Understanding IB Scores

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IB Scores

For TJHS, DP scores are released on July 6 each year after all assessments for the course have been submitted. Students can log in to candidates.ibo.org to see their scores. Login information is given to each student before graduation. Additional information about the release of IB scores can be found in the IBO document General Regulations: Diploma Programme linked on our homepage. Graduates, send an email to the DP Coordinator if you need help accessing your scores.

Students can also indicate one college or university to receive the transcript of their scores from IBO for evaluation. Seniors give this information to the DP Coordinator before graduation. After scores are released, if a student needs to send the transcript to another institution, instructions can be found on rrs.ibo.org.

Unlike RPS grades that take into account homework, classwork, and formative assessments, the DP score is based wholly on the summative assessments prescribed for each course. Subject classes are scored on a 1-7 scale while Theory of Knowledge and the Extended Essay, two of the three DP Core requirements, are scored A-E. Creativity, Activity, Service (CAS) is reported to IB as complete/incomplete. These scoring structures are explained in greater detail in the following sections.

Scores for Subject Classes

Graduates receive a final score of 1-7 for subject classes. Usually, there are three or four assessment components for each class, which each make up a percentage of the total score. Most colleges and universities that award college credit for IB coursework determine whether a student has earned credit and how much based on this final score. All scholars enrolled in both years of a DP course who complete all assessment components for that course will receive a report of their final scores. Students who fail to submit one or more assessment components for a course or who fail to demonstrate academic integrity in an assessment component become ineligible for a score in that course. See the documents Learning and Assessment in RPS Secondary IB Programmes and Academic Integrity in RPS Secondary IB Programmes on our homepage for more information.

For students who are full candidates for the IB Diploma, each score also represents a number of points they earn toward the Diploma.

Scores for the Diploma Core

The three requirements of the Diploma Core are scored differently.

Theory of Knowledge and the Extended Essay

The Theory of Knowledge (TOK) course and the Extended Essay (EE) have a final grade of A-E. Assessments in TOK include one Internal Assessment and one Classroom-based External Assessment. The Extended Essay is a Classroom-based External Assessment. At TJHS, students work on the EE as part of the TOK course.

Students who are full candidates for the IB Diploma can earn up to three additional points toward the Diploma through TOK and EE. Their scores for each are placed on a matrix that shows how many additional points they have earned. See the Core Points Matrix on the IBO website.

Creativity, Activity, Service

Students completing Creativity, Activity, Service (CAS) meet with their faculty advisor at least three times over the 18 months of the program. The advisor's role is to help the student monitor their progress toward submitting a complete portfolio at the end of the program. At the end of a student's CAS program, the advisor assesses their portfolio and determines whether the student has met all aspects of the CAS requirement. This is reported to IB as either:

Complete: all requirements have been met, documentation is complete, and necessary evidence is provided; or
Incomplete: one or more requirements have not been met and/or documentation is incomplete and/or some necessary evidence is missing.

IB-DP Assessment Types

Internal Assessments

Depending on the course, 20-33% of the final score is derived from the Internal Assessment (IA). Internal Assessments are practical work related to the nature and goals of the course that the student completes during the course of the class. For some courses, the IA may be scheduled to be completed during the junior year; students draft others during the junior year and finalize them during the senior year; in other classes, IAs are part of the senior year curriculum. Each teacher will share the timeline with their class. Once it is finalized, the teacher scores the IA using the criteria found in each subject's curriculum guide. These scores are then submitted to IB moderators, who select a sample to check and ensure that the teacher's scoring is in line with IB's global scoring standards. If the teacher's scoring in found to be too generous or too strict, scores for the whole group are adjusted to compensate.

External Assessments

The rest of the final score is derived from External Assessments. We send External Assessments to IB for their official scoring. There are two types of External Assessment: classroom-based External Assessments and exams.

Classroom-Based External Assessments

Some courses require an externally scored assessment that is prepared during the course. These are generally longer essays or research-based writing that benefits from drafting and revision before submission for grading. Subjects that have this type of assessment include English: Language and Literature Higher Level, courses in the arts, and Theory of Knowledge. The Extended Essay is also scored externally. It should be noted that the DP arts courses taught at TJHS have two classroom-based External Assessments, but they do not have exams.

Exams

All subject courses other than the arts have spring exams. IBO schedules the date and time for each exam, with testing starting in late April and ending the third or fourth week of May. For each course, the exams are titled "Paper 1," "Paper 2," and so forth, with one or two "papers" given one afternoon and an additional paper given on a subsequent morning. At the end of each exam, students' responses are collected, sealed, and sent to IBO for scoring. Students must sit for the exams when they are scheduled: there are no makeup dates. A student must be in good standing with the school to sit for exams. More information on IB exam procedures and expectations is shared with students and families in the weeks leading up to the exam window.

Earning the IB Diploma

TJHS Diploma Programme students become full candidates for the IB Diploma when they:

Enroll in both years of six subject courses (one from each subject group, or one from each group except the arts, with a second course in the science group). Three courses are Higher Level and three are Standard Level. On occasion, and when scheduling permits, a student may register for four Higher Level subjects and two Standard Level.
Enroll in both years of Theory of Knowledge and complete the three components of the Diploma Core: the TOK course, the Extended Essay, and Creativity, Activity, Service (CAS).

To earn the IB Diploma, students must:

Submit all assessment components for each subject course to earn a score for each course,
Submit all assessment components for TOK and the Extended Essay to earn a score in each,
Complete all necessary elements of the CAS requirement,
Earn at least 24 points total while meeting the points distribution requirements explained in the additional conditions below:

Additional Conditions

Earn at least a score of 2 for each subject course. A score of 1 is a failing condition and the student is ineligible for the IB Diploma.
Have no more than two scores of 2,
Have no more than three scores of 3,
Earn at least 12 points from the three Higher Level (HL) subjects. If a candidate has four HL subjects, the three highest scores count.
Earn at least 9 points from three Standard Level (SL) subjects. If a candidate has only two SL subjects, they must earn at least 5 points from the SL subjects.
Earn at least a D in Theory of Knowledge and Extended Essay. A score of E is a failing condition and the student is ineligible for the IB Diploma.

See the IBO website for all passing criteria for the IB Diploma, including the Core Points Matrix for determining points earned for TOK and the Extended Essay.