IB Music SL Grade Boundaries: 77-78% for a 7

Overall boundaries, every session on record

Minimum scaled mark, out of 100, for each grade in IB Music 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	78	65	52	39	21	11	13
May 2025	78	65	52	39	21	11	13
November 2024	78	65	52	39	21	11	13
May 2024	77	64	51	37	21	11	13
November 2023	77	64	51	37	21	11	13
May 2023	77	64	51	37	21	11	13
November 2022 (exam route)	77	61	45	30	18	9	16
May 2022 (exam route)	77	61	45	30	18	9	16

What do I need

IB Music SL: the mark you need, paper by paper

Session

Grade

In May 2025 a 7 overall started at 78 out of 100 scaled marks. On each component:

Component	Out of	Minimum for a 7	As %
Experimenting with music	28	22	79%
Exploring music in context	24	18	75%
Presenting music	38	33	87%

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.

Options and variants

Overall boundaries of the options the IB lists separately for Music SL (self-taught, pilot syllabus, regional or performance options).
Session	Option	7	6	5	4	3	2	Gap 6 to 7
May 2021 (exam route)	Creating	87	74	63	50	34	17	13
May 2021 (exam route)	Group performance	86	73	66	53	33	16	13
May 2021 (exam route)	Solo performance	88	76	63	51	33	16	12
May 2019	Creating	79	68	57	47	32	16	11
May 2019	Group performance	78	67	61	50	31	15	11
May 2019	Solo performance	80	70	58	48	31	15	10
May 2018	Creating	78	68	57	47	32	16	10
May 2018	Group performance	77	67	61	50	31	15	10
May 2018	Solo performance	80	70	58	48	31	15	10
May 2017	Creating	78	68	57	47	32	16	10
May 2017	Group performance	77	67	61	50	31	15	10
May 2017	Solo performance	80	70	58	48	31	15	10

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	Option	7	6	5	4	3	2	Gap 6 to 7
November 2022 (non-exam route)	standard	77	61	45	30	18	9	16
May 2022 (non-exam route)	standard	77	61	45	30	18	9	16
May 2021 (non-exam route)	Creating	87	74	63	50	34	17	13
May 2021 (non-exam route)	Group performance	86	73	66	53	33	16	13
May 2021 (non-exam route)	Solo performance	88	76	63	51	33	16	12

May against November

On record the 7 in Music SL has averaged 77.3% in May and 77.5% 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 Music SL the 6 sits on average 13.8 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 78% or more on full mocks under exam conditions has a 7 in every session on record. A student at 77% has a 7 only on the hardest paper, and should plan for the 6 to 7 gap rather than assume it.

Sources

All 8 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 Music SL?

78% of the scaled marks in November 2025. Over 8 sessions since May 2022 the 7 has started between 77% and 78%, 77.4% 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 Music SL?

Between 13 and 16 on the 100-mark scale, 13.8 on average. In November 2025 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.

Are Music SL grade boundaries going up or down?

The May 7 moved from 77% in May 2024 to 78% 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 Music SL?

Not in the boundaries: the 7 has averaged 77.3% in May sessions and 77.5% 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 8 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 Music SL grade boundaries: what you need for a 7