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Do you need some guidance in preparing for your IB English A Language and Literature exams or writing your HL essay and are wondering how you can maximize your score? This post is here to help you identify the grade boundaries 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 English A Language and Literature Grade Boundaries
The following grade boundaries are based on official IB May 2025 grade boundaries.
Standard level
Points needed | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
Grade | Paper 1 | Paper 2 | Individual oral | Final grade (%) |
1 | 0-2 | 0-2 | 0-6 | 0-10 |
2 | 3-4 | 3-4 | 7-12 | 11-21 |
3 | 5-7 | 5-6 | 13-18 | 22-33 |
4 | 8-10 | 7-11 | 19-23 | 34-48 |
5 | 11-13 | 12-16 | 24-28 | 49-62 |
6 | 14-16 | 17-21 | 29-33 | 63-77 |
7 | 17-20 | 22-30 | 34-40 | 78-100 |
Higher level
Points needed | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Grade | Paper 1 | Paper 2 | Individual oral | HL Essay | Final grade (%) |
1 | 0-5 | 0-2 | 0-6 | 0-3 | 0-12 |
2 | 6-10 | 3-4 | 7-12 | 4-6 | 13-24 |
3 | 11-16 | 5-6 | 13-18 | 7-9 | 25-37 |
4 | 17-21 | 7-11 | 19-23 | 10-12 | 38-51 |
5 | 22-26 | 12-16 | 24-28 | 13-14 | 52-64 |
6 | 27-30 | 17-21 | 29-33 | 15-17 | 65-77 |
7 | 31-40 | 22-30 | 34-40 | 18-20 | 78-100 |
We hope that this guide helps you in planning your studies and IO preparation. For examples of how to structure a good HL essay check out this blog post here. Also, make sure to visit Clastify for tons of free IA examples. Good luck!
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