IB Remark Deadline 2026: How to Request a Grade Review
Complete Guide to IB Appeals: Deadlines, Process, Costs, Success Rates & Strategic Strategies for Grade Remarking
MAY 2026 DEADLINE
Late June/July
REMARK COST
$100-200 USD
SUCCESS RATE
10-15%
PROCESSING TIME
4-8 Weeks
Understanding IB Remarks: Your Grade Appeal Option
If you received your IB results and feel your grade doesn't reflect your performance, requesting an IB remark (grade appeal) is an option worth considering. An IB remark is a formal request to the IBO to review your exam papers and recalculate your grade. While success rates are modest (10-15% result in grade improvements), remarking can be worthwhile when grades fall just below university admission requirements or seem significantly lower than expected.
🎯 Key Facts About IB Remarks
- Definition: Formal request to review exam papers and recalculate grades for specific subjects
- Who Requests: Schools submit remark requests (you cannot request directly from IBO)
- Deadline: Schools must submit within 5-6 weeks of results publication
- Cost: Typically $100-200 USD per subject (varies by school)
- Timeline: Remark results returned within 4-8 weeks after submission
- Outcomes: Grade unchanged (most common), improved (10-15%), or occasionally decreased (rare)
📊 Calculate Your Score Impact
Predict potential score improvements and analyze impact on university admissions:
What Exactly is an IB Remark?
An IB remark is a formal grade appeal process where your exam papers are reviewed by examiners to verify that marks were correctly awarded and totaled. It's important to understand what remarkings do and don't involve:
✅ What Remarking Involves
- Review of Original Exam Paper: Examiners examine your actual exam response papers
- Re-marking Against Mark Scheme: Examiners apply current mark scheme to verify marks were correct
- Arithmetic Check: Marks are recalculated and totaled to ensure no calculation errors
- Legitimacy Verification: Examiners confirm your answers deserve the marks they received
- Grade Recalculation: If marks change, final diploma score is recalculated
- Potential Improvement or Decline: Grade may increase (10-15% chance), stay same (most common), or occasionally decrease
❌ What Remarking Does NOT Involve
- Appealing Mark Scheme Interpretation: Examiners won't change mark scheme standards
- Subjective Judgment Changes: Examiners won't give credit for answers not in mark scheme
- Second Guessing Exam Difficulty: IBO won't adjust marks because you found exam hard
- Partial Credit Disputes: Individual marking decision contests (only calculation errors eligible)
- Comparison to Other Students: Your marks aren't compared or adjusted based on peer performance
IB Remark Deadlines for 2026
Time is critical for IB remarks. The remark window is typically 5-6 weeks after results publication. Missing the deadline means you cannot request remarking for that exam session. Here are the key 2026 dates:
🗓️ May 2026 Exam Session
Exam Window:
May 3-22, 2026 (typical dates - confirm with your school)
Results Released:
July 3, 2026 (typically Friday - check IBO official calendar)
⏰ REMARK DEADLINE:
Approximately August 14, 2026 (6 weeks from results)
Schools must submit all remark requests by this date or they are forfeit.
Remark Results:
Returned by approximately October 2026 (4-8 weeks processing)
🗓️ November 2026 Exam Session
Exam Window:
October 26 - November 13, 2026 (typical - confirm with school)
Results Released:
January 6, 2027 (typically Wednesday - check IBO official calendar)
⏰ REMARK DEADLINE:
Approximately February 17, 2027 (6 weeks from results)
Schools must submit all remark requests by this date or they are forfeit.
Remark Results:
Returned by approximately April 2027 (4-8 weeks processing)
⚠️ Important Deadline Notes
- Exact dates confirmed by IBO: The dates above are typical based on historical patterns. IBO publishes exact dates in the official IB Examinations Calendar.
- Act quickly after results: Don't delay after results are released. Schools need time to organize and submit remark requests.
- Contact school immediately: If you want remarks, meet with your IB coordinator the day after results are released.
- No extensions: The 6-week remark deadline is absolute. Missing it means no remarks available for that session.
Step-by-Step Process for Requesting Remarks
Here's the exact process from receiving results to getting remark outcomes:
Review Results & Analyze
When results are released, carefully review your individual subject grades. Compare actual grades with predicted grades. Calculate the impact on your total diploma score. Identify which subjects have the biggest gaps between prediction and actual results. Determine if remarking could help meet university conditional offers or improve your overall position.
Contact Your IB Coordinator
Schedule meeting with your school's IB coordinator immediately after results release (within 24-48 hours ideally). Explain which subjects you want remarked and your reasoning. Ask about: school policy on remarks, which subjects they recommend remarking, total cost, exactly what paperwork they need from you, the school's internal deadline for submitting remark requests. Confirm the remark deadline and discuss potential outcomes.
Authorize & Pay for Remarks
Authorize your school to request remarks (usually requires parental permission if under 18). Arrange payment with your school (typically $100-200 USD per subject). Some schools include remark service in exam fees; others charge separately. Provide your authorization in writing and confirm payment arrangement. Ensure your school has your candidate numbers and correct subject codes for remark submission.
School Submits Remark Request
Your school's IB coordinator prepares official remark request forms (using IBO remark request procedure). Includes your candidate number, subject codes for remarked subjects, and any supporting documentation. School submits electronically to IBO well before the remark deadline. You should receive confirmation that your school has submitted your remark request.
Await Remark Review
IBO examiners review your exam papers and verify marks. This takes 4-8 weeks. During this period, continue with other activities - application, gap year planning, work. Don't sit anxiously waiting. Your exam papers are reviewed independently by examiners who verify marks against mark schemes and check for calculation errors.
Receive & Act on Results
Your school receives remark results and notifies you. Remark outcome report indicates whether marks changed. If grade improved: immediately contact universities to update your scores and mention the improved grade in applications. If unchanged or decreased: decide next steps (accept outcome, pursue further appeal, retake exams). Request official confirmation of new grades.
When Should You Request a Remark?
Remarking isn't always worthwhile. Consider these factors to decide if requesting remarks makes sense for your situation:
✅ Strong Reasons to Request Remark
Grade Below Conditional Offer
You received conditional offer requiring 36 points, but scored 35. One-point improvement changes your admission. Remarking worthwhile.
Significant Gap from Prediction
Predicted 38 points, received 35. Three-point drop unexplained. Worth investigating for possible marking errors.
Confident in Your Answers
You review your exam papers and believe answers deserve higher marks. May indicate examiner error.
Borderline Grade with High Confidence
Scored 35 out of 37, or 67/100 when high pass is 70. One or two-point improvement possible.
Suspected Calculation Error
You review mark breakdown and notice potential arithmetic errors in how marks were totaled.
❌ Poor Reasons for Remarking
General Disappointment
You're unhappy with your grade but have no specific evidence of errors. Remarking unlikely to help.
Exam Was Difficult
Exam was harder than you expected isn't grounds for remark. Marks adjust via overall statistics.
Disagreeing with Mark Scheme
You don't think answer should follow mark scheme. Remarks don't change mark scheme standards.
Hoping for Big Improvement
Scored 30 hoping remark will bring it to 38. Unrealistic. Remarks improve by 0-2 points typically.
Can't Access Your Exam Paper
If you haven't reviewed your exam paper, hard to assess whether remarking could help.
Costs, Success Rates & Realistic Expectations
Understanding the financial and practical reality of IB remarks helps you make informed decisions:
💰 IB Remark Costs in 2026
Typical Per-Subject Cost:
$100-200 USD per subject (varies by school and region)
Number of Subjects Typically Remarked:
1-3 subjects (rarely all 6). Students average 2 subjects remarked.
Typical Total Cost:
$200-400 USD for remarking 2-3 subjects
Cost Included in Exam Fees?
Varies by school. Some schools cover remark costs in exam fees. Others charge separately. Ask your IB coordinator.
📊 Remark Success Rates & Outcomes
Global Success Rates
Grade Unchanged (Most Common):
~75-80%
Grade Improved:
~10-15%
Grade Decreased:
~5-10%
When Grades Improve
- Typical Improvement: 1-2 points (rarely more)
- Common Reasons: Marking error, arithmetic mistake, examiner missed valid answer
- Most Likely Subjects: Math (calculation errors), Science (interpretation issues), Languages (marking inconsistencies)
🎯 Realistic Expectations
- Remarking is a Last Resort: Use when you have specific reason to believe marking error occurred
- Cost-Benefit Analysis: Paying $100-200 for 10-15% chance of 1-2 point improvement
- Mental Preparation: Be prepared for grade to stay same or even decrease (though rare)
- Timeline Importance: Remark results come months after initial results. Can't use for immediate deadlines
- University Impact: Only pursue if improved grade would meaningfully affect admission status
Frequently Asked Questions
❓ Can I request a remark directly from the IBO?
No. You cannot request a remark directly from the IBO. Only your school (through the IB coordinator) can submit remark requests on your behalf. This is an official IBO policy. You must work through your school - arrange remark request with your IB coordinator, and they submit formally to IBO. You cannot bypass your school to contact IBO directly about remarking.
❓ What happens if my grade decreases after remarking?
If your grade decreases after remarking, the lower grade becomes your official grade. This is rare (5-10% of remarks) but possible. The lower grade would be entered on your official transcript and become the score submitted to universities. This is why you should only request remarks when confident in your answers. The IBO policy is that all remark outcomes (increase, decrease, or unchanged) are binding - you cannot reject the remark result if unfavorable.
❓ Can I see my actual exam papers before deciding on remarks?
It depends on your school's policy. Most schools retain your exam papers after results and can show them to you briefly. Contact your IB coordinator and ask to review your exam papers before committing to remarking. This helps you identify potential marking errors and decide intelligently. Some schools may charge a small fee for providing access to papers. Reviewing papers beforehand is highly recommended before committing remark costs.
❓ Will improved grades from remark help with university applications?
Yes, if the improved grade helps meet conditional offers. If your conditional offer requires 36 points and remarking boosts you from 35 to 36, the improved score typically satisfies your offer. Contact universities immediately with updated scores. Universities generally honor admissions offers if you meet increased scores through legitimate remarking. However, remark results typically arrive months after initial results, so this doesn't help with immediate application deadlines. Inform universities of expected remark results when negotiating offers if timing is tight.
❓ Can I request remarks for individual exam papers or only full subjects?
Remarks are requested by subject, not individual papers. If you request a remark for Math HL, all papers for that subject are reviewed (Paper 1, Paper 2, Paper 3, etc.). You cannot request remarking of just Paper 2 while leaving Paper 1 unchanged. This applies to all subjects. If unsure whether remarking is worthwhile, review all your papers for that subject before deciding to request the remark.
❓ What happens if I miss the remark deadline?
If you miss the remark deadline, you cannot request remarks for that exam session. The 5-6 week remark window after results is absolute - no extensions granted. This is why acting quickly after results is critical. If you miss the deadline for May 2026 remarks (approximately August 14, 2026), you cannot request remarking until November 2026 exam session (if eligible to retake). Mark remark deadlines in your calendar immediately when results are released.
📚 Official Sources & References
Official IBO Documentation:
International Baccalaureate Organization - IB Remark Service Information: www.ibo.org/en/exams-admissions/
IB Examination Schedule:
IBO Examinations Calendar 2026: www.ibo.org/en/calendar/ - Contains exact exam dates and result publication dates
Your School's IB Coordinator:
Contact your school's IB Diploma Programme coordinator for specific remark procedures, costs, and deadlines at your institution
MyIB Student Portal:
Log into MyIB (secure student portal) to access your results and remark status updates
💡 Note: Exact remark deadlines for 2026 will be confirmed by IBO in their official calendar. Contact your IB coordinator for precise dates applicable to your school.
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