Click here to explore thousands of examiner marked IA, EE and TOK exemplars!
Are you in the process of preparing for your IB Chemistry exams or writing your IA and wondering how you can get the best possible grade? This post is here to help give you an idea of the grade boundaries for Chemistry so you can plan yourself accordingly. Keep in mind that these values change from session to session and hence are only an indicator of the approximate marks you would need for a certain grade, but feel free to use this guide as a planning tool!
IB Chemistry Grade Boundaries
The following grade boundaries are based on official IB May 2025 grade boundaries.
Standard level
Points needed | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Grade | Paper 1A | Paper 1B | Paper 2 | Practical Work | Final grade (%) |
1 | 0-6 | 0-3 | 0-7 | 0-3 | 0-15 |
2 | 7-8 | 4-6 | 8-14 | 4-6 | 16-27 |
3 | 9-10 | 7-9 | 15-18 | 7-10 | 28-37 |
4 | 11-13 | 10-11 | 19-24 | 11-13 | 38-48 |
5 | 14-16 | 12-14 | 25-29 | 14-16 | 49-59 |
6 | 17-19 | 15-16 | 30-35 | 17-19 | 60-70 |
7 | 20-29 | 17-25 | 36-50 | 20-24 | 71-100 |
Higher level
Points needed | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Grade | Paper 1A | Paper 1B | Paper 2 | Practical Work | Final grade (%) |
1 | 0-9 | 0-4 | 0-10 | 0-3 | 0-14 |
2 | 10-11 | 5-9 | 11-20 | 4-6 | 15-25 |
3 | 12-15 | 10-14 | 21-33 | 7-10 | 26-39 |
4 | 16-20 | 15-17 | 34-44 | 11-13 | 40-50 |
5 | 21-25 | 18-19 | 45-55 | 14-16 | 51-62 |
6 | 26-30 | 20-22 | 56-66 | 17-19 | 63-73 |
7 | 31-39 | 23-35 | 67-90 | 20-24 | 74-100 |
We hope that this guide helps you in planning your studies and IA writing. For examples on how to structure a good chemistry IA check out these blog posts (1 - topic ideas, 2 - format and structure, 3 - how to get started, 4 - top 10 mistakes to avoid). Also, make sure to visit Clastify for tons of free IA examples. Good luck!
The Fast Track To Your
Best IB Coursework & College Essays
All content on this website has been developed independently from and is not endorsed by the International Baccalaureate Organization. International Baccalaureate and IB are registered trademarks owned by the International Baccalaureate Organization.