IB German B HL Grade Boundaries: 80-89% for a 7

Overall boundaries, every session on record

Minimum scaled mark, out of 100, for each grade in IB German B 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	81	67	53	39	23	11	14
May 2025 TZ3	87	71	54	38	21	11	16
May 2025 TZ2	88	72	57	41	24	12	16
November 2024	83	69	54	40	23	11	14
May 2024 TZ2	85	68	54	38	23	11	17
May 2024 TZ1	86	69	54	37	24	12	17
November 2023	81	67	52	37	22	11	14
May 2023 TZ2	86	71	56	41	26	13	15
May 2023 TZ1	87	71	55	39	25	12	16
November 2022 (exam route)	80	64	49	33	20	9	16
May 2022 (exam route)	85	67	50	32	17	9	18
November 2021 (exam route)	85	66	50	32	22	11	19
May 2021 (exam route)	86	70	52	35	25	13	16
November 2020	84	66	48	30	20	10	18
November 2019	86	72	60	47	29	15	14
May 2019	88	73	60	45	27	14	15
November 2018	86	72	61	47	30	15	14
May 2018	89	75	61	47	29	15	14
May 2017	89	75	62	48	30	15	14

What do I need

IB German B HL: the mark you need, paper by paper

Session

Grade

In May 2025 TZ3 a 7 overall started at 87 out of 100 scaled marks. On each component:

Component	Out of	Minimum for a 7	As %
Internal assessment (oral)	30	27	90%
Paper 1	30	27	90%
Paper 2 (listening)	25	23	92%
Paper 2 (reading)	40	34	85%

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)	80	64	49	33	20	9	16
May 2022 (non-exam route)	85	67	50	32	17	9	18
November 2021 (non-exam route)	84	69	55	38	25	13	15
May 2021 (non-exam route)	84	70	56	42	27	14	14

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 87% in TZ3 and at 88% in TZ2.

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 German B HL has averaged 86.9% in May and 83.3% 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 German B HL the 6 sits on average 15.6 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 89% or more on full mocks under exam conditions has a 7 in every session on record. A student at 80% 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 German B HL?

81% of the scaled marks in November 2025. Over 16 sessions since May 2017 the 7 has started between 80% and 89%, 85.4% 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 German B HL?

Between 14 and 19 on the 100-mark scale, 15.6 on average. In November 2025 it was 14 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 German B HL grade boundaries going up or down?

The May 7 moved from 85% in May 2024 TZ2 to 87% 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 German B HL?

Not in the boundaries: the 7 has averaged 86.9% in May sessions and 83.3% 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 German B HL grade boundaries: what you need for a 7