The supervisor-student relationship is central to the Extended Essay process. Supervisors must be qualified staff members from the student's school and play a key role in guiding students through planning, researching, and writing the essay. This guidance occurs during the three required reflection sessions and includes completing the Reflections on Planning and Progress Form (RPPF).
Supervisors are responsible for ensuring students understand the essay's requirements, including the chosen topic, research question, and methods, as well as ethical and formal guidelines. They should encourage students to take initiative and clarify the supervisor's role to establish clear expectations. Supervisors must report any excessive support or suspected academic misconduct to the Diploma Programme/Extended Essay coordinator.
Key responsibilities include:
Supervisors should spend 3–5 hours with each student, read recent essay reports, encourage the use of a Researcher’s Reflection Space, and set clear schedules for reflections. Students may consult external experts, but the supervisor remains accountable for all formal requirements.
Providing feedback on a student's completed draft is a crucial step in the final stages of the essay process. This is the last opportunity for the supervisor to review the essay before it is submitted. The support given must strike a balance: too little may hinder the student’s potential, while too much compromises their independence.
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.
Source: Commenting on a Draft Version of the Extended Essay. ibpublishing.ibo.org/extendedessay/apps/dpapp/guide.html?doc=d_0_eeyyy_gui_1602_1_e&part=4&chapter=10.
