If your International A Level result wasn’t what you expected, you have two real options: request a remark, or plan a resit. They solve different problems — a remark corrects a possible marking error on the paper you already sat; a resit gives you a genuinely fresh attempt. Here’s exactly how each works for Cambridge and Edexcel IAL in 2026, and how to decide.

Cambridge International A Level: Enquiries About Results (EAR)

Cambridge’s post-results review is called Enquiries About Results, submitted by your school through Cambridge’s Direct portal — you can’t apply individually.

Service	What it checks
Service 1	Clerical re-check — marks were added and transferred correctly. No re-marking.
Service 1S	Same as Service 1, plus you receive a copy of your script.
Service 2	Full review of marking — checks the mark scheme was applied correctly. Includes the Service 1 check. Not available for multiple-choice papers.
Service 2S	Same as Service 2, plus a copy of your script.

• Deadline for the June 2026 series: 20 September 2026 — though many schools set an earlier internal cut-off, so check with your exams officer immediately, not in September
• Your grade can go up, down, or stay the same. A Service 2 review checks the marking against the standard, not just in your favour — Cambridge requires acknowledgement of this before submitting
• No fee is charged if the enquiry results in a grade change. Fees are billed to your school via the Direct portal and vary by country, so ask your exams officer for the exact figure rather than assuming a fixed price
• A free Access to Scripts service exists first, letting your school see your marked script before deciding whether a review is worth requesting — use it before paying for Service 2

Edexcel IAL: Review of Marking and Moderation (RoMM)

Pearson’s equivalent process, also submitted through your school.

Service	What it checks
Access to Scripts (ATS)	Free — view your marked script before deciding on a review.
Service 1	Clerical check.
Service 2	Review of marking on externally-assessed components.
Service P2	Same as Service 2, priority (faster) turnaround.
Service 3	Review of moderation — only relevant for internally-marked/coursework components.

• Deadline for the Summer 2026 series: 24 September 2026
• Your grade can go up, down, or stay the same — Pearson requires your written consent acknowledging this before a review is submitted, in line with Ofqual rules that apply across UK-regulated boards
• No fee if the qualification grade changes as a result of the check or review
• Pearson’s published fee table is a UK list price (Service 1 around £14, Service 2 around £57, Service P2 around £68, Service 3 from around £274) — international pricing exists on a separate schedule, so treat these as a rough steer, not your actual cost, and confirm with your centre

The Bigger Difference: Whether You Can Resit Just One Paper

This is where the two boards genuinely differ, and it should shape your decision as much as the remark process does.

Cambridge is linear — no resitting a single component

You cannot resit one paper of an Int’l A Level in isolation. If you want to improve, you retake the whole AS Level or the whole A2 stage. AS results can be “banked” and carried forward into a later A2 sitting, but only within a 13-month window before they expire.

• October/November 2026 series: exams run 28 September – 13 November 2026, with results on 7 January 2027. Standard entry deadline was 16 August 2026, with late entries generally accepted until around 21 September 2026 — confirm with your school immediately if you’re considering this window, since it’s tight.
• Next full opportunity otherwise: the June 2027 series.

Edexcel IAL is modular — you can resit individual units

Pearson takes your best result across your two most recent attempts at a unit (matched by your Unique Candidate Identifier), so a weak paper doesn’t force you to redo the whole subject.

• Next resit windows: a January 2027 series (entries typically due via your school around October 2026, results around March 2027), and the main June 2027 series
• Unlike Cambridge, Edexcel doesn’t run a large October/November international sitting — January is the primary interim window

So: Remark, Resit, or Both?

A rough framework:

• Request a remark (or at least Access to Scripts) when: your grade is close to a boundary, and your exam performance felt notably stronger than your result suggests — especially if it doesn’t match your mock or predicted grade
• Plan a resit when: the gap between your result and your target is bigger than a marking review is realistically going to close, or you weren’t confident in your exam performance to begin with
• Consider both: requesting Access to Scripts costs nothing and takes the guesswork out of whether a paid review is worth it — do that first, and use what you see to decide whether to also register for a resit window in parallel, so you’re not waiting on the review outcome before starting to prepare

Get Your Fees, Deadlines and a Recommendation Instantly

Rather than working through the tables above manually, the Remark or Resit Decision Tool does it for your specific board — enter how close your grade was and get a personalised recommendation, fee and deadline. Add the deadline to your calendar with the Resit & Remark Deadline Countdown.

Preparing for a Resit

A resit is a genuine second chance, not a repeat of the same revision — the goal is to close the specific gap that cost you marks the first time, not to redo everything.

Tutopiya helps students prepare for International A Level resits through expert one-to-one online tutoring, built around exactly this kind of targeted, exam-technique-focused revision, alongside the world’s largest AI-powered A Level resources bank. Book a free trial with an A Level tutor to build a plan around your actual gap, not a generic syllabus re-run.

Ready to Excel in Your Studies?

Get personalised help from Tutopiya's expert tutors. Whether it's IGCSE, IB, A-Levels, or any other curriculum — we match you with the perfect tutor and your first session is free.

Book Your Free Trial