IB Tamil B SL Grade Boundaries: 78-85% for a 7

Overall boundaries, every session on record

Minimum scaled mark, out of 100, for each grade in IB Tamil B 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	80	66	52	37	26	12	14
November 2024	80	65	51	37	26	12	15
November 2023	80	67	51	37	27	12	13
November 2022 (exam route)	78	63	48	32	21	10	15
November 2021 (exam route)	78	64	49	35	22	11	14
November 2020	84	68	55	40	26	12	16
November 2018	85	70	57	41	24	12	15

What do I need

IB Tamil B SL: the mark you need, paper by paper

Session

Grade

In November 2024 a 7 overall started at 80 out of 100 scaled marks. On each component:

Component	Out of	Minimum for a 7	As %
Internal assessment (oral)	30	27	90%
Paper 1	30	24	80%
Paper 2 (listening)	25	20	80%
Paper 2 (reading)	40	31	78%

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)	78	63	48	32	21	10	15
November 2021 (non-exam route)	84	70	56	42	27	14	14

The gap between a 6 and a 7

In Tamil B SL the 6 sits on average 14.6 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 78% has a 7 only on the hardest paper, and should plan for the 6 to 7 gap rather than assume it.

Sources

All 7 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 Tamil B SL?

80% of the scaled marks in November 2025. Over 7 sessions since November 2018 the 7 has started between 78% and 85%, 80.7% 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 Tamil B SL?

Between 13 and 16 on the 100-mark scale, 14.6 on average. In November 2025 it was 14 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.

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 7 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 Tamil B SL grade boundaries: what you need for a 7