IB ITGS HL Grade Boundaries: 64-73% for a 7

Overall boundaries, every session on record

Minimum scaled mark, out of 100, for each grade in IB Information Technology in a Global Society 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 2023	73	63	52	42	28	14	10
May 2023 TZ2	71	60	50	39	25	13	11
May 2023 TZ1	71	60	50	39	25	13	11
November 2022 (exam route)	71	62	53	43	29	14	9
May 2022 (exam route)	65	55	45	35	21	10	10
November 2021 (exam route)	68	58	50	37	25	11	10
May 2021 (exam route)	64	53	43	27	15	8	11
November 2020	71	60	50	39	26	13	11
November 2019	72	61	52	41	26	13	11
May 2019	70	59	49	38	25	13	11
November 2018	73	63	53	43	28	14	10
May 2018	72	61	51	40	26	13	11
May 2017	72	61	51	40	26	13	11

Paper by paper: November 2023

November 2023: 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	60	40	35	29	24	17	67%
Paper 2	26	20	17	13	10	7	77%
Paper 3	30	25	22	20	17	10	83%
Project	30	23	19	16	12	9	77%

What do I need

IB Information Technology in a Global Society HL: the mark you need, paper by paper

Session

Grade

In November 2023 a 7 overall started at 73 out of 100 scaled marks. On each component:

Component	Out of	Minimum for a 7	As %
Paper 1	60	40	67%
Paper 2	26	20	77%
Paper 3	30	25	83%
Project	30	23	77%

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)	71	62	53	43	29	14	9
May 2022 (non-exam route)	70	59	50	40	25	13	11
November 2021 (non-exam route)	68	61	56	46	34	17	7
May 2021 (non-exam route)	70	59	49	38	25	13	11

What the components say about where to work

In November 2023 a 7 needed 83% on Paper 3 and 67% on Paper 1. 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.

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 2023 the 7 started at 71% in TZ2 and at 71% 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 Information Technology in a Global Society HL has averaged 69.3% in May and 71.3% 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 Information Technology in a Global Society HL the 6 sits on average 10.5 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 73% or more on full mocks under exam conditions has a 7 in every session on record. A student at 64% has a 7 only on the hardest paper, and should plan for the 6 to 7 gap rather than assume it.

Sources

All 12 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 Information Technology in a Global Society HL?

73% of the scaled marks in November 2023. Over 12 sessions since May 2017 the 7 has started between 64% and 73%, 70.2% 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 Information Technology in a Global Society HL?

Between 9 and 11 on the 100-mark scale, 10.5 on average. In November 2023 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 Information Technology in a Global Society HL?

In November 2023 Paper 3 needed 25 out of 30 (83%) for a 7, the highest of the components, while Paper 1 needed 40 out of 60 (67%). The overall grade is what counts: a strong component carries a weaker one.

Are Information Technology in a Global Society HL grade boundaries going up or down?

The May 7 moved from 65% in May 2022 to 71% in May 2023 TZ2. 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 Information Technology in a Global Society HL?

Not in the boundaries: the 7 has averaged 69.3% in May sessions and 71.3% 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 12 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 Information Technology in a Global Society HL grade boundaries: what you need for a 7