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Student & Supervisor Deadlines
April 15th: 1st Draft Submitted
April 30th: EE feedback & Report any Student Concerns
May 15th: Final Draft Submitted
June 1st: Viva Voce
June 5th: Final Draft Scored
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. Supervisors are required to:
undertake three mandatory reflection sessions
provide students with advice and guidance in the skills of undertaking research
encourage and support students throughout the research and writing
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
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
read the final version and, in conjunction with the viva voce, confirm its authenticity.
Aims of the EE
Aims of the EE
The aims of the extended essay are for students to:
engage in independent research with intellectual initiative and rigour
develop research, thinking, self-management and communication skills
reflect on what has been learned throughout the research and writing process.
Features of the EE
Features of the EE
The extended essay is compulsory for all students taking the Diploma Programme and is an option for course students.
A student must achieve a D grade or higher to be awarded the Diploma.
The extended essay is externally assessed and, in combination with the grade for theory of knowledge, contributes up to three points to the total score for the IB Diploma.
It is presented as a formal piece of sustained academic writing containing no more than 4,000 words accompanied by a reflection form of no more than 500 words.
It is the result of approximately 40 hours of work by the student.
Students are supported by a supervision process recommended to be 3–5 hours, which includes three mandatory reflection sessions.
The third and final mandatory reflection session is the viva voce, which is a concluding interview with the supervising teacher
Commenting on the student's First Draft
Commenting on the student's First Draft
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.
Reflections
Reflections
The First Reflection
The First Reflection
Students should do the following.
Think about subjects and areas of particular personal interest and do some initial background reading into a subject and topic of their choice.
Using this as a starting point, explore a variety of possible research topics.
Read the subject-specific section of the Extended essay guide for the subject they are interested in.
Undertake further background reading and begin to gather information around their area of interest. All of this should be recorded in their Researcher’s reflection space.
Develop a research proposal and an annotated article or bibliography. Questions students could consider:
Is my topic appropriate for the subject I am considering?
Why am I interested in this area and why is it important?
What possible questions have emerged from my initial reading?
Are there any ethical issues that I need to consider?
What possible methods or approaches might be used for research in this area and why?
It is recommended at this point that the student–supervisor relationship is formalized and the student can consider himself or herself prepared for the first formal reflection session
The Interim Reflection
The Interim Reflection
This session is a continuation of the dialogue between supervisor and student in which the student must demonstrate the progress they have made in their research. They must also be able to discuss any challenges they have encountered, offer their own potential solutions and seek advice as necessary.
During this session the supervisor might discuss:
a completed piece of sustained writing from the student in order to ensure that they understand the academic writing requirements, including referencing formats
whether an appropriate range of sources has been accessed and how the student is critically evaluating the origin of those sources
what the student now has to do in order to produce the full draft of their essay, and ways and means of breaking down the task into manageable steps.
By the end of the interim reflection session both student and supervisor should feel satisfied that there is:
a clear and refined research question
a viable argument on which to base the essay
a sufficient range of appropriate sources
a clear vision for the final steps in the writing process.
Final Reflection (viva voce)
Final Reflection (viva voce)
The viva voce is a short interview between the student and the supervisor, and is the mandatory conclusion to the extended essay process. Students who do not attend the viva voce will be disadvantaged under criterion E (engagement) as the Reflections on planning and progress form will be incomplete.
The viva voce is conducted once the student has submitted the final version of their extended essay.
The viva voce is:
an opportunity to ask the student a variety of open-ended questions to elicit holistic evidence of the student’s learning experience.
an opportunity for the supervisor to confirm the authenticity of the student’s ideas and sources
an opportunity to reflect on successes and difficulties encountered in the research process
an aid to the supervisor’s comments on the Reflections on planning and progress form.
The viva voce should last 20–30 minutes. This is included in the recommended amount of time a supervisor should spend with the student.
Grading the EE
Grading the EE
Criterion A: Focus & Method (6 Marks)
Criterion A: Focus & Method (6 Marks)
Criterion B: Knowledge & Understanding (6 Marks)
Criterion B: Knowledge & Understanding (6 Marks)
Criterion C: Critical Thinking (12 Marks)
Criterion C: Critical Thinking (12 Marks)
Criterion D: Presentation (4 Marks)
Criterion D: Presentation (4 Marks)
Criteria D: Presentation ChecklistPresentation Rubric
Presentation Mark Scheme
Criterion E: Evaluation (6 Marks)
Criterion E: Evaluation (6 Marks)
Grade Boundaries
Grade Boundaries
Supervisor Comments
Supervisor Comments
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