IB Japanese A: Lang & Lit SL Grade Boundaries 2018-2025

Overall boundaries, every session on record

Minimum scaled mark, out of 100, for each grade in IB Japanese A: Language and Literature 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	74	63	51	41	28	14	11
May 2025	79	64	52	37	28	14	15
November 2024	75	65	53	43	30	15	10
May 2024	80	68	53	41	28	14	12
May 2023	83	69	56	42	30	15	14
May 2022 (exam route)	68	57	46	35	25	10	11
May 2021 (exam route)	63	52	41	29	20	10	11
May 2019	85	71	58	43	28	12	14
May 2018	85	71	58	43	28	12	14

What do I need

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

Session

Grade

In May 2025 a 7 overall started at 79 out of 100 scaled marks. On each component:

Component	Out of	Minimum for a 7	As %
Internal assessment (oral)	40	34	85%
Paper 1	20	16	80%
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
May 2022 (non-exam route)	68	57	46	35	25	10	11
May 2021 (non-exam route)	86	75	64	46	28	14	11

May against November

On record the 7 in Japanese A: Language and Literature SL has averaged 77.6% in May and 74.5% 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 SL the 6 sits on average 12.4 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 85% or more on full mocks under exam conditions has a 7 in every session on record. A student at 63% has a 7 only on the hardest paper, and should plan for the 6 to 7 gap rather than assume it.

Sources

All 9 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 SL?

74% of the scaled marks in November 2025. Over 9 sessions since May 2018 the 7 has started between 63% and 85%, 76.9% 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 SL?

Between 10 and 15 on the 100-mark scale, 12.4 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 SL grade boundaries going up or down?

The May 7 moved from 80% in May 2024 to 79% 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 SL?

Not in the boundaries: the 7 has averaged 77.6% in May sessions and 74.5% 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 9 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 SL grade boundaries: what you need for a 7