IBEC Extended Essay Supervision 5 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: An EE student conducting interviews for a World Studies essay must obtain what before beginning data collection?
- IB regional office approval for human subjects research
- Informed consent from participants and parental consent if participants are minors (Correct answer)
- Supervisor co-signature on each interview transcript
- A certified IRB approval document from a local university
Correct answer: Informed consent from participants and parental consent if participants are minors
Ethical research involving human subjects requires informed consent, and parental consent is necessary when participants are minors.
Question 2: Which of the following would make a research question unsuitable for an Extended Essay?
- It is framed as an open-ended question
- It can be answered with a simple yes or no without analysis (Correct answer)
- It requires the student to evaluate multiple perspectives
- It is specific to a narrow time period or geographic region
Correct answer: It can be answered with a simple yes or no without analysis
A research question answerable with yes or no lacks the analytical depth required by the EE assessment criteria.
Question 3: How should a supervisor handle a student whose Extended Essay is consistently off-topic despite multiple feedback sessions?
- Continue providing feedback and hope the student self-corrects by submission
- Escalate to the EE coordinator for additional support and possible topic revision (Correct answer)
- Rewrite the essay outline to force the student back on track
- Allow the student to submit the off-topic essay to learn from examiner feedback
Correct answer: Escalate to the EE coordinator for additional support and possible topic revision
Persistent off-topic work warrants coordinator involvement so the student can receive additional support or formally revise the focus.
Question 4: The Extended Essay contributes to the IB Diploma through which mechanism?
- It counts as a seventh subject in the subject grade total
- It is combined with Theory of Knowledge to award up to three bonus points (Correct answer)
- It replaces one of the Higher Level subject examinations
- It contributes a fixed two bonus points regardless of grade
Correct answer: It is combined with Theory of Knowledge to award up to three bonus points
The EE and ToK are awarded a combined matrix grade of 0–3 bonus points toward the 45-point Diploma total.
Question 5: What is the correct IB term for the document where students record reflections at each of the three mandatory EE supervision sessions?
- Extended Essay Progress Log (EEPL)
- Reflections on Planning and Progress Form (RPPF) (Correct answer)
- Supervisor Observation Record (SOR)
- Research Journal and Reflection Sheet (RJRS)
Correct answer: Reflections on Planning and Progress Form (RPPF)
The RPPF (Reflections on Planning and Progress Form) is the official IB document capturing student reflections across all three sessions.
Question 6: A student's Extended Essay exceeds 4,000 words. How do IB examiners handle the excess content?
- They penalize one grade level per 100 words over the limit
- They read and assess only up to 4,000 words and disregard anything beyond (Correct answer)
- They request the student resubmit an edited version before scoring
- They notify the school but still mark the full essay
Correct answer: They read and assess only up to 4,000 words and disregard anything beyond
Examiners stop reading at 4,000 words, so content beyond that limit receives no credit regardless of quality.
Question 7: Which scenario best demonstrates appropriate supervisor conduct during the first formal EE reflection session?
- The supervisor shares a model essay from a previous student to show what success looks like
- The supervisor listens to the student's research plan, asks probing questions, and signs the RPPF (Correct answer)
- The supervisor provides a detailed written critique of the student's preliminary notes
- The supervisor assigns the student a timeline and specific sources to read before the next session
Correct answer: The supervisor listens to the student's research plan, asks probing questions, and signs the RPPF
The first session should involve active listening, formative questions to guide student thinking, and RPPF documentation.
IBEC Extended Essay Supervision 5
An EE student conducting interviews for a World Studies essay must obtain what before beginning data collection?