Roles and expectations of students and staff

Role of Students:

Student

Choose a subject from the available EE list. See Diploma Programme Coordinator or EE Coordinator for details.
Ensure that the starting point for your essay is a subject that is available, or in the case of the world studies EE, an issue of global, contemporary significance within one of the six World Studies themes.
Observe the regulations with regard to the extended essay, including the IB’s Ethical Guidelines.
Read and understand the subject-specific guidelines for the subject in which you intend to complete your EE, including the interpretation of the assessment criteria.
Plan a schedule for both the researching and writing of your EE, including extra time for delays and unforeseen problems.
Plan how, when and where you will find material and sources for your essay before deciding on the final topic and research question. Record sources as your research progresses using your Researcher’s Reflection Space rather than trying to reconstruct a list at the end.
Carefully reflect on the reasons for your choice of subject, followed by a topic, and then think carefully about the research question for your essay. Reflect on any changes that you make to these throughout the EE process.
Meet all internal deadlines set by your school in relation to the EE.
Understand concepts related to academic honesty, including plagiarism and collusion, for example, and ensure that you have acknowledged all sources of information and ideas in a consistent manner. This also includes understanding the implications of a breach of these. Act promptly on the advice of those supporting the EE process to avoid difficult discussions.
Record evidence of regular research and learning on your informal Researcher's Reflection Space on Managebac then actively use evidence from this to prepare for, and discuss in, reflection sessions.
Make the most of Supervision and reflection sessions by arriving prepared to discuss your work.
Arrange and attend three mandatory reflection sessions with your supervisor, the last of which is the viva voce. Record the discussion points and further actions on Managebac.
Record your formal reflections on the Planning and Progress Form on Managebac for submission as part of the assessment of criterion E (engagement).
Have a clear structure for the essay before beginning to write.
Check and proofread the final version of their extended essay.
Make sure that the version that you submit for assessment is the final version with all sources correctly and consistently referenced.
Ensure that all requirements are met.

Role of Key Staff members:

EE Coordinator/DP Coordinator

Individual Supervisor

Ensure that extended essays conform to the regulations as outlined by IB.
Ensure that students select the subject for their extended essays from the list of available subjects for the May session in question, before they choose a topic.
Ensure that each student is assigned an appropriate Supervisor who is a teacher within the school.
Introduce, explain and support the reflection process.
Provide Dupervisors and students with the general and subject-specific information and guidelines for the EE
Ensure that the Reflection Planning and Progress Form (RPPF) is completed and signed by the student and supervisor and submitted to the IB with the essay for assessment under criterion E by the deadline.
Provide exemplars of EEs to supervisors and students.
Ensure that supervisors and students are familiar with the Academic Honesty requirements of the IB.
Support students to understand the importance of the EE in the overall context of the Diploma Programme, including the requirement to achieve a D grade or higher in order to be awarded the Diploma. To support Supervisors to alert students and parents in the event of concerns about progress.
Support Supervisors and students who are committing significantly less/more than 40 hours on their EE.
Support the development of key skills required to successfully complete the EE e.g. defining a Research Question, research and note taking techniques,
Develop a postive and supportive relationship with the student.
Provide students with advice and guidance in the skills of undertaking research particularly specific methods appropriate to the subject.
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.
Undertake three mandatory formal reflection sessions with the student.
Monitor and support informal reflection in the Researcher's Reflective Space on Managebac and offer support as appropriate. Use this as a tool to monitor the progress of the EE to offer guidance and to ensure that the essay is the student’s own work.
Ensure that students who have worked with or consulted external experts in a particular area of specialism have fully acknowledged the nature of the support and that the work remains academically honest.
Ensure that students complete the Reflections on planning and progress form on Managebac.
Read and comment on one draft only of the EE (but do not edit the draft); this should take place after the interim reflection session, but before the final reflection session and viva voce.
Ensure that the final version of the essay is handed in before the final reflection session and 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.
Provide a supervisory comment after the Viva Voce, which is used to contextualize the student’s reflections for Criterion E: Engagement.

Important note on the role of external mentors

Ideally, you should carry out the research for the essay solely under the direction of a school supervisor and within the school. However, in circumstances where the school deems it appropriate, you may undertake your research at an institute or university under the guidance of an external mentor. This must be with the prior agreement of the EE Coordinator/DP Coordinator, and the external mentor must be provided with a letter issued by the Pre-U Office outlining the nature of the EE and clear instructions about the level of guidance that is permitted. The IB Diploma Coordinator is responsible for ensuring that these external mentors are aware of the limits of their role in providing this service.

It is important to note that if this is the case, you must be allocated a supervisor within the school and undertake your reflection sessions with this person. Only a supervisor within the school is permitted to complete the reflection process for the EE with the student and provide both signature and comments on the Planning and Progress Form (RPPF). The nature of these comments may be informed by the external mentor but must not be provided by them.

The letter, which must be electronically signed by the external mentor, must be inserted in the appendix of the essay as part of the document file rather than as a separate document. If a student has had an external mentor, this signed letter is an important part of the authentication of the essay.

As the EE is an independent task and a formal assessment component, you must not receive assistance with any aspect of the research, writing or proofreading of the EE beyond that which is permitted through your Supervisor. If a Supervisor suspects that the EE submitted for assessment by a student could not have been completed without assistance they are required to bring this to the attention of the Diploma Programme/EE Coordinator, who in turn must inform the IB. This may then be investigated as a possible case of academic misconduct.

Role of external mentor when there is no internal member of staff who can engage with the target language.

If you are writing your EE in a Language A or B where there is no member of staff who can communicate in that language, we will work together to identify an external mentor. They are able to comment on one full draft and conduct the reflection sessions as per the usual rules for a Supervisor. Once completed these need to be uploaded and have authenticity attested to by an internal member of staff, who should be working with the external Supervisor. As the reflections need to be conducted in the language of registration, then the external mentor in this situation would also need to be responsible for the comments on the RPPF after the candidate has entered theirs.

Further guidance will be given to any students who are considering this as a viable option for their EE.

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