Philosophy subject report · November 2012

November 2012 extended essay reports Page 1 Philosophy Overall grade boundaries Grade: E D C B A Mark range: 0 - 7 8 - 15 16 - 22 23 - 28 29 - 36 The range and suitability of the work submitted The strengths and weaknesses encountered this session essentially reflect the typical kind of i ssues which have been evident over the last examination sessions. The essays submitted for assessment ranged from the excellent to the unsatisfactory. The most successful candidates avoided over - ambitious research and focused on a narrow and relatively acc essible area of philosophy. The examples of excellent an d good essays are the result of simple and effective work which is the outcome of having developed personal interest and initiative throughout the essay. Some of the main problems encountered this session were:  Poor supervision which results in inappropriate research questions.  There were c ases where many marks were lost for failure to present essays properly and adhere to formal requirements explicitly outlined in the EE guide . For example, t he requirements for the abstract are clear ly stated, yet some simply did not follow them. Some essays lacked an identifiable introduction and/or conclusion.  Essays which compared and contrasted positions and not arguments proved problematic to sustain and perform adequately against all criteria, particularly criteria E, F and H.  Problems with handling philosophical information: some students did not use primary texts. Criteria C, D and sometimes I were affected by this. Problems of referencing: many essays did not quote page numbers or correctly cite works. Some essays did not demonstrate a consistent application of an