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If you are reading this, you’ve probably just taken your International Baccalaureate (IB) exams and feel unsure about your final IB exam marks. Maybe the anxiety of retaking one or more subjects to pass the (IB) Diploma Programme got you here. Whatever led you to this page, we’re glad you are here because we have the answers to all those burning questions about retaking your IB exams! If you are curious to know what your options are to improve your scores, you have two routes:

• Remarks – this is when you ask the IB examiners to re-review your IAs & exam papers in the hopes your results will improve. You will receive your IB results on July 6th. Please read our IB remark FAQs for more information on IB remarks.
• Retakes – If you’ve already tried the IB remark route, or don’t feel confident that your scores will improve with a remark, you may want to consider re-taking one or more exams. In that case, this is the article for you!

Before we answer all your questions, we want to remind you that your grade doesn’t define you! Students worldwide retake subjects and IB exams because the programme syllabus is no walk in the park; it’s a challenging and very demanding programme. But you have opportunities to do better, so be kind to yourself.

How Lanterna can help you retake

Before we get started, here’s how we support retake candidates, whatever your situation:

• Your school doesn’t offer retakes? You don’t have to sort out an exam centre on your own. Lanterna can register you as an external candidate at our partner school in the UK, so you have somewhere to sit your November exams.
• One-to-one online tutoring with tutors who scored 40+ in their own IB diploma, plus qualified IB teachers and examiners who know exactly how your papers are marked.
• Retake Accelerated Programme – focused exam revision built around the November session, with a study plan tailored to your subjects.
• Free consultation with our Retakes team to talk through your options with no obligation. Book a call here: https://lanterna.com/for-students/book-a-meeting

You can find more information on our Retake Accelerated Programme here, as well as at the bottom of this blog post.

Now, let’s look at your available options and opportunities to help you improve your marks and get the score you need.

International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma Programme Exam Remarks and Retakes Explained

You already know that you need 12 points in your HLs, 9 points in your SLs and a minimum score of 24 points overall to earn your diploma – remember: there are some additional conditions! But what options do you have to help you improve your internal assessment or IB exam grades?

There are two routes an IB diploma candidate can take — remarks or retakes! Here’s everything you need to know about the IB Diploma Programme examination retakes and remarks:

1. What Are IB Exam Remarks?

Remarks are when a candidate wishes to have the examiners re-review their internal assessments (IAs) and exam papers in the hopes that they’ll receive extra marks and the newly awarded marks will improve their original grade. Bear in mind a remark can move your grade up or down, so it’s best where you were only a mark or two off a boundary. For the full detail, see our IB remark FAQs.

2. What is an IB Exam Retake?

For candidates who have already tried the re-marking route or don’t feel confident that their examination scores will improve after remarking, a diploma candidate can retake exams for one or more subjects.

If you want to retake your IB exams, this article is for you! In the first half of this article, we’ll address the complexities of retaking your IB exams.

The second half of this post answers more questions about what is possible when retaking your IB exams and provides further information on registration deadlines for examination sessions.

Important IB dates every diploma candidate should know

The following dates matter for every student in the IB Diploma Programme. Deadlines shift slightly year to year, so always confirm the exact dates with your DP coordinator or on the IB website.

July 6th

Student IB results come out! If you want to retake any of your exams or request a remark, speak to your Diploma Programme (DP) coordinator as soon as results are released.

Early July to late July

Registering for retake exams is cheapest in this early window. If you need to rewrite exams from a previous session and your budget is tight, aim to register soon after results for the lowest fees for the November session. Confirm the exact early deadline with your IB Coordinator.

Early July to mid-September

Your window to apply for remarks. Speak to your DP coordinator as soon as possible to arrange remarking, as this has to be submitted by them. Don’t leave it until the last moment!

October 15th

The final date to register for November IB exam retakes. After this deadline the IB will not accept student registrations for that session. Note that schools often set internal deadlines much sooner, so check with your DP coordinator about your school’s cut-off.

Late October

The November exam session begins in late October. Check the current exam timetable on the IB website for the exact dates of your subjects. If you miss the registration deadline due to adverse circumstances like illness, you’d need to enrol for the May session or a later one.

Useful Links for IB Diploma Programme Students:

• November 2024 stats bulletin
• May 2024 stats bulletin
• November 2023 stats bulletin
• May 2023 stats bulletin
• IBO Academic Integrity Policy

For many students in the International Baccalaureate programme, particularly those wanting to rewrite their exams at a new school, the November retake candidate’s registrations must be complete and submitted to the IB by their old or new (if the student attempts the retake at a new exam centre) school.

We encourage you to talk to your school’s DP coordinator to avoid missing registration and future examination session deadlines. If your school can’t host you, Lanterna can register you at our UK partner school so you still have a centre to sit your retakes.

You can also contact the Lanterna Education team for assistance with your retake registration, tailored revision courses and other forms of one-on-one tutoring to help you prepare for retakes and pass with flying colours!

IB Retakes FAQs and Advice

Here are some of the most common retake questions students and parents ask our tutors. Our team answered these frequently asked questions (FAQs) in a simple, easy-to-understand way to avoid confusion.

Keep reading to have all your questions about rewriting the IB exams answered! You’ll find answers to the following questions and a whole lot more:

• What if I did the non-examination route? Do I have to do an examination for my retakes?
• What is a failing IB score?
• What is the process for redoing my exams? Do I have to take an examination at my same school, or can I write my retake somewhere else?
• Can I re-use my previous internal assessment (IA), or do I have to redo my IAs?
• When are the student results for the May exams published?
• When are the November exams scheduled?

Please get in touch with our team if you have any more questions after reading the FAQs and advice below. Simply submit an enquiry form on our website or give us a call. We’d love to assist you!

1) How many subjects can I retake?

All of your subjects and any core elements! If your IB World School offers your subject group and is happy for you to rewrite them or redo core programme elements, then you can retake all six of your course subjects and the three core components of the IB syllabus (i.e. the Extended Essay, Theory of Knowledge, and Creativity, Activity, Service), or any combination of subjects and core elements!

• Rewriting exams

Candidates can retake subject exams in different exam sessions, and the retakes don’t have to take place consecutively. The IBO has now removed the old 3-session rule, so you can retake as many times as you need!

For example, if you originally wrote your Chemistry exams in May, then you can rewrite Chemistry in the November exam session in the same year, and you can write the subject again in the May sessions the following year, etc.

Alternatively, you can wait a full year before retaking the Chemistry paper. Then, if necessary, you can write Chemistry again in a future examination session.

But remember, not all of your course subjects will be available in both exam sessions. So it’s essential to check which subjects are available during the different sessions.

• Redoing core elements of the course

A candidate can also revise or complete a new Extended Essay (EE), Theory of Knowledge (TOK) and Creativity, Activity, Service (CAS).

You can submit a new Extended Essay for the same course subject or select a different diploma subject. But remember that you can’t carry your previous TOK essay marks over.

You can’t carry your Theory of Knowledge score over as essay prompts change every year, and the TOK essay is one of the examined core elements of the diploma programme.

2) Should I retake the IB exams in November or May?

It depends on a candidate’s university plans, how quickly they think they can reach their desired score, and any planned syllabus changes.

Watch out for syllabus changes. Several subjects have their first exams on a new syllabus in May 2027, including Psychology, Computer Science, Design Technology and Visual Arts. If you want to retake one of these, we’d suggest doing it in the November 2026 session so you sit the same syllabus you already studied, rather than starting over on the new one in May 2027. Always confirm current syllabus timelines with your DP coordinator, as changes are staggered by subject.

To choose an examination session, a candidate should consider their current academic score, the retake subject(s) grade boundaries, and their commitment to working hard over the coming months.

Assuming the academic year for your preferred universities begins in September/October, you must decide if you can make enough progress before November to achieve the grade(s) needed before the academic year begins.

If you’re not confident that the period between the previous session and the upcoming exam is enough time to improve your score, consider taking a full year to study before rewriting the exams.

• Retake candidates and UK UCAS Applications

UK candidates and students interested in applying to educational institutes in the UK should remember that the University and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS) application deadline is in mid-January (Oxbridge and most Medicine, Dentistry and Veterinary applications close much earlier, in mid-October). UK university classes usually start in September.

You’ll only receive your November session results in the new year, usually early January, which is only a week or so before the UCAS deadline for September admissions. Yikes!

For example, if you are a May retake candidate wanting to study in the UK, you can use your predicted scores in January for admissions. But remember, predicted scores are usually higher than the grades you can realistically achieve after just six months, and your predicted scores work according to all your work from July to December.

If you want or need more time to improve your grade(s), rewriting in May is a better option, as you’ll have a full year to focus on revision.

You can then submit concrete retake results with your university applications instead of using predicted scores to apply or reapply to UK universities, ultimately increasing your chances of admission because universities don’t often take the risk of accepting students based on expected results.

• Oxbridge and medical student applications

For Oxbridge and medical applicants, rewriting the following May is recommended because the UCAS deadline in mid-October doesn’t give a candidate enough time to apply with finalised examination grades.

However, as IB experts, the Lanterna Education team are here to offer you advice based on your personal circumstances, aims, and ambitions. So please get in touch if you need advice.

3) When do I register for IB retakes?

For November exams, candidates should register as soon as possible, typically before the end of July – check with your DP coordinator if there are no specific school deadlines for this – if you want to pay the lowest registration fees.

All candidates registering after the early deadline will pay both the standard registration fee plus the late registration fee for each subject or core element. After the final deadline on October 15th, the IB will not accept any candidate registrations, regardless of when students first took their exams.

The deadlines for May exams differ, and the equivalent final deadlines for May retake sessions are in mid-April. If you are rewriting in May and want lower registration fees, you must typically enrol by end of January.

You should also remember that your school’s final internal deadline for registration will vary and may be much earlier. Another factor to remember is that schools and your DP coordinator are often not accessible throughout the summer. You should finalise your plans before the summer holidays start and not leave it to the last minute!

4) How do I register for IB retakes?

Candidates must enrol through an IB World School – this is vital! The school you have previously written your exams at is the most obvious choice.

If you’ve moved or found yourself unable to rewrite at your previous school, then it’s your responsibility to find an IB World School offering the IB Diploma Programme to allow you to retake exams through them.

Schools aren’t obligated to allow students the opportunity to rewrite exams through them. And it can prove challenging to find a place willing to provide you with the opportunity, particularly if your current school isn’t happy or able to do so.

This is where we come in. If your school doesn’t offer retakes, or won’t take you as a retake candidate, Lanterna can register you as an external candidate at our partner school in the UK. We can provide all the tutoring you need for your retakes too. We cannot, however, write your exams, or complete your IA or other non-examined work. If you’re staying at your current school, prioritise speaking with their IB Coordinator. Want us to sort the exam centre for you? Book a free call: https://lanterna.com/for-students/book-a-meeting

5) Do I retake just my exams, or can I redo my IAs too?

You don’t have to retake all the assessed aspects of your subject(s); you can write the exams and not change your Internal Assessments.

Alternatively, your school may offer the option of revising or redoing your IAs. In this case, your teacher will be responsible for marking the new IA(s) and must be able to confirm that it is all your own work and significantly different from any previously submitted work.

To be able to prove this to the IBO, students resubmitting an IA or any other non-examination-based work must attend classes at the school they will write their retake; this makes some schools wary of taking on new students who wish to resubmit their IAs in addition to sitting the final exam papers.

Furthermore, you will typically need to retake the exam for the subject in which you wish to resubmit your IA. Please check with your IB Coordinator for more details.

However, you don’t have to attend classes to rewrite exams for one or more retake subjects, which often makes schools happier to take on students who aren’t planning to redo their IAs.

6) How do retakes affect my university applications?

Universities don’t officially rule out IB retake candidates. We’ve seen it time and time again; universities accept IB graduates, whether they earn their diploma over one diploma session or more.

However, for many top UK universities, your final grade, including the retake(s), must be significantly higher than the required points to differentiate you from first-time applicant candidates and to receive an offer.

To prove your determination and commitment to your chosen course, we recommend, in addition to focusing on your revision, that you create concrete plans linked to the course or industry you would like to study before your university studies begin; this shows that not only have you (hopefully!) exceeded the entry requirements, but you are also aware of how to use your time.

7) Where can I take my IB retake exams?

You can find a list of all the World Schools offering the IB Diploma Programme and retake session(s) on the IB website.

Please note only some establishments offer retake sessions, and an IB World School isn’t obliged to take on IB retake candidates. You should consult your current Diploma Programme Coordinator and call other local IB schools if your current school is unable or unwilling to support you with your IB retakes.

If you can’t find a centre that will take you, Lanterna can register you as an external candidate at our UK partner school, so you’re not stuck without somewhere to sit your exams. To give yourself the best possible chance and make arrangements in good time before the registration deadline, get in touch or contact other IB World Schools as soon as possible.

8) Can you request a re-mark as a retake candidate?

Your examiners will not know you are a retake candidate, so the re-marking process is the same as any other candidate taking exams during a session.

Be aware that the deadline for re-marking exam papers is very soon after the release of results, though! Also, remember that your IB Coordinator must request the re-mark for you and may ask for your fees up-front, as you have already left the school. See our remark FAQs for the full process.

9) How much help can I get for my retakes?

From merely helping with administration and marking to offering a complete study plan, schools may offer a wide range of support as the IB states that any IB World School must not simply adopt the role of a “retake centre” and must support each candidate, whether they are writing a subject for the first, second, or third time.

Whatever your circumstance, Lanterna Education is here to help you. Our support includes:

• Exam centre registration at our UK partner school if your own school doesn’t offer retakes.
• One-to-one online tutoring with 40+ IB graduates, qualified IB teachers and examiners.
• Our Retake Accelerated Programme: focused, exam-led revision in the weeks leading up to each IB exam session, with the recommended number of teaching hours.
• A Retake Revision Course with small, exam-focused workshops.

Our team also stays on top of current IB procedures so we can advise students accurately as rules change.

Get in touch with Lanterna Education

The Lanterna Education team has experience liaising with educational establishments and students to coordinate retakes and offer guidance. If you would like to discuss how we can support your student(s) with their retake preparation, we would be delighted to hear from you.

Please feel free to contact us. Our team will happily discuss similar guidance we’ve provided previously and offer advice on any specific support your students require.

Suppose several students at the same school want to write retakes. In that case, the Lanterna Education team can arrange group lessons and revision sessions in addition to our usual online or face-to-face one-on-one tutoring.

We also run a Retake Accelerated Programme, which provides highly focused exam revision with an expert IB tutor and the recommended number of teaching hours. It offers small classes throughout the weeks leading up to the beginning of each IB exam session to help students meet, and surpass, their subject grade boundaries. Book your free Retakes Consultation with our Retakes team using this link, or pre-register for the November retakes here.