Brief Overview of EE
The Extended Essay is a key aspect of your IB Diploma Programme -- it's part of the core of IB, along with CAS and ToK. As such, it's been carefully designed to help you learn and grow as a scholar and a person, and is part of what makes IB so unique (and helpful in the long run)!
The EE is a 4,000 word (max) research-based essay on a topic of your choosing, but it's not simply a research report -- it's an exploratory, argument-based essay that proposes a Research Question and then attempts to answer it in a convincing way, using research and analysis.
WHY WHY WHY must I write an EE?!
For several reasons: to help you practice and improve your research, writing, revising, and other academic skills; to encourage you also to learn about your own styles and habits as a student, writer, and person; and to put into practice all those Approaches to Learning and IB Learner Profile things you've been hearing about -- your communication, self-management, social, and thinking skills, plus traits like being balanced, reflective, principled, risk-taking, knowledgeable, and all that other great stuff that equips you to be a caring, internationally-minded citizen, committed to creating a better, more peaceful world.
And YES, something like the Extended Essay can actually help you do that!
But does it REALLY matter? I've heard your EE doesn't really affect your IB Diploma...
Years ago, the EE didn't factor into the diploma as much, but that is no longer true. The EE can "make or break" your IB overall score. It can help boost your scores but it can also keep you from getting your diploma! Don't pass the EE? You won't get your diploma. Struggle with a few of your IB exams? A good EE can often help compensate. So yeah, it DOES matter -- quite a bit!
Keep in mind:
IB cares about your growth as a person and scholar. The EE is a PROCESS -- it won't always be easy (if it were, how would you learn and grow?). It will challenge you; it will make you think -- and rethink. But remember that IB cares about the PROCESS (and your reflections during it) as well as the finished product. You don't have to know anything about -- or consider yourself capable of -- writing a 4,000 word research essay right from the start. Your Supervisor and your IB administrative staff are here to guide and support you. Don't be afraid to ask for help, but remember, too, that this process is supposed to be one YOU take ownership of and responsibility for, all the way through. This is your EE.