Predicted Grades
Predicted Grades are teacher-assigned projected final scores for IB Diploma or A-Level students, submitted to universities in the fall of senior year before actual final exams take place in May/June — US admissions committees treat them as if they were real final scores.
Key Facts
- • Applies to IB Diploma (6 subjects + EE/TOK) and A-Level (3–4 subjects) students.
- • Assigned by your subject teachers, submitted by the school counselor through the Common App.
- • US admissions decisions are made based on predicted grades, not actual final scores (which come out in July, after most decisions).
- • A strong predicted profile is typically 38+/45 for IB or AAA/AAB for A-Levels at HYPSM-level schools.
- • Predicted grades are effectively a contract: once admitted, students are expected to hit close to them in actual exams.
Why predicted grades exist
The US college application calendar doesn't match the IB or A-Level exam calendar. US applications are due by January and decisions come back by April. IB and A-Level final exams happen in May/June and results are released in July — months after the student needs to know where they're going.
The workaround: each subject teacher submits a predicted grade for the student during senior fall, representing the teacher's best estimate of what the student will score in May. These predictions go into the Common App under the school counselor's submission, and US admissions readers treat them as the student's expected academic credential.
How they're generated
A subject teacher assigning a predicted grade considers:
- The student's internal assessment (IA) results in that subject
- Mock exam performance
- Classwork trajectory
- Similar students the teacher has taught in previous years
- The student's level of effort and growth rate
Good teachers are accurate — most IB students end up scoring within 1–2 points of their predicted total on actual exams. Bad predictions (too generous or too conservative) damage the school's credibility with US admissions committees, so well-run international schools tend to predict carefully.
The target ranges for Korean IB / A-Level students
IB (out of 45):
- 40–45: competitive at HYPSM and top-20 US universities
- 36–39: competitive at top-30 US universities, solid at most top-50
- 32–35: competitive at top-50
- 28–31: competitive at large publics and less selective privates
- Below 28: narrows US options significantly
A-Level (grades A*AA style):
- AAA* or AAA: top UK + competitive at top-20 US
- A*AA or AAA: competitive at top-30 US
- AAB: competitive at top-50 US
- Below AAB: narrows options
These are rough ranges — the exact predicted-score floor varies by school and major. Engineering, CS, and business admits typically need higher predicted scores than humanities admits at the same university.
The unspoken contract
When a US school admits you based on predicted grades, there's an implicit expectation: you'll actually hit close to those grades in the real exams. If your predicted was 42/45 and you end up with 35/45, most US universities will still honor the admission — but some send "concern" letters or in rare cases conditional revocation notices, especially at schools with strict academic standards.
For Korean IB students, this means predicted grades are not a free boost. They're a commitment. Work hard enough in senior fall that your predictions are based on real performance, then maintain that performance through exams.
What to do if your prediction seems too low
If you believe a teacher's predicted grade is lower than your real capability, there's a narrow window to talk about it respectfully. Bring evidence: specific IA scores, mock exam results, growth since last term. Teachers can revise a prediction before submission if the evidence warrants it. Do not demand — ask, with data. Predictions are professional judgment calls and teachers can refuse to change them.
Reviewed by Sprint Admissions Team · Updated April 2026
Related terms
Advanced Placement (AP)
Advanced Placement (AP) is a College Board program of college-level courses and exams that high school students can take for college credit and admissions credibility.
International Baccalaureate (IB)
The International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme (IBDP) is a rigorous 2-year internationally recognized high school curriculum for grades 11–12, respected by US universities as strong evidence of academic readiness when the student earns a full IB Diploma of 24+ points out of 45.
GPA (Unweighted / Weighted)
GPA (Grade Point Average) is a summary of a student's overall academic performance, typically on a 4.0 scale in the US system — with 'unweighted' counting all courses equally and 'weighted' adding bonus points for Honors, AP, or IB courses.