Write EE reflections for the correct assessment session
Keep a decision record and distinguish the legacy RPPF from the revised RPF.
Choose the correct form before drafting
Check your examination session with your supervisor. Sessions before May 2027 use the legacy reflections on planning and progress form, or RPPF. From first assessment May 2027, the revised reflection and progress form, or RPF, uses a final reflective statement with a maximum of 500 words, supported by three formal reflection sessions. Do not combine instructions from the two models. Obtain the actual form and school deadlines before writing. The aim of this guide is to help you reflect authentically within your applicable format.
Keep decisions while they are fresh
Maintain a small research record throughout the project. After a consequential event, note the problem, options you considered, decision, reason and result. Keep enough detail to connect the record to your actual work. A dated source comparison, pilot result or outline change is more useful than a generic claim that you developed resilience. This record supports reflection but is not a substitute for the required submission. It also helps you prepare accurately for supervisor discussions without reconstructing the entire process from memory.
Move from description to evaluation
A description says what happened. Evaluation explains what the experience showed you about your approach and why that matters. Ask which assumption changed, which strategy proved useful and what you would do differently in a comparable investigation. Be precise about causation: receiving advice did not automatically improve the essay; the relevant decision and your implementation did. Recognize unresolved difficulties as well as successes. Reflection can show thoughtful learning from a limitation without pretending the final research achieved everything you initially hoped.
Develop a worked reflection chain
An illustrative student planned to compare five translated passages, then found that two versions used different source editions. The student checked edition histories and narrowed the comparison to passages whose underlying text was comparable. A useful reflection explains how this changed the student's assumption that matching chapter numbers ensured matching evidence. It then identifies a transferable habit: verify the provenance of material before drawing comparisons. The example is not submission text to copy; its structure connects an actual decision to learning and a future application.
Use the session structure that applies
For a legacy RPPF, consult your supervisor about the staged entries and the combined limit in that guide. For the revised RPF, use your ongoing record to select the most revealing experiences for the final statement. Avoid treating the new form as three old entries pasted together. Both processes require your own account of your research. Complete documentation in the required language and format. If you are uncertain about what can be edited after a session or when the statement is finalized, resolve that with your supervisor.
Make every sentence earn its place
Choose a small number of consequential experiences and evaluate them fully. Remove long topic summaries already explained in the essay. Check whether your account fits the actual research record and whether each claimed lesson follows from the example. Use your own voice, including uncertainty where it is real. Verify the word count under the applicable guide and inspect the completed form. Good reflective writing makes your development as a researcher understandable; it does not manufacture a dramatic journey or borrow polished experiences from someone else's project.
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Official references
This is an original practical guide from IBvia. The examples are illustrative; your subject guide, assessment year and school instructions determine the requirements.
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