DP News: Reflection in the Core: EE Final Steps

In addition to the work requirements of the six subject group classes, all full diploma programme students must write a college-level research paper, the Extended Essay.

The Extended Essay is a significant undertaking, which evolves over the course of six months between Grade 11 and Grade 12. The majority of the current senior class have completed their essays and are working through their reflections on the process. The IB assesses student research acumen and writing skills, which are important for the EE. However, the IB also requires and assesses student reflection on and engagement in the research process. In this week's EE support classes, Grade 12 students read exemplar reflections and engaged in reflective dialogue with partners about the process. The follow are examples of reflections written by Grade 12 students.

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A student who wrote a History Extended Essay that focused on movies as illustrations of real historical events wrote:

"During my planning process back in 11th grade, I had a completely different research question than I had towards the end of this term. The methodological approach led me to a different outcome and I believe I made the right decision to stick to my final approach and research question. I am now able to conclude that historical fiction movies are only counterproductive when they are taken as a single history source."

A student who wrote a World Studies Extended Essay that focused on conservation hunting, the declining elephant population, and economic sustainability in Zambia wrote: 

"If I were to undertake this research again, I would evaluate point-source solutions more critically. Although my research was prominent and concise, I do believe that I could have engaged Zambian case studies more thoroughly, as a big part of my research was a comparison of Zambia to surrounding nations."
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Overall, AISL Diploma Programme students have engaged in an incredible variety of research topics that have provided them with practical experience writing a college-level essay. Congratulations, Grade 12!

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