As you probably know, if you are disappointed with your IELTS speaking score, you have the option to go back to the IELTS test centre and request a re-mark by a different examiner. There is of course a fee (around 50% of the normal IELTS test fee), which is refunded if your result is changed to a higher score. People often want to know if this is a good idea, so I’m going to give some tips to help you decide.
Should you request a re-mark?
In general, you should think about re-marking if all of the conditions below apply.
- You feel that you deserve a higher score.
- You are within 0.5 of your target band. For example, you need a 7 but you got a 6.5.
- There is about 1-1.5 band difference between your speaking score and your other scores (if there is a 2 band difference, the marks are double-checked automatically, so a re-mark probably won’t help).
- You are not in a hurry — it can take up to 2 months to get your test re-marked, so if you need a result sooner it might be better for you to take the test again.
Of course, these are just guidelines and do not guarantee a positive result. There are many stories all over the Internet of candidates who were disappointed with their re-marked scores as well as candidates who ‘got lucky’.
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