IB Mathematics, by the numbers
I analysed the official IB Statistical Bulletins and 105 subject reports. How many students get a 7, what a 7 takes, and how to choose between HL and SL, all in numbers.
Grade distribution by year: how many get a 7?
May sessions. Each bar is 100% of candidates worldwide that year; orange is grade 7 and navy is grade 6. The figure on the right is the share of 7s.
- 5 or below
- Grade 6
- Grade 7
AA HL
2025: 24,966 candidatesShow as a table
| Year | 5 or below | Grade 6 | Grade 7 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 68% | 19% | 13% |
| 2021 | 49% | 26% | 25% |
| 2022 | 56% | 23% | 21% |
| 2023 | 63% | 22% | 15% |
| 2024 | 63% | 22% | 15% |
| 2025 | 64% | 20% | 16% |
AA SL
2025: 42,358 candidatesShow as a table
| Year | 5 or below | Grade 6 | Grade 7 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 79% | 15% | 6% |
| 2021 | 59% | 24% | 17% |
| 2022 | 63% | 23% | 14% |
| 2023 | 71% | 19% | 10% |
| 2024 | 73% | 18% | 9% |
| 2025 | 74% | 17% | 9% |
2019 is the previous course (Mathematics HL/SL). 2021 and 2022 were the COVID-adjusted years.
Source: IB Diploma Programme Final Statistical Bulletin, May 2019 · 2021–2025
A 7 is 1 in 6 at HL and 1 in 11 at SL
AA HL students with a 7 in 2025
Share of 7s by year (%)
AA SL students with a 7 in 2025
Share of 7s by year (%)
The high grade rates of the COVID years (2021–22) are over. Since 2023, about 15% of HL and about 10% of SL candidates get a 7.
Source: IB Final Statistical Bulletin, May 2019 · 2021–2025. 2019 is the previous Mathematics course.
Grade boundaries: how many marks out of 100 for a 7?
The orange band starts at the lowest total for a 7 in that session. Totals combine the papers and the IA by their weightings, scaled to 100.
AA HL
7 boundary 70–79 · average 74Show as a table
| Session | 7 boundary |
|---|---|
| 2023 May | 70 |
| 2023 Nov | 78 |
| 2024 May | 75 |
| 2024 Nov | 79 |
| 2025 May | 73 |
| 2025 Nov | 75 |
AA SL
7 boundary 65–80 · average 75Show as a table
| Session | 7 boundary |
|---|---|
| 2022 May | 68 |
| 2022 Nov | 75 |
| 2023 May | 77 |
| 2023 Nov | 80 |
| 2024 May | 76 |
| 2024 Nov | 80 |
| 2025 May | 69 |
| 2025 Nov | 80 |
Where a session had more than one time zone, the value shown is the average across time zones. The range and average are calculated across all time-zone boundaries. There is no 2022 HL subject report, so HL starts in 2023.
Source: IB Mathematics: analysis and approaches subject reports, May 2022 – Nov 2025
What exam percentage does a 7 need?
The IA (internal assessment) is 20% of the grade. The more IA marks a student secures first, the lower the exam target.
Weighted exam average needed for a 7 (HL: P1 30 · P2 30 · P3 20 / SL: P1 40 · P2 40)
| IA mark (out of 20) | HL · average boundary 74 | HL · high boundary 79 | SL · average boundary 75 | SL · high boundary 80 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20 (full marks) | 68% | 74% | 69% | 75% |
| 17 (HL IA boundary for a 7) | 72% | 78% | 73% | 79% |
| 14 | 75% | 82% | 77% | 83% |
| 11 | 79% | 85% | 80% | 87% |
Example
An HL student with 17 in the IA needs about 72% across the exams at the average boundary, or 78% to be safe in a high-boundary year.
Calculation: (total boundary for a 7 − IA mark) ÷ 0.8, rounded up. Boundaries are the average and highest values in the 2022–2025 subject reports. The IB rounds each component, so actual results can differ by about 1 mark.
HL or SL: how to decide
| AA HL | AA SL | |
|---|---|---|
| Exam papers | P1 and P2, 110 marks each + P3, 55 marks | P1 and P2, 80 marks each |
| Weighting | 30 · 30 · 20 + IA 20 | 40 · 40 + IA 20 |
| Average 7 boundary (range) | 74 (70–79) | 75 (65–80) |
| Share of 7s, 2025 | 16.4% | 9.2% |
| Mean grade, 2025 | 4.9 | 4.5 |
HL has a higher share of 7s not because it is easier, but because students who are strong in maths choose HL.
Start with what the intended course requires
Many top engineering, mathematics, physics and economics courses ask for AA HL. For example, Cambridge Engineering asks for AA HL and Physics HL with 41–42 points, and LSE Economics (2027 entry) asks for 39 points with 7-6-6 at HL and a 7 in Mathematics.
The student’s current maths level
HL has three exams, including the problem-solving Paper 3. If Grade 10 maths is not secure, a 7 at SL can sometimes help an application more than aiming for HL.
The load of the other HL subjects
Decide by the total workload of all three HL subjects, and check how long the school allows subject changes at the start of the year.
Sources: IB subject reports · Final Statistical Bulletin May 2025, University of Cambridge Engineering admissions, LSE BSc Economics (2027/28 entry). University requirements change every year, so check them again when applying.
A new course from the 2029 exams
- Feb 2027
New guide published
The IB releases the final course.
- Aug 2027
First teaching
At schools starting in August, today’s Grade 10 students begin the DP.
- Nov 2028
Last exams of the current course
Today’s Grade 11 and 12 students finish on the current course.
- May 2029
First exams of the new course
Today’s Grade 10 students sit them first.
Content only gets smaller
No new topics. Financial applications and bivariate statistics (correlation and regression) are removed at SL and HL; proof by counterexample and Euler’s method are removed at HL.
Smaller exams
SL: Papers 1 and 2 go from 80 to 75 marks. HL: Papers 1 and 2 go from 110 to 100 marks, and Paper 3 from 55 to 50 marks and from 75 to 60 minutes.
New IA criteria
Five criteria become four, the same at SL and HL (20 marks): problem specification 4 · abstraction 6 · computation 4 · interpretation 6. Existing IA examples and tips will not carry over directly.
The course structure (AA and AI, SL and HL) and the core topics (functions and calculus) stay the same. Which year group is affected depends on when the school year starts.
Source: IB, “Mathematics: analysis and approaches updates” (ibo.org)
Four things for parents
A 7 means the top 10–16%
The high grade rates of the COVID years (2021–22) are over: about 1 in 6 at HL and 1 in 11 at SL.
Aim for the high boundary, not the average
The 7 boundary moves by more than 10 marks between sessions (65–80 at SL). Aim for around 80% across the exams.
Secure the IA first
The IA boundary for a 7 (HL 17 · SL 18) is fixed, and the IA mark changes the exam target.
Choose HL from course requirements; today’s Grade 10 is on the new course
Recheck university requirements when applying. Students sitting the first exams in 2029 should choose books and past papers that match the new syllabus.
Check your child’s HL/SL choice with data
In the IB Pathway Diagnostic (90 minutes, S$500), we review the student’s grades and intended major and set out a subject combination and target scores.
This is an independent analysis of public IB statistics and subject reports by Math with Alex. It is not affiliated with or endorsed by the International Baccalaureate Organization.
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