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Disappointed with your IELTS Result?

If you are disappointed with your IELTS result, you have 2 options:

1. Take the IELTS test again or
2. Ask for re-marking.

Many people were asking me about option # 2 and here is an explanation of what’s involved.

If you believe that you deserve a better score than you were awarded, you can ask for re-marking of your results. You can ask to re-mark the whole test or any part of it (Listening, Reading, Writing, or Speaking). Of course there is a fee, which is roughly a half of the normal IELTS test fee. If your result is changed to a higher score, the fee is refunded.

If you decided to go for remarking, here is what you need to do. Within 6 weeks of your test date, get a form called “IELTS Enquiry on Results Form” from your test center, fill in your name, address, the tests you want to have remarked, sign and date it. Pay the fee and expect your answer back within 6 weeks from the day they receive it at Cambridge.

Here is what happens next: your test paper, your writing or your tape recorded during the Speaking test will be re-marked by a different examiner – not the one in your local test center, but by a trained clerical marker (for Reading and Listening answers) or a Cambridge ESOL-appointed Examiner, employed by the British Council or IDP.

In my opinion, unless you are very sure they’ve misread your answers, in the Reading and Listening there isn’t much of a chance to get a higher score. On the other hand, in the Writing and Speaking your chances are much better, because the score does depend on who marks the work, to some extent.

Let me tell you a true story of A from Romania. She took the IELTS test and was very confident and positive about her results, however… the results arrived and she got only 6.5 in Speaking. A immediately appealed, because she was confident that she deserved more (and her scores in the other sections were also much higher, Bands 8 – 7.5).

Later on she got really pessimistic, after talking to people who assured her that IELTS folks will never give her a higher score because of some kind of conspiracy, that by giving her a higher score, IELTS organization will admit to their guilt and they are never going to do that.

Two month later, a very happy A wrote me a letter about her score being raised from 6.5 to 7 and her money was refunded. Apparently the examiner at Cambridge disagreed with the local Romanian examiner and thought A was a Band 7 candidate.

241 thoughts on “Disappointed with your IELTS Result?”

  1. Hi Srilekha, there is a large gap between your Reading/Listening abilities and your Speaking, with your Writing being the lowest, and it may suggest that you deserve a higher score in writing. If you believe you were unfairly marked, then re-evaluation can help. If your score changes following re-evaluation, the fee you will pay for it will be returned to you. You can ask to re-evaluate only the writing, and your other scores will be safe.

  2. hi sir! just want to ask if I will apply for a remark for all the areas in IELTS and the result would be for example 3 areas changes higher or maintained and 1 part got lower, the money i spent for remarking would not be refunded?

    thank you

  3. Hello I have scored 8.5L,8.5R,6.5W,8 S
    I’m planning to apply for re-evaluation
    Wat would be my chances of getting a better score

  4. Hi Mohammed, the gap between your score in writing and the rest of your scores implies that something may have gone wrong with your writing. Either that, or your score doesn’t reflect your true writing ability. If you were unfairly marked then applying to re-evaluate just the writing may help. Your other scores won’t be changed if you only ask to remark the writing. If your writing score changes, they will refund your fee for remarking. I hope it happens for you, good luck! Let me know how it goes.

  5. I scored an overall of 7 with modules 7.5 7.5 and 7 in speaking listening and reading except for writing in which I scored 6. I applied for re-evaluation but unfortunately the score remained unchanged. I’m really disappointed as I jus need 6.5 minimum in all modules and I’m jus 0.5 short in writing can I apply for revaluation again. Is there any procedure for applying for revaluation twice for the same module. Kindly advice

  6. Hi John, sorry to hear about this. I don’t think there is a way to appeal the result of remarking. According to IDP website, “A re-mark application may only be submitted once for each test and the outcome provided is final”. You may need to re-take the test.

  7. Hi, I got L 8.5, R 9.0, S 7.0 and W 7.0. i need 7.5 in S and W to get into CLB band 10. Is there a way where I can reapply for S and W. Also what could be the chances for the same. During the speaking exam I noted that the examiner was actually liking my speech from her face expression. Also in writing I would have written more that 300 words in the essay, infact got additional paper during the exam. I am expecting the score of 7.5 but it is 7.0

  8. Hi Shyam, you can apply to remark just your Speaking and Writing, as for chances it’s hard for me to guess, I haven’t heard you speak and haven’t seen your writing. If your score changes as a result of remarking (that is if you get a higher or a lower score), the remarking fee will be refunded.

  9. Hi, Is it possible by any chance that If I file in the re-evaluation for Writing module, They could decrease the already attained band score for writing or the score only increases or stays the same? My overall score is 8-S 8.5, L 8.5, R 8, W 6.5. Thank you.

  10. Hi Harminder, when you apply for remarking the score can go up, go down or stay the same. It is up to the senior examiner assessing your work. To keep your other sub-test scores safe you can apply to get only the writing remarked.

  11. Hi, I recently got my IELTS score and those are as follows:

    Listening and reading 8.5, speaking – 7.5 and writing 6.5. I need 7 in writing what is your view on revaluation in this situation

  12. Hi. I just got my results today. I got listening-7.5 reading-7.0 writing 7.0 speaking 6.5. Overall band score- 7.0 I need 7.0 for speaking so I can enroll on a nursing course. It’s really frustrating coz Im only short 0.5 do you think there’s a chance that my speaking score will get a little bit higher if I request for a remark? Thanks

  13. Hi Katherine, it’s hard to tell you what your fair Speaking score is without hearing you speak. Our Speaking examiner Adam can tell you how likely you are to get a 7 in Speaking. He worked at the British Council as a writing and speaking examiner for 10 years. To get his feedback you need to take this online Speaking test, and you will get a report telling you what your Speaking score is, in each criterion and overall. The test is very quick and affordable and the feedback is usually given in one day.

  14. I have scored W 6.5.. Reading 6.5.. Speaking 8.5.. Listening 8. I got a band score 7.5 I need a band score 8. Is it worth re-evaluating it?
    I have 30.5 points out of 40. In order to get an 8 I need 1.5 points more, if I’m correct. Is that possible?

  15. Hi Joseph, if you can get your Writing increased to 7.5, then your overall score would jump to 8. Reading is unlikely to change following re-evaluation, so looking at your score, Writing is your best chance. I hope it happens for you!

  16. Hello All

    I got in listening 8, SRW – 6.5 but an overall 7 band score. Something seems to be off here is my feeling. Do you think applying for reevaluation makes sense? It costs about 40% of actual test fees

    Speaking 6.5 and writing 6.5 I highly doubt should be my actual score. A band 7 for both Is what I was expecting
    Or rather prepare and give it another go
    What are your thoughts on this

  17. Hi Alfred, you can ask to reevaluate just the speaking and writing. Do you need Band 7 in these two modules? Because your overall score wouldn’t change even if writing and speaking were raised from 6.5 to 7. Your overall score would remain at 7.

  18. Hi Simon,

    Hope you are good.
    I just received my ielts results. While my overall was 7, my writing was only 6. I feel like l deserved much more than that, maybe even higher than 7. I have a master in science, several published articles, and I also spent a lot of time practicing for ielts. Generally speaking, my writing is my strongest skill. I don’t know what to do. The money they ask for re-evaluation is too much for me, besides checking the comments of people, I feel like there is something wrong with this exam. There are many people with scores higher than 8 in other skills but a low score in writing. If it’s their manner, then asking for re-evaluation will be just a waste of money.

    Let me ask you some questions.
    Do they have a strategy to give low scores for writing even when the writing is very good?
    Also could you please tell me what kind of information the second examiner will be aware of, before marking the paper?
    I also wonder if you think that my writing is about 6, based on this email.

    Thanks anyway.

  19. Hi Abtin,

    Sorry to hear you’re not happy with the score you received. When you apply for remarking, the new examiner won’t know the score you have been awarded before. When your writing is marked, in addition to looking at your grammar, spelling, sentence formation, etc they also look at your vocabulary, ability to express and justify ideas and opinions, how you organise the information in your writing, how well you understood the task question and how well your response covered everything you were asked to write about. So based on your comment here I can’t assess anything except for your grammar and spelling, which is worth only 25% of the score, unfortunately – but if you were to send a complete essay or report to our writing correction team, they would give you a complete estimate of your score and the reasons why. If you decide to go for remarking and your score changes as a result, IELTS centre will refund the fee.

  20. Hi I got my result today,
    L 6.5, R 7.5,W 7.0, S 8.5 .. over all 7.5 … I’m disappointed because I needed a atleast 7.5 in listening and I think my paper went really well..
    Should I send it for re- evaluation or not? I know listening is objective but is there a possibility that the examiner made the mistake ?.. please guide .. the exam is expensive for me . Really don’t want to take it again 🙁

  21. Hey I got my result today
    L 6.5
    R 7.5
    W 7.0
    S 8.5

    I’m really disappointed in listening coz I was expecting between 7.5 and 8 . And I think I did fine aswell.. o just want to get my listening checked.i know its objective, but is there a possibility that an examiner make a mistake in Listening section.. should I go for a recheck ? . And are the charges the same whether you get all or one module check.. also will take 6 weeks.

    Please suggest

  22. Hi Fatima, sorry to hear about the low score in Listening 🙁 you can ask to get just the Listening remarked, but it will cost the same as all the components. In the Listening section your answers are compared to a list of correct answers and if any of your answers are different, those answers gets 0 marks. The official time frame it takes to check one module or all modules is the same. I wish you good luck if you decide to go for remarking.

  23. Hello there! I scored 7 in listening and speaking while 6 in reading and 5.5 in writing. I am unable to pay the fees against there any other way out? I am pretty sure of my writing as I rephrased the introduction gave an overview with two body paragraphs and examples with solutions and conclusion. I don’t know what to do now.

  24. Hi there, I’m really sad to hear about the 5.5 in writing. The only way to get another examiner to recheck your writing is to apply for remarking. The alternative is to re-do the test, which costs more.

  25. I just received my recent IELTS score
    R-7
    L-7
    W-6.5
    S-6.5
    Overall = 7
    I just need 7 on my speaking. I am also in doubt after my speaking test as the examiner asked too many questions and even almost cutting me mid conversation which bothered me speaking my intent and opinions. Would you think it would make sense to file for reevaluation or just better retake the exam?

  26. Hi John, sorry to hear about the 6.5 in Speaking that’s holding you back. It is impossible for me to guess what your real score should be, and whether the 6.5 you were given is fair or not. Here is what you can do – we have a former IELTS examiner assessing the Speaking tests our students take via this Speaking evaluation service. You can get your Speaking assessed and that will give you certainty whether to prepare and re-take the test or ask to get your test remarked. Adam, our examiner, worked for the British Council for 10 years, and his assessment is highly professional.

  27. Hello, I would like to ask. If you did apply for a re-evaluation after receiving the official test results. Would the re-evaluated score/s be the final result you will have, and the previous one be disregarded? Or can you disregard the re-evaluated result (if it decreased in band score)? Thank you.

  28. Hello. I am shocked and disappointed by my IELTS result for both my speaking and writing parts.
    My scores are L-9.0, R-8.5, S-7.0 and W-6.5. I dont know the reason for my score on my writing, especially since I have addressed all necessary tasks needed for both writing tasks and was not under the word count.

    Is there a possibility that once I request for re evaluation, my band scores will increase?

    Thank you

  29. Hi Mina, sorry to hear about the disappointing score you received. If you believe that you fulfilled all the requirements in writing and you deserve a better score, yes, you could apply for remarking and there is a chance that when a senior examiner re-checks your work, they may increase your score. You will pay the same fee regardless how many skills you ask to remark, so you can ask to re-evaluate the Speaking test as well. If your score changes, they will refund your payment for remarking.

  30. Prathamesh Waghmare

    Hi !

    I just received my IELTS result today !
    It’s as follows:
    Speaking: 8
    Reading: 7
    Writing: 6
    Listening: 5.5

    I believe I could’ve got more in listening rather than speaking !
    Is there a more gap between my speaking and listening ? Is it worth trying for a re-evaluation?

  31. Hi Prathamesh, one possibility is that some of your answers in listening that you thought were correct, were marked as incorrect. It could have happened because you wrote more words than you were allowed, if the instructions asked to write, say, 1 word and you wrote two or three, or if you misspelled some words. If that happened, re-evaluation won’t help, unfortunately. In general, there is a list of correct answers and if yours were different, they will be marked as incorrect. There isn’t much room for bias and judgement, and for that reason I don’t think that re-evaluation of Listening is going to help.

  32. Hi , I got 7.5 for listening 8 for reading 7 for reading and 5.5 for writing.so if I give for re-evaluation for writing,what is possibility of increasing by 0.5 for writing

  33. Hi Nandu, if you believe that your writing was marked unfairly, re-evaluation is your chance to get the score you really deserve. As a result of remarking your score can go up, down or stay the same, depending on the evaluation of a senior examiner who will be checking your work.

  34. Hello sir
    I received my test result today I’m v disappointed ☹️
    L8 S8 w7 R 6.5 should I reevaluate? M not v confident about reading scores, reading was tough

  35. Hi Raina, if you only need to get your Reading remarked, the chances of your score changing aren’t great. Reading is clerically marked and there is a list of correct answers, yours are compared to them and if they are different, you don’t get a mark. There isn’t room for judgement and so the score isn’t likely to change if a different person marks your answers.

  36. Hi!
    I got my IELTS academic result two days ago.
    W: 6.5
    S: 8
    R: 7.5
    L: 9
    I need 7 in writing. Shall I apply for remarking? If yes, is it likely to get 7 after revaluation?

  37. Hi Mandeep, there is a considerable gap between your other skills and writing, and that suggests that you may deserve a better score. I can’t be sure, of course, because sometimes your score can be negatively affected if you misunderstood the task prompt and didn’t address all of it, or didn’t address it correctly. It’s not just the quality of your writing that counts, it is also the actual content. If your score is changed as a result of remarking, regardless of whether it is up or down, you will get back the remarking fee. Whatever you decide to do, I hope it goes well!

  38. Hi I got L:-6,W :- 6, Reading 5.5 and Speaking :- 6.5. and overall :- 6 band . I just need 0.5 marks in Reading .. and I m planning to apply for remarking for reading.. but overall I need 6.5 score. Can anyone suggest what will be the best module I can apply so that overall I can get6.5 by any chance ?

  39. Hi Amandeep, only Writing and Speaking have a chance of the score being changed following remarking, because a different examiner might assess you differently. Your Listening and Reading answers are checked against a list of predefined answers, and if yours are different, it doesn’t matter what examiner marks the paper, you won’t get marks for those answers. In your particular case you need the score in both Speaking and Writing to be 1 band higher for the overall score to be 6.5. You can ask for more than one skill to be remarked, it won’t cost more – the remarking fee is the same regardless of how many skills are rechecked.

  40. I got L8.5 R7.5 W6.5 S7
    I need 7 in writinf to get 8777
    Can you pleqse advise if my writing score be increase by .5 to get 7

  41. I got LRSW as 7.5,7.5,7,6.5
    I am disappointed as i needed 7 in writing module….I had thoroughly checked both tasks & there were no typos or grammatical mistakes.
    Word count was also upto the mark.
    Can my W score increase with an EOR?

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