INTRODUCTION TO THE EXTENDED ESSAY

What is the extended essay?

The extended essay is a research paper which all IB students must write in their junior and senior years. Writing a quality extended essay is one of the requirements you must fulfill to receive your IB diploma.

The extended essay is defined as an in-depth study of a limited topic within a subject. Its purpose is to provide candidates with the opportunity to engage in independent research. Emphasis is placed on the process of engaging in research, on communication of ideas and information in a logical and coherent manner, and the overall presentation of the extended essay in compliance with the specific guidelines established by the IB.

How long is the extended essay?

The extended essay should be 4000 words long or as close to this length as possible without going over the 4000 word limit.

How is the extended essay different from other papers I have written?

The extended essay differs from other papers you have written in that the extended essay requires a greater commitment of time and effort on your part. It is primarily analytical, critical, and research based rather than merely a summary of sources, descriptive, or narrative in style. The extended essay is a major project and in order to succeed on this project you will need to devote a significant amount of your time to researching your topic, searching for scholarly sources, reading your sources, taking copious notes, and completing various written assignments leading up to the actual writing of the paper.

These assignments are designed to encourage you to organize your thoughts and research process, understand why your topic is significant and worthy of study, devise a research question which will guide you as you research your topic and write your paper, develop your argument and your thesis, and plan and structure your writing so that you convincingly answer your research question and defend your thesis in a logical, coherent, organized, structured, systematic, and critical manner in your extended essay. 

What can I write about?

Extended essays must be written on a topic that is narrowly focused and has a limited scope. Your topic must fall within one of the following subject areas:

Literature in English        Must include literary analysis and a focus on language/literary technique

Literature in a foreign language in which you are fluent

History                          Must include critical analysis and evaluation of historical sources

Biology                         For all science essays it is a good idea to continue your work on

Chemistry                     earlier science projects.

Physics

Psychology                   You may not conduct an experiment and must enroll in IB Bio-Psychology for senior year

Mathematics

The topic of the extended essay is the particular area of study within the chosen subject. You should select a topic that is interesting to you since you will be spending a great deal of time working on your extended essay. It is a very good idea to select a topic which you have some experience researching already, particularly if you select a subject in science. Select a topic that personally engages you and which you can tackle with a reasonable degree of confidence.

The topic must be limited in scope and sufficiently narrow to enable you to examine an issue or problem in depth. Broad topics are not permitted because they result in superficial essays which do not examine an issue or problem in sufficient depth. Your topic must present you with the opportunity to collect or generate information and/or data for analysis and evaluation.

How will my work be graded?

Your final draft of your extended essay will be assessed by the IB based on how well you satisfy both general assessment criteria and subject specific assessment criteria. You will receive a booklet detailing the assessment criteria and other essential information about the extended essay, including the very important format requirements.

In addition Mr. Crown and Ms. Crown, your TOK teachers, and your extended essay advisor will grade preliminary drafts of your essay which will lead you to your final draft. You will receive a calendar and schedule of assignments which you must follow very carefully.

Assignments turned in late will be heavily penalized and you will lose points for not following instructions carefully. Following instructions is essential.

Each quarter, your work on the extended essay will account for 25% of your TOK grade.

What can I do to increase my chances of getting good grades on my extended essay assignments?

It is essential that you listen to verbal instructions carefully and pay attention during the TOK class time devoted to extended essay. You must also read written instructions and guidelines carefully and follow them.

You must complete all assignments and turn everything in on time.

You must organize your entire research and writing process. This means you develop a system for taking and saving your notes. You keep track of your sources and keep photocopies of them whenever possible. You save every handout we give you in a special folder devoted exclusively to extended essay. We might give you something today which you will need three months or six months from now. Do not lose what we give to you. Do not be careless or sloppy about your sources and notes. You will need to keep accurate records of everything in order to complete footnotes and a bibliography accurately. Failure to be meticulous about your notes, sources, and records will create serious problems for you down the road, including lower grades and possibly even accusations of plagiarism.