In the most recent session on record (May 2026), IB Film HL students needed 85/100 overall for a Grade 7, 71/100 for a Grade 6, and 43/100 for a Grade 4. Across all 6 sessions listed here the Grade 7 threshold has ranged from 81% to 85%.
IB Film 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 — IB Film HL
| Component | Grade 1 | Grade 2 | Grade 3 | Grade 4 | Grade 5 | Grade 6 | Grade 7 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | 0–13 | 14–2914%+ | 30–4230%+ | 43–5643%+ | 57–7057%+ | 71–8471%+ | 85–10085%+ |
| Collaborative Film Project | 0–3 | 4–716.7%+ | 8–1033.3%+ | 11–1345.8%+ | 14–1758.3%+ | 18–2075%+ | 21–2487.5%+ |
| Comparative Study | 0–4 | 5–915.6%+ | 10–1531.3%+ | 16–1950%+ | 20–2462.5%+ | 25–2878.1%+ | 29–3290.6%+ |
| Film Portfolio | 0–3 | 4–616.7%+ | 7–929.2%+ | 10–1341.7%+ | 14–1658.3%+ | 17–2070.8%+ | 21–2487.5%+ |
| Textual Analysis | 0–4 | 5–917.9%+ | 10–1235.7%+ | 13–1646.4%+ | 17–1960.7%+ | 20–2371.4%+ | 24–2885.7%+ |
November 2025 — IB Film HL
| Component | Grade 1 | Grade 2 | Grade 3 | Grade 4 | Grade 5 | Grade 6 | Grade 7 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | 0–13 | 14–2814%+ | 29–4029%+ | 41–5441%+ | 55–6955%+ | 70–8270%+ | 83–10083%+ |
| Collaborative Film Project | 0–3 | 4–716.7%+ | 8–933.3%+ | 10–1241.7%+ | 13–1654.2%+ | 17–1970.8%+ | 20–2483.3%+ |
| Comparative Study | 0–5 | 6–1018.8%+ | 11–1534.4%+ | 16–1950%+ | 20–2462.5%+ | 25–2878.1%+ | 29–3290.6%+ |
| Film Portfolio | 0–3 | 4–616.7%+ | 7–929.2%+ | 10–1341.7%+ | 14–1658.3%+ | 17–2070.8%+ | 21–2487.5%+ |
| Textual Analysis | 0–4 | 5–817.9%+ | 9–1132.1%+ | 12–1542.9%+ | 16–1957.1%+ | 20–2371.4%+ | 24–2885.7%+ |
November 2024 — IB Film HL
| Component | Grade 1 | Grade 2 | Grade 3 | Grade 4 | Grade 5 | Grade 6 | Grade 7 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | 0–13 | 14–2614%+ | 27–3827%+ | 39–5239%+ | 53–6653%+ | 67–8067%+ | 81–10081%+ |
| Collaborative Film Project | 0–3 | 4–616.7%+ | 7–829.2%+ | 9–1137.5%+ | 12–1550%+ | 16–1866.7%+ | 19–2479.2%+ |
| Comparative Study | 0–4 | 5–815.6%+ | 9–1428.1%+ | 15–1846.9%+ | 19–2359.4%+ | 24–2775%+ | 28–3287.5%+ |
| Film Portfolio | 0–3 | 4–616.7%+ | 7–929.2%+ | 10–1341.7%+ | 14–1658.3%+ | 17–2070.8%+ | 21–2487.5%+ |
| Textual Analysis | 0–4 | 5–817.9%+ | 9–1132.1%+ | 12–1542.9%+ | 16–1957.1%+ | 20–2271.4%+ | 23–2882.1%+ |
November 2023 — IB Film HL
| Component | Grade 1 | Grade 2 | Grade 3 | Grade 4 | Grade 5 | Grade 6 | Grade 7 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | 0–13 | 14–2714%+ | 28–3828%+ | 39–5339%+ | 54–6754%+ | 68–8268%+ | 83–10083%+ |
| Collaborative Film Project | 0–3 | 4–716.7%+ | 8–933.3%+ | 10–1241.7%+ | 13–1654.2%+ | 17–1970.8%+ | 20–2483.3%+ |
| Comparative Study | 0–4 | 5–815.6%+ | 9–1328.1%+ | 14–1843.8%+ | 19–2259.4%+ | 23–2771.9%+ | 28–3287.5%+ |
| Film Portfolio | 0–3 | 4–616.7%+ | 7–929.2%+ | 10–1341.7%+ | 14–1658.3%+ | 17–2070.8%+ | 21–2487.5%+ |
| Textual Analysis | 0–4 | 5–817.9%+ | 9–1132.1%+ | 12–1542.9%+ | 16–1957.1%+ | 20–2371.4%+ | 24–2885.7%+ |
November 2022 — IB Film HL
| Component | Grade 1 | Grade 2 | Grade 3 | Grade 4 | Grade 5 | Grade 6 | Grade 7 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | 0–13 | 14–2614%+ | 27–3827%+ | 39–5439%+ | 55–6755%+ | 68–8268%+ | 83–10083%+ |
November 2021 — IB Film HL
| Component | Grade 1 | Grade 2 | Grade 3 | Grade 4 | Grade 5 | Grade 6 | Grade 7 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | 0–12 | 13–2313%+ | 24–3024%+ | 31–4531%+ | 46–6546%+ | 66–8066%+ | 81–10081%+ |
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 has been essentially flat — the later half of these sessions sits within a point of the earlier half. The variation you see is session-to-session paper difficulty, not a drift in standards.
Overall Grade 7 threshold (% of 100 scaled marks) — November 2021 to May 2026
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 Film 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 14.3 marks out of 100 (narrowest 13, widest 15). 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 4 percentage points between November 2021 (81%) and May 2026 (85%). 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 Film HL?
Across the 6 sessions on record, the overall Grade 7 boundary for IB Film HL has ranged from 81% (November 2021) to 85% (May 2026) of the 100 available scaled marks. In the most recent session on this page, May 2026, it was 85%. 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 Film HL?
On the overall 100-mark scale, the gap between the Grade 6 and Grade 7 boundaries has averaged 14.3 marks, ranging from 13 to 15 marks. In May 2026 a 7 started at 85 and a 6 at 71 — a 14-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 Film HL the overall Grade 7 threshold has moved by 4 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.
Related grade boundaries
Know the boundary. Now close the gap.
A grade that landed just under a boundary is usually four or five marks of exam technique, not four or five marks of missing knowledge. I mark these papers — I can show you which marks went missing and why.
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