Your grade journey
IB English A: Language and Literature SLgrade boundaries
Explore official boundaries. See where your marks take you.
SL15 official seriesMaximum mark 100
Exam series
Time zone
Flight log / May 2026
Grade boundaries
OfficialTime zone 1 · Out of 100
Grade 7
80
marks / 100
Grade 6
66
marks / 100
Grade 5
51
marks / 100
Grade 4
37
marks / 100
All grade thresholds
| Grade | Minimum mark | Mark range | % of maximum |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7 | 80 | 80–100 | 80% |
| 6 | 66 | 66–79 | 66% |
| 5 | 51 | 51–65 | 51% |
| 4 | 37 | 37–50 | 37% |
| 3 | 24 | 24–36 | 24% |
| 2 | 12 | 12–23 | 12% |
| 1 | 0 | 0–11 | 0.0% |
Component boundaries
Minimum raw mark for each grade on each part of the course. A guide only: your grade comes from the overall total.
| Component | Out of | 7 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paper 1 | 20 | 17 | 14 | 11 | 8 | 6 | 3 |
| Paper 2 | 25 | 20 | 16 | 12 | 8 | 5 | 3 |
| Internal assessment (oral) | 40 | 34 | 29 | 24 | 19 | 13 | 7 |
These boundaries apply to this exam series and route.
How these boundaries have changed
Time zone 1, every official series. Boundaries move each year with how hard the papers were.
| Series | 7 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 2026 | 80+2 | 66+3 | 51+2 | 37+3 | 24+2 | 12+1 | 0 |
| November 2025 | 82+4 | 70+5 | 55+2 | 43+4 | 30+4 | 14+2 | 0 |
| May 2025 | 78-1 | 63-2 | 49-2 | 34-2 | 22-1 | 11 | 0 |
| November 2024 | 78-7 | 65-5 | 53-3 | 39-2 | 26-1 | 12 | 0 |
| May 2024 | 79 | 65 | 51 | 36 | 23 | 11 | 0 |
| November 2023 | 85 | 70 | 56 | 41 | 27 | 12 | 0 |
| May 2023 | 79+2 | 65+5 | 51+5 | 36+1 | 23 | 11+1 | 0 |
| May 2022 | 77+6 | 60+3 | 46 | 35 | 23 | 10 | 0 |
| May 2021 | 71 | 57 | 46 | 35 | 23 | 10 | 0 |
+ higher than the same series a year earlier (harder to reach) · − lower (easier to reach).
Grade calculator
May 2026 · Time zone 1
Enter your total mark to see your grade.
80 marks needed for Grade 7.
Paper-by-paper entry isn’t available here: this subject's papers are weighted and the board doesn't publish the weighting factors in its boundary documents. Use your total subject mark from your results slip.
Frequently asked questions
What did you need for a grade 4 in English A: Language and Literature in May 2026?
In May 2026, grade 4 in IB English A: Language and Literature SL needed 37 out of 100 on time zone 1; 41 out of 100 on time zone 2; 38 out of 100 on time zone 3.
What was the boundary for a grade 7 in May 2026?
80 out of 100 on time zone 1; 79 out of 100 on time zone 2; 80 out of 100 on time zone 3 — the top grade for IB English A: Language and Literature SL in May 2026.
How is my grade worked out?
Each component (papers, internal assessment and any other coursework) is marked, then scaled to its weighting in the course. The scaled marks add up to a total out of 100, which is compared with the overall boundaries for your session and time zone. The component boundaries are a guide to how each part went; your grade comes from the overall total.
When will the next boundaries be published?
The IB releases grade boundaries to schools after each May and November session's results. Until then, any figures shown for a future session are Starley estimates, clearly labelled, based on recent sessions.
Why are there different boundaries for each time zone?
The IB sets different exam papers for different parts of the world (time zones 1, 2 and 3), so each time zone has its own boundaries. Smaller courses sit one set of papers everywhere, shown here as all time zones. Your IB coordinator can tell you which time zone your school is in.