How to ace your EE reflections 

 
 
By now you should be aware that 6 of your 34 points will come from your 500-word reflection; this is 
broken down into three mini reflections. The examiner will consider this document (RPPF) separately 
from your EE. Think about a) choices b) changes and c) challenges (read on). 
 
Your reflections should show a deep level of engagement with the process​. The box below is 
adapted from the EE marking criteria and the examples have been designed by me (Mr Kelly). 
 
Limited  Good  Excellent 
1-2 points  3-4 points  5-6 points 

Comments made by the  Comments made by the  Comments made by the 

student only describe what has  student touch upon theory and  student provide insight to how 
been done. Almost like a  issues that are relevant but lack  problems were tackled, or why 
narrative diary.  depth or exploration.  certain decisions were made. 
     
There is a sense that the  There is a sense that the  There is a sense that the 
student is only superficially  student has worked well but  student has been intellectually 
engaged in the topic.  has not fully seen all the  curious and creative 
possibilities of the task. 

EXAMPLE  EXAMPLE  EXAMPLE 

     
The meeting with my supervisor  The issue of marketing is  Although company XYZ has not 
went well. I had an idea about  relevant to the international  yet published financial data for 
XYZ so I read a newspaper  expansion of ABC. Finding  this quarter, using newspaper 
article. I am finding it difficult to  relevant data may be difficult  reports as a substitute has 
manage my time. I must try and  but I asked the librarian for  allowed the EE to progress. In 
do more. I am interested in this  assistance. I have chosen  fact, having this external data 
topic because I often buy stuff  business growth as a topic  can help eliminate potential bias; 
from this shop.  because it is very important in  it is known however that having 
  today’s world.  both sets of data would be better 
for clearer judgements to be 
made. 
 
Finding the journal article by 
A message from the chief Business  ABC has been a very important 
breakthrough; due to it being a 
Management EE examiner (but applicable to 
peer-reviewed paper it provides 
all subject areas)...  confidence to the main 
  assumption being put forward in 
At the lower end, the student’s  the EE. 
engagement/reflection may be “mostly   
Moving from paper-based notes 
factual information, with personal reflection  to “GoodNotes” on an iPad has 
mostly limited to procedural issues.”  increased my productivity 
greatly, I can now write directly 
on pdfs and leave voice 
comments to myself. 
 
Scroll down to see more   

Works Cited 
Below are some key questions from the IB EE Course Companion (Lekanides 2016) that will 
help you write a more effective 500 words. 
 

How effective were your c

​ hoices​? 
● In what way(s) did your chosen methodology produce a definite or satisfactory to 
your RQ? 
● In what way(s) did your personal reading shed any new light on the text or challenge, 
or confirm pre-existing schools of thought? 
● In what way(s) did your choice of source material lead to a comprehensive 
assessment of (most) all factors? 
● In what way(s) did your research highlight any undocumented or new thoughts on the 
topic in question? 
● To what extent did your research material (or approach) utilize the latest research in 
the field, making it up to date. 
 

What ​changes​ were necessary during the research 

process? 
● In what way(s) did your EE compel you to seek out new modes of note-taking or 
overall organisation? 
● Did your argument require a greater balance of opinion that forced you to do wider 
reading or additional research? 
● Did your research bring to light any material or data that forced you to rethink your 
approach or adjust your RQ accordingly? 
● To what extent did you include a wide variety of source material (that is, not just 
internet sources) 
● Why did you switch from a primary to secondary research approach (or vice versa)? 
 

What were the greatest ​achievements and challenges 

during your research process? 
● Was there a lack of sufficient source material to begin with when it came to your 
topic? How did you overcome this? 
● Did your research require you to acquire more technical skills or adapt your technical 
proficiencies so as to conduct your research properly (for example, learning how to 
use specific lab or technological equipment or how to divide subject-appropriate 
surveys)? 
● Did you make any significant breakthroughs with regards to the topic in question? 
● Were you able to devise any original approaches to respond to your RQ? 
● Did you acquire any new skills that you have found a use for in other areas of your 
study? 
 
 

Works Cited