REFLECTIONS AND THE RPPF:
  • Reflection in the extended essay focuses on the student’s progress during the planning, research and writing process. It is intended to help students with the development of their extended essay as well as allowing them the opportunity to consider the effectiveness of their choices, to re-examine their ideas and to decide whether changes are needed.
  • The emphasis in the extended essay is on process reflection, characterized by reflecting on conceptual understandings, decision-making, engagement with data, the research process, time management, methodology, successes and challenges, and the appropriateness of sources.
  • Students will be encouraged to informally reflect throughout the experience of researching and writing the extended essay, but are required to reflect formally during the reflection sessions with their supervisor and when completing the Reflections on planning and progress form (RPPF).
          -Excerpt from the IBO Extended Essay Guide 2018
This initial reflection session should be a dialogue between the student and the supervisor based on the student’s initial explorations. This must take place immediately at the end of the 2nd supervisor conference session that takes place. Supervisors are required to "lock" the response upon reading it so that student may not go back and make any changes. 
This session is a continuation of the dialogue between supervisor and student in which the student must demonstrate the progress they have made in their research. They must also be able to discuss any challenges they have encountered, offer their own potential solutions and seek advice as necessary.
The viva voce is a short interview between the student and the supervisor, and is the mandatory conclusion to the extended essay process. The viva voce is conducted once the student has uploaded the final version of their extended essay to the IB for assessment. 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.