Formatting and Formal Presentation

Formal Presentation of the Extended Essay

Formal Presentation may seem a rather insignificant part of your essay, but it actually counts for a lot – you can receive a maximum of 4 points in the Criterion. Given that the Essay can receive a maximum of 34 points, your Formal Presentation could help you pass, or push you into a higher grade bracket. When combined with Criterion E: Engagement (which is worth 6 points), this means that there are 10 total points over which you have immense control.

Here’s the rubric for Criterion D: Presentation:

REQUIRED FORMATTING:

• You must format your essay in a “size 12 readable font” (Arial, Times New Roman, or similar)
• The paper must be double-spaced.
• Page Numbers
• Your name and school should not appear within the essay.

ORDER OF YOUR ESSAY:

TITLE PAGE:

• Should include:
  • Title
  • Research Question (this must be formatted as a question)
  • Subject
    • If World Studies, note the theme and subjects
    • If Language A or B, note the category
• Word Count
• Center this information on the center of the page.

TABLE OF CONTENTS:

• You don’t need to list the Title Page or Table of Contents itself within the Table of Contents, but you should list:
  • Introduction
  • Body of Essay
  • Conclusion
  • Works Cited
  • Any supplementary material (such as acknowledgments, charts, or an appendix)

INTRODUCTION

• The introduction helps your readers to follow your argument. You should also ensure that your topic and research question are stated somewhere within the introduction. Note this information: Criterion A: “assesses the explanation of the focus of the research (this includes the topic and the research question), how the research will be undertaken, and how the focus is maintained throughout the essay.” While you may think it sounds rote, the IB wants the following information: “The topic [to be] communicated accurately and effectively,” and “The research question [to be] clearly stated.” The introduction is where to do this.

BODY OF ESSAY

• Most of you will break the body of your essay into sections. This is helpful in terms of formal presentation. If you do this, make sure to give each section an appropriate title, place it in bold, and reflect this in the Table of Contents.

CONCLUSION (See introduction. You want to make sure the examiner can immediately identify where the conclusion is.)

REFERENCES AND BIBLIOGRAPHY

• It’s VERY important to get citations right. If you need help with citations, the Purdue OWL web site is fantastic: https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/1/. Use the menu on the left to locate citation examples for specific types of resources.
• Ensure your Works Cited page is formatted nicely; don’t just copy and paste citations from EasyBib or similar sites; they will look messy. Apply the same formatting standards (Times New Roman, 12 point font, double space) to the Works Cited page.

NOTES ON WORD COUNT

The maximum word count for the Extended Essay is 4,000 words. Graders are instructed not to read past this length. Because the EE is electronically uploaded, they will be able to identify your word count.

INCLUDED IN WORD COUNT

• Introduction
• Body
• Conclusion
• Quotes

NOT INCLUDED IN WORD COUNT

• Table of Contents
• Language in/captions for tables, diagrams, charts, maps and illustrations
• Equations
• Citations and references
• Bibliography
• RPPF Form