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IB Diploma Programme · Higher Level · Every session on record

IB English B HL Grade Boundaries

Every official grade boundary on record for English B at Higher Level — overall and component by component, straight from the IB's own grade boundary documents.

11 sessions 2021–2026 Grade 7: 79%–90% Free · no signup

Compiled by Evangelos Kotronis, active IB examiner · Updated 22 August 2026

Quick answer

In the most recent session on record (May 2026 TZ3), IB English B HL students needed 87/100 overall for a Grade 7, 71/100 for a Grade 6, and 41/100 for a Grade 4. Across all 11 sessions listed here the Grade 7 threshold has ranged from 79% to 90%.

IB English B HL grade boundaries by session

Mark ranges are inclusive — “42–54” means 42, 43 … 54 all earn that grade. Overall is the composite total out of 100 scaled marks. The percentage beneath each range is of that component's own maximum for that session, because paper totals shift slightly from one session to the next.

May 2026 TZ3 — IB English B HL

ComponentGrade 1Grade 2Grade 3Grade 4Grade 5Grade 6Grade 7
Overall0–1213–2613%+27–4027%+41–5641%+57–7057%+71–8671%+87–10087%+
Paper One0–34–713.3%+8–1226.7%+13–1743.3%+18–2260%+23–2776.7%+28–3093.3%+
Internal Assessment (oral)0–34–613.3%+7–1223.3%+13–1743.3%+18–2160%+22–2673.3%+27–3090%+
Paper Two Listening0–34–716%+8–1032%+11–1344%+14–1656%+17–1968%+20–2580%+
Paper Two Reading0–67–1317.5%+14–1635%+17–2342.5%+24–2960%+30–3675%+37–4092.5%+

May 2026 TZ2 — IB English B HL

ComponentGrade 1Grade 2Grade 3Grade 4Grade 5Grade 6Grade 7
Overall0–1213–2413%+25–3825%+39–5439%+55–6855%+69–8569%+86–10086%+
Paper One0–34–613.3%+7–1023.3%+11–1636.7%+17–2156.7%+22–2773.3%+28–3093.3%+
Internal Assessment (oral)0–34–613.3%+7–1223.3%+13–1743.3%+18–2160%+22–2673.3%+27–3090%+
Paper Two Listening0–34–716%+8–1032%+11–1344%+14–1656%+17–1968%+20–2580%+
Paper Two Reading0–67–1217.5%+13–1532.5%+16–2240%+23–2857.5%+29–3572.5%+36–4090%+

May 2026 TZ1 — IB English B HL

ComponentGrade 1Grade 2Grade 3Grade 4Grade 5Grade 6Grade 7
Overall0–1213–2713%+28–4228%+43–5643%+57–7157%+72–8672%+87–10087%+
Paper One0–34–713.3%+8–1126.7%+12–1640%+17–2256.7%+23–2776.7%+28–3093.3%+
Internal Assessment (oral)0–34–613.3%+7–1223.3%+13–1743.3%+18–2160%+22–2673.3%+27–3090%+
Paper Two Listening0–34–716%+8–1032%+11–1344%+14–1656%+17–1968%+20–2580%+
Paper Two Reading0–78–1520%+16–2040%+21–2552.5%+26–3165%+32–3680%+37–4092.5%+

November 2025 TZ3 — IB English B HL

ComponentGrade 1Grade 2Grade 3Grade 4Grade 5Grade 6Grade 7
Overall0–1213–2613%+27–4027%+41–5641%+57–7257%+73–8973%+90–10090%+
Paper One0–34–713.3%+8–1126.7%+12–1640%+17–2256.7%+23–2776.7%+28–3093.3%+
Internal Assessment (oral)0–34–613.3%+7–1223.3%+13–1743.3%+18–2160%+22–2673.3%+27–3090%+
Paper Two Listening0–34–616%+7–828%+9–1336%+14–1756%+18–2272%+23–2592%+
Paper Two Reading0–78–1420%+15–2037.5%+21–2552.5%+26–3165%+32–3680%+37–4092.5%+

November 2025 TZ1 — IB English B HL

ComponentGrade 1Grade 2Grade 3Grade 4Grade 5Grade 6Grade 7
Overall0–1112–2412%+25–3625%+37–5337%+54–7054%+71–8871%+89–10089%+
Paper One0–34–713.3%+8–1026.7%+11–1536.7%+16–2153.3%+22–2673.3%+27–3090%+
Internal Assessment (oral)0–34–613.3%+7–1223.3%+13–1743.3%+18–2160%+22–2673.3%+27–3090%+
Paper Two Listening0–34–616%+7–828%+9–1336%+14–1756%+18–2272%+23–2592%+
Paper Two Reading0–56–1115%+12–1530%+16–2240%+23–2957.5%+30–3675%+37–4092.5%+

November 2024 TZ2 — IB English B HL

ComponentGrade 1Grade 2Grade 3Grade 4Grade 5Grade 6Grade 7
Overall0–1213–2313%+24–3624%+37–5437%+55–7055%+71–8871%+89–10089%+
Paper One0–34–613.3%+7–923.3%+10–1533.3%+16–2053.3%+21–2670%+27–3090%+
Internal Assessment (oral)0–34–613.3%+7–1223.3%+13–1743.3%+18–2160%+22–2673.3%+27–3090%+
Paper Two Listening0–34–616%+7–928%+10–1340%+14–1856%+19–2276%+23–2592%+
Paper Two Reading0–67–1217.5%+13–1632.5%+17–2342.5%+24–2960%+30–3675%+37–4092.5%+

November 2024 TZ1 — IB English B HL

ComponentGrade 1Grade 2Grade 3Grade 4Grade 5Grade 6Grade 7
Overall0–1112–2312%+24–3824%+39–5539%+56–7256%+73–8973%+90–10090%+
Paper One0–34–613.3%+7–923.3%+10–1533.3%+16–2153.3%+22–2773.3%+28–3093.3%+
Internal Assessment (oral)0–34–613.3%+7–1223.3%+13–1743.3%+18–2160%+22–2673.3%+27–3090%+
Paper Two Listening0–34–616%+7–928%+10–1340%+14–1856%+19–2276%+23–2592%+
Paper Two Reading0–56–1115%+12–1930%+20–2550%+26–3065%+31–3677.5%+37–4092.5%+

November 2023 TZ2 — IB English B HL

ComponentGrade 1Grade 2Grade 3Grade 4Grade 5Grade 6Grade 7
Overall0–910–1910%+20–3220%+33–5233%+53–6853%+69–8869%+89–10089%+
Paper One0–34–613.3%+7–923.3%+10–1533.3%+16–2053.3%+21–2670%+27–3090%+
Internal Assessment (oral)0–34–613.3%+7–1223.3%+13–1743.3%+18–2160%+22–2673.3%+27–3090%+
Paper Two Listening0–23–512%+6–824%+9–1336%+14–1856%+19–2376%+24–2596%+
Paper Two Reading0–34–710%+8–1120%+12–1930%+20–2650%+27–3467.5%+35–4087.5%+

November 2023 TZ1 — IB English B HL

ComponentGrade 1Grade 2Grade 3Grade 4Grade 5Grade 6Grade 7
Overall0–89–199%+20–3220%+33–5133%+52–6852%+69–8869%+89–10089%+
Paper One0–23–510%+6–820%+9–1430%+15–2050%+21–2670%+27–3090%+
Internal Assessment (oral)0–34–613.3%+7–1223.3%+13–1743.3%+18–2160%+22–2673.3%+27–3090%+
Paper Two Listening0–23–512%+6–824%+9–1336%+14–1856%+19–2376%+24–2596%+
Paper Two Reading0–34–710%+8–1120%+12–1930%+20–2650%+27–3467.5%+35–4087.5%+

November 2022 — IB English B HL

ComponentGrade 1Grade 2Grade 3Grade 4Grade 5Grade 6Grade 7
Overall0–910–1710%+18–3018%+31–4831%+49–6649%+67–8467%+85–10085%+

November 2021 — IB English B HL

ComponentGrade 1Grade 2Grade 3Grade 4Grade 5Grade 6Grade 7
Overall0–89–179%+18–3118%+32–4732%+48–6248%+63–7863%+79–10079%+

Source: official IB Diploma Programme grade boundary documents and subject reports.

Is the Grade 7 boundary rising?

Averaged across the record, the Grade 7 threshold in the later sessions sits about 1.4 percentage points higher than in the earlier ones. In practice that means recent cohorts have needed a slightly larger share of the marks for a 7 than students sitting the earlier papers did.

Overall Grade 7 threshold (% of 100 scaled marks) — November 2021 to May 2026 TZ3

73%87%100%November 2021: 79%79November 2021November 2022: 85%85November 2022November 2023 TZ1: 89%89November 2023 TZ1November 2023 TZ2: 89%89November 2023 TZ2November 2024 TZ1: 90%90November 2024 TZ1November 2024 TZ2: 89%89November 2024 TZ2November 2025 TZ1: 89%89November 2025 TZ1November 2025 TZ3: 90%90November 2025 TZ3May 2026 TZ1: 87%87May 2026 TZ1May 2026 TZ2: 86%86May 2026 TZ2May 2026 TZ3: 87%87May 2026 TZ3

How to read these boundaries

Grade boundaries are not fixed targets. The IB resets them after every session so that each grade represents the same standard of work, whether that session's paper ran hard or easy. That is why the mark needed for a 7 in IB English B HL can move by several points from one session to the next while the syllabus stays identical.

For revision, use them as a calibration tool: sit a past paper under timed conditions, mark it against the official markscheme, then check what that total would have earned in the session that paper is from — not the most recent one. Comparing your marks component by component, rather than only the overall total, is what tells you where the marks are actually going.

The 6-to-7 gap is small

Across these sessions the distance between a 6 and a 7 has averaged just 17.5 marks out of 100 (narrowest 15, widest 20). On a paper marked out of 100 scaled marks, that is a handful of well-argued sentences.

Use the right session

The Grade 7 boundary here has swung 11 percentage points between November 2021 (79%) and November 2024 TZ1 (90%). Marking a past paper against the wrong session's boundaries can mislead you by a whole grade.

Components move independently

The overall boundary is a composite. Individual papers are graded on their own scales and can be far more or less forgiving than the overall figure suggests, which is why every component is listed separately in the tables above.

Frequently asked questions

What percentage do you need for a 7 in IB English B HL?

Across the 11 sessions on record, the overall Grade 7 boundary for IB English B HL has ranged from 79% (November 2021) to 90% (November 2024 TZ1) of the 100 available scaled marks. In the most recent session on this page, May 2026 TZ3, it was 87%. There is no fixed percentage: the IB resets the boundary after every session so that a 7 represents the same standard of work regardless of how hard that particular paper turned out to be.

How many marks separate a 6 from a 7 in IB English B HL?

On the overall 100-mark scale, the gap between the Grade 6 and Grade 7 boundaries has averaged 17.5 marks, ranging from 15 to 20 marks. In May 2026 TZ3 a 7 started at 87 and a 6 at 71 — a 16-mark gap. That is a much smaller distance than most students assume, and it is usually closed with exam technique rather than extra content.

Do IB grade boundaries change every year?

Yes. They are set after each examination session by the IB's grade award process, once senior examiners have seen how candidates actually performed on that specific paper. For IB English B HL the overall Grade 7 threshold has moved by 11 percentage points between its lowest and highest session on record. This is why you should always compare a past paper score against the boundaries from the session that paper is from, not the most recent session.

Why are there different timezones (TZ1, TZ2, TZ3) for IB English B HL?

Candidates in different parts of the world sit different versions of the same examination so that papers cannot be leaked across time zones. Each version is graded separately with its own boundaries, which is why you will see TZ1, TZ2 and TZ3 listed with slightly different thresholds for the same month. Always use the boundaries for the timezone your paper was actually sat in.

Related grade boundaries

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