The IB grades might seem confusing at first glance. A 6 in one subject and 7 in the other may not be enough. You still have to know about grade boundaries, TOK, the Extended Essay, and the final diploma total. The IB Grading System is not like a simple percentage system, and so the numbers often need a bit of explanation.
Knowing how International Baccalaureate scores are determined can help parents compare IB schools to better understand the entire process. It helps students to understand the real meaning of their results and how the individual subject grades contribute to the final score.
This blog helps students and parents to understand the 1-7 scale, the total of 45 points, and grade boundaries.
How IB Grading Works: An Overview
The system grades students on a 1-7 scale for each subject, with 7 being the best possible grade. Students study six subjects, and these grades can add up to a maximum of 42 points.
The total for the diploma is 45. This is because students can earn up to three bonus points from Theory of Knowledge and the Extended Essay. Creativity, Activity, Service is also required, but does not contribute to the final score.
The grades are not simply based on percentages. The final result can consist of written exams, coursework, internal assessments, and subject-specific assessment criteria. These different parts will have marks, and then the final grade for each subject will be determined.
The IB 1-7 Grading Scale Explained
It has a grading scale from 1 to 7, 7 being the highest. Each grade is a measure of how well a student has performed against the requirements of that subject.
What Each Grade (1-7) Actually Means
7 indicates excellent performance, but 6 and 5 usually indicate very strong or good work. 4 represents a satisfactory level of achievement. Grades 3, 2, and 1 mean that the student has met less of the expected criteria.
Is IB Grading Based on a Percentage?
The grades are based on marks, assessment criteria, and grade boundaries, not on one fixed percentage scale.
How the 45-Point Diploma Score Is Calculated
The highest possible IB grade is 45 points. This total is mainly accounted for by the six subjects a student studies.
42 Points from Six Subjects
For each subject, scores are from 1 to 7. For instance, if a student scores 7 in all six subjects, that’s 42 points. These subject grades constitute the main part of the final diploma score.
Bonus Points from TOK and the Extended Essay
Students may earn up to 3 bonus points in Theory of Knowledge and the Extended Essay. These additional points are added to the subject total, taking IB scores up to a maximum of 45.
Internal Assessment vs External Assessment: How Each Contributes to Your Grade
Assessment of IB subjects is through a mixture of internal and external work. Internal assessments are normally done during the course and may be projects, investigations, oral or practical work, depending on the subject. Teachers mark this work. IB may review a sample of work to ensure standards of marking are consistent.
External assessments, often including the final written exams, are marked by IB examiners. In many subjects, these exams are a greater proportion of the final mark. The weighting is different for each subject, so students should check out how each course is assessed.
What Are IB Grade Boundaries and Why Do They Change Each Session?
The grade (from 1 to 7) is awarded based on how the raw marks are converted to the grade boundaries. They can change between exam sessions, so the mark you need to get a 6 or 7 is not always the same.
There is a simple reason. Some exam papers are more difficult than others. The IB considers the difficulty of the paper and the overall student performance before setting the final boundaries. If a paper is harder than the boundary, for a certain grade might be lower.
Hence, students in different exam sessions can get the same IB grade with different marks.
Must Read: IB Diploma Programme Subjects: Complete Guide
HL vs SL: Do They Use the Same Grading Scale?
For both HL and SL subjects, the same scale (1 to 7) is applied. The highest grade at both levels is a 7, and the lowest is a 1.
It is the course itself that changes. Subjects at HL generally require more teaching hours, more depth, and more demanding assessment than SL subjects. HL and SL are taught as separate courses, and thus, the grade boundaries can vary.
So a Grade 7 at HL and a Grade 7 at SL are both top grades, but students take different paths to get there with different course requirements.
Must Read: 10 Moral Values for Students Every Child Should Learn for Success
What Score Do You Need to Pass the IB Diploma?
Students need to get a minimum of 24 points to get the IB Diploma. But scoring 24 does not mean a student has automatically passed.
There are also other requirements. Students must take all six subjects, as well as Theory of Knowledge, the Extended Essay, and Creativity, Activity, Service. Students have to satisfy caps on low grades across their subjects, including the IB’s minimum grade conditions, too.
So, when considering IB scores, 24 points is best viewed as the minimum total. Students still have to complete the other diploma requirements before being awarded the IB Diploma.
What Is a Good IB Score? (Average, Strong and Top Scores)
There is no single score that is good for every student. It is contingent upon the subjects studied, university plans, and the course a student wants to take. The average score for the Diploma Program in the May 2026 session was 30.88 points globally.
So, the scores that are in the 30s are near the global average. A mid-30s is considered strong, and anything over 40 is exceptional. If you look at IB scores, it makes a lot more sense to look at the goals of the student rather than the number itself.
How IB Grades Compare to A-Levels and AP
IB, A Levels, and AP use different grading systems, so there’s no exact one-to-one match. A simple comparison is as follows:
| System | Grading Scale | Highest Grade | Description |
| IB | 1 to 7 | 7 | Six subjects are studied alongside the core requirements of the Diploma |
| A Levels | A* to E | A* | Students study a smaller set of subjects in greater depth |
| AP | 1 to 5 | 5 | Each subject is assessed separately through its own AP exam |
Conclusion
Once students and parents understand how IB grades are calculated, the system becomes much less confusing. Grade boundaries. Theory of Knowledge and Extended Essay. Subject scores. The 1 to 7 scale. All of these contribute to your final result.
Families looking for top IB schools in Delhi to compare IB options may find Apeejay School International, Panchsheel Park, as one of the schools. Students can also use a strong understanding of scores to set realistic academic goals and gain a better sense of what their final results might mean for college admissions.
