WSET Level 4 Diploma in Wines exams and results

Here you will find everything you need to know about taking Level 1-3 exams with WSET School London, including what to do if you can’t sit an exam, how to book re-sits, and the results process.

All Diploma students should read through this information carefully, but if you have questions then our contact details are at the bottom of this page.

Looking for information about Level 1-3 exams and results? Click here.

FAQs about Diploma exams

Who is involved?

  • WSET School London – As your Approved Programme Provider (APP), we plan and deliver your course and host the Diploma exams. We also issue you with your results.
  • WSET – WSET is the awarding body. They schedule the exam dates, create the papers, mark exams, and issue results to us. They also handle any requests for student enquiries/feedback on results and percentage breakdown requests.

What exams will I have?

Upon registering for a Diploma course, you’ll automatically be enroled onto the exams attached to your course.

If you have enrolled on a semester one course, this includes D1, D2, D4 and D5. Semester two includes your D3 exams and D6 Research Assignment. If your course encompasses both semesters, all your exams will be allocated at the time of enrolment. Details can be found in your booking confirmation email and course programme.

All exams have booking deadlines because we need to share details of registered students with the awarding body. Exams cannot be moved once the deadline has passed.

To sit your pre-assigned exams, you do not need to do anything. Ahead of the examination you will receive an email which gives you the full details of your exam, including the location, start time, and what you need to bring.

Why is there a registration deadline?

All Diploma exams take place simultaneously around the world. As such, the awarding body needs time to coordinate delivery of exam papers and wine samples. This means they need to know who is sitting which exams and where, well in advance of the exam date.

Is there a time limit to completing the Diploma?

No. However, when enroling onto the Diploma, you are automatically registered for a three year period during which you can sit exams at any point. Should you need to extend this, a charge of £130 will apply.

Once you have passed a unit of the Diploma then you will never need to retake this, even after three years has passed.

What happens if I can’t sit my exam?

We encourage all students to sit the exams they are enroled on because you are most likely to pass when the course content is fresh in your head.

If you are unable to sit an exam on the scheduled date, please email wsetschoolexams@wsetglobal.com prior to the registration deadline. You can then move your exam date for an admin fee of £25. This admin fee covers the actions required to remove you from your current exam and register you for a new date. Once the registration deadline has passed, we are liable to pay the full examin fees to the awarding body. As a result, if you advise us that you cannot make the exam after this date, or simply do not turn up for the exam, you will need to pay the full exam fee when you rebook. Current prices can be found in this booking form.

Please note that the D1 must be taken before the D2, which in turn must be taken before the remaining exams. You do not need to have passed, only sat these two exams.

If you need to reschedule your D1 exam to a date after your scheduled D2 exam, you will need to move both exams. This will incur two admin charges of £25.

If you need to reschedule your D2 exam to a date after your scheduled D4 and D5 exams, you will need to move all three exams. This will incur three admin charges of £25.

What if I have extenuating circumstances?

If the registration deadline has passed and you cannot make it to the exam due to unforeseen circumstances, please contact wsetschoolexams@wsetglobal.com no later than 10 working days after the exam date and a deferral form will be sent to you.

The following reasons are considered as valid circumstances by the awarding body:

  • Serious illness at the assessment date
  • Serious illness of a dependent at the assessment date
  • Recent bereavement of a close family member at the assessment date
  • Other equally serious and exceptional circumstances at the assessment date

Can I get extra time or other reasonable adjustments?

It is the policy of WSET that students should not be placed at a disadvantage.

It’s important that you read the relevant pages of your course specification for information on reasonable adjustments.

If you would like to make a request for reasonable adjustments for your exam, please get in touch with our Exams Team before the start of your course.

Can I re-sit an exam?

If you have outstanding exams or want to book a re-sit, it’s important you do this prior to the registration deadline. The registration deadlines, fees and booking information are all available in the WSET School London Diploma area of Canvas, or by request from wsetschoolexams@wsetglobal.com.

Bookings can be made via the booking form or by emailing the Exams Team, who will provide you with our account information to make a bank transfer.

It is not possible to book an exam re-sit until you have received a ‘fail’ result for that exam. It is also not possible to enrol for an exam re-sit if you have passed the exam, in order to obtain a higher grade.

Can I sit my Diploma exams with another APP?

Students are welcome to sit their exams with any APP globally, and you can find details of all APPs via wsetglobal.com. If you choose to sit your exams elsewhere, you need to make those arrangements directly with the new APP yourself. You will likely incur an additional exam fee to sit the exam with another APP and you will not be entitled to a refund of the exam from us. This is because all APPs are independent and exam fees are non-refundable. If you choose to sit your exams elsewhere, please advise the Exams Team so that you can be removed from the exams with us.

Please note that the results for exams taken with other APPs will be sent to that APP, who will then pass the results onto you. We will not have visibility of these, except for the results of D3 – Wines of the World exams.

Taking an exam

FAQs about Diploma results

How do I get my results?

Once you have completed your exam, we pass your papers to the awarding body for marking. All Diploma results take approximately 12 weeks to be issued to us. Once we receive them, it can take a few days for us to prepare them before issuing them to students because we receive a large volume of results.

If 13 weeks have passed and you haven’t received your results, please contact the Exams Team via wsetschoolexams@wsetglobal.com. (If you took your exam with another APP, please contact them directly.)

Can I request feedback or a re-mark?

You can request an enquiry (re-mark) for your exam results and receive feedback. If you would like to do this, please complete this form and pay the associated fee to the WSET awarding body at exams@wsetglobal.com.

You may also request a percentage breakdown. More details here.

Graduation

Can I talk to someone about my exam or results?

Of course – we’re happy to help you. Please get in touch with our team using the relevant email address below.

Student on computer