Assessment Criteria

When writing your EE, it's best to keep in mind the assessment criteria in order to maximize your marks. Sticking to the guidelines not only makes grading easier and more straightforward for the examiner, but it also ensures that you are getting "easy" marks for simple things such as formatting or filling out a document. For the EE, there are five criteria and a total of 34 marks available. For each criterion, there are several guide questions you can ask yourself to check whether or not you are following instructions.

Criterion A: Focus and Method (6 marks)

This criterion looks at three areas: topic, research question, and methodology.

Topic

  • Is your topic specific and focused on a business issue?

  • Does your topic require the use of business management theories, tools, and techniques?

Research Question

  • Is your EE title stated in the form of a question that promotes the use of analytical skills and evaluation (as compared to one that encourages a descriptive essay)?

Methodology

  • Are you using secondary data as your main source of information?

  • Is your essay a comprehensive review of the topic (as compared to a practical investigation similar to the HL IA)?

  • Does all your research support specific quantitative and qualitative analyses directly related to the research question?

  • Does your essay have a structured and straightforward approach in addressing the research question?

Criterion B: Knowledge and understanding (6 marks)

For Criterion B, context and use of subject-specific terminology and concepts are assessed.

Context

  • Are your sources relevant and appropriate to the research question?

  • Are you using your sources to link the topic to a wider business context? (E.g. If the topic is about the role of social media, are you able to explain how social media impacts business functions such as marketing and recruitment?)

Subject-specific terminology and concepts

  • Do you demonstrate an understanding of business terminology and use such in a fluent, accurate, and consistent manner when making arguments?

  • Are you clearly defining and explaining business terminology and concepts used?

Criterion C: Critical thinking (12 marks)

Criterion C focuses on research, analysis, and discussion and evaluation.

Research and Analysis

  • Are you analyzing business data in a manner that provides significant insight and addresses the research question?

  • Are you integrating research and business tools (e.g. STEEPLE, SWAT, decision tree) to make a well-developed argument?

Discussion and evaluation

  • Are you assessing the strengths and limitations of different perspectives on the research topic?

  • Is your essay a reasoned, coherent, and logical argument in response to the research question?

  • Do you have small, appropriate conclusions throughout the essay and one culminating conclusion at the end (to summarize the overall response)?

  • Have you commented on the quality, balance, and quantity of your sources and have reflected on the possible biases that may affect the objectivity of these sources?

Criterion D: Presentation (4 marks)

This criterion assesses if you've followed structure and layout conventions.

Structure

  • Does the essay adhere to accepted academic standards (e.g. APA, MLA, etc.)?

  • Does the flow of writing support the reading, understanding, and evaluation of the essay?

Layout

  • Are all your graphs, charts, images, and tables necessary and appropriately labelled?

  • Do all your graphs, charts, images, and tables enhance a written explanation?

  • Are all supporting data in the appendices and labelled?

  • Have you referenced all quotes, ideas, and images that are not originally yours?

  • Do you have a bibliography, title page, table of contents, and page numbers?

  • Is the main essay 4000 words or less? (Graphs, figures, calculations, and diagrams are not included in the word count)

Criterion E: Engagement (6 marks)

Lastly, this criterion examines your process and research focus.

Process

  • Have you completed the Reflections on planning and process Form (RPPF)?

  • Have you reflected on the decision-making process during the essay-writing duration?

  • Have you thoroughly considered ideas and actions in response to setbacks during the research process?

Research focus

  • Have you discussed how you arrived at the research topic of choice, as well as your methodology?

  • Have you exhibited critical thinking towards the research topic that resulted in a deeper learning?