Can universities see my individual IB paper and IA marks?

Universities do not ordinarily receive individual paper and IA marks on the standard IB transcript. They normally receive the final 1-to-7 grade for each course, together with relevant Diploma results such as total points and core outcomes. Your school and IB coordinator may have access to more detailed component information, but that does not make it part of routine university reporting. A university can request additional evidence if its policy or an unusual case requires it. Check directly with the admissions office if it asks for something more detailed than the official transcript.

Can a strong IA compensate for a weak examination in university admissions?

A strong IA can compensate partly for weaker examination performance when the weighted components are combined to calculate the final IB subject grade. Once that grade is issued, universities normally assess the resulting grade rather than rebalancing the components themselves. For example, a university requiring a 6 in Biology HL will usually consider whether you earned the 6, not whether your IA was at grade-7 level. A strong IA does not normally override a final grade of 5. It may still provide useful evidence of research ability if discussed appropriately in an application or requested by the institution.

Will a university consider how close I was to the next IB grade boundary?

A university is not normally required to treat a near-boundary result as equivalent to the higher grade. If your official grade is 5, it remains a 5 unless the IB formally changes it through an applicable post-results process. Some admissions teams may exercise discretion when an offer is missed narrowly, but this depends on course capacity, institutional policy, and the rest of the application. Contact admissions promptly and provide the achieved grade without claiming that boundary proximity guarantees a change. At the same time, ask your coordinator whether an Enquiry Upon Results is reasonable.

Do universities use predicted component marks when making conditional offers?

Universities usually receive predicted subject grades, not a complete predicted mark for every IB assessment component. Teachers may use mock examinations, class tests, coursework, IA progress, and knowledge of IB standards to form those predictions. A school transcript may separately show semester or test results, depending on the application system. Those school marks are not official IB component results and may be interpreted according to the university's own process. Students should therefore improve the broad evidence supporting their prediction rather than focusing on one isolated assessment.

Do IB component marks affect university credit or advanced standing?

University credit policies generally use final IB course grades and subject levels rather than individual paper or IA marks. An institution might award credit for a specified grade in an HL subject, with some universities also recognizing selected SL courses. Requirements vary significantly by university, faculty, and subject, so an admission threshold should not be assumed to be the same as a credit threshold. Credit policies can also change between academic years. Consult the university's official advanced-standing or transfer-credit table for the year in which you will enrol.

Should I send my component scores to a university after missing an offer?

Do not send unofficial component-score screenshots unless the university requests them or confirms that they will be considered. First, compare your official results with the precise offer conditions and ask your coordinator for your scaled total, boundary distance, and available post-results options. Then contact admissions with your applicant ID, achieved results, and a concise explanation of any confirmed action. The university may ask for an official transcript, an updated result, or no additional document at all. Following its instructions is more effective than submitting a large amount of unrequested evidence.

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Do Universities Consider IB Component Scores?

• 5 Aug 2026•14

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Do Universities Consider IB Component Scores? | RevisionDojo

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Do Universities Consider IB Component Scores?

• 5 Aug 2026•14

For most IB applications, universities consider final subject grades rather than the marks from individual assessment components. The standard IB transcript reports each course and its final grade from 1 to 7, alongside broader Diploma Programme results. It does not ordinarily provide a paper-by-paper or Internal Assessment mark breakdown.

Component scores still matter because they are weighted and combined to produce each subject grade. They can also become relevant after results if you narrowly miss an offer, investigate an Enquiry Upon Results (EUR), or are specifically asked by a university for additional evidence. This article explains what universities normally receive, what admissions conditions actually measure, and how to respond when detailed marks could help your case.

What counts as an IB component score?

An IB subject is usually assessed through several components. Depending on the course, these may include written examination papers, an Internal Assessment (IA), an individual oral, an investigation, an exhibition, a performance, or other coursework.

Each component receives a mark and has a specified weighting. The weighted marks are aggregated into a scaled total mark, which is then compared with the subject's grade boundaries to produce a final grade from 1 to 7.

Type of result	Example	Normally central to admission?
Component mark	Paper 1 mark or IA mark	No
Scaled total mark	Weighted total across the subject	Usually no
Subject grade	Biology HL grade 6	Yes
HL profile	6, 6, 5 at Higher Level	Often
Diploma total	37 points including core points	Often
Core outcome	TOK and EE grades, plus core points	Sometimes
Diploma status	Diploma awarded or not awarded	Sometimes required

A component mark should not be confused with a Diploma component. Universities and UCAS may use “components” to refer broadly to individual IB subjects, Theory of Knowledge, or the Extended Essay. That does not mean they receive every examination-paper mark.

What universities normally see on an official IB transcript

The IB describes its transcript as an official copy of a candidate's results sent directly to a higher education institution. According to the IB's guide for universities, a Diploma Programme transcript records the student's courses, language of instruction, and final score for each course. For full Diploma candidates, it also records the total points, core information, and Extended Essay subject area.

The standard transcript therefore focuses on reported outcomes, not the underlying marking detail. A university would normally see information such as:

English A: Language and Literature HL: 6
Economics HL: 7
Mathematics: Analysis and Approaches HL: 6
Total Diploma score: 39
TOK and Extended Essay outcomes
Whether the Diploma was awarded

It would not normally see that the student earned one percentage on Paper 1, another on Paper 2, and a separate raw IA mark. The IB's current assessment FAQ also states that component marks and grades are not shown through the ordinary candidate results view, although a coordinator may give candidates access to additional result details.

Universities can receive authorized IB results electronically through secure systems or as paper transcripts. Students should arrange this through their coordinator before results are released or use the IB's later transcript-request service when necessary. In the UK, UCAS can receive IB results and pass the relevant qualification and subject outcomes to universities when properly authorized.

What admissions officers actually evaluate

Universities set their own admissions policies, so there is no universal formula. Nevertheless, published IB entry requirements overwhelmingly use Diploma totals, Higher Level grades, and grades in required subjects, rather than individual paper or IA scores.

For example, Oxford's published requirement for Medicine is 39 points including core points, with 766 at Higher Level, alongside required HL subjects. Cambridge's Natural Sciences course similarly publishes a Diploma total and an HL grade profile. These requirements show the level at which admissions decisions are normally expressed.

A typical conditional offer might require:

36 points overall
6, 6, 5 at Higher Level
Grade 6 in Mathematics AA HL
successful award of the IB Diploma

If a student earns the required Mathematics grade, the university normally does not distinguish between someone whose strongest component was the IA and someone whose strongest component was Paper 2. Both students have demonstrated the final standard represented by the same IB subject grade.

Admissions review may still consider more than final IB results. Depending on the country and institution, universities may assess school transcripts, predicted grades, course difficulty, personal statements, references, admissions tests, interviews, portfolios, contextual information, and relevant extracurricular evidence. These are separate from the official IB component-score breakdown.

Why component marks still matter

They determine the final subject grade

Component marks matter most inside the IB grading process. A strong IA can compensate partly for a weaker examination, while a weak component can pull down the weighted total. The resulting subject grade is the outcome universities normally use.

Students can model this relationship with the RevisionDojo IB Grade Calculator. Calculations based on practice results remain estimates because final boundaries, moderation, and official marking determine the actual result.

They help explain a near miss

Suppose an offer requires a 6 in Chemistry HL, but the student receives a 5 and is one scaled mark below the grade boundary. The university's formal decision still concerns the grade 5, not a particularly strong IA or Paper 2 result. However, boundary proximity may support a prompt, factual conversation with the admissions office while the school considers post-results options.

A university is not obliged to accept a near miss. Some institutions may exercise discretion when places remain available, while highly constrained courses may apply the condition strictly. The practical approach in RevisionDojo's guide to conditional IB offers is to communicate quickly, identify the exact missed condition, and avoid assuming that a remark will succeed.

They inform an Enquiry Upon Results decision

Detailed results are particularly useful when deciding whether to request an Enquiry Upon Results, commonly called a remark. The candidate-facing information may include the scaled total, grade boundaries, and marks needed for an increase, while the coordinator can advise on component information and eligible services.

A remark can leave a result unchanged and may increase or decrease it where the applicable service allows. It should therefore be based on boundary proximity and a meaningful consequence, such as meeting an offer, rather than disappointment alone. The RevisionDojo explanation of IB remarks provides a useful decision framework, but the coordinator remains the appropriate source for current deadlines, fees, consent requirements, and available categories.

Situations in which a university may request more detail

Although component marks are not part of routine transcript-based review, an institution can ask for additional documentation under its own policy. Possible circumstances include:

verifying an unusual or incomplete qualification record
reviewing a narrowly missed conditional offer
determining placement where ordinary documentation is insufficient
investigating an administrative discrepancy
assessing an applicant through a country-specific process

A student might also choose to mention a component achievement in an application, but it should be relevant and verifiable. For example, discussing the research skills developed through an IA may strengthen an explanation of academic interest. Claiming that a high IA mark should override the final subject grade is much less persuasive because the university's published requirement normally concerns the official grade.

Scholarships and transfer credit can follow separate rules from admission. UBC, for example, publishes first-year credit thresholds based on final IB course grades. This again illustrates that universities usually recognize the completed course outcome rather than the underlying paper marks, although students must always check the current policy for their institution and programme.

Predicted grades and school component results

Before final results exist, universities may make decisions using predicted grades and the school record. Teachers can consider tests, mock examinations, coursework, IA progress, and observed performance when forming predictions, but universities generally receive the prediction as a subject grade rather than the teacher's complete calculation.

This distinction matters. A university may see a school transcript containing test or semester grades, especially in admissions systems that request a multi-year academic record. Those school-issued marks are not the same as official IB component results.

Students trying to improve their evidence before predictions are finalized should focus on repeated, assessment-aligned performance. Targeted IB Questionbank practice and timed Mock Exams can expose whether the problem lies in knowledge, command terms, structure, or timing. Jojo AI can help clarify specific errors, but teacher feedback and the official subject criteria should guide judgments about assessed work.

For a clearer account of how evidence can inform a prediction, see RevisionDojo's guide to how IB predicted grades are calculated. A prediction is still an estimate, not an unofficial final result.

What to do before and after IB results

Before results day, read the exact wording of every offer. Record separately the required total, HL profile, subject prerequisites, core conditions, and Diploma-status requirement.

After results are released:

Check the official outcomes. Confirm your Diploma status, total points, subject grades, and core result.
Compare them with the offer literally. Do not substitute a strong component mark for a required subject grade.
Ask your coordinator for detail if needed. Boundary proximity and component information are useful when considering post-results services.
Contact admissions if a condition was missed. Give your applicant number, achieved result, and any confirmed next step concisely.
Verify transcript delivery. Universities cannot act on results they have not received.

The IB permits candidates to nominate institutions to receive official results, subject to its current request procedures. The IB transcript-request page explains how requests before and after results release are handled.

Common mistakes to avoid

Assuming universities automatically see every mark. Standard IB reporting emphasizes final course grades and Diploma outcomes.
Confusing a scaled total with a component mark. The scaled total combines weighted components; it is not a Paper 1 or IA score.
Treating a near boundary as a higher grade. Until an official change is issued, the recorded grade remains valid.
Sending unsolicited screenshots as proof. Use the institution's stated document procedure and official transcripts where required.
Ignoring subject-specific conditions. A high total cannot necessarily compensate for missing a required HL grade.
Requesting a remark without checking the numbers. Read the IB results-day guidance and consult your coordinator before acting.

Conclusion

Universities normally consider final IB subject grades, the HL profile, overall Diploma points, core outcomes, and Diploma status, not individual exam-paper or IA marks. Component scores matter because they create those final grades and can guide post-results decisions, especially when a conditional offer has been narrowly missed.

Always follow the published policy of the university and course concerned, since institutions can request additional evidence. RevisionDojo's Grade Calculator, Questionbank, Mock Exams, and Jojo AI can help you understand how component performance contributes to your likely overall result, while your IB coordinator should handle official result details and post-results procedures.

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