Help completing Criterion D  

 
Words: 400 -500 words 
Due date: Monday, March 5 
 
Criterion D: Reflecting 
1) evaluate the quality of the product/success of the outcome against their criteria 
2) reflect on how completing the project has extended their knowledge and understanding of 
the topic and the global context 
3) reflect on their development as IB learners through the project.   
 
Level 1‑2  Level 3‑4  Level 5‑6  Level 7‑8 

presents a limited  presents a basic evaluation  presents a substantial  presents an excellent 

evaluation of the quality of the  of the quality of the  evaluation of the quality of the  evaluation of the quality of the 
product/outcome against his  product/outcome against his  product/outcome against his  product/outcome against his 
or her criteria  or her criteria  or her criteria  or her criteria 
            
presents limited reflection on  presents adequate reflection  presents substantial reflection  presents excellent reflection 
how completing the project  on how completing the project  on how completing the project  on how completing the project 
has extended his or her  has extended his or her  has extended his or her  has extended his or her 
knowledge and understanding  knowledge and understanding  knowledge and understanding  knowledge and understanding 
of the topic and the global  of the topic and the global  of the topic and the global  of the topic and the global 
context  context  context  context 
             
presents limited reflection on  presents adequate reflection  presents substantial  presents excellent reflection 
his or her development as an  on his or her development as  reflection on his or her  on his or her development as 
IB learner through the project.  an IB learner through the  development as an IB learner  an IB learner through the 
  project.  through the project.  project. 

Task specific clarifications: 
 
 

Student justifications:  Teacher Justifications: 
 
 
 
 
 
Sample 1:  

4. Reflection 
4.1. Evaluate the quality of the product/outcome against their criteria 
 
Specification 1 (see Appendix 5) 
6/8 
I chose to give specification 1 - My project is of an interview held with a professional addictions counselor. 
The interview will include the chemical and physical aspects of addictions - 6 out of 8. The reason for this is, 
I feel that the counselor and I could have elaborated as well as spent more time on talking about the 
physical changes that an individual undergoes during an addiction. 
  
Specification 2 (see Appendix 5) 
8/8 
I chose to give specification 2 - My interview must be less than 13 minutes long - 8 out of 8. This is due to 
the fact that my interview ran for nine minutes and twenty-seven seconds, which fits exactly the 
specification of being slightly less than 13 minutes in time. This shows my strength in having good 
time-management skills as well as reflects well on my self-management skills. 
 
Specification 3 (see Appendix 5) 
7/8 
I chose to give specification 3 - My interview should cover the dangers of addictions in order to raise 
awareness on how to fight or prevent it - 7 out of 8. I believe that the counselor and I did an excellent job on 
addressing the ways to fight and prevent addictions. However, I feel that we did a substantial job on 
discussing the dangers of addictions and perhaps could have given more examples on the following. I 
should have paid more attention to my main goal and less attention to preventatives against addictions. I 
think this shows up a lack of priority on my part and area for me to improve on. 
 
Specification 4 (see Appendix 5) 
7/8 
I chose to give specification 4 - The production of my interview must be cheap, sustainable and 
aesthetically pleasing - 7 out of 8. The interview was cheap to produce, and sustainable to carry out. 
However, I felt that my video’s aesthetic appeal was bounded due to the limited quality of graphics 
available on the software I was using. This shows an area I could strive to improve in, for example, next time 
I could try out different softwares and take the time to venture further than just the comfortable norm. 
 
Specification 5 (see Appendix 5) 
6/8 
I chose to give specification 5 - My interview is aimed at teenagers worldwide - 6 out of 8. The reason is, I 
believe that some of the terminology used during the interview was quite vast and may have been too 
complicated for teenagers worldwide to understand. Therefore, my specification was only substantially 
met. I think this could be an area that I could improve in - I should stay more focused on my audience and 
make sure that I aim my points of view towards the audience’s age group. 
 
4.2. Reflect on how completing the project has extended their knowledge and understanding of the topic 
and global context 
 
During the interview, I was taken by surprise when the professional counselor shared a personal side of 
why he had chosen this profession, that he himself had battled and overcome addiction. I was not prepared 
to for such personal information to have been shared with me and although I was appreciative of his 
transparency I felt lost at being able to handle and respond appropriately to that information. In hindsight I 
need to remember to prepare myself better for possible scenarios and how to approach them and the 
importance of proper interviewing techniques to meet difficult/tense situations. 
 
Scientifically I now understand the chemistry behind addictions, what causes the cravings that motivates 
continued addictive behaviour despite the negative outcomes. Economically, through the interview, I found 
out that ‘Socio-economics does not affect the numbers of addicts but it has an impact on the types of 
addictions seen’. From the perspective of the Global context, through the interview, research, conversing 
with peers and my supervisor, I have gained a clearer understanding of addiction and its relationship to the 
mental, physical, social and scientific aspects of addictions. 
 
4.3. Reflect on their development as IB learners through the project 
 
Through completing the personal project, I have become more of a balanced learner. I have had to manage 
my time more carefully and commit to sticking to a gantt chart. I have also had to be more systematic in my 
thinking and application of information gathered. I have had to keep an open-mind and remain unbiased in 
my representation of this topic. I have begun to understand the value of reflecting at every Phase in order 
to improve the outcome and quality of my project, it has also shown me my areas of strength which I can 
continue to hone and utilise and my areas of weakness to develop and enhance. 
As an MYP5 student moving into the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme (IBDP) I have had 
to think immensely about the subject combinations I wish to major in. I believe that this project has sparked 
my interest in finding out more about the human body and its Biology and that is one of the reasons why I 
will be applying to take Higher Biology in the IBDP.  
 
 
 
Sample 2: 
Section 4 
Criterion D: Reflecting 
 
Evaluate the quality of the product/outcome against their criteria
 
Specification 1 
8/8 
I chose to give my specification 1 - I properly and e ectively organised a run for Animal Lovers 
League, that e ectively inspired people - 8 out of 8, the reason is that I was sucessfully able to 
organise a fun run for Animal Lovers League, that also was able to inspired my volunteers and 
participants. I was able to reach both aspects of the specification e ectively and successfully. I 
also developed communication and organisation to achieve this outcome. (See appendix 1,5) 
 
Specification 2 
8/8 
I chose to give my specification 2 - I properly and e ectively organised volunteering with other 
students from Chatsworth - 8 out of 8, the reason behind this I was able to convince and 
persuade 13 students from my year and the year below to volunteer. I was able to properly 
communicate and inspire a number of students to participate in my project, to give up three of 
their Sundays in order to help the animals and achieve my goal. I was able to again become 
strong in communicating and inspiring my community to take action and volunteer for an 
animal shelter. (See appendix 5,6) 
  
Specification 3 
8/8 
I chose to give my specification 3 - I properly and e ectively included multiple animals in the fun 
run, running along with the participants - 8 out of 8, the reason behind this I was able to include 
three dogs in the fun run itself and six dogs in the volunteering. The dogs that participated in 
the fun run were among the participants showing the way and were able to have a fun time with 
the participants and the volunteers and able to have some time out of the shelter. I was able 
persuade the shelter to allow me to use some of the animals on my fun run, however, I should 
have pushed a little harder to get more of the animals on the fun run. 
 
Specification 4 
7/8 
I chose to give my specification 4 - I properly and e ectively included the volunteers from 
chatsworth, by having them handling the dogs - 7 out of 8, the reason behind this is the people 
that were handling the three dogs at the fun run where all the volunteers. However, since at the 
fun run we were only able to use three of the dogs due to some volunteers not showing up and 
some dogs being tired, not that the volunteers were able to handle the dogs they bonded with. I 
again was able to be persuasive, to be able to use my volunteers to handle the dogs from the 
shelters. (See appendix 5,6) 
 
Specification 5 
6/8 
I chose to give my specification 5 - I have more than ten participants, raising more than $100 - 6 
out of 8, the reason behind this I was able to achieve one aspect very well which was the money I 
raise through the fun run. I was able to raise $273.20 singapore dollars through the fun run and 
more through my exhibition making the final amount raised $436.60 singapore dollars. However, 
at the fun run I only had 6 participants, these participants were very considerate with their 
donations as well the volunteers donated which was why I was able to raise the money for Animal 
Lovers League. If I was able to do this project again this is the aspect I would change I was 
unable to successfully advertise my event which caused many people to be unaware of this event 
causing less people to show up. (See appendix 5,6) 
 
Reflect on how completing the project has extended their knowledge and understanding of the 
topic and global context 
 
The shelters response time was very ine ective especially when trying to finalise dates and times 
for the run and volunteering. On my part I tried every communication method possible to reach 
them however it was di cult as their responses were few and far between. This helped me solve 
challenges that I will most likely face in the future. I hope that next time, prompted by my 
enthusiasm, Animal Lovers League will set up an email account that is regularly checked. This will 
not only help them gain more publicity, but also create a friendlier environment. (See appendix 
1,5) 
 
At the start of my project I had a very limited knowledge of the di culty with organising an event 
by myself and organising volunteering. I now am confident in my ability to organise events and 
volunteering. I now also understand my global context, identities and relationships, a lot more 
than I did at the start of my project. I know understand that this global context relates to more 
topics and aspects of everyday life not just in school life.I am now reflecting myself on my ability 
to achieve my goal through the multiple types of evidence I collected, these consisted of the 
photos I took and the process journal entries. (See appendix 1,6) 
 
 
Reflect on their development as IB learners through the project 
 
In this project I was able to develop and use a lot more of the IB learner profile and the ATL’s. 
throughout the project the I constantly was identifying what ATL’s I was using for what parts of 
my projects, they were included in the process journal and the ATL I used the most was critical 
thinking. The IB learner profile that applied to my project most is communication, as that's the 
skill I developed the most and used the most. (See appendix 1,5) 
 
At the end of my project my strength now has to be perseverance and communication, two 
aspects that beforehand I struggled with. My weakness is advertising, as that is the aspect that I 
feel I lacked in and it greatly a ected the number of participants in my fun run. This project has 
had a massive impact on my life and will greatly a ect my future learning, I am now so much 
more confident in myself and my abilities and this has inspired me to do a lot more service in the 
future. At the moment I am already continuing helping Animal Lovers League, to inspire more 
people to take action to help the shelter through my service project this year.  
 
 
Sample 3:  
 
Section 4 
Criterion D: Reflecting 
 
Evaluate the quality of the product/outcome against their criteria 
 
The product that I created at the end of this project was a cookbook. It met the main criteria of the product 
which was primarily based on the function of the product (see Appendix C). The cookbook captured not only the 
cooking science aspect of each dish, but also managed to capture a taste of the culture of where each dish is 
from. It also was short and readable just as specified in the initial criteria for product. Its material was however, 
not sustainable, yet this would not be an issue for this situation as it was not a cookbook that was printed a 
thousand times for selling purposes. However, as this wasn’t a vital section of the criteria due to the lack of mass 
production, the product still would achieve a medium score for the sustainability aspect of it. The strengths of 
this product include its function being successful and being able to be used in various situations with di erent 
audiences. However, it does have a limit to the accessibility for audiences, the youngest user possibly being 
within a young adult age range. The weaknesses of the product is that a printing malfunction caused for some 
words to be cut o , due to a previous revision of the document being printed rather than the final copy. 
Checking the product, as well as a more researched layout for the cookbook would have benefited the product 
immensely. 
 
Reflect on how completing the project has extended their knowledge and understanding of the topic and 
global context 
 
To meet the global context, I was challenged by constantly coming across new information, and needing to select 
and decide which was most crucial to the outcome of my project. As I always discovered new information while 
deepening my understanding of each culture, there were constant alterations needing to be made, as the 
process of my project was very much a domino e ect. Once there was an additional piece of information that I 
could use in my investigation, I would have to direct the dish choice in another direction, or add another 
personal touch to its creation (Appendix 1). After the first few countries and recipes were finished, I attempted to 
collectively create multiple dishes at one time. This, was a mistake on my part. It was quite overwhelming when 
dealing with multiple recipes at a time, and I was unable to focus on each culture to give it its own “flavour”. As 
well as this, following guidelines was di cult for this project as the project itself is similar to a dish itself, having 
the ability to change even with the slightest ingredient alteration. After completing this project, I am definitely 
more aware of how cultures have changed over time, and will continue to apply this method of research when 
visiting new places. When I travel, cuisine will always be an element of culture I will focus on, and it will now tell 
me a story about the country and the people. 
 
Reflect on their development as IB learners through the project 
 
As a learner, I have developed in organization, making decisions, and being balanced. Being a balanced learned 
was the most challenging aspect of this project - balancing all four criteria to reach the outcome of my product. 
My organization skills from the start were a strength I possessed, yet I was not aware how much organization 
was needed in this project. Countless pages of jumbled researching, outlines of planning, sources and citations 
that I sorted in folders and documents was an detail of this project I was not aware of. At the start of the project, 
I thought that it would be time consuming, but what I did not have in mind is that choosing something I am 
passionate about, something that I know I will use in the future, will allow me to cheerfully expand this skill. The 
impact the project has had on me is based around the fact that it has made me a more open-minded person, and 
brought me to discover new things about cultures from around the world. I am yet to explore 99.9% of the 
planet, yet through this project it feels like I have come to know much more about cultural diversity. I can apply 
the risk taking skills I have learnt throughout this project, as well as my interpersonal and communication skills 
and sharing with others. In the future, I will continue to explore how to cook from around the world and will 
forever be curious to know how the dishes I am eating have come to the plate on my table.  
 
 
 
 
Sample 4: 
Reflecting 
Evaluate the quality of the product/outcome against criteria 
Specification 1 
6 / 8 I chose to give specification 1 – My Photography BlogSpot must have 8 images that capture 
the colour and activity of the Parap Markets – 6 out of 8. The reason for this is my Photography 
BlogSpot captures the colour of the Parap Markets in an excellent manner, however the activity 
of the Parap Markets is lacking. To improve against this specification I could have taken a ladder 
with me and captured some high angle photos of the people moving throughout the markets 
using a slow shutter speed to capture the movement of the Parap Markets in an excellent 
manner. 
 
Specification 2 
8 / 8 
I chose to give specification 2 N My Photographs need to demonstrate my developing 
understanding and application of the photography elements of perspective, composition, colour 
balance and lighting – 8 out of 8. The reason for this is that my photographs show an excellent 
demonstration of perspective, composition, colour balance and lighting. This has been verified by 
one of my primary sources, photographer Kirran Shah from his feedback on my final product. 
 
Specification 3 
7 / 8  
I chose to give specification 3 N My BlogSpot must be aesthetically pleasing and easy to view by 
having lots of white space surrounding the images – 7 out of 8. The reason for this is that my 
Photography BlogSpot is aesthetically pleasing and easy to view because I have left lots of white 
space and used a simple and consistent font that makes it easy to view. To gain greater feedback 
for this specification, I could have also requested feedback from a professional blogger to gain 
their perspective, hence, I’ve only given myself 7 out of 8, rather than 8 out of 8. 
 
Specification 4 
8 / 8 
I chose to give specification 4 N My photograph headings need to be simple and descriptive – 8 
out of 8. The reason for this is that each of my headings are simple and describe the subject 
matter of the photograph effectively. 
 
Specification 5 
6 / 8  
I choose to give specification 5 N My Photography BlogSpot needs to reflect the colourful and 
multicultural characteristics of Darwin – 6 out of 8. The reason for this is grade is because I could 
have focussed each photograph on a different culture represented in the Darwin rather than a 
selected few. To improve this I could have planned each of my images around a different culture 
– this would have made my initial goal more rigorous and challenging. 
 
Reflect on how completing the Personal Project has extended your knowledge and understanding 
of the topic and the global context 
Through creating my Photography BlogSpot I have extended my knowledge and understanding 
of the topic of photography and blog creating. 
 
My knowledge of photography has extended in the following areas: Composition: From my 
research and application I learnt that composition is best applied when the scene is simplified 
and the frame filled. Jeff Meyer explains “you should zoom in to fill the frame, or get closer to the 
subject” as a way of filling the frame to get the most aesthetically pleasing photograph using the 
element of composition. After applying this knowledge research to my own photography I found 
that the simplest scenes that had their frames filled were the most aesthetically pleasing 
photographs, this has extended my knowledge of the photography element of composition. 
 
Perspective: My source from The Photo Argus by Tara Hornor explains, “when looking to create 
an image in which the subject is bigger than the object, use framing to compare the objects with 
false perspective.” I was able to apply this information when taking my photographs of the 
delicious smoothies at the Parap Markets, by using the camera frame in comparison with the 
person in the background, I was able to make the smoothie cup look very different. My research 
and application of this research has extended my knowledge of the photography element of 
perspective. 
 
Colour balance: From experimenting with the basic tips and tricks from the source Introduction 
to White Balance by Darren Rowse, I was able to attain correct colour balance by taking a blank 
sheet of white paper with me to photograph my photos. When I photographed colourful scenes, I 
simply focus the camera on the white sheet of paper and held the shutter half way down and 
then redirected the camera to the Parap Market scene and this allowed a much truer reflection of 
the colours. This simple technique has extended my knowledge of the photography element of 
colour balance – I can apply this same technique to the future photographs I take where I want to 
achieve optimal colour balance. 
 
Lighting: My knowledge of how to ‘paint with light’ using my camera has been extended through 
this project. By applying my Arts teacher Ms Galletly and freelance photographer Andrew 
Gibson’s advice to my own photographs, I was able to make the most of the outdoor lighting 
situation at the Parap Markets. I chose to take my photos from 7.30am – 9.30am on both 
photographing days so I could have the soft natural light, not the hard light that is present from 
10 am until 3pm. By applying this information, my photos have soft natural light that has helped 
me reach my goal of creating photos that allow viewers to appreciate the aesthetical nature of 
photography and extended my knowledge of the photography element of lighting. 
 
My knowledge and understanding of creating a Photography BlogSpot has been extended in the 
following areas: 
Creating headings for photographs: In the source ‘The Secrets of Successful Photography 
Blogging’ by Lauren Lim she states “use descriptive, meaningful titles.” I transferred this 
information to the headings for my own photographs as well as using some of the poetry 
techniques I had learnt in my Language and literature subject. For example, the title for my 
raspberry smoothie is “Smooth and silky raspberry smoothie” as I have made this descriptive and 
meaningful and also used the poetry techniques of rhyme, rhythm and alliteration. I have applied 
this research and information to all the headings of my photographs, thus extending my 
knowledge and understanding of how to create headings for photographs on a Photography 
BlogSpot. 
 
Creating a photography BlogSpot using WordPress: I have extended my knowledge and 
understanding of webNbased programs and have discovered an entire online community 
dedicated to fixing technical issues in WordPress. This information is very valuable, and it will 
inform my future projects. Through creating my own BlogSpot using WordPress I was able to 
extend my knowledge and understanding of how to create photography BlogSpot using 
WordPress. 
 
How has completing the Personal Project extended my knowledge and understanding of the 
global context? 
Through completing my personal project my knowledge and understanding of the global context 
Personal and cultural expression has been extended. Through researching photographers and 
online photography blog developers I could explore how they have expressed their personal and 
cultural expression through developing their technical skills in a medium they enjoy. 
 
The Personal and cultural expression guiding question is what is the nature and purpose of 
creative expression? Through creating my photography BlogSpot I have been able to explore the 
characteristics of creative expression for myself personally. I have discovered that the primary 
characteristic of my cultural expression is the ability to visually capture what I see around me. 
Through exploring this global context I have come to believe that the purpose of creative 
expression is to explore and in that exploration find what is aesthetically pleasing for the 
individual. Living in Darwin I have found myself surrounded by many different cultures and each 
culture expresses itself differently. Many of these cultures are reflected at the Parap Markets and 
through capturing these with my camera lens I have seen the ways in which these cultural 
groups express themselves, primarily through families working together, food and community. 
 
The area of exploration I decided to focus on through my personal project was ‘our appreciation 
of the aesthetic’. Through developing my technical skills and application of the photography 
elements of composition, lighting, colour balance and perspective, my knowledge and 
understanding of the appreciation of the aesthetic has extended as I have gained professional 
perspectives of what makes an aesthetically pleasing photograph that others can appreciate. 
 
Reflect on development as a learner 
 
Through completing the personal project I have developed as a learner. By enduring this large 
and sustainedNinquiry I have grown to be a more balanced learner. As I have had to carefully 
manage my outside of school time, my ability to plan and stick to a plan has been tested and 
improved. With homework from 8 other subjects as well as basketball training and weekend 
games I felt the overwhelming pressure of being overloaded with schoolwork. However, creating 
my development and process plan at the start of creating my Photography BlogSpot with the 
other school and sport requirements in mind was beneficial. I had to practice resilience when I 
became overwhelmed and also ensure that I took time to relax and read BlogSpot’s for pleasure, 
as well as the personal project. 
 
I have also developed as a reflective learner. In all subject areas I have to provide a reflection at 
the end of each learning experience and summative task, however, not continuous reflection 
each step of the way. Although I do this thinking continually, the personal project required me to 
reflect using my process journal as a documentation tool. By continually assessing my strengths 
and limitations as an amateur photographer and BlogSpot developer I gave more thoughtful 
consideration and this helped me develop as a reflective learner.