IB Japanese A: Lang & Lit HL Grade Boundaries 2017-2025

Overall boundaries, every session on record

Minimum scaled mark, out of 100, for each grade in IB Japanese A: Language and Literature 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	65	54	42	28	15	11
May 2025	80	66	55	40	29	15	14
November 2024	77	66	55	44	30	16	11
May 2024	82	69	56	43	29	15	13
November 2023	78	66	55	43	30	16	12
May 2023	81	67	55	42	28	16	14
November 2022 (exam route)	74	62	53	41	27	15	12
May 2022 (exam route)	70	57	45	32	21	11	13
May 2021 (exam route)	70	57	45	32	21	11	13
May 2019	86	72	58	44	29	13	14
May 2018	86	71	57	43	29	13	15
May 2017	85	72	60	47	29	13	13

What do I need

IB Japanese A: Language and Literature HL: the mark you need, paper by paper

Session

Grade

In May 2025 a 7 overall started at 80 out of 100 scaled marks. On each component:

Component	Out of	Minimum for a 7	As %
Essay	20	18	90%
Internal assessment (oral)	40	34	85%
Paper 1	40	31	78%
Paper 2	30	24	80%

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)	74	62	53	41	27	15	12
May 2022 (non-exam route)	70	57	45	32	21	11	13
May 2021 (non-exam route)	80	70	58	44	29	13	10

May against November

On record the 7 in Japanese A: Language and Literature HL has averaged 80% in May and 76.3% 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 Japanese A: Language and Literature HL the 6 sits on average 12.9 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 86% or more on full mocks under exam conditions has a 7 in every session on record. A student at 70% 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 Japanese A: Language and Literature HL?

76% of the scaled marks in November 2025. Over 12 sessions since May 2017 the 7 has started between 70% and 86%, 78.8% 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 Japanese A: Language and Literature HL?

Between 11 and 15 on the 100-mark scale, 12.9 on average. In November 2025 it was 11 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 Japanese A: Language and Literature HL grade boundaries going up or down?

The May 7 moved from 82% in May 2024 to 80% in May 2025. 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 Japanese A: Language and Literature HL?

Not in the boundaries: the 7 has averaged 80% in May sessions and 76.3% 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 Japanese A: Language and Literature HL grade boundaries: what you need for a 7