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IB Physics Grade Distribution

Latest data: May 2026Provisional

In May 2026, 39.4% of IB Physics HL students and 23.6% of SL students got a 6 or 7. The most common grades were 5 and 7 at HL (20.5% each) and 3 at SL (24.7%).

Compared with May 2025, the grade 6 or 7 rate was up from 37.1% at HL and up from 22.1% at SL.

Physics grade distribution by session

The share of students at each grade at HL and SL in every session since November 2021, newest first, with the mean grade and number of students. The chart shows May 2026.

Share of IB Physics students at each grade at HL and SL, May 2026.
IB Physics grade distribution by session and level, newest first
Session and level1234567N6 or 7Mean gradeStudents
May 2026 HLprovisional0.34.414.819.520.518.920.51.139.45.019,035
May 2026 SLprovisional1.57.124.722.119.012.511.11.923.64.314,461
November 2025 HL0.35.116.717.714.817.424.83.242.25.02,354
November 2025 SL0.815.328.422.214.28.69.41.218.04.02,327
May 2025 HL0.34.815.019.822.217.919.20.937.14.917,984
May 2025 SL1.38.725.923.017.111.810.31.922.14.214,442
November 2024 HL0.36.118.114.114.317.727.12.344.85.02,213
November 2024 SL1.424.630.413.210.09.88.91.818.73.72,090
May 2024 HL0.64.717.418.721.316.719.61.136.34.916,470
May 2024 SL1.710.325.719.517.113.010.52.123.54.213,498
November 2023 HL0.76.914.414.515.418.327.62.245.95.11,748
November 2023 SL1.726.725.711.212.110.111.11.421.23.81,957
May 2023 HL0.34.817.221.021.518.616.6—35.24.8115,030
May 2023 SL0.710.526.023.018.112.69.1—21.74.2112,888
November 2022 HL0.03.611.113.915.521.234.7—55.95.441,622
November 2022 SL0.821.326.018.111.38.913.7—22.63.991,922
May 2022 HL0.23.011.420.123.621.420.2—41.65.0914,465
May 2022 SL0.35.217.426.222.215.812.9—28.74.6412,981
November 2021 HL1.40.09.814.216.719.038.9—57.95.591,492
November 2021 SL0.26.924.425.217.99.915.5—25.44.462,056

Percentage of students at each grade, as published. The grade 6 or 7 rate is the two shares added.

  • These bulletins print no N (no grade) column, so grades 1-7 are shares of the students who received a grade, and N is shown as —. (November 2021, May 2022, November 2022, May 2023)
  • These bulletins include N (no grade) in the total, so grades 1-7 add up to less than 100% and are measured on a slightly different basis from sessions without an N column. (November 2023, May 2024, November 2024, May 2025, November 2025, May 2026)
  • Grade cells the bulletin leaves blank are shown as 0.0%. (November 2021, May 2022, November 2022, May 2023, May 2024, May 2025)
  • The IB states that these results combine examination and non-examination assessment routes, which were used during the COVID-19 disruption. (May 2022)

How Physics grades changed since May 2025

The share of students at each grade in May 2026, and how it changed from May 2025, in percentage points.

IB Physics grade shares, May 2026, and the change from May 2025
GradeHL May 2026HL changeSL May 2026SL change
720.5%+1.311.1%+0.8
618.9%+1.012.5%+0.7
520.5%−1.719.0%+1.9
419.5%−0.322.1%−0.9
314.8%−0.224.7%−1.2
24.4%−0.47.1%−1.6
10.3%0.01.5%+0.2
6 or 739.4%+2.323.6%+1.5

May 2026 figures are provisional.

  • Grade cells the bulletin leaves blank are shown as 0.0%. (May 2025)

Physics grade 6 or 7 rate by session

The share of students awarded a 6 or 7 at HL and SL in every session since November 2021. Solid lines are May sessions and dashed lines November, a much smaller session. For 7s alone, see what percentage of students get a 7 in IB Physics.

Share of IB Physics students awarded a 6 or 7 at HL and SL by year, May and November sessions.
IB Physics grade 6 or 7 rate by session, newest first, with the change from a year earlier
SessionHLHL changeSLSL change
May 2026provisional39.4%+2.323.6%+1.5
November 202542.2%−2.618.0%−0.7
May 202537.1%+0.822.1%−1.4
November 202444.8%−1.118.7%−2.5
May 202436.3%—23.5%—
November 202345.9%—21.2%—
May 202335.2%−6.421.7%−7.0
November 202255.9%−2.022.6%−2.8
May 202241.6%—28.7%—
November 202157.9%—25.4%—

Change: the difference from the same session a year earlier, May from May and November from November, in percentage points.

—: no result for that session, or none a year earlier to compare it with.

Grade shares from November 2023 count students with no grade (N) and earlier ones don't, so changes across that point aren't shown.

More Physics statistics

Compare with other subjects

Source and methodology

These statistics are from the International Baccalaureate's statistical bulletins. The latest data shown is from the May 2026 assessment session.

About this data

  • May and November are separate assessment sessions. November is much smaller and mostly taken by schools in the southern hemisphere, so its figures aren't directly comparable with May's.
  • The May 2026 figures are from the IB's provisional bulletin and may change when the final bulletin is published.
  • Older bulletins call the people sitting the exams “candidates” and newer ones “students”. This site says “students” throughout.
  • “<10” means the IB didn't publish the exact number because fewer than 10 students took the subject. These figures are never estimated or counted as zero.
  • The grade 7 rate is the share of students the bulletin reports at grade 7. The grade 6 or 7 rate is calculated by IBonomics by adding the published shares for grades 6 and 7. Every other figure is as published.
  • From November 2023 the bulletins include students who received no grade (N) in each subject's percentages, so grades 1 to 7 add up to slightly less than 100%. Earlier bulletins give percentages of graded students only.
  • Bulletins up to May 2023 print figures to two decimal places and later ones to one. Each figure is shown as printed, and changes are compared at the lower precision.

IBonomics is not affiliated with or endorsed by the International Baccalaureate.