology, Computer Science, Sports, exercise and health science, Environmental systems and societies (ESS) (SL Only)
A student who receives a Grade 7 demonstrates:
- Comprehensive subject knowledge
- Selection and application of relevant information, concepts, and principles
- Effective analysis of quantitative and qualitative data
- Construction of detailed explanations of complex phenomena and can make predictions
- Proficiency in problem-solving
- Awareness of environmental impact and safety where applicable (usually in labs/design of internal assessment procedures)
- Ability to design innovative labs and use analytical techniques to reach an effective conclusion
Group 5 (Mathematics)
*Includes all math subjects: Math AA SL, Math AI SL, Math AA HL and Math AI HL. Learn about the new IB Math curriculum.
A student who receives a Grade 7 demonstrates:
- Comprehensive understanding of content and syllabus
- Advanced problem-solving skills in challenging questions
- Recognition of patterns and structures
- Ability to make generalizations and justify conclusions
- Understand and explain the significance and validity of results
- Communicates mathematics in a clear, effective, concise manner
- Uses correct techniques, notation, and terminology
- Effective use of technology where applicable (referring to the use of a calculator on exams)
Group 6 (Arts)
*Includes the following subjects: Dance, Music, Film, Theatre, Visual Arts
A student who receives a Grade 7 demonstrates:
- Highly effective research and inquiry
- Effective use of subject-specific terminology
- Creativity in work
- Processes demonstrate a comprehensive understanding of artistic ideas and innovation
- Practical/performance work demonstrates effective skills, techniques, and competencies
- Critical reflection on both works created or those in progress
Extended Essay
To read our complete guide of Extended Essay please refer to this page. Also check our tips for Extended Essay.
A student who receives a Grade A demonstrates:
- Effective research skills resulting in a well-focused and appropriate research question
- Effective engagement with research, methods, and sources
- Understanding of topic in a wider context of the relevant discipline
- Effective application of source material
- A wide-ranging and diverse bibliography
- Correct use of subject-specific terminology and concepts
- Accurate and precise use of citation techniques for all primary and secondary sources
- Reasonable conclusions and sustained arguments justified by evidence
- Excellent presentation of essay (coherent and clear with titles and subtitles where appropriate)
- Engagement with the research and writing process is independent
- Key decision-makings during research and writing are documented
- Thorough and reflective completion of the RPPF
Theory of Knowledge
*Includes the Exhibition and Essay. To read our complete guide for TOK please refer to this page.
A student who receives a Grade A demonstrates:
1Exhibition
An Exhibition document that "successfully shows how TOK manifests in the world around us." The document "clearly identifies three objects and their specific real-world contexts. Links between each of the three objects and the selected IA prompt are clearly made and well-explained. There is a strong justification of the particular contribution that each individual object makes to the exhibition. All, or nearly all, of the points are well-supported by appropriate evidence and explicit references to the selected IA prompt" (TOK 2020 Subject Guide, p47).
2Essay
A TOK Essay that provides "a clear, coherent, and critical exploration of the essay title". The Essay offers "a sustained focus on the title and is linked effectively to areas of knowledge. Arguments are clear, coherent, and effectively supported by specific examples. The implications of arguments are considered. There is clear awareness and evaluation of different points of view" (TOK 2020 Subject Guide, p48). The PPF offers a thorough and reflective account of each stage of the Essay's completion with written feedback from the teacher.
Grade Procedures
The DP uses both internally and externally assessed components. In most subjects, some in-school tasks are marked by teachers and then moderated by the IB. The IB compares a sample of the school's marking with the global standard and, if necessary, applies an adjustment to the teacher marks for that component. As a result, a school's marks may rise, fall or remain unchanged. External assessments, including written examinations and externally assessed coursework such as the TOK essay and Extended Essay; are marked by IB examiners.
Internal Assessment
- •Marked by your teachers
- •Moderated by IB examiners
- •Samples requested for quality control
- •Adjustments applied if grades too lenient/strict
External Assessment
- •Marked exclusively by IB examiners
- •Includes final exams
- •TOK Essay (externally assessed)
- •Extended Essay
What moderation checks: The purpose is to test whether a school applied the assessment criteria accurately and consistently. A moderation adjustment aligns teacher marks with the global standard; it is not a penalty and does not imply poor-quality marking.
Grade Boundaries
Grade boundaries are the minimum marks needed for each grade. The IB reviews candidate work against grade descriptors and considers expert judgment, cohort evidence and information about how the assessment performed. Boundaries may differ between examination sessions because the tasks differ in difficulty, while the intended standard for each grade remains consistent. A candidate's final subject grade comes from the aggregation of the weighted component marks, not from ranking candidates against one another.
Why a boundary can move
If one examination session contains a more difficult task, the raw-mark boundary may need to change so that the same quality of work receives the same grade standard across sessions. The IB's process uses evidence from the work itself and from the cohort; it does not use a fixed percentage chart for every subject and session.
Key Insight: Grade boundaries shift based on exam difficulty and overall candidate performance. A lower raw score might still achieve a Grade 6 or 7 if the exam was particularly difficult that year.
Struggling with IAs or Exam Prep?
Our expert IB tutors have helped thousands of students maximize their Internal Assessment scores and predicted grades. Get personalized support tailored to your subject group.
Where To Find Us
Vancouver Office
North Vancouver, BC, V7P 1V7, Canada
Seattle Office
Suite 1578, Seattle, WA 98107, USA
Frequently Asked Questions: Understanding IB Grading
Points, Passing & The Core
How is the total IB Diploma score calculated out of 45?+
What is the minimum score required to pass the IB Diploma?+
What happens if I get an 'E' grade in TOK or EE?+
How are the 0–3 Core points calculated?+
Can I take 4 Higher Level (HL) subjects?+
What is the difference between HL and SL grading?+
Is CAS graded?+
What is the "Points Matrix"?+
Does a score of 45 guarantee university entry?+
Assessments, Predictions & Moderation
What are "Predicted Grades" and why do they matter?+
Do teachers decide my final IB grade?+
What is "Moderation" of grades?+
Do grade boundaries change every year?+
What does a "Grade 7" look like in Science vs Arts?+
Can my final grade be lower than my predicted grade?+
What is the difference between IA and EA?+
External assessment: exams and other externally marked components assessed by IB examiners.