IB retake FAQs: the questions students actually ask

Three numbers to write down before asking for retake advice

Write down your current total, the relevant subject grade and the exact target in your offer. 'I failed' and 'I need more points' can describe very different situations. A student who has a diploma but missed Chemistry HL 6 needs different advice from a student whose HL total is below the diploma minimum.

Next add the session and the earliest decision deadline. The school needs to know not just what you want to retake, but whether your proposed route is feasible in time. A precise summary makes it easier to identify the missing confirmation rather than exchanging several emails that repeat the same general question.

Understand a non-award result · Compare review options · Read the fee calculation · What Happens If You Get a Lower IB Retake Grade?

• For diploma eligibility, check every award condition, not just 24 points.
• For a review, obtain the mark and boundary information before deciding.
• For a new exam session, confirm the exact subject, level and school cutoff.
• For fees, distinguish the IBretake request from personal travel expenses.

Retake, remark, or both?

After results, students usually have two paths to consider. A remark is a review of existing work through the school. A retake means sitting one or more subjects again in a later May or November session.

A Category 1 remark can raise, lower or leave a grade unchanged. The school needs written consent from the student or legal guardian and should review the component marks, both grade boundaries, fee and deadline. Being close to a boundary alone does not show that marking is wrong; see the IB assessment FAQ.

How many IB subjects can you retake?

You may plan one or several subjects where an IB World School can register the subject, level and session under the current curriculum. The target may be a Diploma condition, university offer or scholarship threshold. A core requirement needs its own confirmation rather than an extra subject exam.

For each proposed subject, write the current grade, target grade and the condition it would satisfy. A higher total does not necessarily meet a specific HL requirement. Use the Diploma score and award-condition checklist to test the plan before selecting more subjects.

Should you choose November or May?

A November retake can follow a May session if the subject is offered and a school accepts your entry. Waiting until the following May gives more preparation time, but neither session automatically meets an admission deadline. Current IB arrangements release November results in December; confirm your personal release time with the coordinator.

How do private candidates register?

Official IB registration is completed by the school's coordinator; students and parents cannot register themselves directly. IBretake helps with the host-school search and does not administer exams. The accepting school confirms subject availability, documents, school fees and local arrangements.

If your original school cannot host you, another school may accept you but is not obliged to do so. State the exact subject, level, session, previous results and accessible countries. The private-candidate registration guide explains which confirmation must come from the host school.

Can you reuse or redo IA?

Existing internal assessment (IA) marks may be carried forward where the applicable curriculum and assessment rules allow it. A subject retake still requires its written papers again; it is not a choice to repeat only the weakest paper. The IB assessment principles, p. 121, distinguish written exams from non-examination components.

Before registration, ask the coordinator which marks will carry forward, which work would be new, who would supervise it and when it must be submitted. A host school may offer exam papers without new coursework supervision. IBretake does not arrange new IA, coursework or oral preparation.

What about universities?

Confirm retake acceptance with the particular university and course for your entry year. UCAS application guidance requires previous and current qualifications, including earlier sittings even after improvement, and pending results. Follow the relevant system's instructions elsewhere; an improved IB grade does not itself guarantee admission.

Give admissions the subject, level, session and expected result date. Describe the current stage accurately: searching for a school, accepted by a host school, or officially entered for the exams. Ask the coordinator for evidence of entry before describing it as completed.

Key dates and deadlines

Ask the school for its separate deadlines for documents, payment and completed IB entry. The examination window is not a registration deadline, and a public IB deadline does not require a school to keep accepting candidates until that date. Do not assume an early-booking discount: IBretake's published base prices are fixed.

TOK, EE and CAS: which core condition is missing?

CAS carries no points but its requirements must be completed. Theory of Knowledge (TOK) and the Extended Essay (EE) can add up to three points; an E in either is a failing Diploma condition. For a TOK or EE retake, confirm supervision and submission with the school first. A subject retake does not resolve a separate incomplete core requirement. Check the official Diploma criteria with your coordinator.

If you took a non-examination route

Do not assume a future retake mirrors your previous session. Ask the coordinator what assessment route, subject guide and components apply now, especially if the curriculum has changed.