Role of Supervisor

Besides being familiar with EE subject-specific guidance, it is highly recommended that supervisors also familiarize themselves with the IB's pedagogical support for the EE webpages. 

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

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 check in 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 formal reflection sessions.

It is the responsibility of the supervisor to ensure that students are familiar with the requirements of the extended essay. Supervisors must be aware of the subject-specific requirements, which can be found in the Extended essay guide. Use ctrl + f to search for the appropriate subject. 

Supervisors and students must discuss:

Students are encouraged to initiate discussions with their supervisor to obtain advice and information.

Supervisors are required to

Supervisors are strongly recommended to

Check in sessions

Supervisors are required to conduct two types of meetings with students. The more informal meetings are referred to as "check in sessions." 

Students are encouraged to meet with their supervisor in between (and in addition to) the formal reflection sessions. 

Two check in sessions are mandatory and guidance can be found here:

Supervision time should meet the needs of the individual student; therefore, the frequency and duration of these meetings will depend on the needs of the student and the supervisor’s requirements. Supervision time may consist of an occasional 10-minute check-in to discuss a timeline or clarification of a comment made by the supervisor. It may also include a more lengthy discussion about particular issues, for example, regarding access to resources. These supervision sessions do not form part of the formal reflection process and do not, therefore, need to be reported on the Reflections on planning and progress form. However, they nevertheless form an important part of the supervision process and should be recorded in the Reseacher's reflection space on Managebac.

Formal reflection sessions

These are the mandatory sessions. After the sessions students will document their reflections on the Reflections on planning and progress form. The formal documentation will occur with guidance during ToK classes.

It is recommended that formal reflection sessions last 15 to 20 minutes. During these sessions students should share excerpts from their Researcher’s reflection space with their supervisor. These sessions should focus on progress made so far and set clear objectives for moving forward in the research process. Students should be prepared for these sessions and the meetings should be a dialogue guided by questions posed by the supervisor.

There are three formal reflection sessions. Guidance can be found here:

The first point of contact for all issues relating to the EE is the supervisor.

Missed Deadlines

Flag the student as "concern" on Managebac.

Email the student and CC: 

Academic Misconduct

If academic misconduct is suspected, supervisors must report this to the IB Coordinator, IB Assistant Coordinator and the Dean of Students. Action should then be taken to contact the student, parents, and counselor.

Misrepresentation on Reflection on progress and planning form

At the end of the process, look over the student's narratives on the Reflection on progress and planning form located on Managebac. Contact the IB Coordinator and Assistant Coordinator if the narratives do not reflect reality, for example: