Please note that there will be a new Extended Essay curriculum in effect from August 2025. This will not be made available to us, by the IB, until the end of February 2025. Therefore, some of the content below will not be accurate, and will be updated once we have knowledge of the new syllabus.
What is the Extended Essay (EE)?
IB Diploma Programme candidates are required to undertake individual and original research in order to write an Extended Essay of 4000 words. This part of the programme gives each student the opportunity to undertake research on a topic which specifically interests him/her and, in the process, become acquainted with the kind of independent research and sustained academic writing expected at university level.
Each student chooses his/her own topic from within one of the available DP subjects; students are not limited to the six subjects they have already chosen. Each student is also appointed his/her own supervisor, normally a subject specialist, who is responsible for providing general guidance on time management and the overall structure and presentation of the essay.
At CIS the Extended Essay is started in Grade 11, late in the first semester, and each student (and his/her supervisor) is provided with a series of deadlines from then until the end of January in Grade 12, when the essay will be finished. The aim of these deadlines is to assist the student in managing his/her time, and to give the supervisor a chance to be of real help, giving advice at all stages of the development of the essay, in accordance with IB guidelines.
It is generally expected that a student will have undertaken considerable research before the summer vacation, and produced a rough outline, so that the supervisor can give some specific guidelines which will allow the student to work seriously and effectively during the long break. A full draft of the essay is usually expected at the end of October of Grade 12, and the complete essay should be submitted by the specified deadline in January, usually towards the end of the month. Once the supervisor has read the final version, he/she will conduct a short interview, or viva voce, with the student, before completing the supervisor’s report for the IB.
How will I be assessed in the Extended Essay?
Essays (from 2027) are marked on a scale from 0 to 30, using five criteria. These are concerned with how candidates manage general aspects of the Extended Essay, such as Knowledge and Understanding, Analysis, Evaluation and Reflection. The total score obtained on the scale 0 – 30 will be used to determine in which of the following bands the Extended Essay is placed.
A: work of an excellent standard
B: work of a good standard
C: Work of a satisfactory standard
D: work of a mediocre standard
E: Work of an elementary standard
Unlike the other diploma subjects, but like TOK, the Extended Essay is graded according to levels A to E. These grades are taken together with those of TOK to determine the total ‘extra points’ awarded (see table).
