One of the most important parts of the International Baccalaureate is writing the 4,000 word paper that almost everyone avoids talking about: the Extended Essay. While the process can be stressful at times, the extended essay is nothing to fret over. With time and patience – and several meetings with your supervisor – all the areas of analysis and secondary sources will fly by. Interestingly, what seems to be one of the most stressful parts for many is finding the right topic. Sophomores aren't considering how this essay is necessary in order to receive the IB diploma when they are asked to find a topic to write about. Thus, it is important that they take every step – as small as they may seem – with careful attention.
Each possible topic is explained in great detail on the IB website. Reading through the entire rubric may not be the most appealing approach to most students who usually all have the same question: “What is the easiest topic to write my extended essay on?”. To all the sophomores who will eventually need to pick their topics, I say,
it depends. One of the beauties of the extended essay is that it can be written on anything. For example, I was heavily influenced by my AP Art History class my sophomore year. When it was time for me to pick my extended essay topic, I was considering writing about the avant-garde techniques used in the transition from romanticism to realism in art. I did not truly realize that this would be an essay I would be working on even after completing APAH as a course. I decided my category for my EE would be a rhetorical analysis essay (Literature, Category 3). Literary analysis is something that IB students will forever do, so why not put this practice to use? The “easiest” EE topic is different for each person and typically depends on what they find to be the most straightforward topic. While having a topic that interests you helps, it is also important to find the topic that works the best for you and your writing.
Whether choosing to make your essay topic on math, science, history, or the elective that interests you the most, choose wisely. Your topic must be specific. As my AP Language teacher from sophomore year would say, “your essay needs to prove something”. Remember that your resources are limited and that organization is key!