IB Mathematics (pre-2021) SL Grade Boundaries 2017-2020

Overall boundaries, every session on record

Minimum scaled mark, out of 100, for each grade in IB Mathematics (2014 to 2020 syllabus) 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 2020	82	69	56	43	30	15	13
November 2019	79	67	55	42	30	15	12
May 2019 TZ2	81	69	57	45	32	16	12
May 2019 TZ1	78	65	52	39	27	13	13
November 2018	83	71	58	46	34	16	12
May 2018 TZ2	83	71	59	48	34	17	12
May 2018 TZ1	76	64	52	39	28	14	12
May 2017 TZ2	83	73	62	51	38	19	10
May 2017 TZ1	76	63	51	39	28	14	13

Paper by paper: November 2020

November 2020: 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 %
Internal assessment (exploration)	20	18	15	12	9	6	90%
Paper 1	90	71	60	49	38	27	79%
Paper 2	90	74	63	52	41	29	82%

What do I need

IB Mathematics (2014 to 2020 syllabus) SL: the mark you need, paper by paper

Session

Grade

In November 2020 a 7 overall started at 82 out of 100 scaled marks. On each component:

Component	Out of	Minimum for a 7	As %
Internal assessment (exploration)	20	18	90%
Paper 1	90	71	79%
Paper 2	90	74	82%

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.

What the components say about where to work

In November 2020 a 7 needed 90% on Internal assessment (exploration) and 79% 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 2019 the 7 started at 78% in TZ1 and at 81% 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 Mathematics (2014 to 2020 syllabus) SL has averaged 79.5% in May and 81.3% 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 Mathematics (2014 to 2020 syllabus) SL the 6 sits on average 12.1 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 83% or more on full mocks under exam conditions has a 7 in every session on record. A student at 76% has a 7 only on the hardest paper, and should plan for the 6 to 7 gap rather than assume it.

Sources

All 6 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 Mathematics (2014 to 2020 syllabus) SL?

82% of the scaled marks in November 2020. Over 6 sessions since May 2017 TZ1 the 7 has started between 76% and 83%, 80.1% 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 Mathematics (2014 to 2020 syllabus) SL?

Between 10 and 13 on the 100-mark scale, 12.1 on average. In November 2020 it was 13 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 Mathematics (2014 to 2020 syllabus) SL?

In November 2020 Internal assessment (exploration) needed 18 out of 20 (90%) for a 7, the highest of the components, while Paper 1 needed 71 out of 90 (79%). The overall grade is what counts: a strong component carries a weaker one.

Are Mathematics (2014 to 2020 syllabus) SL grade boundaries going up or down?

The May 7 moved from 83% in May 2018 TZ2 to 81% in May 2019 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 Mathematics (2014 to 2020 syllabus) SL?

Not in the boundaries: the 7 has averaged 79.5% in May sessions and 81.3% 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 6 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 Mathematics (2014 to 2020 syllabus) SL grade boundaries: what you need for a 7