Before heading into acronym diversity (EE, IA, ToK), it’s important for the future International Baccalaureate (IB) student to understand what these mean and what they entail in terms of written assignments .
When students follow the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme (or IBDP), they complete various written tasks, and it can sometimes be confusing for them to grasp the distinction between each assignment.
it is important to take note that there are two types of assessment: internal and external. Both the Extended Essay and the Theory of Knowledge essay (also known as ToK) identify as external. Since, just like final exams, they go directly to official IB examiners. On the other hand, the students’ teachers evaluate the Internal Assessments.
The Extended Essay is the main written assessment since it has deadlines throughout the12th and 13th grades. In fact, 12th graders will already have developed their research question by the end of that school year. This 4’000-word independent piece of research is presented as a formal piece of academic writing. It demonstrates that the student has fully grasped the topic developed throughout. Just like the other written assignments, it encourages students to use and develop their own critical thinking.
Students can also take an interdisciplinary approach of a World Studies extended essay. This particular type of extended essay “must focus on a topic of global significance. This encourages the student to reflect on the world today in relation to issues such as the global food crisis, climate change, terrorism, energy security, migration, global health, technology and cultural exchange. Check out more information on World Studies here.
As the official Extended Essay Guide explains, a World Studies essay “gives students an opportunity to undertake an in-depth and independent investigation into a topic of their choice that considers the relationship between subjects and allows for meaningful connections to be made in relation to their chosen area of research.”
More and more IB students choose to write a World Studies essay, because, as mentioned above, links are created between the various IB courses and because these subjects tend to address current events that affect the 21st-century student.
Throughout the IBDP, students are also asked to complete internal assessments for most courses. Common to both Standard Level and Higher Level courses, the goal of this type of paper is to determine if students are capable of demonstrating the internal assessment criteria in relation to the fieldwork research question.
Teacher marked Internal Assessments are also used for most courses, which include:
Internal assessments will be marked by the subject teacher and externally moderated by the IB at the end of the course and count toward the student’s final IB grade for the diploma. The criteria for evaluating this type of assignment are as follows:
Click Here for more information
The ToK essay plays an integral part of the IBDP and is mandatory for all students. It asks students to reflect on the general nature of knowledge, and on how we know what we claim to know. The evaluation of the ToK essay is completed through a 1’600 word essay and an oral presentation. While the essay requires the student to focus on the concept itself, the aim of the presentation is to evaluate how students apply the thinking of the Theory of Knowledge to real-life situations. This essay also aims to go beyond and link the subject areas taught in school.
Both the ToK essay and the related presentation will draw on what the students have gained throughout their ToK classes. It encourages them to use their critical thinking skills. Both the essay and the presentation need to reflect who the student is as a knower, by putting forward and defending their own thoughts and views. Students will ultimately gain dialogue and critical discussion, as well as analytical writing skills. Each of these will become increasingly important when having to understand knowledge-type of questions and create the student’s own accountability.
Critical thinking contributes to the integrity of the student’s paper. It will give them a more disciplined approach, showing that they have understood the topic at hand. People who think critically will constantly improve the quality of their thinking, which shows that they can form judgement. Ultimately, the aim is that throughout the development of each academic piece of writing, students gain these skills which will become essential in their later studies.
This is an essential aspect of teaching and learning, where action is based on inquiry and reflection. (“Academic honesty in the IB educational context”, International Baccalaureate Organization, 2014.) It plays a crucial role in all written examinations of the IBDP. Students should visit the school library when they have specific questions (for example about what makes a good Research question), or more particular requests about referencing their sources. The most used bibliographic formats for all IB papers are MLA, Chicago and ISO 690. The latter is used for students who choose to write their essays in French.
Lea is a TutorsPlus tutor and works for the International School of Geneva. She helps students prepare and organise themselves to successfully complete their ToK, Extended Essay, and Internal Assessments for their IB Diploma. If you would like to have tuition with Lea, please click here.
