If you have ever stared at your revision plan and thought, “I’m working hard… but what exactly is this doing to my IB score?” you’re not alone.
The IB doesn’t grade you on effort. It grades you on evidence: marks earned in coursework and exams, translated into final grades, then converted into total diploma points. That can feel cold. But it’s also freeing, because once you understand how the IB score is calculated, you can stop guessing and start allocating time where points actually move.
In this guide, you’ll learn how the IB score is built from six subject grades, the TOK/EE core points, and the CAS requirement. We’ll also show how to use RevisionDojo tools to turn “I hope I’m on track” into “I can prove I’m on track.”
The IB score in one checklist (save this)
Here’s the whole IB score calculation in a simple loop:
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You take six subjects, each graded 1 to 7.
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Those six grades add to a maximum of 42 points.
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You earn 0 to 3 core points from TOK + Extended Essay (EE).
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CAS is required for the diploma, but it does not add points.
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Final IB diploma score = subject points (0–42) + core points (0–3) = 0–45.
If you want to estimate where you stand right now, use the RevisionDojo IB Grade Calculator alongside the IB Grade Boundaries page.
How the IB score is calculated across your six subjects
Every IB Diploma Programme student earns six subject grades. Each subject ends as a single number from 1 to 7, but that number comes from weighted components.
Subject grades (1–7): what they really mean
A final IB subject grade is not “your exam score.” It’s the result of:
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Internal Assessment (IA) components (usually teacher-marked, then moderated)
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External assessments (written exams marked by IB examiners)
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In some subjects, additional components (like oral assessments in languages)
The weightings vary by subject, but the common pattern is:
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IAs often make up about 20–30%
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Exams often make up about 70–80%
So the question becomes practical: are you improving in the part that is worth the most marks?
One fast way to see this clearly is to run targeted practice in the RevisionDojo Questionbank, then pressure-test your timing using the platform’s Mock Exams and Predicted Papers workflow (more on that below).
Weighted marks become a final grade using grade boundaries
The IB doesn’t turn your percentages into grades using a fixed universal scale. Instead, each subject has grade boundaries for that exam session. Your weighted total mark is compared to the boundary table to determine whether you earned a 4, 5, 6, or 7.
For a deeper explanation of how boundaries work and why they vary, read IB Grade Boundaries: How They’re Actually Calculated.
Internal Assessments (IAs): the quieter part of your IB score
Most students think about exams first, because they feel dramatic. But your IA is the part of the IB score you can often shape most predictably, because it happens before the exam window and because the rubric is knowable.
How IAs affect your IB score
An IA usually counts for a meaningful slice of the final grade. That means:
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A strong IA can stabilize a subject where exams feel volatile.
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A weak IA can force you to “need” a higher exam mark just to reach the same final grade.
If you want fast feedback that’s aligned to rubric language, the IB Coursework Grader can help you identify exactly which criteria are costing marks in an IA, EE, or TOK essay.
How IA moderation fits into the IB score
Your teacher marks the IA first. Then the IB moderates a sample to ensure standards are consistent across schools. The simplest mindset is this: write as if the final reader is not your teacher, but an anonymous examiner who only trusts the rubric.
To see what “rubric-trusting” work looks like, the RevisionDojo Coursework Library (exemplar browsing) is one of the easiest ways to calibrate your expectations, especially when you’ve been inside your own draft for too long.
External exams: the biggest driver of your IB score
In most subjects, external exams make up the majority of your final grade. That’s why exam technique is not optional in the IB. Knowing the content without delivering it in the required format is a common way students lose points.
Typical exam paper structure (varies by subject)
Many IB subjects use a structure like:
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Paper 1: shorter responses, data-based questions, or source analysis (subject-dependent)
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Paper 2: longer structured responses or essays
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Paper 3 (in some subjects): optionality, practical/data handling, or extension content
Rather than revise “the subject,” revise by paper style. RevisionDojo’s exam-prep workflow is built around that idea in RevisionDojo App: The Smarter Way to Prep for IB Exams.
The most reliable way to raise your IB exam marks
You don’t raise exam marks by reading more notes. You raise exam marks by closing a specific loop:
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Learn the idea quickly (Study Notes)
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Recall it under slight pressure (Flashcards)
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Apply it in exam-style questions (Questionbank)
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Fix errors with feedback (AI Chat or Grading tools)
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Re-test under time (Mock Exams and Predicted Papers)
If you want a realistic pacing strategy, How to Study for IB Mocks (Without Burning Out) is a strong starting point.
TOK, EE, and CAS: the core that decides your final IB total
The IB diploma isn’t only six subjects. It’s also the core.
TOK + EE add up to 3 core points
TOK and EE are graded A to E. Your two letter grades are combined using the core matrix to produce 0–3 additional points.
This matters because core points often decide whether a total score crosses a university requirement threshold. If you’re aiming for a specific offer, you should treat TOK/EE as “small but decisive,” not “extra if I have time.”
For core clarity, read What Is the Core Requirement in IB? (TOK, EE, CAS).
CAS is required but does not add points
CAS does not contribute points to your total IB score. But it is mandatory for earning the diploma. In practice, that means CAS can be the difference between “I scored 32” and “no diploma awarded.”
If you’re unsure what happens when things go wrong, see What Happens If You Fail TOK or CAS in IB?.
A practical example: building a 45-point IB score
A perfect IB score is 45:
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6 subjects × 7 points each = 42
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TOK/EE core points = 3
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CAS completed = diploma awarded
But most of the time, your goal isn’t perfection. It’s precision. If you know a subject is likely a 5, that’s not a personal failure. It’s a planning input. If you want realistic benchmarks, read What Is a Good Score in the IB Diploma?.
How to estimate your IB score before results day (without guessing)
The healthiest way to think about predicting an IB score is: you’re not forecasting your worth, you’re forecasting your current evidence.
Use this approach:
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Sit timed practice for each subject (even partial papers)
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Convert marks using recent boundary ranges
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Track the error types that repeatedly cost marks
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Update weekly, not daily
A good companion read is Predict Your IB Score Before Exams (Without Guessing).
Then, when you want the quick snapshot, use:
Closing: turn the IB score from mystery into a plan
The IB score is calculated in a way that’s surprisingly clean once you see it: six subject grades create up to 42 points, TOK and EE add up to 3, and CAS decides whether the diploma is awarded. The hard part isn’t the math. It’s the discipline of putting your time where marks actually move.
RevisionDojo exists for that discipline. Use Study Notes to get clear fast, Flashcards to keep knowledge alive, the Questionbank to earn marks under pressure, AI Chat to unblock confusion, Grading tools to tighten writing, Predicted Papers and Mock Exams to make exam day feel familiar, the Coursework Library to calibrate quality, and Tutors when you need human guidance.
If your next question is “So what would I score right now?”, start with the RevisionDojo IB Grade Calculator. Use the result as a map, not a verdict, and keep building your IB score with evidence you can trust.
