Assessment

How the EE is assessed

You already know that the extended essay is an academic 4000-word piece of research that students undertake from a range of sources and is designed to help prepare you for the expectations of undergraduate study at university.

However, you may not be sure how you will be assessed.

You will be assessed on your submission of two documents:

1. Your reflections as captured on your completed RPPF form.

2. The Extended Essay itself.

Each EE is marked out of 34 with grades awarded from A to E.

If you do not submit your EE or achieve an E grade for your EE you will not be awarded your diploma.

The following table shows how the 34 marks are allocated across five assessment criteria:

Criterion	Description	Marks
Criterion A - focus and method	Focuses on the topic, the research question and the methodology. It assesses the explanation of the focus of the research, how the research will be undertaken, and how the focus is maintained throughout the essay.	6
Criterion B - knowledge and understanding	Focuses on subject-specific content, context and terminology. It assesses the extent to which the research relates to the subject area/discipline used to explore the research question and the use of appropriate terminology and concepts.	6
Criterion C - critical thinking	Focuses on the research, discussion, analysis and evaluation. It assesses the extent to which critical-thinking skills have been used to analyse and evaluate the research undertaken.	12
Criterion D - presentation	Focuses on structure and layout. It assesses the extent to which the presentation follows the standard format expected for academic writing and the extent to which this aids effective communication.	4
Criterion E - engagement	Focuses on engagement in research focus and the research processes. It is assessed at the end of the assessment of the EE and is based only on the reflections on your RPPF using your EE and supervisor comments as context.	6
	TOTAL	34

The EE is externally assessed so it will not be marked by your supervisor.