What Is the Role of the Reflective Project in the CP (Career‑related Programme)?

📘 Overview: The Reflective Project in the CP

The Reflective Project is one of four compulsory core components of the IB Career-related Programme (CP), alongside Personal & Professional Skills, Service Learning, and Language Development. It is a teacher‑marked and IB‑moderated ethical inquiry typically completed over ~50 hours towards the end of the CP timeline.(International Baccalaureate®)

🎯 Purpose & Aims of the Reflective Project

This project challenges students to identify, explore, and evaluate an ethical dilemma arising from their career-related study. Through this inquiry, students develop:

• High-level research and communication skills
• Critical and creative thinking
• Deeper ethical awareness and personal initiative(Google Sites, Google Sites)

The Reflective Project is designed to synthesize learning across CP components and connect to real-world issues.

📄 Format & Submission Options

Students may choose one of two formats:

1. A written essay (max 3,000 words) that covers all components except reflection, which is documented separately in the RPPF (Reflections on Planning and Progress Form).
2. A shorter essay (1,500–2,000 words) plus an additional creative format—such as a 7‑minute film, interview, play, photo essay, or oral presentation—where both parts together address all assessment criteria.(Google Sites, woostercolts.com)

✅ Assessment & Criteria

The Reflective Project is assessed across five key objectives (AO1–AO5), using a criterion-based rubric with a maximum score of 36 points:

• AO1: Focus & Method
• AO2: Knowledge & Understanding
• AO3: Critical Thinking (often the most heavily weighted)
• AO4: Communication
• AO5: Engagement and Reflection (through RPPF)

Students must achieve at least a D grade to be awarded the CP certificate. Essays below that threshold disqualify CP completion.(Google Sites, International Baccalaureate®)

🧭 Academic Process & Roles

• Supervision: Each student is assigned a Reflective Project supervisor (usually a CP teacher or career-related staff), who holds at least three formal meetings, guides topic development, and oversees reflections.(thinkib.net)
• Moderation: After internal marking, a sample of projects is submitted to the IB for external moderation to ensure consistency and integrity across schools.(International Baccalaureate®)

🧠 Why It Matters: Skills & Integration

• Reflects IB’s ethical and holistic education mission, connecting academic learning with moral awareness and real-life application.
• Sharpening research, argumentation, reflection, and communication abilities aligns with IB Learner Profile attributes (e.g., Principled, Thinker, Communicator).(International Baccalaureate®, thinkib.net)
• Builds bridges among DP courses, the CP core elements, and the work the student has done in their career-related study.

📝 FAQs

Q1. Is the Reflective Project mandatory?
Yes. Completion with at least a D grade is required to earn the IBCP Certificate.(International Baccalaureate®)

Q2. How long must I spend on it?
Students are expected to devote a minimum of ~50 hours, completed over the two years of the CP.(Google Sites)

Q3. What formats can I choose?
Either a standalone essay (up to 3,000 words) or an essay (1,500–2,000 words) plus a creative format like film, interview, or display.(Google Sites)

Q4. How is reflection documented?
Reflection is recorded via the RPPF (Reflections on Planning and Progress Form) after three key supervisor meetings and accounts for AO5.(ibnahs.weebly.com)

Q5. Who assesses the project?
Your school assesses it internally, and the IB moderates a sample to confirm accurate grading.(International Baccalaureate®)

Q6. What assessment objectives are used?
A five‑objective rubric (AO1–AO5) focusing on focus/method, ethics-based analysis, communication, and reflection.(Google Sites)

📣 Call to Action

While RevisionDojo currently doesn’t yet offer a dedicated Reflective Project guide, they provide complementary content on DP project planning, ethical reflection, and RPPF-style documentation. Explore RevisionDojo’s Personal & Professional Skills and CP-aligned articles to reinforce Reflective Project skills and structure.