Marks and the IB Programme

Students enrolled in the full IB Diploma Programme must take 6 courses, 3 courses
must be at the Higher Level (HL) and 3 courses must be at the Standard Level (SL). As
well, students must write a research essay, complete CAS hours and take the TOK
course. At Dr. J.H. Gillis students can test out of up to 2 SL courses in May of their
grade 11 year. At Dr. J.H. Gillis, students writing French SL and/or Biology SL will test
out in May of their grade 11 year. Those choosing French HL and/or Biology HL will
write in May of the following year, along with their other IB exams.
Students report cards will reflect IB 1-7 marks based on IB assignments and tests
administered throughout the term. IB students receive report cards at the same time as
other High School students. However, since final IB examinations are written in May of
each year, the April mark is the final mark for grade 12 IB students. At graduation, IB
Diploma students receive two transcripts - a Nova Scotia transcript which reflects the
NS converted percentages (as in table below) and a Nova Scotia IB Diploma transcript.
Both transcripts are sent to Universities for admissions purposes. IB Certificate
students receive one transcript only, the same transcript as all other Nova Scotia High
School students, with percentage grades. For comparison, universities usually accept a
final IB mark of 5, 6, or 7 as criteria for advanced credit in Higher Level courses. It is
recommended that students and their parents go to the university recognition section on
this page to determine what total score individual universities are looking for when
granting scholarships or advanced credit or admissions.

The following table is a summary of the 1 to 7 grade descriptors used by IB.

Grade 7
Grade 6
Grade 5
Grade 4
Grade 3
Grade 2
Grade 1

Excellent Performance
Very Good Performance
Good Performance
Satisfactory Performance
Mediocre Performance
Poor Performance
Very Poor Performance

The Nova Scotia Department of Education has created the following conversion scale
that is to be used by all IB schools in Nova Scotia:

IB Grade
7
6
5
4
3
2
1

NS Converted Grade
99-100%
92-98%
84-91%
77-83%
70-76%
50-69%
Not Acceptable

A complete set of regulations and rules for Awarding the IB Certificate can be found in
the document General Regulations: Diploma Programme, Article 15. All parents and
students are required to read this document. In order to gain an IB Diploma, a student
needs to accumulate 24 points. One exception to the rule is for students who score a
two or less on a Higher Level exam. If this is the case, then the total marks a student
has to accumulate increases to 28. As well, another important regulation is that students
must accumulate at least 12 points in their HL courses. Candidates should note that the
highest potential overall score a student can attain in IB is 45 points. This is made up of
the six exams, totaling a possible 42 points (7 points per exam). The final three points
are from the Extended Essay and TOK paper. IB uses a grading matrix that cross
references the level attained in the Extended Essay with the level from the TOK paper.
Theory of Knowledge
A
B
A
+3
+3
B
+3
+2
C
+2
+1
D
+2
+1
E
+1
0

C
+2
+1
+1
0
0

D
+2
+1
0
0
0

E
+1
0
0
0
F

For example, a student who receives an A for the Theory of Knowledge paper and a
C for the Extended Essay will be given two points. As can be seen in the above matrix,
the maximum number of points granted to an IB student from TOK and their Extended
Essay is three. This, combined with the exam total, adds up to the full 45 points.

Students should be aware that a grade of D ie passing grade, is required on both the
Extended Essay and Theory of Knowledge submissions to be granted the Diploma.