The Extended Essay Guidebook

https://www.google.com/search?q=peanuts+comic+strip+english+essay&client=firefox

In this guidebook you will find answers to the following questions:

What is the extended essay?
What subjects can I choose from?
How will my extended essay be marked?
What do I need to do to get started?
What will my supervisor do?
What are the stages I need to go through?
How should I go about my research?
What are citations and references?
What should my essay look like?
What are reflections and why are they important?
What do I do if I have a problem?
What does the timeline look like?
What is the extended essay?

The EE is an in-depth independent study on a focused topic from an IB subject, through which you
are expected to develop research, thinking, self-management and communication skills.

Your study should be presented as a formal piece of sustained academic writing of no more than
4,000 words. This should be accompanied by a reflection form of no more than 500 words, the
‘Reflection on Planning and Progress Form’ (RPPF), showing what you have learned through the
research and writing process

The EE is seen as an excellent introduction to the type of work you will be undertaking in university.
It is valued very highly by admissions tutors as it shows you can undertake independent study!

What subjects can I choose from?

The following subjects are available. You are highly recommended to choose one of your HL subjects

Group Subjects Possible topics

Group 1: English language, Studies of literary works or studies of language, such as: A
Studies In English literaturecomparison of how vampires are portrayed in Night
Language and Watch by Sergey Lukyanenko and Twilight by Stephanie
Literature Meyer
Group 2: Chinese, Spanish, Studies of the language, culture and society, or literary
Language German, French, texts studied, such as: What does rap music tell us about
Acquisition Japanese, Korean contemporary German culture? An analysis of the rap
lyrics of Bushido and Sookee
Group 3: History, Studies of human experience and behavior, or physical,
Individuals and Geography, economic and social environments, or the history and
Societies Philosophy, development of social and cultural institutions, such as: To
Psychology, what extent can Lenin’s rise to power in 1917 be
Economics, attributed to foreign intervention; An examination of
Business, whether personality affects relative levels of stress in the
ITGS medical profession
Group 4: Chemistry, Studies of one subject specific area: biology - dealing with
The Sciences Biology, Physics, living organisms and life processes; chemistry - dealing
Design with the composition, characterization and transformation
Technology, of substances; etc. Topics should deal with the collection
Sports Science, of data, primary or secondary, and could be experimental
Computer Science, work, practical modelling, surveying, case study findings,
ESS etc, such as: How the maximum depth of depression in
water during impact changes with the velocity of a ball?
Group 5: Mathematics An in-depth analysis of a question or problem that has a
Mathematics mathematical focus, such as: The proof of the law of
quadratic reciprocity; Do musical scales follow a
mathematical geometric progression
Group 6: Theatre, Music, Analyzing, testing and validating research and considering
The Arts Film, Visual Arts its effect on the practice of the investigated area of the
arts, such as: The role of folk music in Bartók’s Concerto
for Orchestra
Interdisciplinar World Studies Focus on an issue of contemporary local and global
y Essays significance, exploring this through the lenses of two
subjects, such as: To what extent has the growth in
automation impacted the Japanese car industry? (Design
and Business Management)
How will my extended essay be marked?

The emphasis on the assessment of your essay is on the way you have gone about your research and
the clarity with which you have communicated your findings.

The essay is assessed according to the following 5 criteria:

You will then be awarded a grade, according to the grade descriptors at the end of this booklet

What do I need to do to get started?

Create your own ‘researchers reflection space’ (RRS) to

record and track your ideas, then choose two possible
subjects and read the EE guidelines on these subjects in the
IBO guide so you are clear on what could be suitable topics,
and research questions, for each subject.

Good research questions are focused, yet give you an

opportunity to meet the five criteria above. They need to
be limited in scope so your line of inquiry is achievable,
whilst also providing the opportunity to collect or generate
information and/or data for analysis and evaluation.

Read some past ‘A’ grade extended essays from these

subjects, then do some initial reading on one potential
topic for each of the two subjects you have chosen. Your
final choice of topic should be an area that interest you, as you are expected to spend 40 hours on
your essay!

Record your initial research by answering the following questions, for each subject, in your RRS:

What does a good extended essay look like in this subject? Summarise three qualities.

What are three examples of topics and research questions?

For one potential topic, what might be a suitable method of investigation, or gathering of
data/research? Summarise some data/research that might be relevant to this topic and suggest how
might this data be analysed and evaluated.

What questions could I ask at the subject showcase, in order to find out more about how to construct
an extended essay in this subject?
Subject Showcase Findings

Subject Subject

Possible topics Possible topics

Suitable research/data Suitable research/data

Past RQs Past RQs

Why I would want to do an EE in this subject Why I would want to do an EE in this subject

Potential difficulties and how I could overcome Potential difficulties and how I could overcome
them them

Once you have made notes on these potential areas, you will need to write two proposals for
suitable subjects and topics for your EE, in your RRS. These proposals should be seen as equal
possibilities, rather than a first and second choice. The following are areas you should be covering in
each of these proposals, once you have chosen a subject:

 Why you want to do an EE in this subject

 What topic you would want to do your EE in and why this topic is worthy of investigation
 What initial research or data gathering have you done on this topic
 How you intend to go about gathering further research and data
 What problems you might encounter and how you will overcome these
 What your argument will/might be for your essay

Your proposals need to be copied into a word document and submitted through the link on the EE
course page on Lionel, by Friday 10th February 3.20pm. You will then be allocated one of these
subjects and a supervisor, and notified by email.
What will my supervisor do?

You will be supervised by a suitably qualified member of staff whose responsibilities will be:

 To encourage, support and advise you through the research

and writing of your essay
 To conduct three mandatory reflection sessions, signing off
on these on the RPPF
o a first reflection to help formulate your RQ
o an interim reflection to discuss your plan
o a final reflection for your viva voce
 To ensure that both your research and your essay is your
own work
 To read and comment on one draft of the extended essay
 To read the final version and, in conjunction with the viva
voce, confirm its authenticity.
 To complete the ‘supervisor comments’ on the RPPF and
oversee the final uploading

What are the stages I need to go through, once I have been allocated a supervisor?

To support you through the process of researching and writing your essay, there are six check-ins
with your supervisor. For each check-in, you will need to upload some evidence of your progress
from your RRS, which you can then discuss with your supervisor. Each check-in will involve a meeting
before your supervisor can sign you off. In Lionel this will look like this, with six check-ins:
The six check-ins are outlined in the chart below, which you should also use to note down any action
you need to take:

Check-in Deadline Evidence I need to upload Follow up action I need to

take
First reflection Friday 24th Attach details of initial reading
March on possible topic areas and
research questions. After this
meeting you should complete
your RPPF.
Research Friday 28th Attach 3 -4 pages of your
progress April research notes.

Interim Friday 16th Attach a detailed structure,

reflection June with research organised, and
introduction written in full.
After this meeting you should
complete your RPPF.
Draft Monday 28th Attach your full draft essay,
submission August including your bibliography,
and also your ‘turnitin’
similarity report

Final Monday 9th Attach your finalised essay.

submission October After this meeting you should
(Viva Voce) complete your RPPF.

Final upload Friday 24th Make sure your RPPF is

November completed before this meeting
How should I go about my research?
What are citations and referencing?

Citations and referencing are important

as when you gather your research you
will be using a variety of journals, books,
tables, graphs, photos, images and other
online sources. When you use the works,
ideas, or creations of someone else, you
must acknowledge the source using a
standard referencing style consistently.

A citation is a shortened reference to a

source within the body of the EE,
providing enough information for your
supervisor to locate the source, such as:
Romantic poetry is characterized by the
“spontaneous overflow of powerful
feelings” (Wordsworth, 1798, p263)

Referencing is a systematic way of

recording where data and information
have been obtained, with your sources
listed on a ‘references’ page at the end
of your work to enable your supervisor
to locate and verify your information. At
KGV, we use the APA system of
referencing. An example of how
references should look using this system,
whether in text or on a final ‘references’
page’, is below:

Media In-text citation ‘References’ page

Book (Passer & Smith, 2015) Passer, M.W., & Smith, R.E. (2015)
Psychology: The science of mind and
behavior (2nd ed.) North Ryde, NSW:
McGraw- Hill, Education.
Image (Van Gogh, 1888) Van Gogh, V. (1888) Van Gogh’s Chair
[Painting]. London: The National
Gallery.
On-line newspaper (BBC, 2016) BBC. (2016) Volkswagen plans 30,000
job cuts worldwide. Retrieved from
http://www.bbc.com/news/business-
38023933
 What should my essay look like?
Your EE should be typed on A4 in size 12 ‘Arial’ font, double spaced, and should be presented in the
following order:
 Title page
 Contents page
 Introduction
 Body
 Conclusion
 References and bibliography
 Appendices (not a formal requirement)
Title page
This should have your subject and essay
title (research question) clearly set out,
as well as your word count. The EE
must be anonymous, so do not include
your candidate name or number
anywhere in your EE, or the name of
the school or the centre number. You
may include your personal code.
Contents page
This provides an overview which is
helpful for examiners. You should
use page numbers corresponding
to the pages in the essay.
Introduction
This should be short and structured
and should contain the following:
 A clear statement of your
research question
 An explanation the
significance of your topic
 The methods used in the
research and writing of
your essay
Conclusion
The purpose of a conclusion is to summarize and synthesize
your responses to the research question. Try to make sure
you do the following:
 Synthesize the arguments presented in the body of
your essay
 Present a well-thought out evaluation of your
research question, based on the research gathered
and discussions in the essay
 Include any limitation and any unresolved
questions
Body
This is where you develop your argument, using the
results of your research, exploration and gathering of
data. Your supervisor will help you to structure the main
body of your essay, but make sure you remember the
following criteria the examiner will use to assess your
essay:
 Focus and method – an appropriate range of
sources and/or methods have been applied to
the topic and research question
 Knowledge and understanding – understanding
is clear and coherent, and use of subject-specific
terminology and concepts is accurate and
consistent
 Critical thinking – your research should be
analysed critically in terms of its relevance and
validity, and you should have developed a
focused, reasoned argument in the light of this.
What are reflections and why are they important?

Reflection requires us to consider what has happened in order

to move forward. One of the key attributes of an IB learner is
to be reflective, considering your ideas and experiences, in
order to further your own learning and development.

Reflection is a compulsory part of the Extended Essay and is

formally assessed, under criterion E. Initially you should record
thoughts in your ‘Researchers’ Reflection Space’ (RRS),
although after each reflection meeting with your supervisor
you will need to write some comments in a ‘Reflections on
Planning and Progress Form’ (RPPF), which will be sent to the
IBO together with your essay.

Researcher’s Reflection Space

 A space for recording your initial thoughts on writing your EE

 Could be used record your planning, research findings, decision-making process, setbacks
and challenges, areas and actions for improvements
 Could take the form of a diary, a research log, or mind-maps for your thought processes
 Should inform your conversations with your supervisor and your formal reflection meetings

Reflections on Planning and Progress Form

 This is the IBO form for your reflective comments after each of the three formal meetings
with your supervisor. There is a maximum of 500 words for all three reflections, and they
must be written in your own words and relate to your own learning journey. You should
write your comments as soon as possible after each meeting, after which you will not be
allowed to go back and change or update your comments – the examiner wants to know
what you were thinking at that particular moment.
 Initial reflection session – this is to discuss your initial ideas, research or data gathering
method, and possible research question, so you should upload in advance some notes from
your RRS on possible topics, background to these topics, and possible research questions.
Here is an example of reflections after the initial meeting, for a Computer Science EE:

 Interim reflection session – this is to discuss your research notes and how will structure this
for the write up of your essay, so you should upload in advance a detailed structure of your
notes for your essay, including your introduction written out in full
 Final reflection session – this is your ‘viva voce’ and will discuss the final version of your
essay and encourage you to reflect on what you have learned through the whole EE process,
so you will need to have uploaded your final essay, and ‘turnitin’ originality report
What do I do if I have a problem?

The extended essay is 40 hours in duration, so you will need to

pace yourself and take control of your time. You might encounter
one or more of the following on your journey:

 I cannot find any material on this topic

 I cannot book a laboratory
 I cannot find a time to meet my supervisor
 I want to change my topic, or subject
 There are too many other deadlines
 I want a new supervisor!

The worst thing you can do when faced with any of

these problems is to do nothing, or procrastinate, as
this could drag you into the demotivation cycle which
is hard to get out of.
Use your RRS to create a plan, in which you break
down a large problem into smaller, specific, realistic,
solution-focused things you can do.

A reflection-based response to problems:

Stage 1

This is when you have encountered a problem with the process of your EE and you have been able to
identify what this is and create a series of steps you can take. You have contacted your supervisor,
discussed the nature of the problem and possible steps and solutions.

Stage 2

This is when, after a conversation with your supervisor, you have still found it difficult to find a
solution. Perhaps you have missed a deadline for uploading evidence for one of the ‘check-ins’, or
perhaps you feel strongly that change in subject or even supervisor is the best solution. Your head of
subject area will, with your supervisor, be involved in helping you work towards a solution.

Stage 3

This is when you are still encountering problems completing your EE journey, after having discussed
these with your supervisor and head of subject. Perhaps you missed more than one deadline, or are
at risk of not completing other areas of your Diploma too. You might have plagiarized some of your
EE because you found it difficult to overcome problems. For this level of concern, the EE coordinator
will be involved in helping you work towards a solution, together with your head of house.
Overview of EE timeline

Monday 30th January Wednesday 8th February

EE launch, followed by initial Subject showcase, followed by
research writing proposals

wk beg.27th February Friday 10th February

Allocation of subjects and supervisors, Deadline for subject proposals
followed by specific research

Friday 24th March Friday 28th April

Deadline for first check-in, followed by Deadline for research check-in and
further research discussion of next steps

July/August Friday 16th June

Write up of draft essay Deadline for structure and
introduction, for third check-in

Monday 28th August Monday 9th October

Submission of draft essay, for Submission of final essay, for
fourth check-in viva voce

Friday 24th November

Submission of completed RPPF, ready

for final check-in and upload
Grade descriptors and IB Core matrix