Extended Essay Feedback Playbook for IB Supervisors

The Extended Essay requires feedback across a long research process. The best supervisor comments do not try to fix every sentence. They identify the next research or argument decision the student needs to make.

Use this playbook to keep feedback tied to the EE criteria while preserving the supervisor's judgment.

Feedback checkpoints by stage

1. Proposal: Check whether the research question is narrow, feasible, and connected to a method.
2. Outline: Identify missing evidence, unclear section logic, and weak source strategy.
3. Draft: Comment on analysis depth, synthesis, structure, and presentation.
4. Final review: Confirm citations, academic conventions, and reflection readiness.

Criterion-level supervisor checklist

• Focus and method: Is the question answerable within the word limit?
• Knowledge and understanding: Does the student use subject-specific terminology accurately?
• Critical thinking: Is evidence analyzed and evaluated, not just reported?
• Presentation: Does the structure help the reader follow the investigation?
• Engagement: Can the student explain decisions and challenges in the research process?

Reusable EE feedback stems

• "Narrow the research question so the method can answer it directly."
• "After this source, explain what it proves and what limitation it has."
• "Move this background section closer to the analysis it supports."
• "Add a sentence that explains why this method was appropriate for the question."

Rubric AI example output to review

A useful AI draft might say: "The essay identifies a focused topic, but the research question still reads as descriptive. Ask the student to revise it into a question that requires analysis or evaluation." The supervisor should then decide whether that advice fits the student's subject and stage.

Next steps

Use the Extended Essay Grader for first-pass criterion feedback and the Rubric-Aligned Feedback Tool for clearer student revision comments.