CAJCS Extended Essay Guide: GENERAL GUIDELINES

•  Compulsory for all students taking the Diploma Programme.
• A student must achieve a D grade or higher to be awarded the Diploma.
• 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.
• The Extended Essay process helps prepare students for success at university and in other pathways beyond the Diploma Programme.
• A piece of independent research/investigation on a topic chosen by the student in cooperation with a supervisor in the school.
• Chosen from the list of approved Diploma Programme subjects.
• 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. 
• 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. 

· The IB expects students to receive anything from three to five hours of  in-school supervisory support towards the completion of their Extended Essay. 

· A supervisor is expected to provide advice and support but not prescribe questions or edit any work produced. 

· Your supervisor will also be expected to validate the authenticity of the work submitted by you to the IB by signing and dating the Reflections on Planning and Progress Form (RPPF). 

· External supervision (that is, non-school-based) is possible under certain scenarios, although only an in-school supervisor can sign the forms. 

• Topic: The topic of the extended essay is the subject, issue or theme that you are investigating within a specific DP subject or world studies area of study. 
• Title:  A title of an EE is a clear, summative statement that specifically focuses the topic being researched. It appears on the title page. 
• Research Question (RQ): A research question is a clear and focused question centred on a research topic. It derives from the title and is expressed as a question that is intended to be answered through researching and writing the EE.
• Check-in sessions: Informal short meeting with a supervisor to discuss a timeline or clarification of a comment made by the supervisor.
• Reflection sessions: These are the mandatory sessions that must be recorded on the Reflections on planning and progress form (RPPF). IB recommended that these sessions last 20–30 minutes.
• RRS: The RRS is a personal learning environment that can be either a physical or virtual support tool.  It is like a daily diary or research or process journal in MYP Personal Project. 
• RPPF: Reflections on planning and progress form is known as RPPF of which candidates write their formal reflections. Completing the Reflections on planning and progress form (RPPF) is a requirement for the submission of the extended essay. Note that the maximum total word limit for the three reflections on the RPPF is 500 and it must be completed in the language of the student’s extended essay submission. At CAJCS, candidates are encouraged to record their formal reflections on ManageBac. 
• Supervisor: An qualified member of staff within the school who guides the student through the process.

THE EXTENDED ESSAY AND THEORY OF KNOWLEDGE MATRIX

The Extended Essay will be digitally uploaded. The IB Diploma Coordinator will help facilitate this upload. 

Extended Essays should be saved using any of the following file types: 

· Microsoft Word file (DOC) 

· Microsoft Word 2007/2010/2013 document (DOCX) 

· Portable Document Format (PDF)

· Rich Text Format (RTF)

Get expert guidance on writing your IB Diploma Programme extended essay with this course designed for IB students and teachers.Designed by University of Leed and IBO.

This course has been created to support International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma Programme students who are writing an extended essay. You will get advice on choosing a topic and framing a research question, and learn how to identify suitable sources and analyse them to create strong arguments.

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