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.
On this page you can find information on:
What is the Extended Essay?
Extended Essay Timeline, Class of 2022 (Due Dates and Assignments)
Extended Essay Forms, Contracts, and Assignments - Class of 2022
Extended Essay Timeline, Class of 2022 (Full Timeline, with detailed descriptions of assignments)
How to Get Started - the Twelve-step Plan for Researching the EE
IB Extended Essay Guide, first exams 2018
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 meeting room is posted in the Extended Essay Google Classroom.
Document emailed to Susan Trower by 3:30 PM on 01/15/2021
Only required of students who want to do an EE in a subject other than English A: Language and Literature; Literature and Performance; Global Politics; Dance; Music; Theatre; Visual Arts.
At least five annotated sources in your NoodleTools EE project related to your subject and topic proposal
At least ten Notecards for at least five different sources in your NoodleTools EE project
January 29, 2021
Extended Essay Supervisors assigned
Students can schedule occasional meetings with their supervisors.
April 12 - May 19, 2021
Juniors have a 3rd-period class with EE Coordinator, Susan Trower. EE grade for 2020-2021 is ¼ credit, Pass/Fail, and is posted in Mod F.
The URL for the meeting room is posted in the Extended Essay Google Classroom.
Slide deck due on 4/26/2021; presentations will be given during class time
May 11-18, 2021
Meet with Supervisor
May 28 - June 11, 2021
Juniors have ½ day June Term class with Susan Trower, EE Coordinator, Eric Bright, Theory of Knowledge teacher, and Alayna Garvin, IB Language and Literature teacher. Class time will be used to work on IB Language and Literature HL assignments, Theory of Knowledge 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 meeting room is posted in the Extended Essay Google Classroom. Class time will be devoted to:
Assignment is to be completed in your NoodleTools project, shared with Susan Trower’s Class of 2022 EE inbox in NoodleTools. Include:
Assignment is to be completed in your NoodleTools project, shared with Susan Trower’s Class of 2022 EE inbox in NoodleTools. Include:
January 29, 2021
Extended Essay Supervisors assigned
Students can schedule occasional meetings with their supervisors.
April 12 - May 19, 2021
Juniors have a 3rd-period class with EE Coordinator, Susan Trower. The URL for the meeting room is posted in the Extended Essay Google Classroom. EE grade for 2020-2021 is ¼ credit, Pass/Fail, and is posted in Mod F. Class time will be devoted to:
• Continue to use your RRS (Researcher's reflection space) to record reflections on what you are reading, writing, and thinking.
May 11-18, 2021 - Meet with Supervisor
May 28 - June 11, 2021
Juniors have ½ day June Term class with Susan Trower, EE Coordinator, Eric Bright, Theory of Knowledge teacher, and Alayna Garvin, IB Language and Literature teacher. Class time will be used to work on IB Language and Literature HL assignments, Theory of Knowledge assignments, college application essays, and Extended essays. The EE portion of the class will cover:
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.
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:
Through the research process for the extended essay, students develop skills in:
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:
Students are evaluated on five criterion:
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.
Find books, digital resources (ebooks), WebPath Express websites, and Open Educational Resources (OER).
The librarian is always happy to help you!
In Person - during library hours,
8:00 a.m. - 3:30 p.m., Monday - Friday
By Phone - during library hours
By Email - Susan Trower
|
|