Supervisors will:
Source: IBO.org
The viva voce is conducted once the student has submitted the final version of their extended essay. At this point in the process, no further changes can be made to the essay. The viva voce is a celebration of the completion of the essay and a reflection on what the student has learned from the process.
The viva voce is:
The viva voce should last 20–30 minutes. This is included in the recommended amount of time a supervisor should spend with the student.
Source: IBO.org
Begin and end positively. This is the end of a long, sometimes tough, process.
Here are sample questions to help engage the student in rich dialogue about the learning process:
Also, use this reflection session as a way to check on the authenticity of the student's work
Source: IS-Manila EE Guide
Things to keep in mind:
EXAMPLE COMMENTS:
#1
Early in the process, the candidate shared how their experiences growing up as a third culture person of Asian descent led to an interest in film representations of the issue. They explained that they were often confused about their own identity and in particular how social behaviours, language and physical appearance affected how others see them. They used this as a starting point to choose a topic that was both personally and intellectually interesting – though in the early stages, was mostly connected to their text choices and personal experiences as a cross-cultural Asian who lives in both North America and China.
However, as they worked through the feedback on their draft, they expressed concern about the analytical depth of the essay, especially related to the film Crazy Rich Asians. At this relatively late point in the process, they showed a willingness to challenge themself by examining new forms of critical theory and looked for ways to examine the film with more rigour. Interestingly, they commented on how they eventually questioned their choice of texts, given what they later learned about race theory. Far from problematic, it was great to see this discovery in the process. Indeed, they commented in their viva voce that they are now intending to refocus their university studies toward sociology rather than film alone, given what they learned about the subject and its relevance in contemporary communications.
The candidate used their time well early in the planning and investigation phase, which enabled them to create an effective research question. While this eventually led to a more critical evaluation of their texts, it is fair to say that they struggled to achieve a completely effective balance between the two films, especially in the area of cinematic analysis, which is a concern they voiced in their reflections. They were eager to recognise this and appreciate how this understanding will help them in the future to focus their research earlier and create a realistic plan to allow more time in the revision phase.
Overall, the candidate has positively engaged with the intention of the extended essay process and reflected constructively on areas for their growth as a student of film.
#2
Throughout the process of the extended essay, the student showed commitment and was diligent and productive. They were always punctual for meetings, replied promptly to messages, and showed great enthusiasm for the topic. They responded very well to feedback and acted upon all suggestions in a very mature manner. It is evident that the student dedicated a lot of time to collecting a great deal of secondary sources and has completed a good piece of writing. One of the high points for them was the research, they accessed a wide variety of authors, with a range of nationalities and views. They enjoyed this and felt that this has helped develop their skills as a historian. Their first language is Chinese and for someone to research and write about Italian history in their second language is an impressive effort. They are pleased with the development of their skills in writing and reading and have used some of the structures from books they have read in their own writing. They also demonstrated excellent evidence of their reflection process throughout. Their Viva Voce was indicative of their efforts and final product.
#3
This student was initially slow to get to experimentation and their research was initially weak. However, after a few meetings, this student renewed their focus and worked tirelessly through several setbacks during the process of developing their experimental design. They had great difficulty generating sufficient reliable data despite many attempts. They leaned on their Chemistry background, were receptive to teacher feedback and eventually hit upon the right mix of controls to get the data they needed. Their level of research improved as the project went on and they became adept at reading and processing challenging academic sources. They were determined to understand specific mechanisms and asked good questions at our meetings. They became a much more confident experimenter and is now an excellent problem-solver in practical situations. While they experienced a bit of lag in following a schedule for writing their final paper, with some teacher prompting, they rose to the challenge and completed their paper, amidst many competing assessment deadlines.
Under the Assessment tab in ManageBac choose the appropriate number for each criterion (descriptors are included). The total points will be shown in the box on the bottom of the page. DO NOT FILL OUT THE COMMENT BOX ON THE ASSESSMENT TAB.
This mark will be used as your predicted grade that will be submitted to the IB.
For more details about assessment, look at the assessment tab above.
Five Criterion:
Total: 34 points
Grade Boundaries (2018)
Effective May 2018 from IBO.org
The extended essay is externally assessed, and as such, supervisors are not expected to mark the essays or arrive at a number to translate into a grade. Predicted grades for the extended essay should be based on the qualitative grade descriptors for the extended essay. These descriptors are what will be used by senior examiners to set the boundaries. While boundaries are subject to change, it is the grade descriptors that remain consistent. Please refer to the document Assessment principles and practices—Quality assessments in a digital age.
| Grade A |
|---|
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Demonstrates effective research skills resulting in a well-focused and appropriate research question that can be explored within the scope of the chosen topic; effective engagement with relevant research areas, methods and sources; excellent knowledge and understanding of the topic in the wider context of the relevant discipline; the effective application of source material and correct use of subject-specific terminology and/or concepts further supporting this; consistent and relevant conclusions that are proficiently analysed; sustained reasoned argumentation supported effectively by evidence; critically evaluated research; excellent presentation of the essay, whereby coherence and consistency further supports the reading of the essay; and present and correctly applied structural and layout elements. Engagement with the process is conceptual and personal, key decision-making during the research process is documented, and personal reflections are evidenced, including those that are forward-thinking. |
| Grade B |
|
Demonstrates appropriate research skills resulting in a research question that can be explored within the scope of the chosen topic; reasonably effective engagement with relevant research areas, methods and sources; good knowledge and understanding of the topic in the wider context of the relevant discipline; a reasonably effective application of source material and use of subject-specific terminology and/or concepts; consistent conclusions that are accurately analysed; reasoned argumentation often supported by evidence; research that at times evidences critical evaluation; and a clear presentation of all structural and layout elements, which further supports the reading of the essay. Engagement with the process is generally evidenced by the reflections and key decision-making during the research process is documented. |
| Grade C |
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Demonstrates evidence of research undertaken, which has led to a research question that is not necessarily expressed in a way that can be explored within the scope of the chosen topic; 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; some knowledge and understanding of the topic in the wider context of the discipline, which is mostly relevant; the attempted application of source material and appropriate terminology and/or concepts; an attempted synthesis of research results with partially relevant analysis; conclusions partly supported by the evidence; discussion that is descriptive rather than analytical; attempted evaluation; satisfactory presentation of the essay, with weaknesses that do not hinder the reading of the essay; and some structural and layout elements that are missing or are incorrectly applied. Engagement with the process is evidenced but shows mostly factual information, with personal reflection mostly limited to procedural issues. |
| Grade D |
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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 engagement with appropriate research, methods and sources, but discrepancies in those processes that occasionally interfere with the planning and approach; some relevant knowledge and understanding of the topic in the wider context of the discipline, which are at times irrelevant; the attempted application of source material, but with inaccuracies in the use of, or underuse of, terminology and/or concepts; irrelevant analysis and inconsistent conclusions as a result of a descriptive discussion; a lack of evaluation; presentation of the essay that at times is illogical and hinders the reading; and structural and layout elements that are missing. Engagement with the process is evidenced but is superficial, with personal reflections that are solely narrative and concerned with procedural elements. |
| Grade E (failing condition) |
|
Demonstrates an unclear nature of the essay; a generally unsystematic approach and resulting unfocused research question; limited engagement with limited research and sources; generally limited and only partially accurate knowledge and understanding of the topic in the wider context of the relevant discipline; ineffective connections in the application of source material and inaccuracies in the terminology and/or concepts used; a summarizing of results of research with inconsistent analysis; an attempted outline of an argument, but one that is generally descriptive in nature; and a layout that generally lacks or incorrectly applies several layout and structural elements. Engagement with the process is limited, with limited factual or decision-making information and no personal reflection on the process. |
For EE supervisors: Here is the standard description for everyone to post (copy and paste) for EE in grade 12 reports:
The extended essay is an in-depth study of a focused topic resulting in a 4,000 word analytical essay. It promotes academic research and writing skills, providing students with an opportunity to engage in independent research on a topic of their choice under the guidance of their supervisor. By engaging with the theories, tools and techniques of their discipline, students gain valuable experience and further develop their ability to think critically.
More specific information in the EE Guide for each specific subject: Choice of Topic & Treatment of Topic
IBO expectations for Draft Feedback
Read the Subject Reports on the EE Subjects pages in this LibGuide.
Each EE subject has an Interpreting the Assessment Criteria section on the IBO EE Guide. This is customized considerations for each EE subject.
There is a rubric on ManageBac for assessment. Good for creating a Predicted Grade for EE.
General descriptions for A, B, C, D, E grades for EE.
If you have access to InThinking website for your subject, there is quite a bit of information about EEs in that subject.
Podcast: Alethea Bleyberg - IBDP Core Consultant-focuses on L&L but gives a lot of general information about the Extended Essay.