WAB Learns: EE: Assessment Criteria

EE Criteria & Rubrics

Click on the EE SUBJECTS tab above for more specific "Considering the Assessment Criteria" by subject.

How the assessment criteria are applied

Examiners mark positively, giving credit where appropriate for what students have written, rather than looking for omissions. Their aim is to find the level descriptor that conveys most accurately the level attained by the student's work, using the best-fit approach. A best-fit approach means that compensation should be made when a piece of work matches aspects of different markbands. The mark awarded should be one that most fairly reflects the balance of achievement against the markband. It is not necessary for every indicator within a markband to be met for a mark to be awarded in that markband. Awarding the top mark does not imply faultless performance.

Note: Criteria A, B, C and D are applied to the extended essay as a whole. Criterion E is applied only to the reflective statement on the student’s RPF.

Assessment Objectives:

Knowledge & Understanding

To demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the topic chosen and the research question posed.
To demonstrate knowledge and understanding of terminology and concepts.
To demonstrate knowledge and understanding of relevant research methods.

Application & Analysis

To apply relevant research methods to respond to the research question.
To analyse the research to determine appropriate findings.

Synthesis & Evaluation

To discuss in a balanced way the significance of the research findings.
To develop a clear line of argument that links the research question, research findings and conclusions.
To evaluate the effectiveness of the essay.
To evaluate the extended essay learning experience and reflect on personal growth.

Communication of Research

To communicate research according to appropriate structural conventions.
To understand and demonstrate academic integrity.

EE Guide pg 111-114

Questions to ask yourself:

Research Question

Is my research question clearly stated on the title page, in my introduction, and referenced in my conclusion?
Does my research question directly address my chosen topic without being too vague or impossibly broad?
Is my research question analytical and arguable—does it invite critical thinking rather than just description?
Can I realistically answer this question within 4,000 words using the resources available to me?
If I'm doing an interdisciplinary essay, does my research question clearly require both subjects to answer it effectively?

Research Methods

Have I explained which research methods I used (e.g., literature review, interviews, experiments, surveys)?
Have I explained why I chose these methods—how do they help me answer my research question?
Are my methods appropriate for my subject area and the type of inquiry I'm undertaking?
Have I described how I actually carried out these methods (e.g., sample size, timeframe, data collection process)?
Have I acknowledged any limitations in my methods?

Structure

Does my essay follow formal academic conventions: title page, table of contents, introduction, body sections, conclusion, bibliography?
Do my section headings clearly signal what each part of my essay addresses?
Does my introduction introduce the topic, provide context, and clearly state my research question?
Does my conclusion address my research question and reflect the evidence I've presented?
Do my body paragraphs flow logically from one to the next, building toward my conclusion?

Questions to ask yourself:

Knowledge

Have I used a range of relevant, reliable sources (academic journals, books, credible websites)?
Do my sources directly support the points I'm making about my topic?
Have I avoided relying too heavily on Wikipedia, news articles, or other non-academic sources as my primary evidence?
For an interdisciplinary essay: Have I drawn on sources from both DP subjects I'm using?
Is it clear that I understand the context of my topic—what others have already said and found?

Terminology

Have I used subject-specific terminology accurately throughout my essay?
When I introduce a technical term for the first time, do I explain what it means?
Have I avoided using vague language or terminology incorrectly?
Does my use of terminology demonstrate that I understand the subject, not just that I've memorized definitions?
Is my terminology consistent—do I use the same terms in the same way throughout?

Concepts

Have I identified the key concepts relevant to my topic?
Do I explain what these concepts mean in my own words?
Have I applied these concepts to my research, showing how they help me understand my topic?
Do I discuss why these concepts matter—what do they reveal about my research question?
For an interdisciplinary essay: Have I explained how concepts from both subjects connect to my topic?

Questions to ask yourself:

Analysis

Does my essay analyze information, or does it mostly describe what I found?
When I present evidence (a quotation, data, a finding), do I explain what it means and why it matters?
Do I make connections between different pieces of evidence—showing how they relate to each other?
Have I examined why my findings are significant for answering my research question?
Do I consider alternative interpretations or counterarguments, and do I address them?
Have I avoided simply summarizing sources and instead engaged critically with them?

Line of Argument

Is there a clear argument that runs through my entire essay—one that connects my research question to my findings and conclusions?
Can I explain in one or two sentences what my main argument is?
Do my body paragraphs each contribute to this argument, or do some feel disconnected?
Does each paragraph build logically on the previous one, moving the argument forward?
If I remove a paragraph, would my argument still make sense, or is that paragraph essential?
Are my transitions between ideas clear—does the reader understand how one point leads to the next?
Does my conclusion reflect and reinforce the argument I've developed throughout the essay?

Questions to ask yourself:

Discussion

Have I discussed the significance of my findings—what do they mean and why do they matter?
When I discuss my findings, do I support my points with evidence (quotations, data, references)?
Have I presented a balanced discussion, acknowledging different perspectives or interpretations?
Have I placed my findings in context—relating them to what others have already said about the topic?
Do I explain how my findings help answer my research question?
Have I avoided simply restating my findings without explaining their meaning?

Evaluation

Have I evaluated the effectiveness of my research methods—did they work well, or were there problems?
Have I acknowledged the limitations of my research (e.g., small sample size, limited access to sources, time constraints)?
Have I evaluated the reliability and validity of my sources—are they trustworthy and relevant?
Have I identified strengths of my essay—what did I do well?
Have I identified weaknesses or areas where my essay could be stronger?
Does my conclusion directly address my research question?
Have I suggested how my research could be extended or improved in future work?
Have I avoided being overly critical or defensive about my work—presenting a balanced evaluation?

*There is more detail in the Reflection tab above.

Questions to ask yourself:

Evaluative Reflection

Does my reflective statement go beyond describing what I did (e.g., "I did research and wrote an essay") to evaluating my learning experience?
Do I include specific examples from my extended essay process to support my reflection?
Have I reflected on how my understanding of the topic changed or deepened through the process?
Do I discuss challenges I faced and how I overcame them?
Have I avoided simply listing what I did and instead focused on what I learned?

Growth and Transfer

Have I identified specific skills I developed through the extended essay (research skills, time management, critical thinking, writing, etc.)?
Can I give concrete examples of how I used or developed these skills?
Have I explained how these skills could be useful in other contexts—other classes, future studies, or work?
Do I reflect on how I've grown as a learner through this process?
Have I discussed insights about the research process itself—what I learned about how to investigate a topic?
Have I reflected on insights about the topic itself—new questions or perspectives I've gained?
Is my reflective statement clear, specific, and honest—does it genuinely reflect my experience?

Format for the EE

Your extended essay should be clearly written in a formal academic style, appropriate to the subject(s) from which the topic is drawn. Given that the extended essay is a formally written research paper, it should strive to maintain a professional, academic look.

To help achieve this, follow this formatting guidance.

Font size 12 and 1.5 line spacing—this helps the examiner with on-screen marking.
Page numbering (mandatory), beginning with the first page following your contents page.
Anonymity—there is no student, supervisor or school name anywhere in the file submitted.
A file size smaller than 10 MB. Consider the size of embedded images, which may add considerably to the file size, and optimize them if needed. Note that the reflection and progress form (RPF) is uploaded separately and is not part of the overall file size of the essay.

Submitting your extended essay in the required format will help set the tone of the essay and will aid readability for on-screen assessment by examiners.

Overall structure

The structure of your essay is very important because it helps you to organize your line of argument.

The following structural conventions must be present in the essay you submit for assessment.

Title page
Contents page
Introduction
Body of the essay
Conclusion
Reference list or bibliography

In addition to the recognized structure of any extended essay, as above, it is also important to incorporate any structural conventions that relate to the subject(s) you are using.

Word counts

The upper limit for all extended essays is 4,000 words. Note that examiners are instructed not to read or assess any material in excess of the word limit.

This means that essays containing more than 4,000 words will be negatively compromised across all assessment criteria. You should therefore ensure that your essay remains within the word limit. If the word count of your final draft is over 4,000 words you should edit it down accordingly.

The table below provides specific guidance on the content that is and is not included in the word count.

Included in Word Count	NOT Included in Word Count
The Introduction	Table of Contents
The Body	Headers (next to pg #)
The Conclusion	Maps, Charts, Diagrams, Annotated Illustrations
Quotations	Tables
Footnotes (that are not citations)	Equations, Formulas & Calculations
Section headings in the text	Citations: paranthetical, numbered, or footnotes
	The Bibliography
	The Reflection

Students writing in Chinese, Japanese or Korean

Students writing their extended essay in Chinese, Japanese or Korean should use the following conversions.

Chinese: 1 word = approximately 1.2 Chinese characters (upper limit 4,800 characters)
Japanese: 1 word = approximately 2 Japanese characters (upper limit 8,000 characters)
Korean: 1 word = 1 word

When typing in Chinese, Japanese or Korean, word processing software is likely to include the number of characters and punctuation in the word count. Students should not include punctuation in the word count for assessed work. The word count should only reflect the number of characters typed.

EE Guide pg 87-92

EE Q & A chatbot

Holistic Grade Descriptors

Grade A
• The student demonstrates effective research skills, resulting in a well-focused and appropriate research question that can be explored within the scope of the chosen topic.
• There is effective engagement with relevant research areas, methods and sources.
• There is excellent knowledge and understanding of the topic in the wider context of the relevant discipline.
• There is effective application of source material and correct use of subject-specific terminology and/or concepts that further supports this.
• Conclusions are consistent, relevant and proficiently analysed.
• Arguments show sustained reason and are supported effectively by evidence.
• Research is critically evaluated.
• Coherence, consistency and effective use of structural conventions support readability to an excellent degree.
• Reflection on the extended essay learning experience is consistently evaluative and includes specific examples.
• Reflection shows consistent evidence of the student’s growth and transfer of learning.

Grade B
• The student demonstrates appropriate research skills, resulting in a research question that can be explored within the scope of the chosen topic.
• There is reasonably effective engagement with relevant research areas, methods and sources.
• There is good knowledge and understanding of the topic in the wider context of the relevant discipline.
• There is a reasonably effective application of source material and reasonable use of subject-specific terminology and/or concepts.
• Conclusions are consistent and accurately analysed.
• Arguments show reason and are often supported by evidence.
• Research at times shows critical evaluation.
• Coherence, consistency and use of structural conventions support readability to a good degree.
• Reflection on the extended essay learning experience is partially evaluative and includes specific examples.
• Reflection often shows evidence of the student’s growth and transfer of learning.

Grade C
• The student demonstrates evidence of research undertaken, leading to a research question that is not necessarily expressed in a way that can be explored within the scope of the chosen topic.
• There is partially effective engagement with mostly appropriate research areas, methods and sources. However, there are some discrepancies in those processes, although these do not interfere with the planning and approach.
• There is some knowledge and understanding of the topic in the wider context of the discipline, and the knowledge is mostly relevant.
• There is an attempted application of source material and appropriate terminology and/or concepts; an attempted synthesis of research results with partially relevant analysis.
• Conclusions are partly supported by the evidence.
• Arguments are descriptive rather than analytical.
• There is a partially successful evaluation of the research.
• The essay is not always coherent and consistent, and structural conventions are irregularly applied, but this does not significantly hinder readability.
• Reflection on the extended essay learning experience is descriptive and includes some specific examples.
• Reflection sometimes shows evidence of the student’s growth and transfer of learning.

Grade D
• The student demonstrates a lack of research, resulting in unsatisfactory focus and a research question that is not answerable within the scope of the chosen topic.
• At times, there is engagement with appropriate research, methods and sources, but discrepancies in those processes occasionally interfere with the planning and approach.
• There is some relevant knowledge and understanding of the topic in the wider context of the discipline but at times the knowledge is irrelevant.
• There is an attempted application of source material but with inaccuracies in the use of, or underuse of, terminology and/or concepts.
• There is irrelevant analysis and inconsistent conclusions as a result of a descriptive discussion.
• There is a lack of evaluation.
• The limited coherence and consistency of the essay and absence of structural conventions hinders readability.
• Reflection on the extended essay learning experience is descriptive.
• Reflection on the student’s growth is limited to a description of the process and there is no evidence of transfer of learning.

Grade E (a failing condition)
• The student demonstrates little or no research, a lack of focus and an ineffective research question.
• There is a generally unsystematic approach and a resulting unfocused research question.
• There is limited engagement with limited research and sources.
• There is generally limited and only partially accurate knowledge and understanding of the topic in the wider context of the discipline.
• There are ineffective connections in the application of source material, and inaccuracies in the terminology and/or concepts used.
• The results of research are summarized with inconsistent analysis.
• There is an attempted outline of an argument but one that is generally descriptive in nature.
• The lack of coherence and consistency and absence of structural conventions significantly hinders readability.
• Reflection on the extended essay learning experience is very limited, with no evidence of transfer of learning.

EE Guide p.115-117