To give further information;
**caveat up front that you should read the attached link which will give you the definitive....my info is from memory and thus might be incorrect ni part, although I'd like to think the gist is right.
http://sw610vbcs.eu.visa.com:8080/gm...cumentv2.0.doc
The IR is made up of a series of "sections", all of which have a number of sub components - so departure, en-route, non precision, ATC interaction - that kind of thing.
To gain a "first time pass" you must fly your route within the prescribed limits to the satisfaction of the examiner in
all sections. i.e. you fly everything to the required standard in one go.
If you were to pass the whole test bar one section, then on completion of the flight, you will be debriefed on the area you failed - you then have to retake that portion of the flight you were deemed to have failed...which will always include the departure element of the test as well. This would be deemed as a "partial" pass. If you then pass the previously failed section - you will be deemed a "first series pass". If, however, you fail the same section again (or I suppose you could balls up the departure second time round and fail that way, although I don't "know") then you will have failed the first "series".
If you fall into the latter category, you will move to a second series test....the same then applies (except you need to fly the whole test again, not just the previously failed section). Fail a section and you have partialled and so on.
There is no limit to the number of "series" you can take, but there can only be two attempts per series.
In summary - the test is made up of a maximum of two attempts per series and limitless "series". If you pass at the first go, you have "a first[second/third/...] time pass" for that series.
If you balls up one section in a given series but pass the retake, you have a partial pass - this would be known as a "first[second/third/...] SERIES pass"
If you balls up either two or more sections in the first series flight, or fail the subsequent partial, you move to the next series and start again.