Ibinafrica.files.wordpress.com



Six Steps for Writing the Extended Essay in HistoryStep 1. Title pageThe title page should include only the following information:? the research question (a meaningful, focused, manageable topic based on something that took place more than 10 years ago)? the title of the essay (a clear, focused summative statement of your research, not phrased as a question).? the subject for which the essay is registered.? word count (once this has been finalised).ExampleResearch question: "To what extent was the overthrow of Allende in 1973 the results of external factors?"Title: An exploration of the role of foreign influence in the Chilean coup led by PinochetExtended Essay in History (Group 3, Individuals and Societies)Word Count: 3800Note: the name of the student or the school should not appear on the title page or on any page headers. Step 2. References and bibliographyNote: Producing accurate references and a bibliography is a skill that students should be seeking to refine as part of the extended essay writing process. Documenting the research in this way is vital: it allows readers to evaluate the evidence for themselves, and it shows the student’s understanding of the importance of the sources used.? Students should maintain a bibliography, and use their chosen style of academic referencing, as soon as they start the process. That way they are less likely to forget to include a citation. It is also easier than trying to add references at a later stage. ? The bibliography must be an alphabetical list of every source used to research and write the essay. It must list only those sources cited.? Footnotes must only be used referencing purposes. ? Footnotes provided for referencing purposes are NOT included in the word count.? Footnotes providing further information ARE included in the word count.? In-text citations should be avoided in favour of footnotes in History Extended Essays (RTA comment for IST students). Referencing style requirements? The referencing style must provide all the information needed to find the source material. Whatever accepted style is chosen (RTA recommends Chicago), it must be applied consistently and in line with the IB’s minimum requirements, which consist of:? name of author ? date of publication ? title of source ? page numbers (print sources only) ? date of access (electronic sources only).? Any references to interviews should state the names of the interviewer and interviewee, the date and the place of the interview.? Websites that do not give references or that cannot be cross-checked against other sources should be avoided.? The ClassTools citation generator () is a useful tool (RTA comment for IST students). Step 3. Body of the essay? The main task is writing the body of the essay, which should be presented in the form of a reasoned argument. ? In some subjects, sub-headings within the main body of the essay will help the reader to understand the argument.? Any information that is important to the argument must not be included in appendices or footnotes/endnotes. The examiner will not read notes or appendices, so an essay that is not complete in itself will be compromised across the assessment criteria.? The student must demonstrate that they understand and can use accurately historical terms and concepts relevant to the research topic ? An evaluation of the relative value and limitations of the sources is an integral part of the analysis of the evidence and the development of a reasoned argument. This evaluation should be integrated into the text rather than contained in a separate section of the essay.Step 4. IntroductionNote: It is advisable to finalize the introduction once the body of the essay is complete.? The introduction should make clear to the reader:? the focus of the essay (based on the research question / title)? the scope of the research (themes/period to be considered)? a comprehensive and suitable range of appropriate and relevant sources to be used? the historical context and significance of the topic and explain why it is worthy of investigation. ? an insight into the line of argument to be taken. Step 5. Conclusion? A conclusion summarizes the student’s response to the research question. The conclusion says what has been achieved, including notes of any limitations and any questions that have not been resolved. This conclusion must be consistent with the position and evidence presented in the essay. The conclusion may not include material that has not been discussed in the body of the essay.Step 6. Contents page? A contents page must be provided at the beginning of the extended essay and all pages should be numbered. Style GuidePresentation? The extended essay should be written in a clear, correct and formal academic style. Given that the extended essay is a formally written research paper, it should strive to maintain a professional, academic look. To help achieve this, the following formatting is required:? the use of 12-point, readable font ? double spacing ? page numbering ? no candidate or school name on the title page or page headers. ? Submitting the extended essay in the required format will help set the tone of the essay and will aid readability for on-screen assessment by examiners.Word counts? The upper limit is 4,000 words for all extended essays. ? Please note: Examiners are instructed not to read or assess any material in excess of the word limit. This means that essays containing more than 4,000 words will be compromised across all assessment criteria. ? Supervisors and students should be aware that the e-upload of extended essays will facilitate the automatic recognition of a cut-off point for assessment. Students should ensure that they remain within the word limit and should edit accordingly.? Please refer to the following guidance on what content should be included in the word count.Illustrations? Students should be advised to use illustrations sparingly as excessive use may detract from the discussion in the essay. They should only be used if they are relevant and appropriate to a point being made as part of the argument of the essay. ? Any labelling should be clear and contain the minimum information to ensure the examiner understands the significance of the map, chart, diagram, image or illustration. It must not include commentary, as this will be considered as part of the essay discussion and thus included in the word count. TablesThe use of tables should be considered carefully and are only really appropriate in certain subjects. Tables must not be used in an attempt to circumvent the word limit. Appendices? Appendices are not an essential part of the extended essay and examiners will not read them. Therefore, students must ensure that all information with direct relevance to the analysis, discussion and evaluation of their essay is contained in the main body of it. ? Appendices should therefore be avoided except to provide an exemplar of a questionnaire or interview questions.Proofreading? The whole essay needs to be proofread carefully by the student (computer spelling and grammar checkers are useful but will not do everything). They must not ask someone else to proofread their work as this is an important part of the learning experience.Engagment - The Reflections on Planning and Progress Form? This criterion, part of the formal mark scheme, assesses the student’s engagement with their research focus and the research process. It will be applied by the examiner at the end of the assessment of the essay, after considering the student’s Reflections on planning and progress Form (RPPF). ? Students are expected to provide reflections on the decision-making and planning process undertaken in completing the essay. Students must demonstrate how they arrived at a topic as well as the methods and approach used. This criterion assesses the extent to which a student has evidenced the rationale for decisions made throughout the planning process and the skills and understandings developed. For example, students may reflect on: ? the approach and strategies they chose, and their relative success ? the Approaches to learning skills they have developed and their effect on the student as a learner ? how their conceptual understandings have developed or changed as a result of their research ? setbacks they faced in their research and how they overcame these ? questions that emerged as a result of their research ? what they would do differently if they were to undertake the research again.? Effective reflection highlights the journey the student has engaged in through the EE process. ? Students must show evidence of critical and reflective thinking that goes beyond simply describing procedures that have been followed. ? The reflections must provide the examiner with an insight into student thinking, creativity and originality within the research process. ? The student voice must be clearly present and demonstrate the learning that has taken place.In Managebac, three reflection spaces are provided.June: First Reflection session – complete this to reflect your progress by the end of the Extended Essay day. Use it to demonstrate:? how your arrived at your topic of study and why it’s historically significant.? your planned scope / approach / structure? The sources you settled upon use and how you decided upon them? The progress you made up to and including the Extended Essay day - not just in terms of content, but of insight and skills? Challenges and difficulties you faced? Comments and suggestions made by your supervisor? How you changed your question / approach / sources as necessary to meet these challengesOctober: Interim Reflection – complete this after the first draft of your Extended Essay has been marked by your supervisor. Cover:? The progress you made up over the Summer holidays – not just in terms of content, but of insight and skills? Challenges and difficulties you faced? Comments and suggestions made by your supervisor? How you changed your question / approach / sources as necessary to meet these challenges(after final submission of EE): Final Reflection - Viva Voce? This box will be completed after the Viva Voce interview with your supervisor. The following questions might come up. Why did you decide upon this particular topic of study?What would you do differently next time?What advice would you give to the DP1 students who will be starting their EEs later this year?What did you learn from this exercise (apart from content)?Do you think confirmation bias influenced your research? If so, how could you address or avoid that in future?If you had more time and words, where would you have gone with this?What was your favourite part of the research process?When you discussed your EE with friends/parents/teachers who don't know this topic, how did you describe it to them? In what ways and for what reasons did your EE change from the initial proposal to the final version?What was your most interesting/surprising finding?What could we (school/teachers/supervisor) have done differently to make this experience better?Describe the route that took you from topic, research question and on to your conclusions.Consider some of your key findings. How and when did they emerge?Identify a key challenge or obstacle in the EE process and how you overcame it.What qualities are needed to see the EE through to a successful completion?What IB Learner Profile attributes did you develop in this process?Which ATL skills have you developed through this process? ................
................

In order to avoid copyright disputes, this page is only a partial summary.

Google Online Preview   Download