Dear Head of School/Coordinator,

On 5 July the IB released the results for over 174,000 students who have recently completed the Diploma Programme, the Career-related Programme or Diploma Programme Courses.

We would like to take this opportunity to congratulate all of the students for their well-deserved results. We would also like to thank all of the educators and school faculty who have supported these students. An IB education has always been about more than results and, this year, students have had to deal with a level of global disruption that has never been experienced before.

Every IB graduate should be proud of their achievements, not just in reaching this milestone, but in the great flexibility and commitment they have shown in overcoming such obstacles.

We know how important these results are for our students and their future plans. Results day is always met with mixed emotions. This year in particular we understand the heightened sensitivities for many in our community.  Some students are deeply disappointed by their results while others elated. This has been an extraordinary session and despite the many impacts of COVID-19, the stability of the results for students has been maintained for the May 2020 session in line with previous years.

We are providing a letter that you can share with parents which provides an overview of the assessment model and reassurance on the validity of results. You can download this letter here.

Key Results Statistics

Below you will find initial key statistics to assist you with interpreting assessment data and supporting your students. We are also sharing this data with universities worldwide to continue to support recognition of IB results this year.

 
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The graph above demonstrates the distribution of grades for students completing the IB Diploma Programme has been very stable for the past five years.

 
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The mean number of points awarded is also consistent with previous sessions. Although the average is slightly higher for May 2020 than in 2019.

 
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The table above demonstrates that the grade distributions at a subject group level. 

Further provisional statistics will be published on 9 July at 12 Noon GMT. Previous session’s statistical bulletins can be found here.

Please note that these statistics are provisional, and the final statistics will be produced at the end of the session once all Enquiry Upon Results (EUR) have been considered.

Enquiry Upon Results

Whilst the EUR service remains unchanged, there are some small differences to the process due to the exceptional session. Information regarding EURs for May 2020 session can be found here.

Recognition

Whilst we have had continued communication with universities and positive response to recognition of IB results for the May 2020 session, we understand some students may experience difficulties with recognition of their results.

We recommend that initially the students approach the admissions office of the university and reference the information here.

If necessary, as a next step, we would suggest the member of staff in your school responsible for the university applications makes a formal approach in writing to the university.

If neither of the previous steps has proven effective, then we would kindly request that you email support@ibo.org. Please provide the following information:

  • Candidate Name and Number
  • Name and country of the university
  • Contact email address for the university
  • Nature of the issue and discussion with the university to date

We will log and record each case and then provide you with a named member of the recognition team who will assist you with the case within three working days of your email.

Please note that the IB is not able to engage on behalf of the school or the student in cases where the student has not met the terms of their offer.

As a reminder, please also note that some results are sent through central processing institutes, such as University and College Admissions Service (UCAS), therefore some electronic results can take 48 hours to reach the individual universities and colleges. Some of our leading destinations receive several hundred sets of results and many will be working from home still, so please be patient as they process the results.

We very much hope that the IB, schools and universities will continue to work in partnership in the next academic year. We wish your graduating students the best as they move onto the next steps of their lives.

As always, if you have any questions or require any support please contact our dedicated team via support@ibo.org.

Keep well,
Paula Wilcock
Chief Assessment Officer