The Complete IB Extended Essay Guide Examples, Topics, and Ideas

The Complete IB Extended Essay Guide Examples, Topics, and Ideas SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips IB students around the globe fearwriting the Extended Essay, but it doesn't have to be a source of stress! In this article, I'll get you excited about writing your Extended Essay and provide you with the resources to get an A. If you're reading this article, I assume you're an IB Student getting ready to write your Extended Essay. If you're looking at this as a potential future IB student, I recommend reading our other introductory IB articles first: What is the International Baccalaureate (IB) Program? andWhat is the IB Curriculum? What are IB Diploma Requirements? Why Should You Trust My Advice? I'm a recipient of an IB Diploma, and I happened to receive an A on my IB Extended Essay. If you don’t believe me, the proof is in the IBO pudding, If you're confused by what this report means, EE is short for Extended Essay, and English A1 is the subject that my Extended Essay topic coordinated with.In layman’s terms, my IB Diploma was graded during May 2010, I wrote my Extended Essay in the English A1 category, and I received a grade A. Want to get better grades and test scores? We can help. PrepScholar Tutors is the world's best tutoring service. We combine world-class expert tutors with our proprietary teaching techniques. Our students have gotten A's on thousands of classes, perfect 5's on AP tests, and ludicrously high SAT Subject Test scores. Whether you need help with science, math, English, social science, or more, we've got you covered. Get better grades today with PrepScholar Tutors. What Is the Extended Essay? The IB Extended Essay (or EE) is a 4,000 word structured mini-thesis that you write under the supervision of an advisor (an IB teacher at your school), which counts towards your IB Diploma (to learn about all of theIB diploma requirements, check out our other article).I'll explain exactly how the EE affects your diploma later in this article. For the Extended Essay, you choose a research question as a topic; this topic needs to be approved by IBO (which is not very difficult). You can do a typical research paperor conduct an experiment/solve a problem. Most schools allow you to pick your advisor (an IB teacher preferably at your school). I'll explain how to pick your IB EE advisor below. The IB Extended Essay must include: A cover page An abstract (one-page synopsis of your essay) A table of contents The 4,000-word essay (which will range from 10-20 pages depending on whether your topic requires illustrations such as an experiment would) A bibliography Your completed Extended Essay will then sent to the IBO to be graded (I will go into more detail on grading below). What Should You Write About in Your Extended Essay? You can technically write about anything, so long as the IBO approves it.However, you should choose a topic that falls into one of the IB Course Categories, (such as Theatre, Film, Spanish, French, Math, Biology, etc.) which shouldn’t be difficult because there are so many class subjects.Here is a range of sample topics with the attached extended essay: Biology:The Effect of Age and Gender on the Photoreceptor Cells in the Human Retina Chemistry:How Does Reflux Time Affect the Yield and Purity of Ethyl Aminobenzoate (Benzocaine), and How Effective is Recrystallisation as a Purification Technique for This Compound? English:An Exploration of Jane Austen's Use of the Outdoors inEmma Geography:The Effect of Location on the Educational Attainment of Indigenous Secondary Students in Queensland, Australia Math:Alhazen's Billiard Problem Visual Arts:Can Luc Tuymans Be Classified as a Political Painter? You can see from how varied the topics are that you have a lot of freedom when it comes to picking a topic. So, how do you pick when the options are limitless? I will help you with that next: 6 Tips for Writing a Grade A Extended Essay Below are the six key tips you need to follow to write an outstanding Extended Essay. Tip #1: Write About Something You Enjoy I love British theatre and ended up writing mine about a revolution in post-WWII British theatre #theatrenerd.I really encourage anyone who pursues an IB Diploma to take the Extended Essay seriously.I ended up receiving a full-tuition merit scholarship to USC’s School of Dramatic Arts program and in my interview for the scholarship, I spoke passionately about my Extended Essay.I genuinely think my Extended Essay helped me get my scholarship. How do you find a topic you are passionate about? Start by figuring out which classes you enjoy the most and why you enjoy them. Do you like Math because you like to problem solve? Or do you enjoy English because you like to analyze texts? Once you have figured out a general subject area such as physics, you should brainstorm more specific topics by putting pen to paper. What was your favorite chapter you learned in that class? Was it astrophysics or mechanics? What did you like about that specific chapter? Is there something you want to learn more about? I recommend spending an hour on this type of brainstorming. Tip #2: Chose a Topic That Is Not Too Broad or Too Narrow This is a fine line. You need to write about something specific, but not so specific that you can’t write 4,000 words on it.You can’t write about WWII because that would be a book's worth of material.You don’t want to write about what type of soup prisoners of war received in POW camps because you probably can’t come up with 4000 words on it.However, you could possibly write about how the conditions in German POW camps were directly affected by the Nazis successes and failures. This may be too obvious of a topic, but you get my point. If you're really stuck trying to find a not too broad or narrow topic, I recommend trying to brainstorm a topic that uses a comparison.Once you begin looking through the list of sample essays below, you may notice that many use comparisons. I also used comparison in my EE, comparing Harold Pinter's Party Time to John Osborne's Look Back in Angerin order to show a transition in British Theatre. Topics with comparisons of 2-3 plays/books/diets/etc. tend to be in the sweet spot of not too narrow or broad because you can analyze each portion and after doing in-depth analysis on each, you compare and explain the significance of the comparison. The key here is that the comparison needs to be significant. I compared two plays to show a transition in British Theatre. Comparisons are not the only way to get a grade A EE. Ifafter brainstorming, you pick a non-comparison based topic and you are still unsure if a topic is too broad or narrow, spend 30 minutes doing some basic research and see how much material is out there. If there are over 1,000 books/articles/documentaries out there on the exact topic, it may be too broad. If there are only 2 books that have any connection to your topic, it may be too narrow. If you are still unsure, ask your advisor! Speaking of advisors: Don't get stuck with a narrow topic! Tip #3: Choose an Advisor Who Is Familiar With Your Topic If you are not certain of who you would like to be your advisor, I would start by creating a list of your top three choices. Next, create a list of pros and cons (I know this sounds tedious, but it really helps!). For example, Mr. Green is my favorite teacher, and we get along really well, but he teaches English, and I want to conduct an experiment to compare the efficiency of American Hybrid Cars to Foreign Hybrid Cars. Ms. White teaches Physics, I had her a year ago, and she liked me. She could help me design my experiment. I am going to ask Ms. White! Do NOT just ask your favorite teacher to be your advisor. They may be a hindrance to you if they teach another subject. I would not suggest asking your Biology teacher to guide you in writing your English EE. EXCEPTION: If you have a teacher who is passionate and knowledgeable about your topic (as my English teacher was about my Theatre topic), you can ask that instructor. Consider all of your options first before you do. There was no theatre teacher at my school, so I could not find a theatre-specific advisor, but I chose the next best thing. Some IB high schools require your IB Extended Essay advisor to sign an Agreement Form. Make sure you ask your IB coordinator if there is any required paperwork. IBO does not require any paperwork. If your school needs a Form signed, make sure you bring it with you when you ask a teacher to be your EE advisor. Tip #4: Choose an Advisor Who Will Push You to Be Your Best Some teachers may just take on students because they have to and may not be passionate about reading drafts and may not give you a lot of feedback.Choose a teacher who will take the time to read several drafts and give you extensive notes.I would not have gotten my A without being pushed to make the draft better. Ask a teacher that you have experience with through class or an extracurricular activity. Do not ask a teacher that you have no connection to; a teacher who does not know you is unlikely to push you. Note: The IBO only allows advisors to suggest improvements to the EE, but they may not be engaged in writing the EE. The IBO recommends that the supervisor spends approximately two to three hours in total with the candidate discussing the EE. Tip #5: Make Sure Your Essay Has a Clear Structure and Flow IB likes structure.Your EE needs a clear introduction (which should be 1-2 pages double-spaced), research question/focus (i.e. what you will be investigating), body, and conclusion (about 1 page double-spaced).An essay that has unclear or poor organization will be graded poorly.Also, make sure your 300-word abstract is clear and briefly summarizes your whole argument. An ambiguous abstract will make it more challenging for the reader to follow your essay’s argument and will also hurt the grading of your EE. The body of your EE should make up the bulk of the essay. It should be about 8-18 pages double-spaced (again just depending on whether or not you include diagrams). Your body can be split into multiple parts. For example, if you are doing a comparison, you might have 1/3 of your body as Novel A Analysis, 1/3 as Novel B Analysis, and the last 1/3 as Comparison of Novel A and B Analysis. If you are conducting an experiment or analyzing data such as in this EE, your EE body will have a clear and obvious parts following the scientific method: stating the research question, discussing your method, showing the data, analyzing the data, discussing uncertainties, and drawing a conclusion/evaluating the experiment. Tip #6: Start Writing Sooner Rather Than Later! You will not be able to crank out a 4,000-word essay in a week and get an A.You will be reading many, many articles (and, depending on your topic, possibly books, plays, and watching movies).Start the research possible as soon as possible. Each school has a slightly different deadline for the Extended Essay. Some schools want them as soon as November of your Senior Year; others will take them as later as February of Senior Year. Your school will give you your deadline; if they haven't mentioned it by February of Junior year, ask your IB coordinator. Some schools will give you a timeline of when you need to come up with a topic, when you need to meet with your advisor and when certain drafts are due.Not all schools do. Ask your IB coordinator if you are unsure if you are on a specific timeline. Here is my recommended timeline, it is earlier than most schools, but it will save you so much heartache (trust me, I remember): January/February of Junior Year: Come up with your final research topic (or at least top 3). February of Junior Year: Approach a teacher about being your EE advisor (if he or she says no, keep asking others until you find one - see my notes above on how to pick an EE advisor). April/May of Junior Year: Submit an outline of your EE and a bibliography of potential research sources (I recommend at least 7-10) to your EE advisor. Meet with your EE advisor to discuss your outline. Summer between Junior and Senior Year: Complete your first full draft over the summer between Junior and Senior Year!I know, I know no one wants to work during the summer, but trust me this will save you so much stress come the fall when you are busy with college applications and other IB internal assessments for your IB classes.You will want to have this first full draft done because you will want to complete a couple of draft cycles as you likely won’t be able to get everything you want to say into 4000 articulate words the first time. Try to get this first draft into the best possible shape you can, so that you do not have to work on too many revisions during the school year on top of your homework/college applications/work/extracurriculars/etc. August/September of Senior Year: Turn in your first draft of your EE to your advisor and receive feedback. Work on incorporating their feedback into your essay. If they have a lot of suggestions for improvement, ask if they will read one more draft before the final draft. September/October of Senior Year: Submit second draft of EE to your advisor (if necessary) and receive their feedback. Work on creating the best possible final draft. November-February of Senior Year: Submit two copies of your final draft to your school to be sent off to IBO. You likely will not get your grade until after you graduate. The early bird DOES get the worm! How’s the Extended Essay Graded? Extended essays are marked by external assessors (examiners appointed by the IB) on a scale of 0 to 34.You'll be graded on five criteria, each with its own set of points. You can learn more about how you'll be graded on each criterion by reading the IB guide to extended essays. Criterion A: Focus and method (6 points maximum) Criterion B: Knowledge and understanding (6 points maximum) Criterion C: Critical Thinking (12 points maximum) Criterion D: Presentation (4 points maximum) Criterion E: Engagement (6 points maximum) How well you do on each of these criteria will determine the final letter value you get for your essay. Although each criterion has a point value, IB explicitly states that graders are not converting point totals into grades; instead, they use qualitative grade descriptors to determine the final grade of your EE.Grade descriptors are on page 103 of this document. However, here's a rough estimate of how different point values translate to letter grades, based on previous scoring methods for EE. Remember though, this is just an estimate, and you should read and understand the grade descriptors so you know exactly what the scorers are looking for. Rubric Assessment Points Earned Descriptor Letter Grade 30 – 34 Excellent: A 25 – 29 Good: B 17 – 24 Satisfactory: C 9 – 16 Mediocre: D 0 - 8 Elementary: E Here is the typical breakdown of scores (from 2014): % Awarded Grade A B C D E Extended Essay 13% 24% 38% 22% 2% How Does the Extended Essay Grade Affect Your IB Diploma? The Extended Essay grade is combined with your TOK (Theory of Knowledge) grade to determine how many points you get towards your IB Diploma.To learn about Theory of Knowledge or how many points you need to receive your IB Diploma, read our other articles on What is the International Baccalaureate (IB) Program?or IB Diploma Requirements.This diagram shows how the two scores are combined to determine how many points you receive for your IB diploma (3 being the most, 0 being the least). So, let’s say you get an A on your EE and a B on TOK, you will get 3 points towards your diploma. As of 2014, a student who scores an E on either the extended essay or TOK essay will not be eligible to receive an IB diploma.Prior to the class of 2010, a diploma candidate could receive a failing grade in either the extended essay or theory of knowledge and still be awarded a diploma, but this is no longer true. Sample Extended Essays In case you want a little more guidance on how to get an A EE. Here areover 50 Excellent (grade A) sample extended essays for your reading pleasure: Biology 1 Biology 2 Biology 3 Chemistry 1 Chemistry 2 Chemistry 3 English 1 English 2 English 3 English 4 English 5 English 6 English 7 English 8 Geography 1 Geography 2 Geography 3 History 1 History 2 History 4 History 5 ITGS 1 ITGS 2 Mathematics 1 Mathematics 2 Mathematics 3 Mathematics 4 Music 1 Philosophy 1 Philosophy 2 Philosophy 3 Philosophy 4 Physics 1 Physics 2 Politics 1 Politics 2 Politics 3 Psychology 1 Psychology 2 Psychology 3 Social and Cultural Anthropology 1 Social and Cultural Anthropology 2 Visual Arts 1 Visual Arts 2 Visual Arts 3 Visual Arts 4 World Religion 1 World Religion 2 What’s Next? Trying to figure out what extracurricular you should do? Learn more about participating in Science Olympiad, starting a club, doing volunteer work, andjoining Student Government. Studying for the SAT? Check out our complete guide to the SAT.Taking the SAT in the next month? Check out our guide to cramming. Not sure where you want to go to college? Check out our guide to finding your target school.Also, figure out your target SAT score or target ACT score. Want to improve your SAT score by 160 points or your ACT score by 4 points?We've written a guide for each test about the top 5 strategies you must be using to have a shot at improving your score. Download it for free now: