The Extended
Essay
What is it?
Deadlines/Calendar
Sample Topics
EE Wiki
What is the EE?
The extended essay is an independent, self-directed
piece of research, culminating in a 3500 - 4000-word
paper.
College level essay – with a lot of guidance
In-depth study in a topic of interest
EE Length
Average length is 19-20 pages
Word count does not include abstracts, contents,
charts/tables, bibliography or appendices.
The IBO recommends the student spend 40 hours on
their EE
Format
Must be Double spaced
12 point type. Only standardized fonts with non-stylized,
standard horizontal spacing
The essay requires an abstract (summary),
Title page, table of contents, and bibliography
Uniform citation style (MLA)
All margins should be one inch
All pages should be numbered
Scoring
The total score of the essay places it in one of the
following categories:
A excellent
B good
C satisfactory
D mediocre
E elementary
Assessment Criteria
Externally assessed by IBO examiners
General assessment criteria:
writing, use of data and overall presentation.
Subject assessment criteria:
how the chosen topic is managed within the context of
the chosen subject of the essay.
Each subject has its own set of assessment criteria.
Official essay guidelines will be provided to the
student when the essay topic is finalized.
Bloom’s New Taxonomy
The EE Develops
Capacity to:
Analyze
Synthesize
Evaluate knowledge
Taken from: http://www.ibo.org/diploma/curriculum/core/essay/
Advisors
Students are supported throughout the process with
advice and guidance from a supervisor (usually a teacher
at the school)
Role of Advisor
Offer encouragement, support
Help with determining topic and research question (but this
should be the student’s choice)
The advisor reads and comments on the first draft of the
extended essay, but is not permitted to edit this draft for
the candidate. It is the candidate’s responsibility to correct
mistakes and verify the accuracy of the contents of the
extended essay.
Completes advisor’s report when EE is completed
Research Process
Emphasis is placed on the Research Process:
Formulating an appropriate research question
Engaging in a personal exploration of the topic
Communicating ideas
Developing an argument.
The Iceberg Model
1/8 = Writing Phase
Student works independently to
prepare the final EE:
Revision conference drives final
version of essay
7/8 = Pre-Writing/Draft
Phase
Student works with supervisor
to: Explore and discuss ideas
Locate resources
Develop suitable research question
Take notes, make outline
Write drafts—monitor progress
Iceberg Analogy
The success of an extended essay is shaped largely during
the preparatory stages. (7/8 Pre-writing/Draft phase)
• Major weaknesses can be traced directly to the research phase:
Topics too broad
Lack of focus
Vague research questions
Important EE Deadlines
October 18, 2010: Choose an Advisor
October 25, 2010: Choose Subject and topic
March 26, 2011: Advanced Outline Due
May 21, 2011: First Draft Due
August 20, 2011: Second Draft Due (1st day of school)
December 2011: Final Essay Due
What should you be
doing now?
Explore different subjects you are interested in
Begin with:
Your subject area interests
The things you have been reading
Conversations you have had in class or with others are
often good sources of ideas.
Think about the subject areas of the IB hexagon which
area interests you the most?
Talk to your teachers about possible topics
IB Hexagon
Choosing a Topic
Select a subject you are interested in
Must be one of your IB diploma subjects.
Read the subject guideline in The Extended Essay
Guide (EE Wiki)
Meet with your supervisor
Create a list of possible topics
Narrow to a topic of interest to you
Look at Your Motives
• Achieving motive: to achieve at a level
relative to others
• Learning strategy: focuses on organizing and
structuring knowledge of topic in most efficient
way (managing time commitments, working
space, resources) with purpose of optimizing a
grade or meeting other external criteria
Surface Motive
• To retain knowledge to meet a criterion unrelated to
the idea
– Learning strategy: focuses on
superficial features of topic,
learning and memorizing in an
unquestioning way so they can be
reproduced at later date
Deep Motive
To increase one’s knowledge of
a topic
Learning strategy: focuses on
underlying meaning of topic; searches
for meaning; questions ideas to
achieve better understanding; links
new information with what is known;
takes ideas apart and examines from
multiple perspectives
Subject Areas
English literature
Chemistry
Arabic literature
Music
History
Visual Arts
Biology
Physics
Mathematics
Subject vs. Topic
The single biggest problem most students have is
distinguishing between a subject and a topic.
Examples
Subject: The life and paintings of Caspar David Friedrich (17741840).
Topic: The transfer of the silhouette technique from humans
to landscape in the later paintings of Caspar David Friedrich.
Subject: Raku pottery.
Topic: The impact of Raku glazes on contemporary western
pottery.
Which is a better topic?
Nationalism
Nationalism as a cause of the First World War
History
Cecil Rhodes
An examination of the influence of British Darwinism
on Cecil Rhodes
Math
Prime numbers
Prime numbers in cryptography
Math
Graph Theory
Using Graph Theory to minimize cost
Alternative energy sources
Wind Power: A clean source of Energy?
English Literature
The Brontes
Religious imagery in Wuthering Heights
English Literature
Racial conflict in the twentieth century
The problems of racial conflict as shown through the
works of James Baldwin
Arabic Literature
The land in Mahmod Darwish poets
Mahmod Darwish poets
Arabic Literature
Women in Khalil Gibran’s writing
Khalil Gibran
Art
The history of Renaissance Art
An analytical study of the cycle of frescoes of St
Christopher’s Church in Milan
Biology
Factors which affect the germination of seeds
The effect of banana peel on seed germination
Chemistry
Chemical Kinetics
Kinetics of oxidation of Iodide with H2O2 in acidic
solutions
Economics
The Third World Debt Crisis
Do interest rates affect investment decisions?
Economics
The consequences of shrimp farming in Ecuador
The economic costs and benefits of shrimp farming
in Ecuador
Music
The music of Africa
African influence on Paul Simon
Music
The Xylophone
The marimba music of Bagamoyo
Group 1 Advisors
English A1
Ms. Kimberly Halverson
Mr. Graham White
Arabic A1
Mr. Asem Masharfa
Ms. Haifa Jackaman
Ms. Rahna Nazzal
Mr. Zuhair Muati
Group 3 Advisors
History
Ms. Kirsty Wilkenson
Economics
Mr. Arthur Klatt
Group 4 Advisors
Experimental Science
Chemistry
Ms. Karyn Watt
Biology
Mr. Paul Devonshire
Physics
Mr. Georg Eitelhuber
Group 5 Advisors
Math
Ms. Debbie Huang
Mr. Robert Espinol
Ms. Sharon Harris
Group 6 Advisors
Applied Arts
Visual Arts
Ms. Paulina Aguilera
Music
Ms. Courtney Malone
Mr. Richard Swann
EE Wiki
Http://extendedessayhelp.wikispaces.com
A lot of important information about the EE is available on
the EE Wiki.
EE Calendar
Info on how to choose a topic
IBO Guide to the EE (Subject specific criteria)
Forms you need to fill out
Advisor form
Research Checklist
Examples of excellent Extended Essays