Supervisor

The supervisor–student working relationship is probably the most important one in the extended essay

process. The supervisor must be a suitably qualified member of staff at the school in which the student is

registered.

The supervisor plays an important role in helping students to plan and undertake their research for the

extended essay. The relationship should be an active two-way process with the supervisor primarily there

to support and guide the student, during the supervision and reflection sessions, at the planning stage,

and when the student is carrying out and writing up their research. This is done through the supervision

process, including the three mandatory reflection sessions and the completion of the Reflections on

planning and progress form (EERPPF).

It is the responsibility of the supervisor to ensure that students are familiar with the requirements of the

extended essay. Supervisors and students must discuss:

• the nature of the extended essay

• their chosen subject, topic and research question

• the most appropriate research methods to be used given the subject for which the student is

submitting their essay

• the formal requirements for the completion of the task.

Students should be encouraged to initiate discussions with their supervisor to obtain advice and

information and the role of the supervisor should be explained to them so that there is a shared

understanding of expectations and responsibilities. Supervisors must ensure that they understand the

important role they play in supporting students in this process. However, if a student could not have

completed the work without substantial support from their supervisor, this should be reported to the

Diploma Programme/extended essay coordinator, who in turn must record the details on the appropriate

form. Additionally, if the student has received substantial support from a teacher but has not declared

this, then this too must be recorded in the summative comment made by the supervisor on the Reflections

on planning and progress form. If academic misconduct is suspected, supervisors must report this to the

Diploma Programme/extended essay coordinator initially.

Supervisors are required to:

• undertake three mandatory reflection sessions with each student they are supervising

• initial and date each reflection summarized on the Reflections on planning and progress form and

provide comments at the end of the process. If the form and essay are submitted via the eCoursework

system, then it is deemed signed and authenticated. An RPPF that is blank, unsubmitted, or written in a

language other than that of the essay, will be awarded a 0 for criterion E.

• provide students with advice and guidance in the skills of undertaking research

• encourage and support students throughout the research and writing of the extended essay

• discuss the choice of topic with each student and, in particular, help to formulate a well-focused

research question which is suitable to the subject of registration and ensure that the chosen

research question satisfies appropriate legal and ethical standards with regard to health and safety,

confidentiality, human rights, animal welfare and environmental issues

• is familiar with the regulations governing the extended essay and the assessment criteria, and gives

copies of these to students

• monitor the progress of the extended essay to offer guidance and to ensure that the essay is the

student’s own work (this may include presenting a section of the essay for supervisor comment)

• read and comment on one draft only of the extended essay (but do not edit the draft); this should take

place after the interim reflection session, but before the final reflection session, the viva voce

• ensure that the final version of the essay is handed in before the final reflection session (viva voce) takes

place, and that no changes are made to it subsequently

• read the final version and, in conjunction with the viva voce, confirm its authenticity.

The student may work with or consult external experts in a particular area of specialism but it remains the

responsibility of the supervisor within the school to complete all the requirements described above. See

the section on the role of external mentors.

Supervisors are strongly recommended to:

• read recent extended essay reports for the subject

• spend between three and five hours with each student, including the time spent on the three

mandatory reflection sessions

• encourage the development of a Researcher’s reflection space for students

• set a clear schedule for the reflection sessions

• ensure that the chosen research question is appropriate for the subject

• advise students on:

• access to appropriate resources (such as people, a library, a laboratory)

• research methods

• how to cite and reference.

Commenting on one completed draft of the essay is a very important aspect of the latter stages in

the process, and the last point at which the supervisor sees the essay before it is finally uploaded for

submission. It is therefore vital that the level of support given is appropriate—too little support and the

ability of the student to meet their potential is compromised; too much help and it will not be the work of

an independent learner.

The best way of conducting this last stage is for the student to submit the essay prior to a supervision

session to allow the supervisor to add their comments. This should be followed by a one-to-one

discussion between the supervisor and the student in which they go through the comments together as

these become a starting point for a dialogue about the essay. This advice should be in terms of the way

the work could be improved, but the draft must not be heavily annotated or edited by the supervisor.

What supervisors can do

Comments can be added that indicate that the essay could be improved. These comments should be

open-ended and not involve editing the text, for example:

• Issue: the research question is expressed differently in three places (the title page, the introduction and

the conclusion).

Comment: is your research question consistent through the essay, including on the title page?

• Issue: the essay rambles and the argument is not clear.

Comment: your essay lacks clarity here. How might you make it clearer?

• Issue: the student has made a mistake in their calculations.

Comment: check this page carefully.

• Issue: the student has left out a section of the essay.

Comment: you are missing something here. What is it? Check the essay against the requirements.

• Issue: the essay places something in the appendix that should be in the body of the essay.

Comment: are you sure this belongs here?

• Issue: the conclusion is weak.

Comment: what is it that you are trying to say here? Have you included all your relevant findings? Have

you looked at unanswered questions?

• Issue: the essay has an incomplete citation.

Comment: you need to check this page for accuracy of referencing.

What supervisors cannot do:

• Correct spelling and punctuation.

• Correct experimental work or mathematics.

• Re-write any of the essay.

• Indicate where whole sections of the essay would be better placed.

• Proofread the essay for errors.

• Correct bibliographies or citations.