An IB score and an A-level offer are written in different currencies, and UK universities convert between them in two ways that do not agree. One is the UCAS tariff, a points system that counts every part of the Diploma. The other is the equivalence table a university publishes for its own offers, which cares mostly about your three Higher Level subjects.
This guide gives both, starting with the one that decides most offers.
Quick answer: There is no single official conversion. In published university equivalents, 40 IB points is roughly A*A*A, 38 is A*AA, 36 is AAA, 34 is AAB and 32 is ABB (University of Bristol figures, each with a minimum at Higher Level). In the UCAS tariff, an HL 7 is worth the same as an A-level A* (56 points) and an HL 6 the same as an A (48).
What is my IB score in A-levels?
Universities that make grade offers publish their own IB equivalents. The University of Bristol's table for IB applicants is one of the few that covers the full range, so it makes a useful reference:
| IB points (out of 45) | A-level equivalent | Higher Level points (three subjects) |
|---|---|---|
| 40 | A*A*A | 18 |
| 38 | A*AA | 18 |
| 36 | AAA | 18 |
| 34 | AAB | 17 |
| 32 | ABB | 16 |
| 31 | BBB | 15 |
| 29 | BBC | 14 |
A score between two rows meets the lower one: 39 points meets the A*AA equivalent, 35 meets AAB, 30 meets BBC. The Higher Level column is not decoration. 18 points across three HL subjects means 6, 6, 6 or 7, 6, 5, and a 38 made of strong Standard Level grades and weak Higher Level ones does not meet the A*AA line.
Other universities draw their bands in slightly different places. Treat the table as a map of where you stand, and the course page of the university you are applying to as the answer.
What is 38 IB points in A-levels?
At Bristol, 38 points with 18 at Higher Level is the A*AA equivalent. That makes 38 a strong score for most selective courses, and it is also where the Higher Level requirement starts to bite: a 38 with a 5 in the HL subject the course cares about is a weaker application than the total suggests.
What is 42 IB points equivalent to in A-levels?
42 is above Bristol's top published band, where A*A*A is 40 points. The most demanding offers go further: the University of Cambridge asks 41 to 42 points with 776 at Higher Level for Mathematics, a course whose A-level offer is A*A*A.
That is the pattern at the very top. Between 40 and 45 the total matters less and less, and the Higher Level grades matter more. A 43 with 766 at HL and a 41 with 776 at HL are not ranked by their totals.
The same holds for 43, 44 and 45 points. They meet every published A-level equivalent, and what separates applications at that level is the HL grades in the subjects the course asks for, plus everything outside the grades.
What is 24 IB points equivalent to?
24 is the lowest total that earns the Diploma, as long as each required component is passed. It sits below the equivalence bands universities like Bristol publish, whose lowest row is BBC at 29 points.
In that range the useful number is your UCAS tariff total, which the next section shows how to work out. It gives a like-for-like figure for courses that write their offers in tariff points.
How many UCAS points is the IB Diploma worth?
The Diploma itself does not carry tariff points. UCAS adds up the tariff of each part, according to its tariff tables, which apply to courses starting from September 2017.
| Higher Level grade | Tariff points | A-level grade with the same points |
|---|---|---|
| 7 | 56 | A* (56) |
| 6 | 48 | A (48) |
| 5 | 32 | C (32) |
| 4 | 24 | D (24) |
| 3 | 12 | none (an E is 16) |
| Standard Level grade | Tariff points |
|---|---|
| 7 | 28 |
| 6 | 24 |
| 5 | 16 |
| 4 | 12 |
| 3 | 6 |
Grades 1 and 2 carry no points at either level. Standard Level is sized like an AS level, which is why its points are roughly half. The Extended Essay and Theory of Knowledge carry their own points, 12 for an A down to 4 for an E, and CAS carries none.
A worked example shows why tariff totals for the IB look so large. Take a 38-point Diploma made of 7, 6, 6 at Higher Level, 6, 6, 5 at Standard Level and a B in both the Extended Essay and Theory of Knowledge:
- Higher Level: 56 + 48 + 48 = 152
- Standard Level: 24 + 24 + 16 = 64
- Extended Essay and TOK: 10 + 10 = 20
- Total: 236 tariff points
Three A-levels at A*AA come to 152. So the same student sits at A*AA in Bristol's table and at 236 tariff points, far above what three A-levels at those grades earn. Standard Level subjects and the core add points that have no A-level counterpart. A tariff offer is rarely what stops an IB student. The Higher Level grades usually are.
Is an IB Higher Level 5 equal to a B or a C at A-level?
Both, depending on who is counting.
In the tariff, an HL 5 is worth 32 points, the same as an A-level C. In offers, universities often read it more generously. Bristol, for example, turns a subject requirement into a Higher Level grade in that subject: a 7 for an A*, a 6 for an A, and a 5 for a B.
This is the single biggest source of confusion in IB-to-A-level conversion, and it explains why online calculators disagree. A calculator built on the tariff will call an HL 5 a C. An admissions tutor reading an IB offer will usually treat it as closer to a B. Which one applies to you depends on how the course writes its offer, and the course page will tell you.
Why do some tables say 45 IB points is 720 UCAS points?
Because they use the old tariff. Before the 2017 entry cycle, UCAS gave the IB much larger numbers: an HL 7 was 130 points and a full 45-point Diploma came to 720. The current tariff was introduced for courses starting in September 2017, and on it an HL 7 is 56.
Old tables still circulate on school and advice websites. If a conversion table shows 720, 130 or anything in that range, it predates the current system and is not what universities use.
Does the total or the Higher Level score matter more?
Offers usually specify both, and when they conflict, the Higher Level grades are the harder requirement to meet. Bristol's table sets an HL minimum on every row, and Cambridge writes its IB offers as a total plus three named HL grades.
If an A-level offer names a grade in a subject, expect the IB version to name a grade in that subject at Higher Level. That is why the practical question for a Diploma student is rarely "how do I add two points to my total?" and usually "which Higher Level subject is holding my predicted grades down?". One HL point raises both your total and your HL sum at once.
Where tutoring fits
If one Higher Level subject is the weak link in your predicted grades, that is the subject to get help with, ideally from someone who knows its IB assessment, the internal assessment as well as the final papers. Our guide to IB tutoring online covers what it costs and how to choose a tutor, and you can find an IB tutor by subject and compare rates before you book.
Applying to Germany rather than the UK? The IB converts to an Abitur grade with an official formula, set out in our IB to Abitur conversion guide. And if you are weighing the A-level route itself, our GCSE and A-level tutoring guide covers how that system works.
Key takeaways
- There is no single official IB to A-level conversion. Universities publish their own, and the tariff is a separate system.
- At Bristol: 40 points is A*A*A, 38 is A*AA, 36 is AAA, 34 is AAB, 32 is ABB, each with a Higher Level minimum.
- In the UCAS tariff, HL 7 = 56 (A*), HL 6 = 48 (A), HL 5 = 32 (C). Universities often read an HL 5 as a B in offers.
- Any table showing 45 IB points = 720 UCAS points uses the pre-2017 tariff.
- Above 40 points, the Higher Level grades decide more than the total.