IB EUR categories explained: Category 1, 2 and 3

Category 1: the individual subject re-mark

Category 1 covers all eligible externally assessed components in the requested subject. The coordinator submits the school’s request after receiving written consent from the candidate or legal guardian, as required by Article 12 of the IB regulations. Students cannot order it through the candidate-results website.

The subject grade may rise, remain unchanged or fall. That risk matters when the result is also close to the lower boundary. Ask for the scaled total mark, both grade boundaries, eligible components and the school's cutoff before consenting.

• The question is whether the existing work was marked correctly against the session’s markscheme or criteria.
• The same marking standard applies whatever the boundary distance; proximity does not entitle the candidate to extra marks or guarantee a new grade.
• It is not a new examination or a way to choose one internally assessed piece for an individual re-mark.

Category 1 report: an explanation after the re-mark

A Category 1 report is not a second re-mark. It is a report about the marking decision produced through Category 1. Schools normally consider it when they need a formal explanation of how the reviewed work was judged.

Ask for the report’s scope, fee and request cutoff after the Category 1 outcome. If you suspect a procedural error, ask the coordinator about the separate appeals route; ordering a report is not another independent attempt to gain marks.

Category 2: copies of externally assessed work

Category 2 gives the school copies of externally assessed material. Work completed at school is not automatically a moderated IA: some coursework is assessed externally. Ask the coordinator for the component code and assessment method so that the correct material and service are requested. For example, the current TOK instructions distinguish the externally marked essay from the internally assessed, moderated exhibition.

It does not change the grade. Examiner annotations or comments are not guaranteed, so do not order Category 2 expecting a fully commented script or an automatic explanation of every lost mark.

• Use copies to inspect the submitted work with the teacher.
• Ordering copies does not start a Category 1 re-mark or change a grade.
• Confirm which components are available, who can access them, handling rules and the school’s fee before ordering.

Category 3: remoderation of the school's IA sample

The school requests a Category 3 remoderation of the original IA sample when the published conditions are met. It concerns moderation for the subject cohort; one student cannot select a different or replacement IA for this process.

Category 3 can increase affected final subject grades or leave them unchanged; it does not reduce them under the IB assessment principles. This protection does not apply to a Category 1 re-mark, where the individual subject grade can fall.

Eligibility calculation to discuss with the coordinator: the assessment principles describe a threshold of at least 15% of the component’s maximum mark for the difference between cohort means. In an illustrative component marked out of 20, a raw cohort mean of 16 reduced to 13 is a 3-mark reduction: 3 ÷ 20 = 15%, not 3 ÷ 16. The coordinator must check the actual cohort figures and current eligibility; one student’s IA mark cannot establish this.

• The May 2026 Category 3 window, 5 July–15 September 2026, has closed.
• The current examiner instructions give 3 January–15 March for November Category 3 requests, after the November examinations rather than January of the exam year.
• For November 2026, obtain the following-year window from the coordinator’s current procedures. Category 1 has a different published opening date, and school cutoffs can be earlier.

A practical decision order

Identify the component first: external assessment for Category 1 or copies, a completed Category 1 re-mark for its report, or the school’s moderated IA sample for Category 3. Use the submitted work and marking criteria to describe the concern; a predicted grade alone does not identify a marking error.

Give the coordinator the exact university deadline, required grade and acceptable evidence. An EUR can finish after an admissions cutoff even if submitted on time. Check the remark deadline guide and investigate a retake in parallel if necessary; a host-school search is not a confirmed exam entry.

• Record subject, level, session, component code, scaled total and both upper and lower grade boundaries.
• Describe the marking concern and the marks required, rather than asking only for “one more grade”.
• Confirm fee, written consent, internal cutoff, submission reference and how the outcome will be communicated. The remark FAQ explains the consent and decision checks.