The Extended Essay
Supervisor Workshop, Fall 2010
Utica Academy for International Studies
Workshop Goals…
Understand the requirements and process that
will prepare students to write the Extended
Essay (EE)
 Gain a better understanding of the scoring
rubric and the scoring process
 Understand the roles and responsibilities of an
EE supervisor
 Be prepared to create a informational
department presentation to guide diploma
candidates toward an area of EE study

The Diploma Programme
*Coordinators should consult programme guide for passing eligibility.
New Regulation for 2010
From 2010 onward, 28 points overall will
be required for a student to be eligible
for a diploma if that student earns an “E”
in either TOK or Extended Essay. As
previously, an “A” in one of those
requirements earns an extra point even if
the other grade is an “E.” Attaining in “E”
in both still continues to represent an
automatic failure.
The Extended Essay Manual
Required Material for All Supervisors
(Pages 1-33)
Core Components—EE Manual

Introduction, Outline, Details, All Essays
◦ General information for all subjects
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Nature, aims, objectives of EE (p. 1-6)
School (p. 7)
Supervisors (p. 8-9)
Students (p. 10)
Use of media and other materials (p. 19)
Viva voce (p. 20)
General assessment criteria (p. 25)
EE Brief Description
Chosen from approved DP list
 Required for IB diploma eligibility
 Externally assessed by IBO evaluators
 Total assessment points 0-36, of which a
grade between an A to E is awarded
 Point relationship between TOK and EE
 Opportunity for personal exploration
 Aligned with learner profile

EE General Requirements
Between 3,500-4,000 words
 Involves higher level research
 300 word abstract
 Represents a 40-hour commitment
 No editing by the supervisor
 Supervisor submits a predicted grade and
a supervisor’s report to the IBO
 Concludes with the viva voce interview

Subject-Specific Areas
Where Can UAIS Students Write Their EEs?
Group 1 (English)
Film
Group 2 (Spanish)
Geography
Theatre
Group 2 (Mandarin)
History
Visual Arts
Group 2 (French)
Human Rights
World Religions
Group 2 (Japanese)
Information technology in a global society
Biology
Mathematics
Chemistry
Music
Classical Greek/Latin
Peace and conflict studies
Computer Science
Philosophy
Dance
Physics
Design Technology
Politics
Economics
Psychology
Environmental systems and societies
Social and cultural anthropology
EE Assessment Criteria (p. 22-31)
Provides overview of each criterion
assesses
 Forms the basis of the scoring rubric for
all subject areas
 Further advice on interpreting assessment
criteria provided within guidelines for
each subject provided in “Details—subject
specific” section

Extended Essay Criteria
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
I
J
K
Research Question
Introduction
Investigation
Knowledge/Understanding
Reasoned Argument
Apply Analysis & Evaluation
Language Appropriate
Conclusion
Formal Presentation
Abstract
Holistic Judgment
2
2
4
4
4
4
4
2
4
2
4
Extended Essay Grade Boundaries
A 29 – 36
 B 23 – 28
 C 16 – 22
 D 8 – 15
E0–7

Details—Subject Specific Guidelines
Specific subject criteria (p.34-175)
 Each subject area includes:

◦ Overview of subject
◦ Choice of topic
◦ Treatment of the topic
◦ Interpretation of the assessment rubric
All teachers must know subject-specific details
and criteria for students to be successful!
Supervisor Responsibilities
Conduct departmental meetings for EE
Discuss choice of topic
Help formulate and adjust research question
Ensure research question satisfies legal and ethical
standards
 Advise students on how to:
• Gather and analyze information/evidence/data
• Encourage consultation with school/university
librarian(s)
• Write an abstract
• Document sources in standard format
• Participate in the viva voce
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Supervisor Responsibilities

Read sample essays & examiner reports.
◦ Make samples available to students.
◦ Let students score sample essays.

Spend three to five hours with each
student.
◦ Students may work with or consult outside
sources, but the supervisor is responsible for
completing all responsibilities stated.
Supervisor Responsibilities
Know subject area assessment criteria
 Read and comment on first draft only
 Monitor progress
 Read final version to confirm authenticity
 Conduct the viva voce
 Submit predicted grade
 Complete evaluator’s report
 Report malpractice, if suspected

The Iceberg Model
7/8 = Pre-Writing/Draft Phase
Student & supervisor work together to:
Explore and discuss ideas
Locate appropriate resources
Discuss readings and ideas
Develop a suitable research question
Supervisor monitors progress
Represents 3-5 hours of work per student
1/8 = Writing Phase
Student works independently to:
Write EE draft
Revision conference drives final draft of essay
Prepare the final EE
The UAIS EE Schedule
Provides internal & external due dates
 Timeline can coincide with SDD with
sophomores and freshmen
 Builds in six mandatory in-school
meetings with students
 Evaluation grade for TOK following each
interview, except Viva Voce
 Students write their rough drafts during
summer

Subject-Specific Seminars: Nov. 18
Goal: Provide students with specific
subject area info necessary to select best
topic
 Juniors rotate four times among different
classrooms, spending thirty minutes in
each
 Provide specific information about writing
in your area that EE coordinator cannot

Subject Preference Seminars Outline
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Overview of subject-specific guidelines
and topic choices
Helpful examiner comments from English
evaluators
Sample topics and questions for English
Subject-specific issues to consider before
choosing English
Academic referencing
Q&A or peruse examples if time remains
Supervisor Selection: January
Students submit at least two EE proposals
in two separate subjects; EE coordinator
collects
 Department representatives meet to
divide students equitably and in their best
interests
 Departments meet to assess best
supervisor-student relationship
 Supervisor-student pairings announced

Discussion: Where Do We Go?
Option 1: Supervisors and students set
own meeting times and departmentgenerated due dates, set to occur before
or after school or during lunch.
 Option 2: Coordinator aligns freshmen &
sophomore semester project work days
with pre-determined due dates, set to
occur during the school day itself.

Writing EE Research Questions
Must be truly in subject area
 Must be specific, argumentative,
manageable
 Science: no blending of disciplines and no
secondary research papers
 History: must be at least ten years past
 Refer to Glossary of Command Terms

Conducting EE Research
Coordinator will take students to a
university library, if possible
 Departments should give students advice
based on their own research experiences
 Make clear a documentation style you
expect and is appropriate for research
 Demand working bibliographies, outlines,
and written notes or note cards

But I Looked It Up!
Revision Conference
Follows completion of the rough draft in
September of senior year
 Absolutely NO editing or marks on clean
paper provided back to student
 Comments provided in boxes on rubric
only
 Conference regarding draft can only
occur once!

Supervisor’s Final Report
Must be signed by the candidate and the
student
 Requires estimate of total hours spent
with candidate
 Completed only after a predicted grade is
given by the supervisor, with comments
 Should NOT be signed if suspected of
plagiarism

What is the Viva Voce?
Verbal interview
 Lasts 10-15 minutes
 Serves as conclusion to EE process
 Opportunity for reflection
 Can serve as plagiarism/malpractice check
 Used to bolster holistic assessment
 Should end on a positive note
 Refer to page 20 in EE guide

Academic Integrity (pages 36-47)
Student is ultimately responsible.
 Works or ideas of others must be correctly
acknowledged.
 Supervisor confirms that the EE the student
submits is authentic work of the student.
 Both plagiarism and collusion are forms of
malpractice.
 Same piece of work, or two versions of the
same, cannot be submitted by the student

EE Supervisor Integrity Tips
Always require drafts
 When in doubt, encourage citation
 Give any suspicious read a second look
24 hours later
 Fair and transparent application of rules
 Cite the IB learner profile and school
policy
 Monitor progress regularly

Group Activity
1.
2.
3.
Read over subject specific guidelines for
your particular subject area.
Score one exemplar using the rubric to
derive a predicted score. This mimics
what you must do for each of your EE
students.
Practice writing “non-editing” comments
on the draft. Use the combined rubric
for your subject matter to help you.
Group Activity: Scoring Guidelines

Scoring guidelines for EE supervisors
Scores for Sample Essays
Language A1
Poets A (33)
Gatsby C (20)
History
Israel A (31)
Mexico C (19)
History
Israel A (31)
Mexico C (19)
Biology
Malaria D (10)
Juice B (25)
Plant Extracts A (33)
Mathematics
Fractional Calculus A (34)
Visual Arts
Papageorge C (20)
Le Corbusier A (36)
Examiner Reports 2009

Biology
The most successful essays had a small number of a clearly
defined and easily manipulated independent variables and a
quantifiable and easily measured dependent variable.
Successful essays often relied on the use of basic equipment
of the type that can be normally found in a school, and were
carried out in the school laboratory or in the local
environment.
There can be no doubt that the quality, and to a lesser extent
the quantity, of supervision received by a candidate can play a
significant role in the success of an extended essay.
Consequently there is a strong need for supervisors to
familiarize themselves with the current guide and to assist
the candidates in interpreting the requirements.
Advice to All Supervisors
Some supervisors, unfortunately, appear not to
have ever read the responsibilities of the
supervisor and subject criteria guide in the EE
guide.
 Some supervisors are neglecting to write any
comments on the candidates’ performance—
though claiming great amounts of supervision
time.
 A sizeable proportion of essays contained very
brief, uninformative comments or none at all
while others wrote lengthy reports that
contained irrelevant information.

Reviewing Goals…

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Understand the requirements and process
that will prepare students to write the
Extended Essay (EE)
Gain a better understanding of the scoring
rubric and the scoring process
Understand the roles and responsibilities of
an EE supervisor
Be prepared to create a informational
department presentation to guide diploma
candidates toward an area of EE study
Questions?
The Big Picture: Semester Projects
(How) can we better prepare our
students for the Extended Essay with the
current semester project?
 Where, if at all, do we feel students need
more help in the research process?
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