What is the Extended Essay?
*It is possible, under certain circumstances, to combine two subjects and do a World Studies essay but we do not currently recommend this.
This guide is just to get your thinking started. At EE Seminar 1 (Friday November 27th, 2.15-3.45 in the Wilson Auditorium) you will be given an in-depth introduction to the Extended Essay, a handbook and access to our full online guide.
You need to come prepared with:
You are going to be spending nine months on your Extended Essay - it is very important to choose a topic that actually interests you, or it is going to be a very long nine months...
Good preparation is much more effective for finding inspiration than last minute panic!
CALVIN AND HOBBES © Watterson. Reprinted with permission of ANDREWS MCMEEL SYNDICATION. All rights reserved.
For your EE you have the freedom to focus on almost any topic and you will write your own question to answer. However, your topic must fit into a single DP subject unless you choose to write a World Studies EE that covers a topic “of contemporary global significance”, and is likely to encompass two subject areas. Given the academic challenge and level expected of an EE, you are strongly advised to choose a subject that you are currently studying, preferably at Higher Level.
Now have a look at the Subject Group Overviews, below, to see what an EE in that group might involve. It is worth comparing a couple of different subject groups.
"An extended essay (EE) in studies in language and literature gives students an opportunity to undertake independent research into a topic of special interest to them within the subject. It is intended to promote advanced research and writing skills, intellectual discovery and creativity. The essay is open to students who are writing in a language that they would be capable of offering as a language A. It must be written in the language for which it is registered. Students must not submit a group 1 EE in their group 2 language. Studies in language and literature EEs are divided into three categories:
Students and teachers must indicate at the point of upload which category of essay they are submitting."
From: IBO (2020) Extended Essay: Studies in language and literature
"An extended essay (EE) in language acquisition or classical languages gives students the opportunity to pursue their interest in language.
Students working on a language acquisition EE must demonstrate an in-depth understanding of the language, culture and society or literature studied. This understanding must be shown in the form of:
For those undertaking a classical Greek or Latin EE, the focus is on demonstrating an understanding of a relevant or significant aspect of the language, literature and civilization of ancient Greece or Rome."
From: IBO (2020) Extended Essay: Language acquisition including classical languages
Note that you may not do your EE in a language you are studying at ab initio level.
"An extended essay (EE) in individuals and societies is intended for students who are interested in undertaking research in an area of business management, economics, geography, global politics, history, ITGS, philosophy, psychology, social and cultural anthropology or world religions.
The individuals and societies EE is intended to encourage the systematic and critical study of:
Students’ choice of topic should enable them to recognize that the content and methodologies of the subjects are contestable and that their study requires critical thinking.
Students must have sufficient grounding in the subject under which they submit their essay: reading a textbook or consulting an encyclopedia while writing the EE will not compensate for a lack of proper background knowledge."
From: IBO (2020) Extended Essay: Individuals and societies
Note: The IB considers Environmental Systems and Societies EEs to be interdisciplinary, so materials for these can be found under the Interdisciplinary essays tab, above.
"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 wellformulated research question. Students should be advised that while there is overlap between the subjects, their study should reflect one specific science area. For example:
...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)."
From: IBO (2020) The Sciences: an introduction from Extended Essay: The sciences
Note: The IB considers Environmental Systems and Societies EEs to be interdisciplinary, so materials for these can be found under the Interdisciplinary essays tab, above.
"Students must demonstrate an in-depth analysis of a question or problem that has a mathematical focus. This investigation might be, for example:
Students should be advised on the importance of formulating logical and coherent reasons for selecting a particular topic for the EE, the need to identify a well-thought-out research question and the requirement to search for the mathematical problems that require a solution. Students must be advised that mathematical research is a long-term and open-ended exploration of a set of related mathematical problems that are based on personal observations. The answers to these problems connect to and build upon each other over time."
From: IBO (2020) Extended Essay: Mathematics
"An extended essay (EE) in the arts provides students with an opportunity to undertake an in-depth investigation into a topic of particular interest to them. Students working on an arts EE must demonstrate in-depth analysis of the subject matter studied, be it dance, film, music, theatre or visual arts. This understanding must be shown in the form of:
Each subject area poses its own unique set of challenges. Therefore, the approach to the topic of investigation should reflect the particular methodology most appropriate to the arts subject being studied. Students should have logical and coherent reasons for selecting a particular topic for their essay, a well-thought out research question and an approach that allows them to develop a reasoned argument.
...While there may be overlap between the subjects in the arts and common approaches, the research topic must clearly relate to one specific arts area. If a student chooses a research area that blurs the boundaries between two arts subjects, they must ensure that their essay’s emphasis clearly lies within the arts subject for which they are submitting it. Crucially, the topic selected should reflect each student’s particular interest and enthusiasm within that subject area."
From: IBO (2020) Extended Essay: The arts
"An interdisciplinary extended essay (EE) gives students an opportunity to undertake an in-depth and independent investigation into a topic of their choice that considers the relationship between subjects and allows for meaningful connections to be made in relation to their chosen area of research.
For example, in literature and performance, students focus on the nature of the relationships that occur between a chosen text and its adaptation for performance; in world studies an issue of contemporary global significance is explored through the lenses of two subjects; and in environmental systems and societies the interaction and integration of natural environmental systems and human societies are explored
Students undertaking one of these options must demonstrate a solid understanding of their area of research, taking a fully integrated approach. This examination must be shown in the form of:
The most critical stage in preparing for the EE is the formulation of a logical and coherent rationale for selecting a particular topic for the extended essay, a topic that offers enough scope to provide material for a substantial essay, and the development of ideas around the topic and research question that examine existing views and argue against them."
From: IBO (2020) Interdisciplinary essays: an introduction from Extended Essay: Interdisciplinary essays
We do not recommend undertaking an EE in World Studies. If you choose to do so anyway, make sure that you consider very carefully whether your topic would fit the requirements of a single subject discipline instead. It can be challenging to juggle the requirements of two different subjects while undertaking a piece of academic research like this for the first time, particularly if you do not currently study one or both of the subjects.
Note that the Treatment of the Topic section of the Subject Guide for World Studies says that:
"It is expected that students will have a good grounding in at least one of the Diploma Programme subjects used in the EE.
If they are unfamiliar with a discipline used, they must access its syllabus so that they can identify the concepts, terminology and modes of thinking required for their EE. (Many IB syllabuses contain lists of key concepts.)"
This means that whether or not you are currently studying either or both of the subject areas your World Studies EE is based in you will need to use DP Level concepts, terminology and modes of thinking appropriate to both subject areas.
Past essays
It can be really useful at this stage to look at essays from previous Oakham students, to see what kinds of topics they investigated and what their final essays looked like.
These may be looked at in the Library. Due to COVID restrictions we have moved them into the downstairs area by the wooden tree so that you can access them without leaving the F6 area.
Please remember:
You may take photographs of individual pages (such as the contents pages). You may not photograph or photocopy whole essays.
Go back to your brainstormed list of topics:
Before deciding on a topic you should do some preliminary research to see what information is out there. Make a few brief notes as you go.
Put your notes away, forget about what you have read for a few days, then see what you remember. This time and distance is important as it is likely that you will remember what is of most interest to you, and so the angle you should develop.
Before EE Seminar 1 you should aim to have three suggestions for topic areas you might like to explore for your EE.
You are likely to have used our databases in the past to search for information on specific topics, but many of them are also excellent when browsing for ideas. I have made some suggestions below. You will need to access them from the list on our Subscription Databases page (using the log in information given if you are not on the school network).
This video resource (with accompanying PDF e-books) is specifically designed for IB DP students. Featuring interviews with respected experts in a wide range of fields, it is a great place to start to spark ideas for your EE - and if your topic relates to one of the interviews, also a valuable starting point for your research. Choose 'Student EE/IA' from the top bar on the home page and explore.
The resource covers 21 DP subjects, with the only major exception being languages - only English is covered.
Oxford Very Short Introductions
An excellent series of ebooks providing a short, academic introduction to a wide range of topics. Choose 'Browse by subject' from the menu bar to explore them (or use the excellent search facility if you know which topic you are interested in).
An online encyclopaedia that you can trust and cite! Choose 'Advanced' then 'Explore: Articles' to browse Britannica in a range of different subject areas.
Philip Allan Reviews Magazine Archive
Although aimed at A-level students, browsing these magazines may be a good way to identify a broad topic of interest. You can either choose a title and then an issue (choose fairly recent issues to browse) or use the search facility - but be warned that the search facility is very poor and keep your searches simple.
Gale in context: Opposing viewpoints is good for looking at both sides of a debate. It contains text and video resources from newspapers, magazines, academic journals and websites, and is easy to browse by topic.
Other, subject-specific resources
Normal term-time Library opening hours:
Mon-Fri: 08:30-21:15
Sat: 08:00-16:00
Sun: 14:00-18:00 (Summer Term only)