IB Further Mathematics HL Grade Boundaries: 72-75% for a 7

Overall boundaries, every session on record

Minimum scaled mark, out of 100, for each grade in IB Further Mathematics HL. One row per session and timezone; May 2021 and 2022 and November 2021 and 2022 show the examination route.
Session	7	6	5	4	3	2	Gap 6 to 7
May 2019	72	62	52	42	29	15	10
May 2018	75	65	55	45	33	17	10
May 2017	73	63	53	43	30	15	10

Paper by paper: May 2019

May 2019: minimum raw mark for each grade on each component, and the 7 as a percentage of that component. Read from the IB grade boundaries document.
Component	Out of	7	6	5	4	3	7 as %
Paper 1	150	115	100	84	69	50	77%
Paper 2	150	101	86	70	55	35	67%

What do I need

IB Further Mathematics HL: the mark you need, paper by paper

Session

Grade

In May 2019 a 7 overall started at 72 out of 100 scaled marks. On each component:

Component	Out of	Minimum for a 7	As %	Your raw mark	Your grade
Paper 1	150	115	77%
Paper 2	150	101	67%

Component grades come straight from the IB document for that session. The overall grade is on a 100-mark scale built from the components with the weightings in the subject guide, so it is not computed here: a strong component carries a weaker one, and the table shows how much room each one leaves.

What the components say about where to work

In May 2019 a 7 needed 77% on Paper 1 and 67% on Paper 2. The component with the lower threshold is the one candidates found hard, and it is usually the one where a few marks are cheapest to gain.

Marked work (internal assessment, orals, written tasks) is assessed against criteria known in advance, so it is the part of the grade under the student’s control before the exam. Which written paper has the lowest threshold changes from session to session, so a past paper should be marked against the boundaries of its own session, not against the latest one.

The gap between a 6 and a 7

In Further Mathematics HL the 6 sits on average 10 marks below the 7 on the 100-mark scale. That is roughly one question answered fully instead of half-answered, or the marks lost to misread instructions across a whole paper.

Use the range, not the last session. A student scoring 75% or more on full mocks under exam conditions has a 7 in every session on record. A student at 72% has a 7 only on the hardest paper, and should plan for the 6 to 7 gap rather than assume it.

Sources

All 3 sessions were read from the grade boundaries document the IB issues to Diploma Programme coordinators after each session (one document per session; 2021 and 2022 have an examination-route and a non-examination-route document). The full dataset for every IB subject is on the grade boundaries overview, as CSV and JSON.

Independent work, not endorsed by the International Baccalaureate. Last checked 4 November 2026. Corrections: pietro@pietromeloni.com.

Frequently asked questions

What percentage do you need for a 7 in IB Further Mathematics HL?

72% of the scaled marks in May 2019. Over 3 sessions since May 2017 the 7 has started between 72% and 75%, 73.3% on average. There is no fixed figure: the IB sets the boundaries after each session, once the papers have been marked.

How many marks separate a 6 from a 7 in Further Mathematics HL?

Between 10 and 10 on the 100-mark scale, 10 on average. In May 2019 it was 10 marks. That is the size of one question answered fully instead of half-answered, which is why exam technique moves this grade more than new content.

Which component needs the highest mark for a 7 in Further Mathematics HL?

In May 2019 Paper 1 needed 115 out of 150 (77%) for a 7, the highest of the components, while Paper 2 needed 101 out of 150 (67%). The overall grade is what counts: a strong component carries a weaker one.

Are Further Mathematics HL grade boundaries going up or down?

The May 7 moved from 75% in May 2018 to 72% in May 2019. A move of a few points between years is normal and reflects how hard that paper was, not a change in the standard.

Where do these numbers come from?

Every row on this page was read from the grade boundaries document the IB issues to Diploma Programme coordinators after each session, for all 3 sessions shown. The document lists, for every subject and level, the minimum raw mark for each grade on each component and the minimum scaled mark out of 100 for the overall grade.

IB Further Mathematics HL grade boundaries: what you need for a 7