IB Psychology HL Grade Boundaries: 65-75% for a 7

Overall boundaries, every session on record

Minimum scaled mark, out of 100, for each grade in IB Psychology 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 TZ3	73	61	49	37	23	11	12
November 2025 TZ1	72	60	48	36	21	10	12
May 2025 TZ3	74	61	48	34	21	10	13
May 2025 TZ2	73	61	49	37	23	11	12
May 2025 TZ1	68	57	45	33	21	10	11
November 2024	72	60	47	35	20	9	12
May 2024 TZ2	73	61	49	37	23	11	12
May 2024 TZ1	73	59	45	31	19	8	14
November 2023 TZ2	72	60	46	34	19	9	12
May 2023 TZ2	74	61	49	35	22	10	13
May 2023 TZ1	71	57	44	30	17	8	14
November 2022 (exam route)	72	58	44	31	17	8	14
May 2022 TZ2 (exam route)	72	59	46	33	19	9	13
May 2022 TZ1 (exam route)	68	54	41	27	14	6	14
November 2021 (exam route)	73	58	45	30	18	9	15
May 2021 TZ2 (exam route)	66	53	42	29	17	8	13
May 2021 TZ1 (exam route)	65	51	39	25	13	7	14
November 2020	75	61	48	34	19	9	14
November 2019	75	61	50	37	20	10	14
May 2019 TZ2	72	60	49	36	23	11	12
May 2019 TZ1	72	59	48	35	21	10	13
November 2018	69	56	45	33	18	8	13
May 2018 TZ2	68	57	43	32	20	9	11
May 2018 TZ1	67	54	42	29	18	8	13
May 2017 TZ2	68	57	44	32	20	10	11
May 2017 TZ1	67	54	42	30	19	9	13

What do I need

IB Psychology HL: the mark you need, paper by paper

Session

Grade

In May 2025 TZ3 a 7 overall started at 74 out of 100 scaled marks. On each component:

Component	Out of	Minimum for a 7	As %
Internal assessment	22	17	77%
Paper 1	49	35	71%
Paper 2	44	39	89%
Paper 3	24	17	71%

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 Psychology HL (self-taught, pilot syllabus, regional or performance options).
Session	Option	7	6	5	4	3	2	Gap 6 to 7
May 2025 TZ3	P11	74	61	48	34	21	10	13
May 2025 TZ2	P11	73	60	47	33	22	10	13
May 2025 TZ2	P22	73	60	47	33	22	10	13
May 2025 TZ1	P11	73	60	47	34	22	10	13
May 2025 TZ1	P22	73	60	47	34	22	10	13
November 2024	P22	72	60	47	35	20	9	12
May 2024	pilot P11	73	61	49	36	23	11	12
May 2024	pilot P22	73	61	49	37	23	11	12

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)	72	58	44	31	17	8	14
May 2022 TZ2 (non-exam route)	76	63	50	37	19	9	13
May 2022 TZ1 (non-exam route)	78	69	53	42	28	14	9
November 2021 (non-exam route)	73	60	48	37	20	10	13
May 2021 TZ2 (non-exam route)	72	60	49	35	23	11	12
May 2021 TZ1 (non-exam route)	72	59	48	35	21	8	13

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 November 2025 the 7 started at 72% in TZ1 and at 73% in TZ3.

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 Psychology HL has averaged 70.1% in May and 72.6% 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 Psychology HL the 6 sits on average 12.8 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 75% or more on full mocks under exam conditions has a 7 in every session on record. A student at 65% has a 7 only on the hardest paper, and should plan for the 6 to 7 gap rather than assume it.

Sources

All 16 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 Psychology HL?

73% of the scaled marks in November 2025 TZ3. Over 16 sessions since May 2017 TZ1 the 7 has started between 65% and 75%, 70.9% 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 Psychology HL?

Between 11 and 15 on the 100-mark scale, 12.8 on average. In November 2025 TZ3 it was 12 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 Psychology HL grade boundaries going up or down?

The May 7 moved from 73% in May 2024 TZ2 to 74% in May 2025 TZ3. 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 Psychology HL?

Not in the boundaries: the 7 has averaged 70.1% in May sessions and 72.6% 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 16 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 Psychology HL grade boundaries: what you need for a 7