Written By Rashi S.
Congratulations on completing the IB! You will all be starting a new chapter in your life despite the path that you have chosen – may it be going to university, taking a gap year, or even entering the work field. Your IB Results have notable implications on whether you get accepted to the university you applied to or not and although secondary, an IB alumni tutor job prospect. In this blog I cover the IB results remark, summarizing how the process works and tips on when and how you should use it.
What can I do if I believe that the grade awarded to me is incorrect?
- You can do an Enquiry upon Results (EuR).
- You reach out to your DP coordinator as the IB does not directly accept requests for re-mark from candidates or their parents/legal guardians.
- Note that the IB only communicates the outcome of the EuR to the school’s DP/CP coordinator who will then share it with you.
- As there is a possibility that a grade is lowered, written consent from the candidate (or legal guardian) is required.
- Should a school not obtain a candidate’s/legal guardian’s consent prior to placing this request and the grade is lowered, the original grade will not be reinstated.
How does the EuR work?
After the issue of results and once you have reached out to your coordinator, they can request the following:
- Category 1: re-mark of all of a candidate’s externally assessed components for a subject (a senior IB Examiner conducts the re-mark)
- The remark of a candidate’ externally assessed components for a subject. This is usually carried out by a senior examiner who checks the papers for errors in the previous marking.
- A EuR Cat 1 is usually the most relevant and commonly used by students.
- Category 1 report: report on the marking of a category 1 EuR.
- A report on a category 1 re-mark for an individual candidate. This is requested if information about how the marks in the remark were awarded is required.
- Category 2A: return of externally assessed material by component for all candidates
- The materials are only available to teachers/faculty at the IB school and the specific candidate
- Category 2B: return of externally assessed material by subject/level for an individual candidate
- The materials are only available to teachers/faculty at the IB school and the specific candidate
- Category 3 re-moderation: re-moderation of marks for internal assessment by subject/level
- The re-moderation of a school’s IAs by subject/level. This request can only be taken when the mean of the candidates’ moderated IA marks differs from the mean of the marks awarded by the teacher by at least 15% of the maximum mark for the component.
How can my grades potentially change?
- Category 1 re-mark: the grade may be lowered, confirmed or raised
- Category 1 report: grade will not be changed
- Category 2A and 2B: grade will not be changed
- Category 3 re-moderation: marks and grades may be raised but not lowered
Note:
- A fee is payable for each of the above categories (when a EuR Cat 1 was sent for me, the payment for the service was 88 euros + VAT per subject). The only exception to this is when a grade is changed as a consequence of category 1 re-mark.
- Keep in mind that the grade (e.g. 5 to 6) has to change for the IB not to charge you, not the mark (e.g. 55% to 58%).
- A returned response may contain useful comments from the allocated examiner. However, this cannot be guaranteed because examiners are not required to write comments when marking candidates’ work.
How long does the re-mark or re-moderation take?
- Category 1 re-mark: 18 days
- Category 1 report: 30 days
- Category 2A and 2B: 18 days
- Category 2A and 2B: 10 days
- Category 3 re-moderation: 40 days
Can I request a re-mark for specific components?
- A re-mark cannot be requested for individual components.
What can I not get re-marked?
- Multiple choice components of a group 4 subject examination or components for which a mark has been carried over from a previous session cannot be re-marked.
Will I have a different examiner for re-marks?
- In small entry subjects and in subjects with few candidates where there is only one examiner, the re-mark is undertaken by the same examiner.
Can I request for re-marks or re-moderations more than once?
- Re-marks and re-moderations cannot be requested more than once for the same subject.
Tips for when to submit a EuR
- Check how close you are to certain grade boundaries
- Tip: if you need 1 or 2 points to reach the higher grade, definitely go for it. If you need 3 points to reach the higher grade it is perhaps worth sending a EuR (maybe for 4 points as well but is a bit of a stretch…). However, I would be wary of sending a EuR if you need 4+ points to reach the higher grade (unlikely that the grade will change).
- Request the teacher of the subject you would like to send a EuR for or the DP coordinator to organize a meeting with you to hear their recommendation on whether you should send one
- Trust your instinct!
Finally, if you/your school has exhausted all appropriate avenues through the IB’s EuR process and still remain unconvinced of the grade, I recommend checking out the “Diploma Programme: Assessment appeals procedure.” I hope this blog post answered all your questions about the IB results remark procedure. I wish you all the best if you decide to send a EuR and hope that it is successful. Good luck with all that life has in store for you in the future as you have completed high school now. Remember to live all the experiences fully! 🙂
