Extended essay

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The extended essay (EE) is a mandatory core component of the IB Diploma Programme. It is a research paper of up to 4,000 words giving students an opportunity to conduct independent research or investigation on a topic that interests them.^[1] Like the theory of knowledge (TOK) essay, TOK presentation and 150 hours creativity, action, service although from 2008 the counting of these exact hours has been dissmissed, submitting an extended essay is a prerequisite for award of the Diploma.

Recommended subjects

Although the extended essay may be written on a topic of the student's choice, it is recommended that it not be taken from the field of any one of the IB subjects that one is studying (e.g. while one can write about a book that has been studied as part of IB English, it must show extra research and depth). This restriction in subject choice is to encourage individual research and learning, and encourages the student to take an interest in subjects other than those studied. However, the topic must not be too broad or too narrow that it is difficult to write 4000 words, and the general subject must be taught under the IB diploma somewhere by one of the members of staff at the college (so that there is someone with expertise able to help). The subject (not topic) on which the Extended Essay is written is recommended to be one that the candidate has formally studied, but this is not required. Also, the EE may not be written across different subjects – it must concentrate on one subject only. However, some subjects include several disciplines, with an emphasis towards one. An example is the subject Environmental Systems and Societies, which can include chemistry, biology, psychology, etc. generally with an emphasis towards one discipline.

Supervision

The supervisor provides the student with assistance in putting together their EE, including guiding them in finding a suitable research question and on how to acquire the necessary resources to complete the research (such as a specific resource material–often hard-to-find documents or books–or laboratory equipment). The supervisor may suggest improvements to a version of the EE, but must not be engaged in writing it. The IBO recommends that the supervisor spend approximately two to three hours in total with the candidate discussing the EE. Some schools allow their students to choose a supervisor from outside their school, provided that the student appoint a teacher from inside the school to handle required administrative paperwork (such as anti-plagiarism policies).

Assessment

Points available from extended essay and TOK grades

Extended essays are marked by external assessors (examiners appointed by the IB) on a scale of 0 to 36. There are "general" and "subject-specific" criteria, at a ratio of 2:1 (24 possible marks for the general criteria and 12 marks for the subject-specific one). The total mark is converted into a grade from A to E. A similar system is used for theory of knowledge and students can gain up to 3 points for the diploma based on the grades achieved for EE and TOK. 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. However, if a student scores an E on either the extended essay or tok essay he or she must earn 28+ total points in his or her final IB grade to receive a diploma.

The score, of a possible 36 points in the Extended Essay and of a possible 60 in the Theory of Knowledge Essay, is converted into an achievement level of A (Excellent), B (Good), C (Satisfactory), D (Mediocre), or E (Elementary) based on the following conversion scale.

References

This article includes a list of references, related reading or external links, but its sources remain unclear because it lacks inline citations. Please improve this article by introducing more precise citations where appropriate. (February 2009)

Further information

This section requires expansion.