IB CP Reflective Project

The Reflective Project is the product of the student’s own initiative and should reflect his or her personal experience of the CP. The reflective project is intended to promote high‐level research, writing and extended communication skills, intellectual discovery and creativity through a variety of different approaches. 

The reflective project focuses on an ethical dilemma of an issue directly linked to the student’s career‐related study.

Students can either submit a written essay (maximum 3,000 words) or, as a second option, complete a shorter written essay (1,500–2,000 words) accompanied by an additional format of either a film, oral presentation, interview, play or display. In addition to this, students keep a record of their reflections on the process of undertaking and completing the reflective project using the Reflections on planning and progress form. This record forms part of the final reflective project assessment.

It is mandatory that all students undertake three reflection sessions with their supervisor, which includes a short, concluding interview, or viva voce, with their supervisor following the completion of the reflective project.

The Reflective Project is compulsory for all students taking the Career-related Programme

A student must achieve a D grade or higher to be awarded the Career-related Certificate.

It is the result of approximately 50 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.

As with other elements of the Core, reflections in the reflective project are a very important and are explicitly assessed under the criteria.

Reflection in the reflective project focuses on the student’s progress during the planning, research and writing process. It is intended to help students with the development of their project as well as allowing them the opportunity to consider the effectiveness of their choices, to re-examine their ideas and to decide whether changes are needed.

The emphasis in the project is on process reflection, characterized by reflecting on conceptual understandings, decision-making, engagement with data, the research process, time management, methodology, successes and challenges, and the appropriateness of sources.

Students will be encouraged to informally reflect throughout the experience of researching and writing the extended essay, but are required to reflect formally during the reflection sessions with their supervisor and when completing the Reflections on planning and progress form.

Yr12  

Term 1:  Introduction to research and referencing, annotated bibliography task

Term 2 first half: Guide to writing proposal, proposals submitted

Term 2 second half: Supervisor assigned, first meeting and reflection completed. Workshop on how to research and write, with the assessment criteria explained.

Term 3: second half - second meeting and reflection completed, summer plan created.

Yr 13

Term 1: Middle of September: complete first draft of the essay is submitted.

November: submission of final version of extended essay

End of term 1:  Viva Voce and Reflections to be completed.