If you are asking, “Can you remark twice?”, the short answer for an IB result is no, not for the same subject result. Once the IB has completed the relevant Enquiry Upon Results (EUR), your coordinator cannot request another re-mark of the same assessment material simply because you disagree with the outcome.
You may still have other options. A coordinator can potentially request a report on the re-mark, investigate a procedural concern, or submit an appeal under the applicable rules. You can also request separate re-marks for different subjects, and a future retake produces a new result rather than reopening the original marking.
What the IB means by a remark
“Remark” is the common student term, but the official process is an Enquiry Upon Results. The service most students mean is a Category 1 EUR, which re-marks all eligible externally assessed components for one candidate in one subject.
This distinction matters because you cannot choose a single examination question or paper for an isolated second opinion. The request concerns the subject’s externally assessed material covered by the service, while internally assessed work is handled differently.
Under the IB Diploma Programme general regulations, all EUR requests must be submitted by the school on the student’s behalf. Students and parents cannot submit directly to the IB, and the outcome is communicated to the school’s DP or CP coordinator.
The IB identifies several post-results services:
| Service | What it does | Can it change an individual grade? |
|---|---|---|
| Category 1 EUR | Re-marks a candidate’s externally assessed components in a subject | Yes, the result may rise, remain unchanged, or fall |
| Category 1 report | Reports on the marking following a Category 1 EUR | It explains the process; it is not another re-mark |
| Category 2 | Returns copies of externally assessed material | No direct change from obtaining the material |
| Category 3 | Re-moderates a school’s sample of internally assessed work | It may affect eligible candidates in the cohort under the applicable rules |
The IB assessment principles and practices guide describes these categories and explains that a fee normally applies, although a Category 1 fee is not charged when the subject grade changes as a consequence of the re-mark. Fees, deadlines, categories, and conditions can change, so your coordinator must confirm the procedures for your examination session.
Why you cannot request a second re-mark
The IB’s current regulations state that, beyond the EUR service, a DP coordinator may not request a subsequent re-marking of assessment material or further moderation of internal assessment marks. In practical terms, a Category 1 EUR is the permitted re-mark for that subject result, not the first step in an unlimited sequence of examiner opinions.
A second re-mark would undermine the purpose of a final, standardized post-results review. The EUR is intended to identify and correct marking errors using the same assessment standards that applied in the original session. It is not a negotiation in which the work is repeatedly submitted until an examiner produces a preferred mark.
The following situations are often confused:
- Two re-marks for the same subject: Not permitted for the same result.
- Re-marks in two different subjects: Potentially permitted because each subject has a separate result and EUR request.
- A Category 1 report after a re-mark: Possible under the relevant conditions, but the report does not constitute another re-mark.
- An appeal after an EUR: Potentially possible, but an appeal examines the assessment decision-making process rather than automatically arranging another academic re-mark.
- A remark after a future retake: The retake creates a new result in a later session. Ask the coordinator whether that new result is eligible under that session’s EUR procedures.
For a broader explanation of the initial process, see RevisionDojo’s guide to how an IB remark works.
What can happen after the first remark
A Category 1 re-mark can result in a higher mark, the same mark, or a lower mark. If the revised total crosses a grade boundary, the subject grade changes; if it remains within the same grade band, the reported grade stays the same even though the underlying mark may have moved.
The IB requires written consent from the candidate or legal guardian because the result can decrease. The official IB assessment FAQ also makes clear that an original grade is not restored merely because a candidate is unhappy with a lower outcome.
Requesting a Category 1 report
If the coordinator believes that the re-marking process may not have followed the defined procedures, the regulations allow the coordinator to request a report on the re-mark, subject to the applicable conditions and consent requirements. A report can address specific concerns about how the re-mark was handled.
However, it does not send the work to another examiner for a fresh mark. Its purpose is explanatory and procedural, so students should not treat it as a second chance to gain one more point.
Considering an appeal
An assessment appeal is also not synonymous with a second remark. Article 17 of the current regulations defines an appeal as a review of how an assessment decision was made, including the processing of a grade, after the appropriate earlier routes have been used.
An appeal can challenge whether IB rules were interpreted reasonably or whether the correct procedures were followed. It cannot demand an exception to published policy simply because the candidate believes an essay deserved more marks. Appeals must be raised through the head of school or coordinator and normally involve formal stages and fees.
RevisionDojo’s guide to IB appeals and regrades explains the practical distinction. If the concern involves internally assessed work, the options are different again, as outlined in the guide to challenging an IA mark.
How to decide whether the first remark is worth requesting
Because you cannot keep requesting re-marks, the initial decision should be evidence-based. Begin by asking your coordinator for the subject’s scaled total, the upper and lower grade boundaries, available component information, the fee, and both the IB deadline and any earlier school deadline.
RevisionDojo’s explanation of IB grade boundaries can help you interpret those numbers. Being one mark below the next boundary does not guarantee an increase, but it means a small defensible adjustment could affect the grade.
Consider these questions:
- How far are you from the higher boundary? A large gap generally requires a correspondingly large marking change.
- How close are you to the lower boundary? A decrease matters most when it could produce a lower subject grade.
- How judgment-based are the assessed responses? Extended analysis and essays allow more examiner judgment than answers governed by tightly defined points, although neither type guarantees movement.
- Would a higher grade change an important outcome? Meeting a university condition or obtaining the diploma may justify risk more clearly than seeking a purely cosmetic improvement.
- Can your university wait for the result? Inform admissions staff promptly and provide documentation through your school where appropriate.
Do not assume that a predicted grade, teacher opinion, or proximity to a boundary obliges the examiner to add marks. A re-mark applies the assessment criteria again; it does not award a compassionate point. RevisionDojo’s analysis of gaining one additional point through a remark explains why closeness improves the potential impact but not the probability that an error will be found.
If the remark does not change your grade
First, ask the coordinator for the precise outcome and whether the mark changed without crossing the boundary. Then discuss whether there is a genuine procedural concern that could justify a Category 1 report or appeal. Disappointment alone is not evidence of procedural failure.
If no valid post-results route remains, your practical options may include contacting the university, accepting an alternative offer, or retaking the subject. A retake is a new assessment attempt, not a second review of the original script. The RevisionDojo IB retake guide explains the distinction and the planning involved.
Students preparing for a retake should diagnose why marks were lost rather than simply rereading the course. RevisionDojo Study Notes and Flashcards can repair specific knowledge gaps, while the Questionbank and Mock Exams can develop application and timing. Jojo AI can help identify recurring weaknesses in practice responses, but official registration and result enquiries must still go through an IB World School.
Conclusion
You cannot request two re-marks of the same IB subject result. A Category 1 report or assessment appeal may follow in appropriate circumstances, but neither is automatically a second academic marking, and every formal request must go through the school.
Before requesting the original EUR, check your boundary position, the possible downside, the deadline, and the real value of a grade increase. If the EUR route is exhausted, RevisionDojo’s Questionbank, Study Notes, Mock Exams, and Jojo AI are most useful for preparing systematically for a retake rather than continuing to challenge the same result.
Sources and referenced URLs
- IB Diploma Programme general regulations
- IB assessment principles and practices guide
- IB assessment and results FAQ
- RevisionDojo guide to IB remarks
- RevisionDojo guide to IB appeals and regrades
- RevisionDojo guide to challenging an IA mark
- RevisionDojo guide to IB grade boundaries
- RevisionDojo analysis of gaining one point through a remark
- RevisionDojo IB retake guide
