IB Geography HL Grade Boundaries: 71-76% for a 7

Overall boundaries, every session on record

Minimum scaled mark, out of 100, for each grade in IB Geography 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
November 2025	76	66	54	43	28	14	10
May 2025 TZ3	75	64	53	43	29	14	11
May 2025 TZ2	75	65	54	44	30	14	10
May 2025 TZ1	75	64	53	43	30	14	11
November 2024	76	65	53	43	29	14	11
May 2024 TZ2	72	62	51	40	26	13	10
May 2024 TZ1	74	64	53	42	27	13	10
November 2023	75	65	54	44	29	14	10
May 2023 TZ2	73	63	52	41	26	13	10
May 2023 TZ1	73	63	52	41	26	13	10
November 2022 (exam route)	73	62	49	38	23	11	11
May 2022 (exam route)	74	63	50	39	25	12	11
November 2021 (exam route)	73	59	44	30	20	9	14
May 2021 (exam route)	71	61	48	38	26	13	10
November 2020	71	61	51	41	26	13	10
November 2019	75	65	54	44	30	15	10
May 2019	71	62	50	40	26	13	9
November 2018	74	63	54	43	30	15	11
May 2018	73	62	51	41	27	13	11
May 2017	74	63	52	41	28	14	11

What do I need

IB Geography HL: the mark you need, paper by paper

Session

Grade

In May 2025 TZ3 a 7 overall started at 75 out of 100 scaled marks. On each component:

Component	Out of	Minimum for a 7	As %
Internal assessment	25	21	84%
Paper 1	60	43	72%
Paper 2	50	39	78%
Paper 3	28	21	75%

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.

Non-examination route, 2021 and 2022

Sessions in which schools that could not sit written examinations were graded on coursework and predicted evidence. The IB issued a separate boundaries document for that route.
Session	7	6	5	4	3	2	Gap 6 to 7
November 2022 (non-exam route)	73	62	49	38	23	11	11
May 2022 (non-exam route)	76	64	50	39	25	12	12
November 2021 (non-exam route)	75	65	54	44	30	15	10
May 2021 (non-exam route)	71	62	50	40	26	13	9

Timezones: the same session, different papers

In May the IB sets different papers for different parts of the world, and each gets its own boundaries. In May 2025 the 7 started at 75% in TZ3 and at 75% in TZ1.

A gap between timezones is not an advantage for one of them: the boundary follows the paper. The useful reading is the range across all timezones and sessions, which is what the first table shows.

May against November

On record the 7 in Geography HL has averaged 73.3% in May and 74.1% in November. The two sessions are set to the same standard; the difference is the papers, not the season.

The gap between a 6 and a 7

In Geography HL the 6 sits on average 10.6 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 76% or more on full mocks under exam conditions has a 7 in every session on record. A student at 71% has a 7 only on the hardest paper, and should plan for the 6 to 7 gap rather than assume it.

Sources

All 16 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 Geography HL?

76% of the scaled marks in November 2025. Over 16 sessions since May 2017 the 7 has started between 71% and 76%, 73.7% 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 Geography HL?

Between 9 and 14 on the 100-mark scale, 10.6 on average. In November 2025 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.

Are Geography HL grade boundaries going up or down?

The May 7 moved from 72% in May 2024 TZ2 to 75% in May 2025 TZ3. A move of a few points between years is normal and reflects how hard that paper was, not a change in the standard.

Is November easier than May in Geography HL?

Not in the boundaries: the 7 has averaged 73.3% in May sessions and 74.1% in November sessions on record. The IB sets both to the same standard, so a difference of a point or two reflects the papers of those sessions, not a softer session.

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 16 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 Geography HL grade boundaries: what you need for a 7