Understanding IB Scores

The International Baccalaureate, or IB, scoring system may be unfamiliar to those interested in an IB education.

As the International Baccalaureate Organization (IBO) releases scores for this year's May examination session, future IB Diploma candidates may be wondering how IB scores work. Many students and families looking into an IB education are unfamiliar with the IB system, especially in areas where IB curriculums are much less commonplace, such as Bellevue, the home of PrepPages. Our beginner's guide offers a more comprehensive overview of IB. However, for those who are curious, this article will dive deeper into IB's exam scoring system.

IB exams are the culmination of two-year IB courses, taken in semiannual May and November examination sessions. Students can either take individual subject exams or become a candidate for the IB Diploma Program (IBDP). The IBDP involves one exam each from 6 subject areas: Language A (e.g., English Literature), Language B (e.g., Chinese), Individuals and Societies (e.g., History), Experimental Sciences (e.g., Physics), Mathematics (Applications and Interpretations or Analysis and Approaches), and the Arts (e.g., Film). Out of a candidate's 6 IB courses, a minimum of 3 and maximum of 4 are taken at the higher level (HL), with the remaining taken at the standard level (SL).

The 6 IB subject areas, along with some common, but not necessarily exhaustive, examples of courses in those areas.

Exams are scored on a 1–7 scale, depending on your performance on "papers," or written tests taken on a designated exam day, alongside other assessments, completed as part of a student's two years of coursework. Assessments often take the form of research papers, although certain courses use other formats (e.g., IB Film's portfolio). While some assessments are directly sent to the IBO to be externally graded, most assessments are Internal Assessments, or IAs, given a score by your teacher which is then moderated by the IBO.

In IB, achieving a score of 7 is an impressive feat—scores of 6 are more often analogized to achieving a 5/5 on an Advanced Placement (AP) exam. Meanwhile, a score of 4 is usually considered a "passing" grade on individual subject exams.

Those aiming for a complete IB Diploma receive a total IB score out of 45 points. 42 of those points come from your performance on subject exams from the 6 subject areas. The remaining 3 points depend on your performance in the IBDP's core curriculum: the Extended Essay (EE) and Theory of Knowledge (TOK). The EE is an opportunity for candidates to pursue personal academic interests through an IBO-graded research project, while TOK is a class that explores the nature of knowing, assessed through an exhibition IA and an externally graded essay. Students receive a letter grade (A–E) for both the EE and TOK, and the combination of letter grades determines how many core points the candidate receives.

This matrix illustrates how many core points candidates receive based on their letter grades for the EE and TOK. Note that it is possible to pass the IBDP without receiving any core points.

In order to receive an IB Diploma:

• Candidates must earn at least 24 points across their 6 subject exams and the 3 core points;

• Candidates must achieve scores of at least 2 for all individual subjects, with

  • No more than two scores of 2 awarded and

  • No more than three scores of 3 or below awarded;

• Candidates who took three HL and three SL courses must

  • Achieve at least 12 points across the HL subjects and

  • Achieve at least 9 points across the SL subjects;

• Candidates who took four HL and two SL courses must

  • Achieve at least 12 points across the candidate's three highest-scoring HL subjects and

  • Achieve at least 5 points across the SL subjects;

• Candidates must earn a grade of D or higher on the EE and TOK;

• Candidates must fulfil the Creativity, Activity, and Service (CAS) requirements.

Achieving 45 points on the IB Diploma is an even rarer achievement than a score of 7 on a subject exam. While the IBO has stopped publishing the exact number of candidates from each examination session that earned 45 points, the most recent data places students with a 45/45 at the top less-than-1 percent of IB Diploma candidates worldwide (top 0.68% in the May 2022 session, top 0.84% in the November 2022 session). Many students perceive a score in the high-30s and 40s to be excellent, while 24 points serves as the "passing" score for the IB Diploma.

For college admissions, many institutions in the U.S. do not place as much weight on IB scores. Instead, they emphasize an applicant's course rigor, which can be demonstrated by simply performing well in IB-level classes at school. However, for many international universities, a student's success in the IBDP plays a major role in their acceptance. For example, Oxford University's admissions process uses varying IB score cutoffs to screen applicants: the Philosophy, Politics, and Economics program cutoff is 39, while the Chemistry cutoff is 40. So, if attending an international university aligns with an IB Diploma candidate's goals, it is recommended to aim for higher scores.

Hopefully, this article could shine some light onto the seemingly confusing system of IB exam scores. For future IB students—good luck on exams, the Diploma Program, and beyond!

Best,

Youyi Li

PrepPages Director of Events