Is a grade 4 a passing grade in the IB?

A grade 4 represents satisfactory achievement, but the IB does not set one universal passing grade for every individual DP course. For the full diploma, a 4 usually contributes safely toward the total, provided all other award conditions are satisfied. A student may receive a 3 or even a 2 in a subject and still earn the diploma if the limits on low grades and the HL and SL minimums are respected. Universities can impose higher subject requirements, such as a 6 in an HL course related to the intended degree. You should therefore distinguish between receiving the IB Diploma and meeting a university's admission offer.

Can I score 24 points and still fail the IB Diploma?

Yes, because 24 points is a minimum threshold rather than the only passing requirement. You could reach 24 but fail to earn 12 points across your three HL subjects or 9 points across your three SL subjects. The diploma is also not awarded if you receive a grade 1, receive too many grades of 2 or 3, or obtain an E in TOK or the extended essay. Incomplete CAS requirements can prevent the diploma from being awarded even when the numerical score is high enough. Check each condition separately instead of relying only on your estimated total.

Do Higher Level subjects count for more IB points than Standard Level subjects?

No, both HL and SL subjects receive grades from 1 to 7 and contribute equally to the total out of 42. A 6 in an HL subject and a 6 in an SL subject each add six diploma points. HL courses nevertheless cover a greater body of knowledge and skills, so their assessments and teaching requirements are more extensive. Diploma candidates must also earn at least 12 points across their three HL subjects, which gives HL performance a separate role in passing. Universities frequently place particular emphasis on relevant HL grades when making course offers.

Are the three TOK and extended essay points required to pass?

You do not have to earn all three core points, and it is possible to receive the diploma with zero core points. For example, a C and D combination produces zero additional points without automatically causing failure. You must still obtain at least 24 total points from your subjects and any core points awarded. An E in either TOK or the extended essay is a failing condition, regardless of the overall numerical total. CAS must also be completed even though it does not provide points.

What percentage do I need to get a 7 in an IB subject?

There is no universal percentage that guarantees a grade 7 across all IB subjects. The required mark depends on the subject, level, assessment model, and examination session. After component marks are weighted and combined, the scaled total is compared with the boundaries established for that session. Historical boundaries can provide a planning range, but an old boundary should never be treated as a guaranteed target. Practise for the strongest performance you can achieve rather than stopping once you reach an estimated boundary.

Can an IB grade change after results are released?

A school can request an enquiry upon results through its IB coordinator when there is a reasonable basis for doing so. A Category 1 enquiry involves re-marking externally assessed components for the subject, and the resulting grade can rise, remain unchanged, or fall. Multiple-choice components are not re-marked, while concerns about internal assessment moderation follow different procedures. Your detailed results may show the scaled mark, grade boundaries, and marks needed for the next grade, depending on the access provided by your coordinator. Discuss the possible benefit, cost, deadline, and risk with your coordinator before requesting a re-mark.

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IB Grading System Explained: From 1-7 to 45 | RevisionDojo

IB Grading System Explained: From 1-7 to 45

30 Jul 2026•14

The IB Diploma Programme uses two connected scoring systems. Each of your six subjects receives a grade from 1 to 7, giving a maximum subject total of 42 points. Theory of knowledge (TOK) and the extended essay (EE) can then contribute up to 3 additional core points, producing the maximum diploma score of 45.

A total of 24 points is the minimum for receiving the diploma, but 24 does not guarantee a pass by itself. You must also satisfy the IB's subject, Higher Level, Standard Level, TOK, EE, and creativity, activity, service (CAS) requirements. This guide has the IB grading system explained from individual assessment marks through to the final diploma result.

The IB grading scale from 1 to 7

Every Diploma Programme subject is awarded a final grade between 1 and 7, where 7 is the highest. These numbers are achievement levels, not percentages. A grade of 7 does not mean 70%, and a grade of 4 does not automatically mean 40%.

The following descriptions are useful shorthand, although the IB publishes more detailed descriptors for different subject groups.

IB grade	General level of performance
7	Excellent
6	Very good
5	Good
4	Satisfactory
3	Mediocre or limited
2	Poor
1	Very poor

A subject grade represents your achievement across the entire assessment model. Depending on the subject, this may include written examination papers, an internal assessment, an oral, practical work, or externally assessed coursework.

The IB does not designate one universal passing grade for an individual DP course. Universities and schools may set their own expectations, often requiring particular grades in relevant subjects. For the full diploma, what matters is your complete points total and whether you avoid all diploma failing conditions.

How marks become a final subject grade

Your examiner does not directly decide that an answer is a grade 5 or 6. Marks are first awarded for individual questions and assessment components according to markschemes or assessment criteria.

The process is broadly as follows:

Each component is marked. External examinations are marked by IB examiners. Internally assessed work is initially marked by teachers and then externally moderated.
Component marks are weighted. A paper worth 30% of the course contributes 30% of the final scaled total, regardless of its raw mark total.
The weighted results are combined. This produces an overall scaled mark for the subject.
Grade boundaries are applied. The scaled mark is converted into a final grade from 1 to 7.

Moderation checks whether teachers have applied the IB standard consistently. If a school's marking is too generous or too severe, the IB may adjust marks for that assessment component. This is why an IA mark reported by your teacher is not necessarily the final moderated mark.

How IB grade boundaries work

A grade boundary is the minimum mark needed to receive a particular grade in a specific subject, level, and examination session. Boundaries are not one fixed percentage table for the whole Diploma Programme.

For example, imagine that a hypothetical subject has the following final boundaries:

Scaled mark	Final grade
78-100	7
66-77	6
54-65	5
42-53	4

A scaled mark of 77 would produce a 6, while 78 would produce a 7. These numbers are illustrative, not official boundaries for any real subject.

The IB reviews candidate work against grade descriptors and considers statistical evidence and senior examiner judgment. Boundaries can therefore vary between subjects and examination sessions, particularly when a new examination is more or less demanding than its predecessor. Historical boundaries are useful for estimates, but they cannot guarantee your final grade.

This also explains why comparing percentages across subjects is misleading. A 72% scaled mark could produce different grades in two different courses. RevisionDojo's IB grade calculator can help you test possible outcomes, but any forecast should use boundaries as a range rather than a certainty.

How the IB score out of 45 is calculated

The diploma total has two parts:

Source	Maximum points
Six subjects, each worth up to 7	42
Combined TOK and EE result	3
Maximum diploma score	45

Higher Level and Standard Level subjects are equally valued in the numerical total. A 7 at SL adds 7 points, just as a 7 at HL adds 7 points. HL courses cover greater scope and normally involve more teaching time, but they do not receive an extra multiplier.

For example, consider these subject grades:

6 + 6 + 5 + 5 + 5 + 4 = 31 subject points

If the student receives 2 core points from TOK and the EE, the final diploma score is:

31 + 2 = 33 points out of 45

A perfect 45 requires six grade 7s, producing 42 subject points, plus all 3 available core points. The RevisionDojo guide to IB scoring provides further examples of possible grade combinations.

TOK, the extended essay, and the core points matrix

TOK and the EE are each graded from A to E, with A as the highest grade. Their two grades are combined through the official core points matrix.

EE grade / TOK grade	A	B	C	D	E
A	3	3	2	2	Failing condition
B	3	2	2	1	Failing condition
C	2	2	1	0	Failing condition
D	2	1	0	0	Failing condition
E	Failing condition	Failing condition	Failing condition	Failing condition	Failing condition

For example, a B in TOK and a C in the EE produces 2 core points. A C and a D produce 0 points, but this combination does not by itself prevent the diploma from being awarded. An E in either TOK or the EE is a failing condition.

CAS works differently. It is not graded and contributes no points, but its requirements must be completed for the diploma to be awarded. Calling the three core points “bonus points” is common, but it can obscure the fact that completing the whole core remains compulsory.

Requirements for passing the IB Diploma

According to the IB's current published passing criteria, a diploma candidate must meet all of the following conditions:

Earn at least 24 total points.
Complete the CAS requirements.
Receive a grade in all six subjects, TOK, and the EE.
Receive at least a 2 in every subject, meaning no grade 1.
Receive no more than two grade 2s across HL and SL.
Receive no more than three grades of 3 or below across HL and SL.
Earn at least 12 points across the HL subjects. If four HL subjects are taken, the three highest HL grades count.
Earn at least 9 points across the SL subjects. A candidate taking only two SL subjects must earn at least 5 SL points.
Avoid an E in TOK or the EE.

This means a student can reach 24 points and still not receive the diploma. For example, a candidate with 25 points but only 11 points across three HL subjects has not met the HL minimum. RevisionDojo's guide to the IB 24-point rule explores these conditions in more detail.

Common grading misconceptions

“A 4 is always a pass.” A 4 is generally understood as satisfactory performance, but the IB does not define a universal pass mark for every standalone subject. Diploma success depends on the full set of award conditions.

“HL subjects are worth more points.” HL courses are more extensive, but both levels contribute a maximum of 7 points. The distinction matters through the separate HL and SL minimum totals.

“Boundaries rise when students perform well.” Cohort statistics may inform standard setting, but the system is not a simple curve that assigns only a fixed proportion of 7s. Examiners review the quality of work against established standards.

“My predicted grade becomes my final grade.” A predicted grade is a teacher's evidence-based estimate. Final grades are determined through the IB assessment, marking, moderation, weighting, and grade-award process.

Turning grading knowledge into exam marks

Understanding the system helps you set realistic targets, but it does not improve a grade unless it changes how you practise. The most productive revision cycle is to attempt an exam-style question before viewing the answer, mark it honestly, study the worked method, and then redo the question without support.

Use this deliberate-practice loop:

Select a weak topic in the IB Questionbank.
Attempt a question under an appropriate time limit.
Compare every step with the per-question worked or video solution.
Identify whether lost marks came from knowledge, method, command terms, evidence, or time management.
Redo the question and then attempt a similar one.

The worked solution matters because it reveals how knowledge is converted into credit. In mathematics or science, that may mean showing a method that earns marks despite a later error. In an essay subject, it may mean using the command term correctly, selecting relevant evidence, and sustaining analysis rather than merely describing content.

Once topic-level accuracy improves, move into mixed and timed practice with IB predicted papers. Jojo AI can help explain why an answer lost marks, but you should still write the corrected response yourself. The aim is not simply to recognize a good answer when you see it, but to reproduce the method independently under exam conditions.

Conclusion

The IB grading system combines six grades from 1 to 7 with up to 3 core points, creating a maximum diploma score of 45. Marks from different assessment components are weighted, moderated where necessary, and converted into grades through subject-specific boundaries.

Passing requires at least 24 points and every additional diploma condition, including the HL and SL minimums, acceptable TOK and EE grades, and completed CAS requirements. For revision, the highest-leverage habit is repeated question practice followed by careful review of the worked method. RevisionDojo's Questionbank, per-question solutions, Predicted Papers, and Jojo AI can support that cycle from diagnosis to timed exam performance.

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