IB points calculator — your diploma score out of 45
Enter your six subject grades and your TOK and EE letters to get your IB Diploma total, including the core bonus points from the official matrix. Free, instant, and no sign-up.
Free to use · No sign-up · Uses the official TOK/EE points matrix
Add up your diploma score
Six subjects, TOK, and the EE — the core bonus is applied through the official matrix as you type.
Your IB score
30 from subjects + 2 core points
A study-planning aid using the published IB scoring rules, not an official IB service. The diploma also requires CAS completion and the subject-grade conditions listed below.
How TOK and the EE become bonus points
Your six subjects give you up to 42 points. The last three come from Theory of Knowledge and the Extended Essay, combined through this matrix — unchanged since the 2015 sessions.
| TOK \ EE | EE A | EE B | EE C | EE D | EE E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TOK A | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | Failing |
| TOK B | 3 | 2 | 2 | 1 | Failing |
| TOK C | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | Failing |
| TOK D | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | Failing |
| TOK E | Failing | Failing | Failing | Failing | Failing |
An E in either Theory of Knowledge or the Extended Essay is a failing condition: the diploma is not awarded, whatever your subject total.
How the IB Diploma is actually scored
Each of your six subjects is graded from 1 to 7, so the subjects alone carry a maximum of 42 points. Theory of Knowledge and the Extended Essay are graded A to E and combined through the core matrix for up to 3 more, giving the famous maximum of 45. CAS — creativity, activity, service — must be completed but carries no points. That is the whole arithmetic: there is no weighting between HL and SL in the total, and no rounding. A 7 in HL Chemistry and a 7 in SL Spanish ab initio are worth the same three digits, however different they felt to earn.
The passing conditions catch more people than the total does
You need at least 24 points for the diploma, but 24 points alone is not enough. The conditions that matter in practice: CAS completed; no E in TOK or the Extended Essay; no grade 1 in any subject; at most two grade 2s; at most three grades of 3 or below; and at least 12 points across your HL subjects and 9 across your SL subjects. Every May, students with comfortable totals miss the diploma on one of these — most often the HL floor after a bad exam in a strong candidate's weakest higher. If your predicted profile is anywhere near a condition, that subject is where your revision hours should go, not your best one.
What a "good" IB score is depends entirely on the door
The only number that matters is the one printed on your target course's entry requirements. Selective UK courses publish IB offers directly (often with subject-specific HL conditions), US universities read the transcript holistically, and most European universities publish a required total. Comparing your score to a global average tells you nothing actionable — comparing it to the three courses you actually want to apply to tells you everything. Look those up first, then work backwards to the subject grades that get you there.
Predicted grades move — that is the point of them
Your predicted total is built from school assessments long before the final exams, and universities make offers on it. That cuts both ways: a strong mock season can raise the prediction that opens a door, and finals still decide whether you walk through it. Treat this calculator as a planning tool — try the realistic case and the stretch case, see which subjects move your total most, and notice how the core matrix means a B/B in TOK and the EE quietly outscores a whole grade jump in one subject.
The score comes from the study system, not the calculator
IB students drown in their own material: two years of notes, labs, readings, and past essays across six subjects plus the core. The difference between a 5 and a 7 is rarely more material — it is turning the material you already have into active recall. That is what Scholarly is for: upload your own notes and readings, and get flashcards, quizzes, and study guides built from them, with citations back to your sources so you can check anything that looks off.
Keep exploring
Now go and earn the points
The calculator tells you where you stand. These turn your own notes and readings into the revision that moves it.
IB to UCAS points converter
Applying to the UK? Convert your IB grades into UCAS Tariff points.
UCAS points calculator
Add up UCAS Tariff points across A levels, BTECs, and more.
Revision timetable maker
Turn your subjects, real hours, and exam dates into a day-by-day plan.
Study schedule generator
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PDF to flashcards
Turn your class notes and readings into flashcards you can drill.
Revision notes generator
Condense a chapter or slide deck into clean revision notes.
IB points questions
What is the maximum IB score?
45 points: up to 42 from six subjects graded 1–7, plus up to 3 bonus points from Theory of Knowledge and the Extended Essay combined through the core matrix.
How are the 3 core points calculated?
TOK and the Extended Essay are each graded A to E, and the pair is looked up in the official matrix. A/A or A/B gives 3 points, A/C, A/D, B/B, or B/C gives 2, B/D or C/C gives 1, and C/D or D/D gives 0. The matrix is symmetric — it does not matter which component has which grade.
What happens if I get an E in TOK or the EE?
An E in either component is a failing condition: the diploma is not awarded regardless of your subject total. It is the single harshest rule in the scoring system, which is why leaving the Extended Essay to the last minute is a genuinely bad bet.
Is 24 points enough to pass the IB?
24 is the minimum total, but you also need the conditions: CAS complete, no E in TOK or the EE, no grade 1, at most two 2s, at most three grades of 3 or below, at least 12 HL points, and at least 9 SL points. Miss any one of them and the diploma is not awarded even with more than 24 points.
Do HL and SL subjects count differently in the total?
No — a 6 is worth 6 points at either level. The level matters in two other places: the passing conditions require at least 12 points across your HLs, and universities frequently set HL-specific conditions in offers, like "6 in HL Mathematics".
How do IB points convert to UCAS points?
The UK tariffs the IB per component: each HL subject, each SL subject, TOK, and the EE carry their own UCAS points — an HL 7 is worth 56, the same as an A* at A level. Use our IB to UCAS converter to add yours up; the diploma total itself is not what UCAS counts.
Are predicted grades the same as final grades?
No. Predicted grades are your school's forecast, and universities make conditional offers on them; final grades come from the May or November exams plus internal assessment. Use the calculator for both — your realistic case and the profile your offers actually require.
Is this calculator official?
No. It applies the published IB scoring rules — the 1–7 subject scale and the TOK/EE matrix — but it is a study-planning aid, not an IB service. Your school's IB coordinator and your official results are the source of truth.
45 points is a study-system problem
Scholarly turns two years of your own notes, readings, and labs into flashcards, quizzes, and study guides with citations back to your sources — six subjects and the core, one workspace.
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