Extended Essay: Extended Essay- The Basics

This guide explains the process required to complete the IB Extended Essay - from the initial step of choosing a research topic, through effectively searching for information and organizing your sources to presenting your findings with accurate references and citations.

This is the abbreviated version of the Extended essay timeline for the Class of 2022, with dates and assignments only. See the full timeline in the box below for detailed descriptions for each item listed.

EE grade for 2020-2021 is ¼ credit, Pass/Fail, and is posted in Mod F.

January 4 - February 12, 2021

Juniors have a 7th-period class with EE Coordinator, Susan Trower. 

The URL for the Zoom meeting room is posted in the Extended Essay Google Classroom.

May 11-18, 2021

Meet with Supervisor

May 28 - June 11, 2021

Juniors have ½ day June Term class with Susan Trower, EE Coordinator, and Alayna Garvin, IB Language and Literature teacher.  Class time will be used to work on IB Language and Literature HL assignments, college application essays, and Extended essays.

June 7-11, 2021

Meet with Supervisor

Summer Break

EE grade for 2021-2022 is ¼ credit letter grade, and is posted to transcript in March, 2022.

EE grade for 2020-2021 is ¼ credit, Pass/Fail, and is posted in Mod F.

January 4 - February 12, 2021

Juniors have a 7th-period class with EE Coordinator, Susan Trower. The URL for the Zoom meeting room is posted in the Extended Essay Google Classroom. Class time will be devoted to:

• Introduction to Extended Essay (EE) 
• Choice of EE subject and topic
• Generating research questions
• RPPF (Reflections on planning and progress form)
• RRS (Researcher's reflection space)
• EE Assessment Criteria 
• IB's ethical guidelines related to academic honesty, citing and referencing, and (if applicable to your subject and topic) research and fieldwork, and use of animals
• Research methods, referencing skills, literature review skills

• Document submitted to Google Classroom and emailed to Supervisor (cc Susan Trower) by 3:30 PM on 5/10/2021
• Required components: Context, Outline of argument, Scope, and Worthiness as explained in EE textbook, pp. 62-64 AND pp. 102-105
• Recommended word count: 300-450
• Meets requirements of Criterion A (Focus and Method) for EE Assessment as presented in EE textbook and the EE guide for your subject
• Required format:  Readable font (such as Arial), 12-point font size, double-spaced text, numbered pages, indented paragraphs, appropriate margins (1" on all sides is acceptable)
• Acceptable file type:  Google Doc, DOCX or PDF
• Document will be assessed Pass/Fail. EE grade is posted in Mod F.

May 11-18, 2021 - Meet with Supervisor

• The meeting may be held remotely
• Discuss your EE Introduction/Criterion A writing assignment

• Complete this form AFTER your meeting May 11-18 
• Students complete these parts of the form:  Student Name, Supervisor, IB Extended Essay Subject (or WSEE theme and subjects), Refined Research Question, Student Initials, and Date (date of last meeting)
• Students send this form to the supervisor to complete
• Supervisors email the forms to Susan Trower
• Document will be assessed Pass/Fail. EE grade is posted in Mod F.

May 28 - June 11, 2021

Juniors have ½ day June Term class with Susan Trower, EE Coordinator,  and Alayna Garvin, IB Language and Literature teacher.  Class time will be used to work on IB Language and Literature HL assignments, college application essays, and Extended essays. The EE portion of the class will cover:

• Outlining and organization of your essay
• Citations and references
• EE Assessment Criteria, especially Criterions B, C, and D
• How to demonstrate analysis in your writing
• Things to avoid when writing an academic research paper
• Time management

June 7-11, 2021 - Meet with Supervisor

• The meeting may be held remotely
• Discuss writing completed in EE June Term
• Discuss summer plans for working on your EE

Summer Break

EE grade for 2021-2022 is ¼ credit letter grade, and is posted to transcript in March, 2022.

• Document submitted to Google Classroom and emailed to Supervisor (cc Susan Trower) by 8:30 AM on 8/30/2021
• Worth 100 points towards EE grade, posted to transcript in March, 2022
• Late paper = 0 points

• Meeting with Supervisor regarding quality of writing
• In preparation for the interim reflection session, students should have:
  • Attempted to refine a focused and appropriate research question
  • Significantly deepened their research and recorded pertinent evidence, information or data in the Researcher’s reflection space
  • Reviewed and consolidated the methodologies they are using
  • Formulated arguments based on the evidence that they have collected
  • Added to the working bibliography for their research.

• Reflection submitted to Google Classroom and emailed to Supervisor (cc Susan Trower) by 3:30 PM on 9/13/2021
• Worth 50 points towards EE grade, posted to transcript in March, 2022
• Late reflection = 0 points

• Document submitted to Google Classroom and emailed to Supervisor (cc Susan Trower) by 3:30 PM on 10/18/2021
• Draft must conform to IB Formal Presentation Requirements as provided to Candidate
• Required components: Title Page, Table of Contents, Introduction, Body of Paper, Conclusion, Works Cited
• Required format:  Readable font (such as Arial), 12-point font size, double-spaced text, numbered pages, indented paragraphs, appropriate margins (1" on all sides is acceptable)
• Acceptable file type:  Google Doc, DOCX or PDF.
• Worth 100 points towards EE grade, posted to transcript in March, 2022
• Late paper = 0 points

• Scheduled by student in advance at discretion of Supervisor

• Document submitted to Google Classroom and emailed to Supervisor (cc Susan Trower) by 3:30 PM on 11/29/2021
• Final copy must conform to IB Formal Presentation Requirements as provided to Candidate (see note above)
• Worth 100 points towards EE grade, posted to transcript in March, 2022
• Late paper = 0 points

• Final session with Supervisor, scheduled by student in advance at discretion of Supervisor
• Students should bring the following to this session:
  • Extracts from their RRS that illustrate how they have grown as learners through the process of reflection
  • A willingness to share their personal experience and to discuss the skills and development of conceptual understandings that they have acquired through the completion of the extended essay.

• Reflection submitted to Google Classroom and emailed to Supervisor (cc Susan Trower) by 3:30 PM on 12/13/2021
• Worth 50 points towards EE grade, posted to transcript in March, 2022
• Late reflection = 0 points

The extended essay is a required component of the International Baccalaureate® (IB) Diploma Programme (DP). 

It is an independent, self-directed piece of research, finishing with a 4,000-word paper.

What is the significance of the extended essay?

The extended essay provides:

• practical preparation for undergraduate research
• an opportunity for students to investigate a topic of personal interest to them, which relates to one of the student's six DP subjects, or takes the interdisciplinary approach of a World Studies extended essay.

Through the research process for the extended essay, students develop skills in:

• formulating an appropriate research question
• engaging in a personal exploration of the topic
• communicating ideas
• developing an argument. 

Participation in this process develops the capacity to analyze, synthesize and evaluate knowledge.

An extended essay can also be undertaken in world studies, where students carry out an in-depth interdisciplinary study of an issue of contemporary global significance, across two IB diploma disciplines.

How is study of the extended essay structured?

Students are supported throughout the process of researching and writing the extended essay, with advice and guidance from a supervisor who is usually a teacher at the school.

The IB recommends that students follow the completion of the written essay with a short, concluding interview with their supervisor. This is known as viva voce.

The extended essay and interview can be a valuable stimulus for discussion in countries where interviews are required prior to acceptance for employment or for a place at university.

How is the extended essay assessed?

All extended essays are externally assessed by examiners appointed by the IB. They are marked on a scale from 0 to 34.

The score a student receives relates to a band. The bands are:

• A – work of an excellent standard.
• B – work of a good standard.
• C –work of a satisfactory standard.
• D – work of a mediocre standard.
• E – work of an elementary standard.

Students are evaluated on five criterion:

• Criterion A – focus and method.
• Criterion B – knowledge and understanding.
• Criterion C – critical thinking.
• Criterion D – presentation.
• Criterion E – engagement.

However, when your supervisor marks your essay in order to arrive at a predicted grade, the grading will be based on the qualitative grade descriptors for the EE, not a translation of a number score into a letter grade.

Find out how points awarded for the extended essay contribute to a student’s overall diploma score.

Source:   International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme website

Need tips on how to get started?  Follow these steps to get going on the research for your Extended Essay.

1.  Choose an available Diploma Programme subject for the extended essay for the session in question.

2.  Educate yourself. Read the following materials:  the assessment criteria, relevant subject-specific chapter of the Extended Essay guide, the IB's ethical guidelines and other associated policies where relevant, such as those relating to animal experiments

3. Set up the Researcher's Reflective Space (RRS) and use this as the key planning and reflection tool for the extended essay process.

4.  Choose a topic and undertake some background reading in it.

5.  Formulate a preliminary research question.  Try to incorporate an IB command term in the research question if possible.

6.  Draw up an outline plan for the research and writing process.  This should include a timeline.

7.  Begin to identify how and where you will gather source material for your research.

8.  Identify which system of academic referencing they will use, ensuring that this meets the minimum requirements for the IB.

9.  Set deadlines for yourself that are realistic and take into consideration WSA's internal EE deadlines.

10.  Plan a structure for the essay.  This may change as the research develops but it is useful to have a sense of direction from the start.

11.  Undertake some preparatory reading in light of the proposed research question.  NOTE:  If you discover that it will not be possible to obtain the evidence needed in the time available, the research question should be changed.  This is  better done sooner rather than later; do not lose time waiting and hoping that something will turn up.  Go back to step 3, 2, or 1, and choose a new research question that can be answered.

12.  Carry out the research.  The material collected should be assembled in a logical order, linked to the structure of the essay and clearly focused on the research question posed.  Only then will you know that you have enough evidence for each stage of the argument so that you can proceed to the next.  You should be prepared for things to occasionally go wrong.  Sometimes you may discover something later in the research that undermines what you thought had been established earlier.  If that happens, your research plan needs to be revised.

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