The 6th of July 2022 marked the release of the May 2022 IB exam results. There are any range of emotions you might be feeling right now, whether positive or negative. So, I’m here to guide you on what your next steps could be, depending on how you feel about your results.
Firstly, congratulations!
We say this time and time again, but it really is a fantastic achievement to reach the end. Whether your IB results are what you wanted, or not, you have something to celebrate! Congratulate your classmates, relax, and have a good time!
If you’re disappointed with your IB results…
It happens. Despite all of our best efforts, the mark we end up with sometimes just isn’t what we wanted. In this case, it’s very easy to let your head drop and become demoralised, but there are many avenues you can go down.
Plan B
Depending on your country, there’s a fair chance your university admissions programme involved the choice of alternatives, for the case you didn’t make the grade for your top choice. Whether a university degree or internship course, having to settle for one of the other options probably won’t be satisfying. You are more than justified in feeling disappointed. However…
It is an overused phrase, but this has a fair chance of being a blessing in disguise. Each university, degree, or other further education course presents a vast and unique set of opportunities. I can’t tell the future, but I can guarantee you that wherever you end up, there will be plenty of productive and amazing things to fill your time with.
Re-marking
If you’re unhappy with your results, then you’ve probably already thought about re-marking. This is quite a complex topic, so here’s the long and short of it:
When you get re-marked or re-moderated, it’s very important to remember that your IB results can go down, not just up. Therefore, it only makes sense to pursue a re-mark when you know that you’re one (possibly two) marks within the next grade boundary.
The window for submitting papers for re-marking opened on results day (July 6th), and closes on September 15th, where you’ll generally get the re-marked paper back from the IB within two weeks.
Before pursuing a re-mark, you should definitely discuss it with your IB co-ordinator. Also ask them about what it would cost.
Re-taking exams
Re-takes are a complicated subject, too. Be sure to discuss this with your school’s co-ordinator as soon as possible to see if it could be a good idea. However, if you are sure you’re going to go after re-takes later on, Lanterna is here to help! You can click here to find out more about how we might be able to help you.
You can also find more in-depth information on re-marking and re-takes in our FAQs. Find our re-mark FAQ here, and the re-take FAQ here.
If you’re already satisfied with your IB results…
You might already know where you’re headed in September if your results came out as hoped! It’s really important, though, not to get complacent. The IB is a fantastic course for preparing you for what life has to throw at you, but it doesn’t give you it all.
Many people find the jump from the IB to university more difficult than expected, myself included. Stay vigilant over the summer, and try to bring your IB worth ethic with you to university. If nothing else, the transition from IB to university taught me that you always have to be prepared to adapt to new tasks and ways of thinking, something which I sorely underestimated during my time on the IB!
Final words
Whether you’re satisfied or upset, relieved or stressed, the next few months will be important. Try not to be hard on yourself if it hasn’t gone to plan – every IB student has to work so hard to even reach the end, and if you made it this far you should be really proud of yourself! Get out there and enjoy the summer!
