An extended essay (EE) in the sciences gives students an opportunity to apply a range of skills while researching a topic of personal interest in the field.
Students working on a science EE must demonstrate an in-depth analysis of the subject matter studied, be it biology, chemistry, computer science, design technology, physics or sports, exercise and health science. This understanding must be shown in the form of a research paper involving a well-formulated research question.
Students should be advised that while there is overlap between the subjects, their study should reflect one specific science area. For example:
biology—dealing with living organisms and life processes
chemistry—dealing with the composition, characterization and transformation of substances
computer science—exploring advances in hardware and software development, network systems and computer control systems.
The nature of the topic under investigation should be different for each subject area and students should be careful if they undertake essays that may blur the boundaries between two science subjects.
For example, when studying the pH of a body of water, students may investigate the chemicals responsible for the observed pH (chemistry), or the effect of the pH on the biota (biology).
A critical stage in preparing for the EE is the formulation of a logical and coherent rationale for selecting a particular topic. Students need to identify a topic that offers enough scope for the essay. They also require a research question that allows them to either generate data or examine existing data in order to support or refute their argument.
The outcome of the research should be a coherent and structured piece of writing that effectively addresses the research question and arrives at a particular objective conclusion based on the evidence presented.
In addition, students are expected to think critically about their methodology, especially when the data may not support their initial thoughts. Students should consider a range of factors that may have contributed to this.
For more specific information, visit the Group 4 pages and linked documents on the IBO website.
Group 4 Categories
Group 4 is broken into a variety of subject-specific categories. The requirements and marking varies between them. Below you will find links to the Group 4 pages on the IBO website. For each page, there are several sub-pages as well as linked documents.
Sport, Exercise and Health Science (only to be considered in conjunction with a world studies EE)
**Remember ESS is considered an interdisciplinary EE and it has a separate webpage.**