EE RPF 2027: your reflective statement

From the May 2027 session, the Extended Essay's RPPF is replaced by the reflection and progress form (RPF), with a single reflective statement of up to 500 words, written after your final reflection session, the viva voce. It is assessed under Criterion E: Reflection, worth 4 of the essay's 30 marks. If you sit your exams in May 2027 or later, this is the format you submit; sessions through November 2026 keep the RPPF under the old 34-mark rubric.

What changed

One statement instead of three staged entries. You still have three reflection sessions with your supervisor, but you write one reflective statement of up to 500 words after the last of them, and it is submitted with the essay.
Assessed under Criterion E: Reflection, 4 marks of 30 (about 13% of the EE grade). Under the old rubric, reflection fed Criterion E: Engagement, worth 6 of 34.
The criterion assesses the effect of the EE on you as a learner: evaluative reflection with specific examples, and evidence of growth and of transfer of learning. A description of the process is the lowest level.

What a strong reflective statement shows

Criterion E has two strands. One asks how evaluative your reflection on the EE learning experience is, and whether it uses specific examples. The other asks for evidence of your growth as a learner and of learning you can transfer elsewhere. A strong statement shows:

Evaluation, not narration. Not what happened, but what it did to your thinking and working: which approach worked, which did not, and why.
Specific examples. A moment you can point to, such as a source that changed your question or a draft your supervisor pushed back on, and what you did about it.
Growth and transfer. What you can now do as a researcher or writer that you could not before, and where you will use it next.

What to avoid

To test whether your statement is specific enough, underline a decision you actually made, the evidence that changed your thinking, and what you would carry into another investigation. If the passage would fit almost any student's project, return to your own research notes rather than adding more general language. These are IBLens self-check questions, not a template for a submission.

A timeline. "First I chose my topic, then I found sources, then I wrote" spends your 500 words describing what every student does.
Generic struggle. "Time management was challenging" says nothing about this investigation.
Spending the words on content summary. The essay presents the research; the RPF reflects on the researching. Summarising your findings again wastes the space.

Checklist before you submit

Up to 500 words.
Reflection that evaluates, not a description of the process.
Specific examples from your own EE, used to evaluate what you learned.
Written in the language of your essay. An RPF that is blank, not submitted or written in another language is awarded zero for Criterion E.
A clear statement of how you grew as a learner and where that learning transfers.
No content summary, no timeline padding.

Check the whole essay, not just the RPF

Reflection is 4 of 30 marks. The other 26 sit in the essay itself. With your supervisor's agreement, choose "Exams in May 2027 or later" and paste your own reflective statement into its separate box. IBLens leaves Criterion E unmarked if those reflections are missing. The first half of the report is free: the overall comment, a range of totals and the first half of the criteria in full. The complete report is $5 and includes up to 20 re-checks of revised versions of the same work within 30 days. It is feedback for your revision, not an official examiner's mark.

Check your EE draft against the 2027 criteria →

Frequently asked questions

Is the RPF marked separately from the essay?

No. It is marked under Criterion E: Reflection, 4 of the 30 marks for the Extended Essay, and there is no separate grade for the statement itself.

How long should the RPF be?

Up to 500 words. Length is a ceiling, not a target: a focused 400-word statement that evaluates what the EE changed in you, with specific examples, beats 500 words of timeline.

Do November 2026 students write an RPF?

No. Sessions through November 2026 follow the current 34-mark rubric with the RPPF. The RPF applies from the May 2027 session onward.

Related resources

Official source

See the IB's Extended essay guide, first assessment 2027, especially Criterion E and the section on completing the RPF. Confirm your school's submission arrangements with your supervisor.