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 Mark Kelly (2018).

Limited Good Excellent

1-2 points 3-4 points 5-6 points

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

EXAMPLE EXAMPLE EXAMPLE

The meeting with my supervisor went
well. I had an idea about XYZ so I
read a newspaper article. I am
finding it difficult to manage my time.
I must try and do more. I am
interested in this topic because I often
buy stuff from this shop.
The issue of marketing is relevant to
the international expansion of ABC.
Finding relevant data may be difficult
but I asked the librarian for
assistance. I have chosen business
growth as a topic because it is very
important in today’s world.
Although company XYZ has not yet
published financial data for this
quarter, using newspaper reports as a
substitute has allowed the EE to
progress. In fact, having this external
data can help eliminate potential
bias; it is known however that having
both sets of data would be better for
clearer judgements to be made.

Finding the journal article by ABC has

A message from the chief Business Management been a very important breakthrough;
due to it being a peer-reviewed paper
EE examiner (but applicable to all subject areas)... it provides confidence to the main
assumption being put forward in the
At the lower end, the student’s EE.
engagement/reflection may be “mostly factual
Moving from paper-based notes to
information, with personal reflection mostly limited
“GoodNotes” on an iPad has
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

Mark Kelly, 2018

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 choices?

● 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?

Mark Kelly, 2018