Extended Essay Overview

What is the Extended Essay?

• The extended essay is a required component of the IB Diploma Program (DP). 

• The Extended Essay is intended to be an independent student research project. 

• It is an individual and independent experience balanced with support and structure from the adults at Roosevelt.  

• The essay is 4,000 words and is supposed to take students 40 hours to complete.

• Yes, 40 hours is a lot, but it is doable, and 4,000 words is about 16 pages.

What is the significance of the extended essay?

The extended essay provides:

• practical preparation for undergraduate research

• an opportunity for you to investigate a topic of personal interest, which relates to one of the your six DP subjects

Through the research process for the extended essay, you develop skills in:

• formulating an appropriate research question

• engaging in a personal exploration of the topic

• communicating ideas

• developing an argument.