Exam retakes and re-marking

If you or your teachers think that you could achieve better grades, you can choose to re-take your exam.

What is a retake?

An exam counts as a retake if you have sat the same syllabus in the past year.

to apply for retakes for Cambridge International Examinations (CIE) students 

What you need to do:

You need to speak to your local British Council Customer team.

Note: the retake option may not apply to all subjects. You can usually submit previously used coursework so you will only need to retake written exams. Any coursework that is resubmitted needs to meet the requirements of the syllabus in the new exam series and must be re-assessed.

If you are a student and believe that your exam results are incorrect, you should talk to your teacher or British Council colleague. If your teacher agrees that you should request a re-mark, you will need to contact the British Council within 1 month from online results issuance. You will have to pay a re-marking fee.

Teams of examiners assess every exam paper. They are specialists in their subjects, and follow a strict marking scheme. Principal examiners oversee the process to make sure that grades are awarded fairly.

If a student is awarded a grade that differs significantly from their teacher’s prediction or comparative performance, their exam is automatically re-checked and often re-graded. Borderline grades are also re-marked to ensure the grade is fair.

The exam marking process is carefully designed to be fair to all students. However, if you feel that your exam result does not represent your work, you can ask to have your paper re-marked.

Request a re-mark

For Cambridge International Examinations (CIE) candidates:  download the CIE - Enquiry About Results form from the Downloads area below, or collect it from the British Council Examinations Services counter.

For Pearson Edexcel candidates: please use the Pearson Edexcel - Enquiry About Results form. You can collect it from the British Council Examinations Services counter.

Remember: your grade and mark may be lowered, confirmed or raised following the enquiry. If your grade is raised, you may be entitled to a full refund for this service.

Teachers and exam officers must obtain consent from a candidate before ordering a examination re-mark. For Pearson Edexcel candidates, please download the Remarking Candidate Consent Form below.