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EE: Working With a Supervisor

Extended Essay Resources

Working with Your Supervisor

The Extended Essay is mainly a product of your own independent work, but you are supported by your supervisor. The supervisor–student relationship is central to the success of the Extended Essay. Whether built on a pre-existing connection or developed a new, it should be active, supportive, and collaborative, with the supervisor guiding the student through planning, research, writing, reflection sessions, and submission to ensure the essay reflects the student’s best efforts.

Commenting on Your Draft

The supervisor is only permitted to comment in writing on the full draft of your extended essay once. You must do your own proofreading, carefully checking your extended essay draft to edit spelling and grammar, check formatting, and ensure you have not exceeded the 4,000-word limit.

The recommended approach is for the student to submit the draft ahead of a supervision session. This allows the supervisor to provide comments, which are then discussed in a one-on-one meeting. This discussion should focus on how the essay can be improved, but the supervisor should avoid extensive annotations or editing.

Authenticating Your Essay

All Extended Essays must be authenticated by both the student and supervisor before submission to the IB eCoursework system. Supervisors must...

  • Confirm the essay is the student’s own work and free of academic misconduct; if authenticity is in doubt, it must not be uploaded.
  • Verify authenticity by monitoring progress, reviewing drafts, checking sources, and discussing concerns with the student.
  • Be responsible for ensuring students understand academic integrity, authenticity, and intellectual property, and that the essay cannot overlap with other DP assessments.

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TIPS for Success in Working with Your Supervisor

Working effectively with your supervisor is key to a successful EE. Here are some tips based on the IB guidance:

Be Prepared for Meetings

  • Come with specific questions or topics to discuss
  • Bring your research notes, drafts, or reflection materials
  • Review what you agreed to work on since your last meeting

Take Ownership of Your Work

  • Remember: your supervisor is there to guide, not to tell you what to write
  • Be proactive—don't wait for your supervisor to chase you down
  • Show initiative in your research and problem-solving

Use the Mandatory Meetings Wisely
You'll have six meetings total:

  • Three check-ins to discuss progress and set goals
  • Three reflection sessions (including the final viva voce) to think critically about your learning process

Communicate Openly

  • If you're stuck, say so early—don't wait until the deadline
  • Ask for clarification on expectations or feedback
  • Be honest about any challenges you're facing

Respect the Boundaries

  • Your supervisor can guide your thinking but can't write or heavily edit your work
  • They'll provide feedback on one draft, so make it count

Document Your Progress

  • Keep notes from each meeting in your Researcher's Reflection Space
  • This will help you write your 500-word reflective statement later

The supervisor-student relationship works best when you're engaged, prepared, and taking responsibility for your own learning journey!