Teachers' Ability to Alter International Baccalaureate Anticipated Grades: Insider Knowledge and Methods
In the world of International Baccalaureate (IB) education, predicted grades play a significant role in students' university applications. However, changes to these grades are not common due to strict IB guidelines, accountability, and the trust universities place in these predictions.
### How Revisions of IB Predicted Grades Typically Happen
Predicted grades are initially given by teachers based on students' assessed work and expected final exam performance. These grades are submitted for university applications before the actual exam results are released, usually in early July. Students who are dissatisfied with their grades can request a formal review known as an Enquiry Upon Results (EUR) or remark. This process involves re-marking the entire exam paper by a senior examiner, re-moderation of internal assessments if a school believes the moderation was incorrect, or the return of the original marked paper for personal review.
It's important to note that marks can increase, decrease, or remain the same after a remark. Grade changes only occur if the new mark crosses a grade boundary.
### Factors Influencing the Decision to Revise Predicted Grades
Several factors can influence the decision to revise predicted grades. These include teacher assessment accuracy, exam and assessment performance, grade boundaries and difficulty, university application needs, and the timing of IB results release.
Teacher assessment accuracy reflects the teachers' expectations based on coursework and mock exams. If students believe these underrepresent their ability, a revision request can be considered. External examiners or moderators might identify marking errors during remarks, which affect whether grades change.
Grade boundaries vary depending on the level of exam difficulty and cohort performance each year. Crossing a boundary during remark is essential for a revision. Students might seek revisions if predicted grades or final grades jeopardize university admission chances. Schools play a role in supporting well-founded appeals or remark requests to meet these needs.
The timing of IB results release is also a factor. Students and schools receive results simultaneously or schools slightly earlier. Revising predicted grades typically happens post-results rather than pre-results because predicted grades are provisional estimates, not official final grades.
In summary, revising IB predicted grades usually involves a formal remark process conducted after final results. The decision depends on suspected marking issues, the likelihood of crossing grade boundaries, and students’ university admission requirements. Teachers’ initial predictions can be reviewed but usually, final grades dominate as the official records used by universities.
It's worth mentioning that services like RevisionDojo can help improve predicted grades by providing targeted subject guidance, mock exam preparation, and strategy coaching. If your predicted grade is too low for your dream university, it's advisable to apply strategically and aim to outperform predictions in final exams.
Lastly, it's important to note that changes to predicted grades must be justifiable and documented, and teachers are accountable to the IB for grade inflation or misalignment with historical performance. If you feel your predicted grades are too low, you can ask for feedback, submit strong assessments, stay engaged, demonstrate improvement, and avoid directly asking your teacher to "raise" your grade. Predicted grades cannot be changed after submission.
- To improve their university applications, students can engage in mock exams and focus on their learning and personal growth, as these activities can help enhance their exam performance in International Baccalaureate (IB) education.
- In the education-and-self-development process, students can use services like RevisionDojo to prepare for mock exams, seek feedback from teachers, and strive to outperform their predicted grades, aiming to demonstrate to universities their true ability and potential.
