Note: Grade boundaries shown are based on the May 2024 session and are indicative only. Official boundaries are set by IBO after each session. Boundaries vary by session and year.
IB Grade Scale
Grade
Description
University Context
7
Excellent
Top universities, competitive medicine/engineering
6
Very Good
Strong performance, most competitive programmes
5
Good
Solid result, accepted by most universities
4
Satisfactory
Passing standard, minimum for many courses
3
Mediocre
Passing, but may not meet specific course requirements
IB grade boundaries (also called grade thresholds) are the minimum total marks required to achieve each grade from 1 to 7 in a given subject and session. They are set after the exam session based on the overall performance of all students worldwide.
Are IB grade boundaries the same every year?
No. IB grade boundaries change each session based on the difficulty of the papers and overall student performance. A grade 7 in one session may require a slightly different mark than in another. The boundaries shown here are indicative based on recent sessions.
How are IB grade boundaries used?
Each component of a subject (Paper 1, Paper 2, IA etc.) is marked out of its own total. These component marks are combined into a scaled total, and the grade boundaries determine which grade that total corresponds to. The calculator on PapersDaddy uses these boundaries to give you a predicted grade.
What is a good IB score?
A score of 38+ is generally considered excellent and puts you in the top tier of IB students worldwide. 30–37 is a strong result accepted by most universities. Below 24 is a non-passing score. The global average diploma score is approximately 29–30 points.
