What Are the Final Grade Components in the IB Diploma?
The IB Diploma Programme (IBDP) awards students a final score out of 45 points. This score reflects not just exam performance, but sustained coursework, research skills, and engagement with the IB Core.
Your final IB result is built from three elements:
- Six subject grades (up to 42 points)
- Bonus points from Theory of Knowledge (TOK) and the Extended Essay (EE)
- A mandatory pass in CAS (Creativity, Activity, Service)
All of this is governed by the International Baccalaureate and applies equally to students worldwide.
Six IB Subjects (Maximum 42 Points)
Every IB student takes six subjects, each graded on a scale from 1 (lowest) to 7 (highest). Together, these contribute a maximum of 42 points to your final score.
Each subject grade is calculated from:
- External assessments, usually final exams, which make up around 70–80 percent of the grade
- Internal Assessments (IAs), such as lab reports, essays, investigations, or oral tasks, typically worth 20–30 percent
Higher Level (HL) and Standard Level (SL) subjects are weighted equally in the final points total. The difference lies in difficulty and university recognition, not in how many points they contribute.
