On July 6, the IB released scores for the May 2022 exam session. IB students throughout the world take culminating exams over three weeks in May of 12^th grade (and in November for schools in the southern hemisphere). Every subject has two or three tests that each last between 1 and 2 ½ hours. Students also submit a variety of assessments done at school throughout the 2-year program, which are graded externally. They include practical work in science, oral commentaries of previously unseen texts, original music compositions, orals in world language, and other subject-specific assessments. With the interruption to learning caused by the pandemic, the IB made some modifications to the number of assessments required and employed statistical studies to ensure accurate grading but did not relax their high standards for achievement. The IB Diploma program continues to be recognized as one of the most challenging high school curriculums worldwide.

 

• Each of the students’ required 6 subjects receives a score from 0 - 7 (42 points maximum). A 7 is a rare achievement in any course.
• The grades from the Extended Essay and the Theory of Knowledge final essay (both letter grades) provide 0 – 3 additional points for a possible overall total of 45. The minimum score needed to obtain the diploma is 24. The world average score varies annually between 29 and 30.
• 79% of students worldwide achieve the diploma. At GEMS, 100% of our Diploma Candidates achieved the diploma.
• The number of IB candidates in the world who achieve a perfect score of 45 represents approximately one-third of one percent.
• For an idea of the scores required for admission by the most selective non-U.S.* universities:
  Oxford University: 39
  Imperial College London: 38
  McGill University (Canada): 33 for Faculty of Arts, 36 for Faculty of Arts & Science, 36 for Faculty of Science