IB Mathematics: Analysis and Approaches SL 2025 Grade Boundaries Guide
If you are sitting IB Mathematics: Analysis and Approaches SL in 2025, you probably want clear numbers. How many marks do you need for a 7? How safe is a 5? What does your exploration actually do to your final grade?
Grade boundaries can feel abstract, yet they are very simple. A boundary is just the minimum total mark needed for each IB grade from 1 to 7. Once you see the 2025 boundaries in one place, they become a useful planning tool instead of a source of stress.
This guide uses the May 2025 AA SL grade boundaries and patterns from recent sessions. You will see how IB combines exam papers and the exploration into a total out of 100, what ranges match each grade, and how to convert those ranges into realistic study targets.
By the end, you will know what marks you should aim for on Paper 1, Paper 2, and the exploration to reach your goal, whether that is a secure 4 or a strong 7.
What Are IB Maths AA SL Grade Boundaries and Why They Matter in 2025
Grade boundaries link raw marks to final IB grades. They turn your scores on exams and coursework into the 1 to 7 grade printed on your results.
IB sets these boundaries after each exam session. The goal is that a 7 in one year represents the same standard as a 7 in another year, even if one paper was slightly harder.
Simple definition of IB grade boundaries for AA SL
A grade boundary is the lowest total mark that still earns a certain grade.
Imagine that the subject is marked out of 100 in total. IB might decide:
- 70 is the boundary for a 7
- 60 is the boundary for a 6
If you score 69, you get a 6. If you score 70, you get a 7. The boundary is that line where one grade changes into the next.
The real AA SL system has more boundaries, from 1 to 7, and slightly different numbers, but the idea is the same. Each final grade has a minimum total mark.
How IB uses exam and exploration marks to decide your final grade
For Mathematics AA SL, your grade comes from three main parts:
- Paper 1 (non-calculator)
- Paper 2 (calculator allowed)
- Internal Assessment, called the Exploration
Each part has a raw mark. Paper 1 and Paper 2 are each marked out of 80. The exploration is marked out of 20.
IB then scales and combines these marks to give a single total out of 100. That total is compared with the grade boundary table for May 2025. Your final grade depends on which band your total falls into.
You do not need to copy the exact scaling process. For your planning, you only need to know that all three components contribute to the same final total, and that the final total decides whether you reach the boundary for a 4, 5, 6, or 7.
If you want more background on how IB subjects are structured, the official Diploma Programme overview is a helpful reference.
IB Mathematics: Analysis and Approaches SL 2025 Grade Boundaries Explained
For May 2025, IB expresses the final AA SL grade on a scale of 0 to 100. Your combined performance on both papers and the exploration is placed somewhere on this scale.
The 2025 boundaries look similar to recent years. A total of 80 or more out of 100 is usually needed for a 7. Most students aiming high treat 80 as the minimum and set a safer target above this.
2025 AA SL overall grade boundaries out of 100 marks
The May 2025 final grade boundaries for IB Mathematics: Analysis and Approaches SL are:
| Final Grade | Total Mark Range (out of 100) |
|---|---|
| 7 | 80–100 |
| 6 | 67–79 |
| 5 | 53–66 |
| 4 | 37–52 |
| 3 | 26–36 |
| 2 | 13–25 |
| 1 | 0–12 |
This means:
- You need at least 80 for a 7.
- You need at least 67 for a 6.
- You need at least 53 for a 5.
- You need at least 37 for a 4.
Think of these as lines on a number line. Your combined score lands somewhere. The line it crosses decides your grade.
How Paper 1, Paper 2, and the Exploration affect your 2025 grade
Your total out of 100 comes from:
- Paper 1: out of 80
- Paper 2: out of 80
- Exploration: out of 20
For May 2025, the grade boundaries for each paper look like this:
- Paper 1 and Paper 2 (each out of 80)
- Grade 7: about 64–80
- Grade 6: about 54–63
- Grade 5: about 43–53
- Grade 4: about 32–42
- Exploration (out of 20)
- Grade 7: 18–20
- Grade 6: 15–17
- Grade 5: 12–14
- Grade 4: 9–11
These are not added directly as 80 + 80 + 20. IB scales them to fit the 100 point final scale. Still, they give you a useful picture.
For a 7, many successful students in 2025 will score something like:
- Around 64 or more on Paper 1
- Around 64 or more on Paper 2
- Around 18 to 20 on the exploration
You do not need perfect marks in each part, but steady strength across all three creates a much safer path. High marks on one paper can help if the other paper is lower, and a strong exploration can support your final total.
How 2025 AA SL boundaries compare with recent exam sessions
The May 2025 AA SL boundaries are very close to those from recent years. A final total of about 80 has also been enough for a 7 in earlier sessions, with similar gaps between the other grades.
In practice, this means you can treat recent past papers and recent grade boundaries as a good guide. When you mark a 2022 or 2023 paper and compare your score to those older boundaries, the grade you estimate is usually close to what you would get under the 2025 system.
There can still be small shifts across sessions, so you should avoid treating any single number as a guarantee. Aim to score a few marks above the boundary you need. That extra margin protects you against small changes.
How Many Marks You Need for Your Target Grade in IB Maths AA SL
The 2025 grade boundaries become most useful when you turn them into clear goals. Instead of just saying “I want a 6”, you can say “I want at least 72 out of 100, with balanced marks on both papers and a solid exploration”.
The ranges give you a band. You should usually aim near the top of that band, not just the minimum, to give yourself breathing space.
Below are practical targets for the most common goals: 7, 6, 5, and 4.
Score goals for a Level 7 in IB Maths AA SL 2025
A 7 requires 80 to 100 out of 100. Many students find it helpful to set a working goal of about 85, so that small errors or a slightly harder paper do not drop them into the 6 band.
Here are two realistic mark combinations that usually put you in 7 territory:
Example A, very strong overall
- Paper 1: 68 out of 80
- Paper 2: 69 out of 80
- Exploration: 19 out of 20
Example B, strong exploration helping slightly lower papers
- Paper 1: 64 out of 80
- Paper 2: 65 out of 80
- Exploration: 20 out of 20
Both profiles show consistent strength. The second set has slightly lower paper scores, but the perfect exploration supports the final total.
Key ideas for a 7:
- Treat 64 on each paper as a rough minimum, not a final target.
- Aim for 18 or more on the exploration.
- Reduce the number of questions where you lose easy marks.
If your current mock scores sit around the low 70s on the 100 scale, a 7 is in reach. You can track your progress by marking full past papers and converting the scores using the 2025 boundaries, then logging them in a simple spreadsheet.
Score goals for Levels 6, 5, and 4 and what they mean
A 6, 5, or 4 can still be a strong outcome, especially when balanced with your other IB subjects. These bands also map to different levels of understanding.
Targeting a Level 6 (67–79)
A 6 means solid understanding of the AA SL syllabus. You can usually handle standard questions on algebra, functions, calculus, and probability, but you may struggle with the most complex parts of the problem solving questions.
A typical Level 6 profile might look like:
- Paper 1: around 55–60 out of 80
- Paper 2: around 55–60 out of 80
- Exploration: around 15–17 out of 20
You sit safely above the 67 boundary if your scaled total reaches the low 70s. Students who want a 6 should focus on consistency: do well on every simple question, then collect some marks even on the hardest ones.
Targeting a Level 5 (53–66)
A 5 shows that you have a reasonable grasp of the main ideas, but there are gaps. You might be fine with routine differentiation or basic probability, yet less confident with functions that mix several ideas at once.
A likely Level 5 score pattern is:
- Paper 1: around 45–50 out of 80
- Paper 2: around 45–50 out of 80
- Exploration: around 12–14 out of 20
This keeps you above the 53 boundary, especially if your exploration is solid. If you are currently around a 5 and want a 6, aim to boost each paper by about 5 to 8 marks by fixing common errors and strengthening one or two weak topics.
Targeting a Level 4 (37–52)
A 4 is often viewed as a pass in IB terms. It shows that you understand the basics of the course but need more confidence with multi-step questions.
A Level 4 profile might look like:
- Paper 1: around 35–40 out of 80
- Paper 2: around 35–40 out of 80
- Exploration: around 9–11 out of 20
If you need a 4 for university entry, it is smart to aim for a 5 in your revision. That higher target reduces pressure. If the exam feels slightly harder than expected, you are still likely to stay above the 4 boundary.
For extra practice on core skills that support a 4 or 5, many students use the free exercises in Khan Academy’s math courses alongside IB-style questions.
Study Strategies to Reach Your 2025 IB Maths AA SL Grade Goal
Knowing the boundaries is helpful only if you connect them to action. Your focus should be simple: use 2025 grade ranges to set targets, then train with material that looks like the real exam.
The strategies below link directly to the main AA SL topics and to the structure of Papers 1 and 2.
Use past papers and mark schemes to match 2025 boundaries
Past papers are the most direct way to see if you are near a 7, 6, or 5.
A practical routine:
- Pick a full AA SL past paper pair (Paper 1 and Paper 2).
- Sit each paper in exam conditions with correct timing.
- Mark your work with the official mark scheme.
- Compare your raw marks to the approximate 2025 paper boundaries.
If you score around 54–63 on a paper, that is close to a 6. If you score around 64 or higher, you are in 7 range for that paper.
Record each attempt in a table with:
- Date
- Paper number
- Raw mark out of 80
- Estimated grade from the paper boundaries
- Topics that lost the most marks
Over time, this table shows whether you are moving closer to your target band on the 100 point scale and which question types pull you down.
Focus on core AA SL topics that give the most marks
Some topics appear in almost every AA SL paper. If you gain confidence here, your score rises across the board.
Key areas include:
- Algebra: equations, inequalities, sequences, and series
- Functions: graphs, transformations, inverse and composite functions
- Calculus: limits, derivatives, basic integrals, and applications like optimization
- Probability and statistics: binomial distribution, normal distribution, and data analysis
A focused approach could look like this:
- Make a one page formula sheet for each topic, written by hand.
- Do short, mixed problem sets that combine two or three of these areas.
- After solving a question, explain your reasoning out loud, as if teaching a friend.
This last step often reveals weak spots in understanding. If you cannot explain why a method works, that topic needs more work.
Strengthen your Exploration to support your final grade
The exploration is a chance to add up to 20 marks that do not depend on exam day nerves. For students near a boundary, a strong exploration can lift the final grade.
To aim for 18 or more:
- Choose a clear mathematical question that matches AA SL level. For example, modeling a real world situation with functions or exploring patterns with sequences.
- Use correct notation and definitions, and keep your structure logical with headings and clear paragraphs.
- Show your reasoning step by step. Explain why you chose each method, not only how you used it.
You should also compare your draft to the official exploration criteria. The mark descriptions in the IB guide make it clear what examiners look for in communication, mathematical presentation, and personal engagement. For broader context on internal assessments, the IB subject pages in the Diploma Programme curriculum section are useful.
Aim for a solid, clear, and honest piece of work. You do not need university level mathematics. Quality of reasoning, accuracy, and clear writing matter far more than advanced content.
Conclusion
Grade boundaries for IB Mathematics: AA SL in 2025 give you a clear map. A 7 sits at 80 or more out of 100, a 6 from 67 to 79, a 5 from 53 to 66, and a 4 from 37 to 52. Your marks on Paper 1, Paper 2, and the exploration combine into this single total.
When you translate those ranges into target scores for each component, you turn a vague wish like “I want a 6” into a concrete plan, for example “I will aim for high 50s on both papers and at least 15 on the exploration”. That kind of plan guides your revision choices.
Steady work with past papers, attention to core topics such as functions, calculus, and probability, and a thoughtful exploration can all move you up a band. Choose a clear goal, write down target marks for each part, and plan your next month of study around that plan.
Small, regular steps add up. With a calm, consistent approach, the 2025 grade boundary you are aiming for can become a realistic result.