How to Structure a
Business
Management
Extended Essay
0:31
Here is a step-by-step structure you can
follow if you’re doing your Extended
Essay in Business Management.
Before we get started
Here are a few key points and other
helpful links you’ll want to use:
Be careful about choosing your
research question. Here is a lot
more advice about choosing a
perfect EE RQ, see The Research
Triangle
Cite all of your sources --preferably
using MLA. I expect to see at least 5
cited sources on an average page.
The E.E. should be in 12-point,
preferably Arial or Times New
Roman. And it should be double
spaced, with numbered pages.
Anything over the 4000 word limit
won’t be read by your marker. (I’ve
noted below how many words I
recommend for each section and
which sections don’t count in the
word count.)
About 18% of your EE marks now
come from your reflections, so
those are also important. Here’s
how to do them: How to Write IB
EE Reflections so be careful with
those too.
And finally, when you’ve almost
finished your first draft and you’re
ready to make it better, you can
meet with me to have a chat if
you'd like.
The Business EE
Structure
Title page
(Not included in your word count.)
The title page should include only the
following information:
Include:
Your EE title. This part is slightly
confusing, because the title is not
the same as your Research
Question (RQ). The RQ is written in
the form of a question, but the title
should not be a question. Instead it
is “a clear, focused summative
statement of your research” (EE
Guide, page 82). For example, “The
A"ects of the Acquisition of
Instagram on Facebook.”
Your Research Question. For
example, “How has the acquisition
of Instagram a"ected Facebook?”
The subject (Business
Management)
Your word count
(Notice that you shouldn’t put
your name, date, candidate
number, or school name on the
EE.)
Table of Contents
(Not included in your word count.)
All parts of your EE, with page numbers
of course. (You can just copy and past
my list to get you started).
Introduction
Methodology
Main body
Conclusion
Bibliography
Appendices
(Do not include an Abstract. You
might see some of these on the
older EE samples, but you don't
need one now)
Introduction
(Approx. 250 words)
Tell us what organization you’re
researching and what the company
does.
Tell us what topic you’ll be
exploring.
Provide some context for your
question. Tell us the situation that
the question comes from. Set the
scene, so we can understand the
analysis to come.
Tell us your research question
again and explain to us why it is
important to answer. Explain why
this research is interesting and
valuable to your audience.
Methodology (Approx.
250 words)
In this section you'll tell us what sources
and tools you'll use to answer the
question. I will list these as separate
sections (sources and tools), but it
actually works a little better to combine
them, clarifying how certain sources will
be used with particular tools. And then
follow the same order you'll use in your
analysis section.
Tools
Explain the tools you’re going to
use (very briefly) and why (the
purpose of each tool). Also tell us
about some weaknesses or
limitations of each of the tools you
are going to use. This shows us
that you know a lot about these
tools.
I explain in this Youtube video how
to choose your tools
If you need more help with this, I
can talk you through it one-onone.
Sources
Describe each of your major
sources of primary and secondary
research. Tell us why they will be
helpful and also a weakness or a
limitation for each source. For
example, how there may have
been room for bias or a limited
scope to your research. Or perhaps
there are other reasons why other
data you used could be unreliable
or invalid.
Remember that the majority of
your research for the EE should
come from secondary sources.
Some helpful sources of secondary
research are: company annual
reports, news articles, magazine
articles, business textbooks, and
encyclopedias. More tips on
sources here: How to Make Your
Good Extended Essay Great (IBM)
Mention any adjustments you
made to your research as you
progressed with your EE. There
should be at least one.
Analysis (Approx. 3100
words)
This is where you’ll be sharing your
research, analysis, discussion and
evaluation.
Think of this section as also having two
main parts.
1. The first is for your tools. This is
where you show o" that you
understand how to do the stu"
you’ve been taught in Business
Management class.
2. The second is for the rest of your
research. Most students will only
do the “tools” section, but this
second part is where you get to
wow us with all of the impressive
extra research that you’ve done,
which goes beyond what is taught
in the course.
Every single paragraph of the body
needs to relate (in a very obvious
way) to the research question. Don’t
include tools or research which don’t
help you answer your question.
Analysis Section 1: The
“tools” part
Include 4 or 5 tools, which help you
answer your RQ. I explain in this
Youtube video how to choose your tools
As you write, follow the follow the
JAM structure. This is a model I
created that's now used by most IB
Business teachers. It helps you on
the rubric, in a few di"erent ways.
I recommend you include least one
financial tool, if you can.
Put your qualitative tools (such as
SWOT or PEST) before the
quantitative ones (like ratio
analysis or a decision tree).
Qualitative tools help set the scene
and provide context for the
financials.
In your mini-conclusions, mention
a weakness or limitations (i.e.
unavailable data).
Analysis Section 2: The
“non-Course” stu!
This is where you really get to impress
us. Often this is the part where you’ll
actually teach the reader of your paper
(and experienced Business teacher) a
thing or two.
Share a tool from beyond the
course, i.e. a model that is used in
the industry to explore the aspects
you're analysing. Give us the sense
that you really do know how this
industry works.
Here’s an example to help you. If
you’re studying the e"ect of a
merger in the pharmaceutical
industry, you could look for
information about what makes a
successful merger. If you find an
article laying out the Four
Determinants of a Successful
Merger you could measure your
merger against those four criteria.
If you learn that there is an
analytical method which is
commonly used in your industry
(i.e. a ratio that isn’t taught in the
course, or a way of measuring
customer satisfaction), feel free to
include that in your EE here.
Here is more advice on doing
Advanced Extended Essay
Research
Conclusion (Approx.
400 words)
Take time with your conclusion, so you
can really emphasize everything you've
discovered and how it all fits together to
answer your RQ.
Pull your mini-conclusions together
(synthesize them), make some
interesting insights based on them.
Make it clear that your insights
here are based on your analysis.
Include several evaluative insights
(i.e. pros and cons, short-term vs
long-term e"ects, possible
stakeholder conflicts).
Don’t include any new data in your
conclusion.
Works Cited
(Not included in your word count. Aim
for around 3-4 pages of sources)
This is where you rea#rm (remind the
marker) all the great sources you used.
Include:
Remember that your EE is mostly
focused on your secondary
sources.
Include perhaps 3 books (one of
these can be the textbook), 15
internet sources, and at least 3
quite impressive sources that show
your willingness to go beyond the
minimum requirements (i.e. a
trade journal, an advanced
academic paper).
Make sure all of your bibliography
sources are link to in-text
references in your EE.
Appendices
(Not included in your word count. Often
this is around 3 or 4 pages)
The jury is out about appendices. The EE
guide us us that “appendices are not an
essential part of the extended essay and
examiners will not read them, or use any
information contained within them, in
the assessment of the essay” (EE guide,
Page 87). That seems pretty clear. And
yet, they are still commonly used.
I would say the best use of appendices is
to include artefacts from your process,
which help to show the hard work that
you’ve done.
Include:
Transcripts from your interviews,
Additional analysis you did which
didn’t fit in the body of your EE.
Questionnaire results, details of
the calculations you did for your
financial tools.
Any other interesting data which
you would like to refer to in the
body of your work (i.e. a market
map, which you mention in the
main body of your work). You won’t
exactly get “credit” for the work,
but give you something else to
connect the dots in your
conclusion. Obviously, the best
place for your analysis is in the
Main Body, but sometimes you just
run out of room (words) and you’ve
Written by Tim Woods
Tim created
IBMastery in 2009. Since then he’s
helped many thousands of IB students
and teachers around the world. Tim is
now available for personal tutoring
almost every day, to help you get your
best possible marks in IB. Click here to
work with him.
 Search IBMastery...
Theory of Knowledge
IB Business Management
IB Economics
IB Global Politics
Extended Essay
General Resources
Recent Posts
The November 2026 TOK Essay Titles
Mar 18, 2026
The May 2026 TOK Essay Titles
Sep 06, 2025
The November 2025 TOK Essay Titles
Mar 13, 2025
"This course has been excellent and of so
much help to me.” - Kanika V. (India)
"This saved my life. 10/10
-Harold L (Hong Kong)
"Thanks a ton! I have used this article to guide
me for my last 2 IA's and when I was assigned
my 3rd and final Econ IA, the first thing I did
once I got my Econ article, was open this page.
Much appreciation from Pearson College
UWC!
-Keegen Payne (Victoria, British Columbia)
"I actually just wanted to let you know that
you have been a very big help for me in
TOK and Economics. With your e"ort to
publish all this information and advice to IB
students, you're really making a di"erence!"
-Anne-Sophie T. @ UWC Maastricht (The
Netherlands)
"I want to thank you for the resources that
have been provided. As a result, I got an A for
EE in business after following the steps written
in this website, including the help from my
supervisor of course. I would recommend the
current IB students to read the resources in
your web, in order to obtain more insights.
Thank you once again, sir!"
-Cynthia @ Universitas Kristen Petra
(Surabaya, Indonesia)
"I'm an IB student who has been lost until I
found this website! This has the best advice on
the web and I'm definitely recommending it to
all my fellow IBers back at school. Definitely
wish you were my economics teacher! Thank
you so much for taking time to write these
guides. You have truly saved my IB life!"
-Cat (UK)
"WOW! Thank you already for helping me. So
many great posts about IB and how to be
e"ective. So awesome. I will defiantly spend
more time here and hopefully learn a lot. I
just wanted to let you know how great and
helpful your website is :)"
-Nea @ HF-kursus og IB World School
(Denmark)
"Thank you so much Mr Woods. The
Economics exam will start in 4 hours and I
think I am ready for it!"
-Thao @ Auckland International College (New
Zealand)
"Your website is amazing! I got two level 7's
in my last IAs with the help of your site.
Thank you, all the way from UWCSA"
-Nicolette Sauramba @ Waterford Kamhlaba
United World College of Southern Africa
(Swaziland)
"@adnamaweit Every self-motivated IB
student knows @timwoods..."
-Amanda Tiew @ Campaka Schools (Malaysia)
"Just want to express my deepest gratitude
and appreciation for this website and all the
e"ort you've channelled into helping others
with your knowledge and skills. I've found it
extremely helpful and I cannot thank you
enough!"
-Hachi @ Anglo-Chinese School (International)
School (Singapore)
"Just wanted to send you a note of
appreciation for the great and selfless
contribution you have made. You must have
already made a di"erence to so many lives
and achieved the real purpose of our lives. "
-Hina Nihal @ Jeddah Knowledge International
School (Saudi Arabia)
"Thank you so much Mr. Woods. I find it
absolutely incredible that you take the time to
answer students and write your posts. Just
today I was talking with another friend of
mine who, I just found out, also happens to
be following your blog."
-Alyson @ EF Academy (New York)
"I just wanted to say that I got a 6 on my SL
economics exam last year, and I strongly
believe that was because of all the help I
got from this website on commentaries. A
big thank you from Dallas, TX."-Tashi
"Dear Mr. Woods, thank you so much for your
structure for TOK essays. It's really helped
me develop a clear idea of what to do when
I was absolutely clueless before! Definitely
recommending to all my peers."
-Justine @ Tunas Muda International School
(Jakarta)
"This page is awesome. Thank you very much
for your help in my IA. You saved my life.
Argentina wishes the best for you. Gracias!"
-Carlos (Argentina)
"Thank you for this piece of gold! I was
about to give up on my TOK when I saw this
page! Now I know I can deal with the IB and
TOK in particular! Greetings from PERU!"
-Mateo (Peru)
"Thank you so much for all of this
voluntary support. I'm taking an online
economics HL course and it becomes quite
di#cult at times to find assistance. You're a
life saver!."
-Theone (Bangkok, Thailand),
"Hello, I just wanted to say thank you for
writing these guides. They have been
extremely helpful for me, I was just about to
panic and give up on my IA and now I am
actually really proud of it."
-Sofie Lind
"Dear Mr. Woods, your initiative is highly
appreciated and needless to say, the
resources on this website are helping
thousands of students tremendously. As for
me, I thank you sincerely for your notes on IB
Economics, the Extended Essay and for Theory
of Knowledge. Hats o"! Nothing better than
spreading wisdom! Congratulations!"
-Anonymous
"Everyone at my school in Mexico uses
your Structure for TOK essays. I've used it on
all of mine and I've never gotten lower than an
A-. I just wanted to thank you for being a
lifesaver."
-Maria @ Greengates School (Mexico City)
"How to structure an Economics Internal
Assessment is amazing. Absolutely great. It is
such a great help to have word counts of
di"erent sections and a detailed description
on how to score high marks. Thank you so
much."
-"Desperate Student"
"Just wanted to say, as a fellow Economics &
Business teacher of IB, I love your site. So
plain, simple but so e"ective. My students in
Barcelona love it too and it makes my job
easier. Keep up the good work, and thank you
once again. Really good and inspirational
information on your site!"
-Faraz Mirza @ International School of
Amsterdam
"Thank you! This is tremendously helpful. I am
writing three IAs tonight. Unsure as to what I
would do without these posts these posts
as a guide. Thanks again."
-"Procrastinator"
"I am an IB student from India and I am very
very thankful to you for these sites. My
extended essay, TOK essay and business IA
are the result of your articles and ideas. Your
site gave my extended essay a plan on how to
go about it and made the journey simpler. The
article how to score full marks in the business
IA was really helpful as it gave me a plan and
coming into TOK I was able to build my ideas
in structured pattern.
-Srikanth Reddy @ Sreenidhi International
School (Hyderabad, India)
"I was looking about to get some support
material for my son’s TOK and EE today and
your pages have been great. They are easy to
follow and digest. My son was very grateful.
Your blog has been a fabulous resource!
Keep up the great work!"
-Karen (Doha, Qatar)
"Just wanted to write you a quick thank you
note for putting up such a great revision
website! It is honestly one of the best I
have encountered online for IB Economics
revision. If I was at OFS it would be a pleasure
to have you as my Econs teacher!"
-Avi @ United World College of South East Asia
(UWCSEA), Singapore
"Your Economics IA slideshow really helped
me understand what assessors were
looking for, and how I could easily avoid
loosing marks (word count etc). I really
appreciate the time that you have spent to
help students like me."
-Anonymous Student @ IBS of Provence
(France)
“I teach ToK in Midvale, UT and LOVE your site.
The students have really struggled with the
essay writing process and your site
structures it better than anything else I've
ever received. Thanks”
-S. Allen (Utah, USA)
“i am an IB student here in India, and i was
demotivated with regards to the workload this
course has dished out to us every week. but i
went through this website, and all of a sudden
there's been a change of heart. thank you for
posting such beautiful stu" that i can relate
to.”
-Adi C.
“Your site is amazing!! Thank you so much! I
am a senior in IB economics and thanks to you
did very well in my IA! Just thought I had to let
you know.”
-Pamela A.
"woooooooooooooow How to Write
Successful College Application Essays has
opened my eyes like so wide. thanx tim woods
i sure will apply all these tips"
-Julie H.
© 2026 IBMastery. Not a#liated with or
endorsed by the International Baccalaureate
Organization.
Terms
Privacy
𝕏 
Contact
