Supervisor duties

It is the school’s responsibility to ensure that each candidate submitting an EE or SRP is supervised by a teacher at the school with appropriate qualifications and/or experience in the subject chosen by the candidate. The teacher providing this supervision is referred to as the candidate’s EE or SRP supervisor and must not be related to the candidate.

Candidates, choose a supervisor

-with whom you feel comfortable,

-who has some expertise in your chosen subject, and

-who has time to help you individually.

Supervisor responsibilities

The extended essay supervisor has four principal responsibilities:

  1) to encourage and support the candidate throughout the research and writing of the extended essay

  2) to provide the candidate with advice and guidance in the skills of undertaking research

  3) to ensure that the extended essay is the candidate’s own work

  4) to complete the supervisor’s report.

Time commitment for candidates

The supervisor should help candidates understand the relative importance of the extended essay in the overall context of the diploma. It is recommended that candidates spend about 40 hours in total on the essay. Since candidates will be faced with many other commitments during the Diploma Programme, the demands of the extended essay may appear daunting. An important role of the supervisor is to offer encouragement, support and reassurance during the preparation and writing of the extended essay.

Time commitment for supervisors

The amount of time spent by the supervisor with each candidate will vary depending on the subject and circumstances; IBO suggests that this time will usually be between two and three hours in total. 

In reality, the supervisor will probably spend more time than this, perhaps twice as much. Still, the supervisor should spend no more than six hours with each candidate.

Candidates, do not inappropriately take up too much time of your supervisor. That is, don’t miss appointments, don’t miss deadlines, don’t ask for editing help. Remember, the EE/SRP is individual, independent research.

Supervisor advice

The supervisor must ensure that the candidate is thoroughly conversant with all the pertinent information in the EE guide. The supervisor must provide advice and guidance appropriate to the particular requirements of the candidate, including assistance with:

  -defining a suitable topic

  -formulating a precise research question

  -access to appropriate resources (such as people, a library, a laboratory)

  -techniques of gathering and analysing information/evidence/data

  -documentation methods for acknowledging sources

  -writing an abstract.

Research question

While the supervisor is encouraged to discuss the choice of topic and research question with the candidate, the candidate must be allowed to decide on the topic and the research question and develop his/her own ideas. The supervisor must ensure that the chosen research question satisfies appropriate legal and ethical standards with regard to health and safety, confidentiality and human rights, and animal welfare and environmental issues. Further information about such issues is given in the relevant subject guidelines. 

No editing by supervisor

The supervisor is encouraged to read and comment on the first draft of the extended essay, but is not permitted to edit this draft for the candidate. It is the candidate’s responsibility to correct mistakes and verify the accuracy of the contents of the extended essay.

Internal deadlines

To help candidates organize the time they spend on the extended essay, schools are encouraged to set internal deadlines for important stages in writing the extended essay. A schedule of stages will permit supervisors to maintain close contact with the candidates.

Deadlines

Students who miss any deadline will be ineligible for extracurricular activities (including sports, clubs, student council, all school production), senior privileges, the Habitat for Humanity trip and other privileges or activities until work is completed. Students who miss the final deadlines—in-school and IB deadlines—in addition to being withheld from extra-curricular activities and being ineligible for senior privileges, may forfeit further supervisor assistance.

Submission of drafts in the fall

Candidates should submit 1 paper copy of each draft to the supervisor, plus 1 paper copy and 1 electronic copy of the final draft to the IB office at pheimer@senri.ed.jp. Three final copies in total: 2 paper, 1 electronic.

Authenticity

The supervisor is responsible for ensuring that a completed extended essay cover accompanies the final version of the extended essay. If the extended essay cover is not signed by either the candidate or the supervisor, the essay will not be accepted for assessment and may be returned to the school. The supervisor must complete the supervisor’s report on the inside of the cover and submit the extended essay in its cover to the IB coordinator.

The supervisor is responsible for ensuring that the extended essay is the candidate’s own work, by monitoring the progress of the essay. In addition, the supervisor should read the final version of the extended essay. If the supervisor suspects that malpractice, such as plagiarism, has occurred, he/she must write a full report outlining the reasons for suspicion.

The IBO defines malpractice as the attempt to gain an unfair advantage in any assessment component.  

Collusion is when a candidate knowingly allows his or her work to be submitted by another candidate.

Plagiarism is the submission for assessment of the unacknowledged work, thoughts or ideas of another person as the candidate’s own. In order to avoid charges of plagiarism, candidates must always ensure that they acknowledge fully and in detail the words and/or ideas of another person.  

No double dipping- The same piece of work, or two versions of the same work, cannot be submitted to meet the requirements of both the extended essay and another assessment component of a subject.

Outside resource person

It may be necessary for the candidate to consult an external resource person during the research. This is permissible but it is the responsibility of the candidate’s extended essay supervisor within the school to complete all the IB formalities.

For more information, please contact Peter Heimer, OIS IB Coordinator

(072-727-5290, pheimer@senri.ed.jp), or visit the IBDP office, room 324 (third floor, next to tennis court), or visit the IBO public website at www.ibo.org.