IB results and re-marks
A re-mark (enquiry upon results, category 1) costs a fee set by the IB, which is not charged if your grade changes. The grade can go down as well as up. Your school must submit the request by 15 September for the May session, or by 15 March for the November session. Most students decide without knowing how close they are to a boundary. Here is how to decide with more to go on.
Paste the exact EE or TOK essay you submitted. In a minute or two you see how it reads against the published criteria: a range of totals that contains the estimate and, for most drafts, your weakest criterion and the top risks (for the TOK essay, its band, the start of the explanation and the top risks). The estimated mark is in the full report. None of this predicts what a re-mark would do, so do not decide on it alone (see our Terms). For the Extended Essay, Criterion E is marked on your reflections, which this check does not include, so the range covers the other criteria.
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No fee if the grade changes
The IB publishes the fee to schools, so your coordinator can tell you what it is. There is no charge for a category 1 re-mark that changes your grade.
Grades can go down
A re-mark can raise or lower the grade, which is why your school needs your written consent before requesting one.
Deadlines: 15 September and 15 March
For the May and November sessions. Requests are made by your school, which may set an earlier internal deadline.
The usual advice is to request a re-mark only when you are one or two marks from a grade boundary. Good advice, except that most students see only their subject grade, and component marks reach them through the coordinator if at all. So the decision gets made without the one number that matters.
Your Extended Essay and TOK essay are externally assessed, which is what a category 1 re-mark covers. It also means you can read them against the criteria again yourself, right now.
The first preview is free; the full report is $9.99.
Grade my submitted essayRe-mark: when your mark is one or two marks from a grade boundary (for TOK, your overall TOK mark). No new work, but the grade can drop as well as rise.
Retake: when you are several marks off, or the exam went wrong rather than the coursework. Registration for a retake has its own deadlines and fees, so ask your coordinator early.
Neither: if your points already meet your offer.
How much does an IB re-mark cost?
The IB publishes its enquiry upon results fees to schools rather than on its public website, so ask your coordinator for the current fee. There is no charge for a category 1 re-mark that results in a change of grade.
Can my grade go down after a re-mark?
Yes. A category 1 re-mark can raise or lower the grade, and your school must have your written consent before requesting one. That is why a re-mark makes most sense when you have reason to think you are near a boundary.
What is the re-mark deadline?
Enquiry upon results requests can be made up to 15 September for the May session and up to 15 March for the November session. Your school submits them and may set an earlier deadline, so ask your coordinator as soon as results are out.
Should I ask for a re-mark of my EE or TOK essay?
The EE and the TOK essay are externally assessed, so a category 1 re-mark covers them (a re-mark covers all of the subject's externally assessed work, not one component). Whether it is worth it depends on how far your mark is from a grade boundary: for the EE the essay is the only component; for TOK the grade comes from the overall TOK mark, in which the essay counts for two-thirds and the exhibition for one-third. Your coordinator can see the marks and the boundaries. Checking the submitted essay against the criteria shows where it is strong and weak, but no tool can predict a re-mark.
More to go on before you decide.
Mark my essay: the first preview is free