Overall Tips for Writing EE

Enjoying the holidays and getting the rest is what you deserve! Regardless, it would help if you were finishing a presentable first draft of the Extended Essay (EE) before starting your busy Year 13, and your future self will thank you for all your hard work!

Choosing a topic for EE

Mind maps can help organise your thoughts on EE as you can depict ideas visually. Get out a piece of paper and create a mind map of the IB subjects you take and your interested subtopics. Doing this will give you an idea of which subtopic of a subject you have more ideas for, making it easier to choose an EE subject. 

The next step in selecting the topic is identifying a research question. The question can try to fill a gap in understanding your chosen topic or offering a solution to some contentious arguments. Therefore, students should undertake some general reading before finalising the topic.

The Questions should be considered:

• Is that topic written before?

• What are the current views or perspectives on that topic?

• Is it easy to find references for information?

• Are there a range of different sources available?

• What new idea has started to emerge from this reading?

Outlining EE ideas

After choosing your topic, you must create an outline for your subsequent writing. It is difficult to start writing with a complete sentence. You can follow the below steps.

1. Try to write down words or short sentences that come to your mind. It may not be a complete sentence. 
2. Then you can group similar ideas and put them in order. 
3. Add content where needed, anytime.
4. Don’t forget to record the sources’ details when you read them. Otherwise, it is a pain to find them in the end.

Tips for writing EE

The outline was challenging, but writing is easy once you have a clear idea of what you want to write. To ensure you don’t stray away from the topic, you can print out the marking scheme and outline, then put it in front of you to reference while writing.

Overview of the assessment criteria for the extended essay

Extended Essays will not be scored numerically. The score a student receives relates to a markband. Therefore, students need to read the marking scheme and fulfil multiple indicators of the highest level to get a good result.

Criterion A: Focus and Method 

Criterion A focus on the topic, the research question and the methodology. In this criterion, you need to give a detailed account, including facts of the research topic and the research question, show the influential research and do not ramble about other topics.

Criterion B: Knowledge and Understanding

Criterion B is related to the context and subject-specific terminology and concepts. You should use terminology and concepts to demonstrate an understanding of the subject area and discipline used to explore the research question. 

Criterion C: Critical Thinking

Criterion C is about research, analysis, discussion and evaluation. Students should give a compelling point and logical reasoning. You can interpret the relationships between those research and your research question. Also, it would help if you could state how to use evidence to support your conclusion.

Criterion D: Presentation

Criterion D is about the extent of following the standard format, which needs to be professional and academic. These 4 out of 34 points are relatively easy to obtain, but you must be careful and mindful of following guidelines to maximise your marks. 

Criterion E: Engagement

Criterion E is required to finish the Reflections on Planning and Progress Form (RPPF) induced by 3 formal reflection sessions, and students need to finish those within 500 words.

The ideas for writing EE reflection 

1. The first reflection is about 100 words in length. You can mention your motivations for undertaking research, difficulties you faced after conducting Initial background reading and research, and how you solved them.

2. The second reflection is about 200 words in length. It will usually be completed before the first draft of EE. It will usually fall somewhere before the first draft is completed. Now, you can comment on any challenges you have faced, what solutions you have tried so far and what you need to do next. Show that you have spent the time to think and find related research by yourself, not only follow what your teacher is telling you to do.

1. The last reflection is also about 200 words in length. It would be written BEFORE the Viva Voce meeting. You can discuss any achievements of yours, such as the things you learned, the most surprising discovery, and the conclusions you drew about the topic.