Global Statistics - 2025
IBDP Music within the Global Context
Twice a year, the IB releases a range of statistics about the DP in the form of statistical bulletins. These documents contain assessment information more broadly as well as individual subjects. These pages offer you a summary of the statistics specifically in regards to music, namely the number of students who take the subject at both SL and HL, as well as the percentages awarded in each of the grade levels.
General Global Statistics in Music for May 2025
Some of the statistics for music are as follows:
(These figures have been extracted from the IB Statistical Bulletin for May and Nov 2025 and both sessions in 2024, as well as the totals for 2023 and 2022). If you wish to progress even further back, earlier statistical summaries are available to you as well. However, data produced before 2022 may be misleading as it relates to the previous syllabus and not the latest iteration that was first assessed (in a limited capacity) in May 2022.
Number of Students Taking IBDP Music
Sessions | SL | HL | Totals |
May 2025 | 1543 | 1470 | 3013 |
Nov 2025 | 149 | 261 | 410 |
Total for 2025 | 1692 | 1731 | 3423 |
May 2024 | 1696 | 1373 | 3069 |
Nov 2024 | 141 | 260 | 401 |
Total for 2024 | 1837 | 1633 | 3470 |
Total for 2023 | 1797 | 1633 | 3430 |
Total for 2022 | 1722 | 1800 | 3522 |
The total number for this May has essentially remained steady (a slight decrease of 1.35% from the same assessment period in 2024). However, for the first time in a calendar year (2025) for this new syllabus (first assessed in May 2022), the SL numbers have dropped, and rather significantly from the 2024 totals (7.89% in fact). Further, this is actually the lowest number of students that have collectively (3423) taken the course since its inception (although essentially equivalent to the 2023 levels). Nevertheless, the number of higher level students have made a marked increase (6% increase).
Students are awarded a Grade on a scale of 1 to 7 for each of their subjects, based on their total percentages for their internal and external assessment (no examinations are required for Group 6 subjects). You may view these pages for more details (click HERE).
There are changes to how the percentages are converted for each subject in each assessment period. In other words, for one cohort 79% in music, for example, may be enough to be awarded grade "7", but in other years, it may only be enough for a grade "6".
There is an overview of the grade boundaries since May 2022 in IBDP Music to be found HERE.
In May 2025, the percentages of students receiving 0-3 points for the CORE (EE and TOK combined) are as follows:
May 2025 in Comparison to Other May Assessment Periods
| Session | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
M25 | 17.9% | 24.8% | 45.5% | 11.7% |
| M24 | 19.6% | 25.2% | 43.8% | 11.4% |
| M23 | 22.1% | 26.7% | 41.4% | 9.7% |
| M22 | 17.6% | 24.7% | 44.6% | 13.1% |
The significant drop in the number of candidates receiving either 2 or 3 points in May 2023 (totalling 51.1%), which was somewhat rectified in May 2024 (55.2%), continues to increase in May 2025 (57.2%). Consequently, the number of candidates who were awarded zero points, moves back to May 2022 levels.
Nov 2025 in Comparison to Other Nov Assessment Periods
| Session | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| N25 | 14.5% | 26.0% | 47.8% | 11.7% |
| N24 | 16.7% | 27.4% | 44.4% | 11.5% |
| N23 | 19.5% | 27.1% | 42.8% | 10.6% |
| N22 | 17.1% | 25.6% | 43.8% | 13.5% |
The percentage of the number of students receiving zero points has dropped further to the lowest level ever (14.5%). At the other end of the spectrum, the number of students receiving either 2 or 3 points is the highest ever as well (59.5%), surpassing the previous high of 57.3% achieved in November of 2022.
For an understanding of the CORE point matrix, see below, which indicates the bonus points awarded for the grades awarded in both TOK and the EE.
TOK/EE | A | B | C | D | E |
A | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | Fail |
B | 3 | 2 | 2 | 1 | Fail |
C | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | Fail |
D | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | Fail |
E | Fail | Fail | Fail | Fail | Fail |
For more on this, you may visit Music & Theory of Knowledge (TOK).
Here is a summary of the number of students who selected the Arts for their Extended Essay in May 2025 (in GREEN) compared with the May 2022, May 2023 and May 2024 results, as well as totals globally for all subjects:
| Sessions | A | B | C | D | E | N | Total |
M25: Arts | 899 | 1357 | 2367 | 1502 | 104 | 55 | 6229 |
| M24: Arts | 852 | 1282 | 2360 | 1567 | 157 | 80 | 6298 |
| M23: Arts | 884 | 1322 | 2212 | 1565 | 164 | 58 | 6205 |
| M22: Arts | 1157 | 1385 | 2107 | 1076 | 93 | 100 | 5918 |
| M25: Arts % | 14.3 | 21.6 | 37.7 | 23.9 | 1.7 | 0.9 | 100% |
| M24: Arts % | 13.5 | 20.4 | 37.5 | 24.9 | 2.5 | 1.3 | 100% |
| M23: Arts % | 14.2 | 21.3 | 35.6 | 25.2 | 2.6 | 0.9 | 100% |
| M22: Arts % | 19.6 | 23.4 | 35.6 | 18.2 | 1.6 | 1.7 | 100% |
| M25 Global Totals | 11038 | 28389 | 41879 | 18281 | 717 | 559 | 100,304 |
| M24 Global Totals | 10254 | 25107 | 39390 | 18946 | 1042 | 738 | 95477 |
| M23: Global Totals | 9305 | 22345 | 37256 | 20348 | 1208 | 685 | 91147 |
| M22: Global Totals | 12330 | 25219 | 34586 | 14867 | 571 | 978 | 88551 |
| M25 Global Totals % | 10.9 | 28.1 | 41.5 | 18.1 | 0.7 | 0.6 | 100% |
| M24 Global Totals % | 10.7 | 26.3 | 41.3 | 19.8 | 1.1 | 0.8 | 100% |
| M23: Global Totals % | 10.2 | 24.5 | 40.9 | 22.3 | 1.3 | 0.8 | 100% |
| M22: Global Totals % | 13.9 | 28.5 | 39.1 | 16.8 | 0.6 | 1.1 | 100% |
This May 2025 session has bucked the trend in the number of As and Bs awarded in the Arts, which was on a downward trajectory from 2022 (As: 19.6% to 14.2% to 13.5% and Bs: 23.4% to 21.3% to 20.4%). In May 2025, the percentage of As (14.3%) and Bs (21.6%) return to similar levels from May 2023 (As: 14.2% and Bs: 21.3%). As for the percentages of As in particular, this is encouraging, as this outpaces the global totals, which have remained relatively steady since May 2023 (10.2%, 10.7% and 10.9%). With regards to the percentage of Bs, the arts is considerably lower than the average number awarded globally (up to 28.1% percentage in May 2025).
The top three most chosen subjects for the Extended Essay in May 2025 remain as they were for May 2024:
- English A
- History
- Business Management*
*Psychology, which was in 3rd position in May 2023 and May 2022, but relegated to 4th in May 2024 remains outside the top three subject choices for the Extended Essay in this session.
The summary of the number of students who selected the Arts for their Extended Essay in Nov 2025 is as follows:
| Sessions | A | B | C | D | E | N | Total |
N25 Arts | 181 | 278 | 302 | 80 | 1 | 2 | 844 |
| N24 Arts | 195 | 238 | 350 | 105 | 7 | 4 | 899 |
| N23 Arts | 192 | 270 | 325 | 112 | 4 | 10 | 913 |
| N22 Arts | 215 | 215 | 242 | 80 | 3 | 9 | 764 |
N25 Arts % | 21.4 | 32.9 | 35.8 | 9.5 | 0.1 | 0.2 | 100% |
| N24 Arts % | 21.7 | 26.5 | 38.9 | 11.7 | 0.8 | 0.4 | 100% |
| N23 Arts % | 21.0 | 29.6 | 35.6 | 12.3 | 0.4 | 1.5 | 100% |
| N22 Arts % | 28.1 | 28.1 | 31.7 | 10.5 | 0.4 | 1.2 | 100% |
N25 Global Totals | 1995 | 5209 | 6387 | 1834 | 29 | 72 | 15454 |
| N24 Global Totals | 1959 | 4534 | 6078 | 1792 | 45 | 80 | 14488 |
| N23 Global Totals | 1751 | 4297 | 5629 | 1845 | 63 | 90 | 13675 |
| N22 Global Totals | 1893 | 4141 | 4791 | 1271 | 19 | 95 | 12210 |
N25 Global Totals % | 12.8 | 33.6 | 41.1 | 11.8 | 0.2 | 0.5 | 100% |
| N24 Global Totals % | 13.5 | 31.3 | 42.0 | 12.4 | 0.3 | 0.6 | 100% |
| N23 Global Totals % | 12.8 | 31.4 | 41.2 | 13.5 | 0.5 | 0.7 | 100% |
| N22 Global Totals % | 15.5 | 33.9 | 39.2 | 10.4 | 0.2 | 0.8 | 100% |
The Arts continues to outperform the global trends with the number of As awarded. For the past three sessions (Nov 23, Nov 24 and Nov 25), the percentage of As has been hovering around 21% (21.0%, 21.7% and 21.4% respectively), which is significantly higher than As awarded in other subjects (12.8%, 13.5%, and 12.8%). There was also a significant increase in the percentage of Bs awarded this session (32.9%), which brings it in line with global averages (33.6%).
The top three chosen subjects for the Extended Essay in Nov 2025 remain as they were in all three previous assessment periods (Nov 2022, Nov 2023, Nov 2024):
- History
- Spanish A
- English A
In May 2025, TOK grade distribution and percentage were as follows (in GREEN):
| Sessions | A | B | C | D | E | N | Total |
M25 Number | 10340 | 37824 | 42518 | 10204 | 182 | 668 | 101,068 |
| M24 Number | 9386 | 34103 | 41770 | 10005 | 238 | 767 | 96269 |
| M23 Number | 7002 | 31447 | 42494 | 10097 | 190 | 631 | 91861 |
| M22 Number | 8116 | 31128 | 40094 | 8776 | 189 | 996 | 89299 |
M25 % | 10.2 | 37.2 | 41.8 | 10.0 | 0.2 | 0.7 | 100% |
| M24 % | 9.7 | 35.4 | 43.4 | 10.4 | 0.2 | 0.8 | 100% |
| M23 % | 7.6 | 34.2 | 46.3 | 11.0 | 0.2 | 0.7 | 100% |
| M22 % | 9.1 | 34.9 | 44.9 | 9.8 | 0.2 | 1.1 | 100% |
The statistics for Nov 2025 are as follows:
| Sessions | A | B | C | D | E | N | Total |
N25 Number | 1187 | 5890 | 7027 | 1217 | 13 | 71 | 15334 |
| N24 Number | 883 | 4955 | 7072 | 1342 | 12 | 88 | 14352 |
| N23 Number | 995 | 4475 | 6336 | 1682 | 16 | 70 | 13574 |
| N22 Number | 946 | 4130 | 5338 | 1605 | 33 | 69 | 12121 |
N25 % | 7.7 | 38.2 | 45.6 | 7.9 | 0.1 | 0.5 | 100% |
| N24 % | 6.2 | 34.5 | 49.3 | 9.4 | 0.1 | 0.6 | 100% |
| N23 % | 7.3 | 33.0 | 46.7 | 12.4 | 0.1 | 0.5 | 100% |
| N22 % | 7.8 | 34.1 | 44.0 | 13.2 | 0.3 | 0.6 | 100% |
The May 2025 statistics show a continued increase in the percentage of As and Bs awarded (now up to 10.2% and 37.2% respectively), the highest percentages since the first assessment of this course. Similarly, for the Nov 2025 assessment period, collectively there is a significant increase in the percentage of As and Bs awarded here as well (up to 7.7% + 38.2% = 45.9%).
A summary of the Music results for May 2025 is as follows, compared with the previous session (May 2024, May 2023 and May 2022):
Interestingly, the mean grades for both SL and HL students in May 2025 have remained identical to those in May 2024 (4.3 and 4.8 respectively). The significant drop seen in the average points for SL students between May 2023 (4.8) and May 2024 (4.3) therefore has remained. However, the return to 4.8 for the HL students in May 2024 and May 2025, still does not reach the May 2022 heights (5.04), but the higher average points for HL over SL now appears in 3 out of the 4 sessions. The sharp falls in the number of 5-7s for the SL students in May 2024 essentially halving in the number of 6s and 7s from the previous sessions, has been maintained in May 2025. The number of 7s for both SL and HL students in May 2024, which was the lowest collectively since the new syllabus was implemented (only 9.3%), has only made a slight increase in this session (9.6%).
Group 6 Statistics for Nov 2025
A summary of the Music results for Nov 2025 is as follows, compared with the previous session (Nov 2024, Nov 2023 and Nov 2022):
Whilst the mean grade averages have remained more or less the same for the higher-level students, the trend for standard-level students has continued on its upward trajectory (4.33% → 4.4% → 4.6%) over the three year period. However, the percentage of N gradings for the standard-level students this past session is a concern (4.3%).
In the Nov 2023 period, it was remarked that there has been a significant decrease in the percentage of 7s awarded for higher-level students (16.4% as opposed to 24.8% in Nov 2022) and a significant increase in the number of 3s (5.6% in Nov 2023 in comparison with 2.8% in Nov 2022). In Nov 2024, this trend partially continues with further drops in the number of 6s and 7s awarded (now only 28.1% and 15.0% respectively), but the percentage of 3s awarded has decreased (4.2% in Nov 2024).
For standard-level students, the percentage of 6s and 7s has increased significantly (now up to 16.3 and 9.2 respectively).
The number of students taking music in the 2025 November period (410 in total) has more or less remained consistent from the previous assessment period (Nov 2024: 401 in total). The number of 7s awarded for HL students has also remained rather consistent over the past couple of years since Nov 2023 (16.4% → 15.0% → 14.6%). However, the latest assessment period (Nov 2025) sees a significant fall in the number of 7s awarded for SL students (only 2.7%), after peaking at 9.2% the previous year.
Based on the information that appears above, here is a summary of the number of students who manage to achieve a level 7:
May 2025 - Number of 7s
Higher Level students: 87 (5.9% of 1470)
Standard Level students: 57 (3.7% of 1543)
May 2024 - Number of 7s
Higher Level students: 81 (5.9% of 1373)
Standard Level students: 58 (3.4% of 1696)
May 2023 - Number of 7s
Higher Level students: 65 (3.9% of 1665)
Standard Level students: 116 (8.3% of 1401)
May 2022 - Number of 7s
Higher Level students: 175 (11.1% of 1580)
Standard Level students: 97 (6% of 1615)
Nov 2025 - Number of 7s
Higher Level students: 38 (14.6% of 261)
Standard Level students: 4 (2.7% of 149)
Nov 2024 - Number of 7s
Higher Level students: 39 (15.0% of 260)
Standard Level students: 13 (9.2% of 141)
Nov 2023 - Number of 7s
Higher Level students: 38 (16.4% of 232)
Standard Level students: 8 (6.1% of 132)
Nov 2022 - Number of 7s
Higher Level students: 49 (24.8% of 220)
Standard Level students: 6 (5.9% of 107)
For a list of the other subject reports for music, click HERE.
The Music Guide (First Assessment 2022) and accompanying materials (Music Teacher Support Materials) can be found on the site MyIB (click HERE; remember that you require a login and password, ordinarily given by your Diploma Level Coordinator)
The IB produces these documents and should form the basis of your decision-making in designing your course.
Statistics in Other Subjects
These summaries have been extracted from the materials on MyIB, for a complete summary of ALL subjects visit HERE.