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EE/RPPF
For use from May/November 2018
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Candidate personal code:

Extended essay - Reflections on planning and progress form

Candidate: This form is to be completed by the candidate during the course and completion of their EE. This document
records reflections on your planning and progress, and the nature of your discussions with your supervisor. You must
undertake three formal reflection sessions with your supervisor: The first formal reflection session should focus on your initial
ideas and how you plan to undertake your research; the interim reflection session is once a significant amount of your research
has been completed, and the final session will be in the form of a viva voce once you have completed and handed in your EE.
This document acts as a record in supporting the authenticity of your work. The three reflections combined must amount to no
more than 500 words.

The completion of this form is a mandatory requirement of the EE. It must be submitted together with the completed
EE for assessment under Criterion E. As per the ‘Protocols for completing and submitting the Reflections on
planning and progress form’ section of the EE guide, a mark of 0 will be awarded by the examiner for criterion E if
the RPPF is blank or the comments are written in a language other than that of the accompanying essay.

Supervisor: You must have three reflection sessions with each candidate, one early on in the process, an interim meeting
and then the final viva voce. Other check-in sessions are permitted but do not need to be recorded on this sheet. After each
reflection session candidates must record their reflections and as the supervisor you must indicate the month that the
reflection session took place, the candidate’s year of DP study at that time and initial this form.

First reflection session

Candidate comments:

Month: DP year (1 or 2): Supervisor initials: CWA

© International Baccalaureate Organization 2016

International Baccalaureate® | Baccalauréat International® | Bachillerato Internacional®
EE/RPPF
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Interim reflection
Candidate comments:

Once the greatest difficulty had been overcome (the rectification of the research question), the research and writing process
was comparatively smooth. However, my sopervisor noticed that the comparative aspect was left out in my "first draft". The
problem was soon discovered to be in my initial structure (my table of contents), which disallowed an adequate analysis of
the comparative aspect inherent in my research question. Once these problems were uncovered, with suggestions regarding
its betterment made by me and my extended essay coordinator, I could better address the requirements of the research
question with the new structure. However, it proved not to be very difficult to find sources for the question, as the research
interest concerning "Fake News" has surged in recent years. However, the multifaceted approaches which I was faced with
given the large body of scholarship proved to be a difficulty, as I needed to read, analyze and find a compromise between
contending conclusions and analyses. This however provided fertile grounds for my own analysis, as I could not simply
adhere to something previously written.

Month: DP year (1 or 2): Supervisor initials: CWA

Final reflection - Viva voce

Candidate comments:

My biggest struggle doing the extended essay was the initial process of finding a proper research question, but less the
overall organization and management of the essay.
In the end, I had concerns regarding my research, being insecure because of my previous failure to comply with the
Extended Essay Criteria. However, I am also proud of having produced a research paper independently, which, after
extensive research and thought, also deepened and shaped my insights into the topic of my Extended Essay.
I believe that the essay helped me greatly as a student, not only to practice structured and organized work but also for
practicing independent research.

Month: DP year (1 or 2): Supervisor initials: CWA

© International Baccalaureate Organization 2016

EE/RPPF
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Supervisor comments:
Supervisor: By submitting this candidate work for assessment, you are taking responsibility for its authenticity. No piece of candidate work
should be uploaded/submitted to the e-Coursework system if its authenticity is in doubt or if contradictory comments are added to this form. If
your text in the box below raises any doubt on the authenticity of the work, this component will not be assessed.

Although the student knew that it would be difficult, he decided to write his EE in "Studies in language". By doing so he has
proven to be a risk taker. The student has been commited to his topic from the very beginning and showed this commitment
by a very engaged research process and search for literature. The student showed from the beginning an extraordinary
motivation for his first scientific paper, which especially manifested itself in an extremely high load of reading and, as a
result, in a very thoughtful analysis of his research question.
The research question is clearly stated and focused on the period examined and on the analysed content. The lengthy
formulation of the research question is only a sign of deep understanding of the topic and not a sign of lacking skills. The
methodology is clearly stated in the beginning (primary and secondary sources etc.) and the evaluation and selection of the
sources is effectively conducted throughout the essay. The research material selected is always relevant and appropriate in
the context of the research question. The terminology used in the EE and the concepts presented are very much on point.
From the beginning he was highly involved in his subject and started with a lot of enthusiasm and subsequently
demonstrated outstanding understanding of the conflicting approaches towards the EE and how to productively use them for
his essay. The initial research question was rather too broaden, but once the candidate accepted my suggestion, he had a
clear focus on knowledge and understanding. Although there is a very limited access to libraries locally, he managed to
gather a satisfying amount of literature by accepting a history professor's invitation to use the university's library.
The student was able to apply a scientific view on the topic, I had the impression that he was able to reflect in a meaningful
way about the sessions I had with him. He always seemed to be very thoughtful in finding ways to improve his essay.
The reader is guided and understands exactly how the student came to his conclusion.The discussion is always focused on
the research question and is getting more and more subtly nuanced throughout the EE – also thanks to a critical evaluation
of the sourcesw and a presentation, which reflects the challenges and their understanding perfectly.

It was a pleasure for me to accompany this student in his writing and reflection process as he showed a high personal and
conceptual involvement with the challenges of the EE and the topic chosen and developed by him.
As his supervisor it was paticularly rewarding to see him critically reflect on his potential short-comings in the approach
towards the methodology of his essay and thus continually improve the quality of his critical thinking and his findings.

© International Baccalaureate Organization 2016