Last Friday, Upper Sixth IB students reached a major milestone in their diploma programme when they submitted their 4000 word Extended Essay on a subject of their choice. This was an excellent year for submissions with essays being carried out in Languages, Sciences, Humanities and Arts. This is an important part of the learning process and an invaluable experience to prepare students for university life as they have mastered skills in research, writing and referencing.

The girls who took part began selecting subjects they were interested in back in January and have worked hard to hone their interests and create an academic focus which they then sustained over 4000 words to reach some impressive conclusions. Throughout the process, girls were supported by a supervisor in the subject area to help them develop their specialist knowledge and guide them with valuable feedback. The final work the girls submitted is ultimately a reflection of the individual student, their interests and their abilities.

Equally important to the academic skills is the level of reflection the girls must undertake during the process. From selecting a topic, through to the research and writing phases and looking back at the whole process, girls have reflected on what went well and what skills the Extended Essay has provided them with moving forward in their academic life. The ability to identify and reflect on their strengths and weaknesses is an important part of students learning to manage their own studies and progress with their academic pursuits. This is truly a big achievement for each one of our IB candidates.