The Report

You can choose to report the project using one of the following formats:

written report
oral report (filmed ‘live’ by the Personal Project Coordinator and includes visual support , i.e. a PowerPoint or Prezi)
visual report (film you create) – you are responsible for writing, filming and editing your report in .avi, .mov, .flv, .mp4 or another common movie file type.

Think about how you will report your project early on in the process – the Personal Project Coordinator will ask you which report format you wish to use.

You should take into consideration your learning preferences, personal strengths and available resources when deciding on the best format for the report. For example, if you find it easier to talk than to write, you should produce an oral or visual report.

The report, no matter which format you use, should be presented in clearly identifiable sections, following the Personal Project assessment criteria:

investigating
planning
taking action
reflecting

The report must include evidence for all the strands of every criterion.

Written report

A written report aims to inform and explain the process of the personal project in a concise and succinct form and consists of sections with subheadings. You must ensure that the report meets the assessment criteria and conforms to the structure identified on the next few pages. Click here for examples of reports by past students.

Oral report

An oral report is a presentation that is filmed ‘live’ by the Personal Project Coordinator. Oral reports must be recorded for internal standardisation purposes and submission to the IB for moderation. You may use notes, cue cards and visual support aids for your oral presentation. Care should be taken to ensure that all elements of the report contribute towards the assessment criteria. Students who are doing an oral report must have a title page, 150 word summary of their project, a bibliography and appendices, to be submitted on the day the oral report is recorded.

Visual report (film)

A visual report is a recorded film where you address the key moments of your personal project, informed by the entries in your process journal. The short film should be structured in a manner that demonstrates your achievements in the development of the personal project. Planning and time allocation for the filming process and subsequent editing should be taken into account from the outset. You may use notes, cue cards and visual support aids for a visual report. Students who are doing a visual report must have a title page, 150 word summary of their project, a bibliography and appendices, to be submitted on the day the visual report is submitted.

Word counts and time limits

*It is very important to remember to stay within the minimum and maximum word count/time limit. If you are under the minimum, you will not be able to address all the required elements in enough detail to achieve good marks. If you are over the maximum, markers will not read/view anything you have written or filmed that is over the maximum word count/time limit. The word count does not include bibliography or appendices. While minimum word counts/time limits for each section of the report have been provided, these are a guide only.

NOTE: Throughout your report (including oral, written and visual formats), it is very important that you reference the research you have done. In-text referencing is a MUST! Make sure you refer to the sources you have found and used (the ones in your bibliography) throughout the body of your report.

Structure of the Personal Project report

The IB specifies the following structure:

Title page (all report types)

For the written report, your title page must include:

Your full name
Title of the project
Length of project report (word count, not including bibliography or appendices). Approximate time limit if your report is an oral or visual report. Please take note of the maximum word count/time limit.
School name and IB school code (the school code for ACS Egham is 1211)
Academic year (2017-2018, for example)

Table of contents (written report only)

Your table of contents should clearly identify each section of your project report and include page numbers. You should also identify sub-sections/sub-headings within each section of the report. The table of contents is not necessary for students completing an oral or visual report, however those students should briefly explain to the camera or audience how they will structure their report.

Report Section 1: Criterion A (Investigating) (all report types)

This is the introduction of your report, in which you explain the premise of your project and the research that was done. The minimum word count/time limit for this section is 600 words/3 minutes.

Report Section 2: Criterion B (Planning) (all report types)

This section includes all the work you did to plan and organize your project towards a product/outcome. The minimum word count/time limit for this section is 600 words/3 minutes.

Report Section 3: Criterion C (Taking action) (all report types)

This section represents main ‘doing’/creation part of your project. It is the action part of the inquiry cycle and where the product/outcome is developed and completed. The minimum word count/time limit for this section is 600 words/3 minutes.

Report Section 4: Criterion D (Reflecting) (all report types)

In this section you look back over the project and evaluate your development. You may have reflected during the process of the project, and you can refer to this here too. The minimum word count/time limit for this section is 600 words/3 minutes.

Appendices (all report types)

Appendices contain evidence and sources that are specifically referred to in the report and that need to be viewed in order to understand a point you are making (supporting visual aids) as well as process journal extracts. You should include a minimum of five/maximum of ten process journal extracts as separate appendices, plus any other relevant sources. You should include your timeline and relevant pictures of work as evidence of your process. You also MUST include evidence of your final product/outcome in your appendices.

Items to include as appendices could also include:

Survey results
The transcripts or recordings of interviews
Photographs of a product in process
Materials you have developed during the Personal Project process

In total, your appendices are limited to 10 A4 pages/screenshots. You can have more than one appendix on each page, so long as they are clearly labelled. Your appendices are an opportunity to include a lot of extra information in your report (and not have it chew up your word count), so cram in as much as you can!

Note: Any source that you include as an appendix should be referred to in the body of your report, by writing ‘See Appendix F’, for example. This is important! You can’t just throw appendices in randomly; you should provide a clear link between each appendix and the report itself.

Bibliography (all report types)

It is essential that your bibliography is correctly structured.

You must have a minimum of five sources, including at least two different types of sources, correctly referenced in your bibliography. If you are aiming for high marks, you should aim to have at least seven sources of at least three different types. You should also ensure that you have referred to several of your sources in the body of your report (use in-text references!).

Students who are doing an oral or visual report must have the following to submit on the day the oral or visual report is recorded or submitted:

title page
150 word summary of their project
a bibliography
appendices

compiling the report

Your project report should be as professional as possible. Whether you are composing a written, oral or video report, you should ask others to edit your work for you. Ask your supervisor, family members and friends for help with editing, but also remember that the school’s Academic Honesty Policy applies to this report – no one can write it for you! It must be entirely your own work.

You will submit a draft of each section of your report to your supervisor for comments and corrections before submitting the final copy.

See Helpful Tips for hints on how to compile your report.

From the IB

‘A report is a spoken or written account of something observed, heard, done or investigated. A report aims to inform, as clearly and succinctly as possible. The MYP personal project report demonstrates a student’s engagement with his or her personal project by summarizing the experiences and skills recorded in the process journal.

The report should be presented in identifiable sections, following the MYP project objectives—investigating, planning, taking action and reflecting. The report must include evidence for all the strands of all criteria.

The format of the report for the personal project can vary depending on the resources available and the interests of the students. Students should take into consideration learning preferences, personal strengths and available resources when deciding on the best format for the report. The ability to communicate clearly and concisely is essential to demonstrate the elements of the report and reach the highest levels of the criteria. The student’s supervisor is responsible for providing guidance on the format of the report.’

From the MYP projects guide, September 2014

Submitting your final report

Your Personal Project Report must be uploaded to ManageBac.

If you have chosen an oral report, please upload your title page, 150 word summary, appendices and bibliography as one document.

If you chosen a visual report, please upload your film to a video sharing site (Vimeo and Youtube are both good, but there are other sites available too) and upload the URL for the site along with your title page, 150 word summary, appendices and bibliography as one document.

Once uploaded, your report will be automatically uploaded to Turnitin and checked for academic honesty. Your supervisor and the moderators will then be able to grade your Personal Project report.

Follow these instructions to upload:

1. In your ManageBac calendar, click on the ‘Final Personal Project report due date’ deadline.

You will see a page similar to this (the date will be different):

2. Upload the final copy of your Personal Project report, including your appendices and bibliography, in a common file type such as .doc, .docx or .pdf. Title your report as ‘Full name Personal Project Report’. DO NOT UPLOAD A PAGES DOCUMENT. If you use Pages, upload and save your document as a PDF.

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