10 March 10 (17:04 EAT)

IB Diploma and British A Levels Compared

The Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS) in the UK published an expert report in 2006 on the equivalency between British A Levels and the IB Diploma. The 79-page report* is available to download from http://www.ucas.com/website/documents/tariff/tariff_reports/ib.doc and gives some strong conclusions about the extremely high value of the IB Diploma in the UK. Some of these may be summarised as follows:
  • A Grade 7 (highest) in IB Higher Level is worth much more than a Grade A in an A Level
  • The ISM average IB diploma score of 33 points is worth more than four A grades at A Level!
  • A Grade 7 (highest) in IB Standard Level is worth much more than a Grade A in an AS Level
  • In some subjects a grade 7 in IB at only Standard Level is worth the same as a Grade A in a full A Level

British Universities rate the IB Diploma higher than A Level

The report clearly demonstrates the huge value placed on an IB Diploma by UK universities, and gives an indication of its worth worldwide. See the diagram below based on the 2009 UCAS tariff, which compares IB Diploma and A Level results.

* Ref: Expert Group Report for Awards seeking Admission to the UCAS Tariff - the International Baccalaureate, published February 2006, UCAS



New UCAS Points Tariff for 2010 Entry

Because of the sensitive nature of British concerns about the low rating of A Levels when compared with an IB Diploma, UCAS has slightly downgraded the IB points tariff with effect from 2010. The new tariff is indicated in the tables below or can be viewed in full on the UCAS website. Note that an A grade in British A Level is worth 120 UCAS points.

Diploma resultUCAS Points (2010)A Level Equivalent
45720A*A*A*A*A*
40611A*A*A*A*D
36523A*A*AA
32435AAAD
28348AAB
24260BBD


Also from 2010, students who do not achieve a full diploma (ie score fewer than 24 IB points) will be awarded UCAS points for IB certificates according to the following table:

IB Grade
(HL)		UCAS Points (2010)A Level EquivalentIB Grade
(SL)		UCAS Points (2010)AS Level Equivalent
7130A is worth 120770A is worth 60
6110B is 100659A
580C543C is 40
450D is 60427D
320E at AS Level311-


News Reports

Read the following UK news articles on the UCAS tariff:
  • BBC News
  • Daily Mail: A-level blow as Baccalaureate given same rating as 5 A grades
  • Daily Telegraph: Baccalaureate gets top marks at UCAS
  • Times Educational Supplement: Diploma better than As at A-Level
  • Guardian: Baccalaureate Pupils Numbers Rising
  • IBO Press Release


    • IB Grading System

    All IB subjects are graded according to the following scale:

    IB GradeDescription
    7Excellent
    6Very Good
    5Good
    4Satisfactory
    3Weak
    2Poor
    1Very Poor

    The Extended Essay and the Theory of Knowledge course are jointly graded with a maximum of 3 points.

    Diploma candidates add their points from the six subjects together with any additional points obtained from the Extended Essay and Theory of Knowledge.
    Students need a minimum of 24 points to obtain a Diploma and must not score a 1 or 2 in any Higher Level subject. Any grade below a 4 must be balanced by another grade above a 4 at the same level.
    A score of 30 or above is considered to be good. Scores of 35 or higher are excellent.

    UCAS Tariff for A Level and IB Diploma

    US High School Equivalent Grades

    Recent ISM IB Results

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