Extended Essay Reflection: A Guide to the 2027 RPF

A student revises an argument, checks every reference and rewrites the conclusion. The Extended Essay receives weeks of attention. The reflection receives whatever time is left.

The IB’s 2027 guide envisages approximately 40 hours of student work. That time needs a place for reflection as well as research and writing.

That imbalance is the concern behind the recent Koncepts LinkedIn post on EE reflection:

“The RPF is not a formality. It is an assessed document.”

The essay shows what the student investigated. The reflection should reveal what the investigation changed about the student’s thinking.

But before teaching students how to reflect, schools need to confirm which assessment framework they are using. The requirements change with first assessment in May 2027.

RPF or RPPF? Start With the Assessment Year

The IB’s official Extended Essay update confirms first assessment of the revised EE in May 2027. Advice written for earlier cohorts is not automatically suitable for these students.

Requirement	Earlier framework, through 2026	Revised framework, first assessment May 2027
Reflection form	Reflections on planning and progress form, or RPPF	Reflection and progress form, or RPF
Submitted student writing	Three reflections, with 500 words combined	One final reflective statement of no more than 500 words
Criterion E	Engagement, worth 6 marks	Reflection, worth 4 marks
Total EE marks	34	30
Formal reflection sessions	Three	Three

Sources: earlier IB assessment criteria, official RPPF, 2027 EE subject brief and curriculum update.

Three conversations do not mean three submitted reflection entries under the new framework. Keep notes throughout the process, then write the final statement after the viva voce, drawing on the whole experience.

Students should use the form and guide confirmed by their coordinator for their examination session, especially during this transition.

What Is Assessed in the Extended Essay RPF?

The RPF records attendance at the reflection sessions and contains the student’s final reflective statement. It accompanies the essay, but its purpose is different from the essay’s argument or conclusion.

The 2027 EE guide, page 114 states:

“Criterion E applies only to the reflective statement on the student’s RPF.”

A strong essay therefore cannot substitute for a missing reflection.

The key submission rules are straightforward: only the first 500 words are assessable; a blank or missing RPF receives zero for Criterion E; and the RPF must be in the same language as the essay. Using another language also results in zero for this criterion. These rules appear on page 105 of the guide.

The reflection allowance is separate from the essay’s maximum of 4,000 words. Neither limit is a target that students must fill with unnecessary writing.

What Criterion E Rewards: Evaluation and Growth

The IB assessment update frames reflection through this question:

“Does the student evaluate the effect of the extended essay learning experience on them as a learner?”

The Criterion E rubric has two strands: Evaluative and Growth. Describing events can receive limited credit, but stronger responses evaluate specific experiences and demonstrate learning that can transfer elsewhere. The criterion is worth four marks overall, not four per strand.

For teaching purposes, separate two questions.

Evaluation asks: What did this decision achieve, and how do I know?

Growth asks: What do I now understand or do differently, and where could I use that learning again?

“I improved my research skills” answers neither question convincingly. “I stopped treating agreement between sources as proof of reliability” gives the student something specific to examine.

The distinction also prevents repetition. Evaluation of findings belongs in the essay. The RPF considers the learner who produced it.

Make Each Reflection Session Useful

The IB’s EE overview confirms three mandatory supervisor reflection sessions, ending with the viva voce. The following preparation prompts are practical suggestions, not additional IB requirements.

First session: Test the starting point

Bring a provisional research question, some initial reading and a reason for choosing the topic. Instead of only explaining what you plan to investigate, identify what might make the investigation difficult.

A useful question is: What am I currently assuming that the research might challenge?

Afterwards, record one decision and its reason. Perhaps the topic needs a narrower period, a different source base or a method the student can realistically use.

Interim session: Examine a consequential decision

Bring evidence of progress, not just a word count. Compare an earlier idea with the current approach and explain what prompted the difference.

Ask: Which piece of evidence made me reconsider my plan? What improved after I responded?

A change does not have to be dramatic. Rejecting an unsuitable source, adjusting a comparison or recognising a limitation can provide useful material for reflection.

Viva voce: Look back before writing the final statement

The 2027 guide requires the final essay to reach the supervisor before this conversation, with no subsequent changes. The viva voce supports reflection and authentication; it is not another editing appointment.

Prepare to discuss a success, a difficulty and something the experience changed. Then use the discussion, alongside earlier notes, to write the final RPF statement.

A useful closing question is: What would I approach differently in my next independent research project, and why?

Keep a Decision Record, Not a Diary

The 2027 EE guide recommends maintaining a researcher’s reflection space. A practical way to use it is to save brief notes when a meaningful decision occurs.

Record the decision, the evidence behind it, its consequence and a possible future application.

“Read three articles” is a diary entry.

“Two articles relied on the same dataset, so they were not independent confirmation of the claim” records a change in judgement.

Dated notes, an annotated draft or a short voice note can preserve the moment. Students do not need polished paragraphs every week. They need enough detail to explain their thinking honestly later.

For help fitting this into an already crowded timetable, see The IB Survival Blueprint for Managing Everything, which breaks EE work into manageable stages alongside subjects, TOK and CAS.

An EE Reflection Example: Description Versus Evaluation

The following invented excerpts illustrate the distinction. They are not assessed IB exemplars or text to copy into an RPF.

Mostly descriptive:

I found several sources and changed my research question after speaking to my supervisor. I learned to manage my time and became more confident with research.

More evaluative:

I initially assumed that three sources supporting my claim made the argument reliable. Checking their references revealed that all three relied on the same original report. I began tracing claims back to their evidence and narrowed my conclusion because independent support was limited. This made my argument less ambitious but more defensible. In future research, I would test source independence before treating agreement as corroboration.

The second excerpt explains a mistaken assumption, a decision and its consequence. It also identifies a practice the student could use again.

Notice what it does not do. It does not claim the research became perfect, praise the supervisor or summarise the essay’s entire argument.

How to Use the 500 Words Well

Try building the final statement around one or two significant moments rather than recounting every stage in order. This is an optional writing approach, not an IB template.

Establish the starting point. Briefly explain an expectation, assumption or weakness that matters to the reflection.

Examine a decision. Identify what challenged that starting point, how you responded and what difference the response made. Include a limitation where relevant.

Explain the learning. Show how your judgement changed and describe a realistic situation in which you could apply the learning again.

Use the paragraph test: Could another student submit this sentence without changing anything?

If so, replace the general claim with evidence from this particular investigation. “I became more resilient” needs an incident and a consequence. “I learned time management” needs an explanation of which planning habit changed and whether it helped.

Do not invent a setback because the reflection seems too ordinary. An honest account of a modest but consequential improvement is more useful than a manufactured transformation.

What Supervisors Should Plan Before the Deadline

The IB’s submission guidance recommends internal deadlines for the stages of the EE. The school remains responsible for submitting the work and required paperwork on time.

Build the calendar around decisions, not just document collection. Hold the first discussion while the question is still open to improvement. Place the interim discussion early enough for the student to act on it. Protect time after the viva voce for the final statement and submission checks.

A short coordinator check should confirm the assessment session, correct form, recorded meetings, student statement, word count, language, authentication and upload status.

Do not confuse supervision with coauthoring. The 2027 guide permits supervisor comments on one essay draft, without direct editing. Students remain responsible for their research and writing.

The same calendar principle appears in IB DP Mock Exams: 5 Decisions Schools Must Make Early: coursework and assessment dates should be considered together, not planned in isolation.

Keep the Reflection in the Student’s Voice

The IB’s student responsibilities guidance states:

“The IB expects students to produce original pieces of work.”

For an RPF, this includes the experiences being described. A teacher, parent or AI system cannot supply the student’s personal development.

Do not use AI to invent research decisions, supervisor conversations or a convincing story of growth. Follow school policy for permitted assistance. The IB’s AI guidance also requires AI generated material included in assessment to be acknowledged appropriately. A citation cannot make an invented experience true.

How Reflection Relates to Diploma Points

The EE and TOK together contribute up to three diploma points. An E grade in either is a failing condition, so students need at least a D in both, alongside the other diploma requirements. The official DP passing criteria explain the core points matrix.

A zero in Criterion E is not the same as an overall EE grade of E. Nor do four reflection marks translate directly into four diploma points. Reflection contributes to the EE assessment, which produces an overall grade; that grade combines with TOK through the matrix.

The RPF deserves attention, but it is not a shortcut around weak research or a guarantee of a particular grade.

How Koncepts Supports EE Supervision

Koncepts EE and TOK Supervision helps teachers track research questions, milestones, drafts and mentor meetings, with an overview of candidate progress.

That organisation can support timely conversations. It does not replace the official form, the supervisor’s authentication responsibilities or the student’s reflection.

The practical goal is to notice a missing meeting or stalled decision while there is still time to respond, rather than discovering it during the final upload.

More Published Koncepts Guides to Read

IB Bonus Points Explained: Why They Matter for Students discusses how TOK and EE contribute to the diploma total. Use the official IB matrix linked above for exact combinations and passing conditions.

Paper Planner or Digital Planner: The IB Productivity Choice compares ways to organise coursework milestones, reminders and study commitments.

The linked IB Survival Blueprint and DP mock planning guide provide useful next steps for students and coordinators respectively.

Give the Reflection Time to Become Specific

The most useful preparation for the RPF happens when the student notices a change: a source becomes less convincing, a method proves unsuitable or an argument needs narrowing.

Record those moments. Discuss them while they still matter. Return to them after the viva voce with enough distance to judge their significance.

The final statement should not merely say that the Extended Essay was challenging. It should explain what the student learned to do differently because of the challenge.