RENZO DIAZ — Reference library
IB Results Day: Dates, Times and What Happens Next
3 min readBy Renzo DiazLast reviewed October 7, 2026
IB Diploma results for the May session reach schools on 5 July and students on 6 July, from 12.00 GMT on the IB's candidate website; in 2026 that was 1.00pm in the UK and 2.00pm in central Europe. Students log in with a personal code and a PIN from their IB coordinator. Universities the student named before results receive them on the day, and UCAS forwards them to UK universities over the following days. Afterwards only the school can ask for a re-mark, which can move a grade up or down, and any subject can be retaken in a later session, with the higher grade counting. November results reach schools on 16 December and students from 17 December.
Results day compresses two years into an afternoon, and most of what decides the next step is already settled by then: which universities receive the results, what the offer asked for, and whether the school has authorised UCAS. This article sets out the timetable and the procedures, from the IB's and UCAS's own pages, so that the day holds no surprises.
The dates below are the IB's standing dates for each session. The IB confirms the exact release times in a news item at the end of June.
Most of what decides results day is settled weeks before it: where the results go, and what the offer asked for.
Key takeaways
- May session: results to schools on 5 July, to students on 6 July from 12.00 GMT.
- Login from the school: a personal code and a PIN from the IB coordinator; never give them to a university.
- Six free transcripts: requested before results, with UCAS counting as one.
- Re-marks go through the school: a fee applies, and the grade can go down as well as up.
- Retakes count the higher grade: in any later session, at an IB school willing to accept the candidate.
When IB results are released
Schools receive results first, through the IB's system for schools, in steps of fifteen minutes by time zone; a school may pass them to its students as soon as it has them. Students see them on the candidate website from the next day.
The May 2026 session
- Students with results
- 209,607
- Diploma Programme and Career-related Programme students worldwide.
- Average Diploma score
- 30.88
- The global average for the May 2026 session.
| Session | Schools receive results | Students see results |
|---|---|---|
| May 2026 | 5 July 2026, from 1.00pm BST (2.00pm CEST), by time zone | 6 July 2026, from 12.00 GMT (1.00pm BST, 2.00pm CEST) |
| November session | 16 December, from 9.00pm GMT | From 17 December |
| May 2027 | 5 July, the IB's standing date | 6 July, the IB's standing date |
Sources: the IB's announcement of 30 June 2026 and its assessment FAQ, read 7 October 2026. UCAS's advisers' page also gives 5 July 2027 for schools and UCAS. The IB confirms the exact times for each session shortly before.
How students see their results
On the candidate website
Get the login from the coordinator
The IB coordinator gives each student a personal code and a PIN; each exam session has its own PIN. The coordinator may withhold them.
Log in on the candidate website
The personal code is case-sensitive, the PIN is not; three wrong attempts lock the account for 30 minutes.
Read what is shown
Subject grades, the total and the bonus points for Theory of Knowledge and the extended essay. Component marks are not shown; a detailed view, with the scaled mark and the grade boundaries, appears only if the coordinator allows it.
Note any pending grade
A "P" beside a subject means its grade is still pending.
Keep the PIN private
The IB is explicit that a student should never give the code and PIN to a university; universities receive results by their own route.
How results reach universities
Before results are released, a student can have them sent to six universities free of charge, through the coordinator. An admissions service such as UCAS counts as one, and at most three can be in Canada or the United States, only one of them in the US. The formal cut-off is the release date; the IB asks coordinators to submit the requests by 15 June for May, or 1 December for November. Universities on the IB's system see the results on the day.
For UK universities, the school must authorise UCAS in the IB's system before results day; a student cannot do it. Without that permission UCAS receives nothing and the university's decision is delayed. UCAS then forwards each subject and grade to the universities over the following days. After results, further transcripts cost USD 19 each and can take up to 14 working days.
If the offer is met, missed or exceeded
For UK applicants, the outcome shows in the UCAS application once the university has the results. A met offer is confirmed; if the firm choice is missed and the insurance choice met, the place moves to the insurance.
| Situation | What can happen |
|---|---|
| Conditions met | The university confirms the place |
| Narrowly missed | The university may still accept the student |
| Missed, with an alternative | A changed course offer: another course, start date or point of entry, to accept within five days |
| Missed, no place | Clearing, from results day; in 2026 it ran from 2 July to 19 October |
| Exceeded | Adjustment no longer exists; a student with an unconditional firm place can decline it and enter Clearing, losing the insurance place too |
Source: UCAS pages on results, application status, Clearing and declining a place, read 7 October 2026. Universities have until 2 September to receive results unless they set another date. Firm and insurance choices cannot be swapped.
Asking for a re-mark: the enquiry upon results
After results, the school can request an enquiry upon results on a student's behalf; the IB does not accept requests from students or parents. It is not free, and because a re-mark can lower a grade as well as raise it, the student's written consent is required. If a grade changes, the IB sends the university an updated transcript within 24 hours.
| Category | What it is |
|---|---|
| Category 1 | A re-mark of all the externally assessed components of a subject |
| Category 2 | Copies of the externally assessed work |
| Category 3 | A re-moderation of the school's sample of an internally assessed component |
Sources: the IB's assessment guide for teachers and coordinators (2019) for the categories, and its 2026 regulations and FAQ for the rules. A fee applies to each category, except when a category 1 re-mark changes the grade. For May, all three can be requested from 5 July; for November, category 1 from 16 to 18 December and all three from 2 January. The deadline and fees are set out to coordinators.
Retaking a subject
A student can retake a subject in any later session, at any IB school offering the Diploma, though no school has to accept a retake candidate and each sets its own fees. The higher grade counts towards the Diploma. A subject whose syllabus has changed since is retaken on the new one, and whether internal assessment can be carried over is a question for the coordinator. The IB removed its three-session limit in 2023.
How the grades are set
The IB sets grade boundaries mainly by reviewing the quality of candidates' work against the grade descriptors. Its guide for teachers describes boundaries set by senior examiners from judgement, statistical evidence, the descriptors and teachers' comments on each paper, just before results are issued, and a re-mark, before results, of candidates whose grade looks too low against their predicted grade. How boundaries have moved from year to year in Mathematics is shown in IB Math AA vs AI: how to choose.
Terms used in this article
- Candidate website
- The IB's site where students see their results, with a personal code and a PIN from the coordinator.
- Enquiry upon results (EUR)
- The IB's post-results service, requested by the school: a re-mark, copies of work or a re-moderation.
- Transcript
- The IB's official record of a student's results, sent directly to a university.
- Changed course offer
- A UCAS offer of a different course, start date or point of entry when the original conditions were not met.
- Clearing
- UCAS's route for applicants without a place to apply for courses that still have vacancies.
Questions about IB results day
What time are IB results released?
From 12.00 GMT on 6 July for students, on the candidate website. Schools receive them on 5 July, staggered by time zone, and may pass them on as soon as they have them.
When is IB results day 2027?
The IB's standing dates are 5 July for schools and 6 July for students. UCAS's advisers' page also gives 5 July 2027; the IB confirms the exact times at the end of June.
Can I see my component marks on results day?
Not on the standard view. It shows subject grades, the total and the bonus points; the scaled mark and grade boundaries appear only if the coordinator allows a detailed view.
Can a re-mark lower my IB grade?
Yes. A re-mark can raise or lower a grade, which is why the school needs the student's written consent before requesting one.
Can I retake one IB subject?
Yes, in any later session. The higher grade counts towards the Diploma, but the school must agree to enter you and sets its own fees.
What happens if I miss my UCAS offer with my IB results?
The university may still accept you, offer a changed course or release you to Clearing. A changed course offer must be accepted within five days.
Written by
Teaching IB since 2016. Seven years of IB reviews you can check on Google — and named results with the documents behind them.
Last reviewed October 7, 2026
Sources
Every date and rule comes from the IB's or UCAS's own pages, read on 7 October 2026. The IB's enquiry categories come from its 2019 guide for teachers and coordinators; its current regulations confirm the services and leave the details to coordinators. UCAS dates are for the 2026 cycle unless marked.
- IB — The IB prepares to release DP and CP results (30 June 2026)
- IB — More than 209,000 IB students receive their DP and CP results (6 July 2026)
- IB — Assessment FAQ
- IB — Requesting transcripts
- IB — Requesting and sending transcripts (timeline for universities)
- IB — Retaking examinations
- IB — Assessment principles and practices: guide for teachers and coordinators (2019)
- UCAS — The results process (advisers)
- UCAS — What your application status means
- UCAS — What is Clearing?