IB Geography SL Grade Boundaries: 71-79% for a 7

Overall boundaries, every session on record

Minimum scaled mark, out of 100, for each grade in IB Geography SL. 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	79	67	54	43	30	14	12
May 2025 TZ3	77	65	52	40	26	12	12
May 2025 TZ2	78	66	53	42	27	13	12
May 2025 TZ1	78	66	53	42	28	13	12
November 2024	77	66	52	41	29	14	11
May 2024 TZ2	72	61	48	37	24	11	11
May 2024 TZ1	75	64	51	40	25	12	11
November 2023	77	65	52	40	27	13	12
May 2023	75	64	51	40	24	12	11
November 2022 (exam route)	73	60	46	33	19	9	13
May 2022 (exam route)	76	65	49	38	24	11	11
November 2021 (exam route)	73	58	41	26	15	7	15
May 2021 (exam route)	74	60	44	30	18	9	14
November 2020	72	60	47	35	23	10	12
November 2019	79	66	54	42	30	15	13
May 2019	71	60	47	36	24	12	11
November 2018	77	66	53	41	30	15	11
May 2018	74	62	50	37	26	13	12
May 2017	75	63	50	38	28	13	12

What do I need

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

Session

Grade

In May 2025 TZ3 a 7 overall started at 77 out of 100 scaled marks. On each component:

Component	Out of	Minimum for a 7	As %
Internal assessment	25	21	84%
Paper 1	40	30	75%
Paper 2	50	39	78%

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	60	46	33	19	9	13
May 2022 (non-exam route)	75	63	49	38	24	11	12
November 2021 (non-exam route)	79	66	54	42	30	15	13
May 2021 (non-exam route)	71	60	47	36	24	12	11

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 77% in TZ3 and at 78% 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 SL has averaged 75% in May and 75.9% 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 SL the 6 sits on average 12 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 79% 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 SL?

79% of the scaled marks in November 2025. Over 16 sessions since May 2017 the 7 has started between 71% and 79%, 75.4% 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 SL?

Between 11 and 15 on the 100-mark scale, 12 on average. In November 2025 it was 12 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 SL grade boundaries going up or down?

The May 7 moved from 72% in May 2024 TZ2 to 77% 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 SL?

Not in the boundaries: the 7 has averaged 75% in May sessions and 75.9% 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 SL grade boundaries: what you need for a 7