How to do IB's Extended Essay, by an EE examiner

An introduction to IB's Extended Essay, from an IB examiner. This will explain how to choose a good topic, how to write a research question and what support you will get when researching your EE.

[@Lily-d4g1g]

THANK YOU!! I will be writing my EE soon and it really helps me to get an overview

[@MarkBeales]

Thanks very much - good luck with your EE!

[@Lily-d4g1g]

thank you!! @@MarkBeales

[@sohailkhan-tg6up]

Super cool explaining skill. I am very experienced in PP new to EE and after watching this video it feels so relaxing. Thank you Mark and I have marked your words 😅😅👍👍👍

[@MarkBeales]

You're very welcome!

[@Sandertie1]

Wonderful, thank you!

[@qstnaayuni]

Hello Mark, I am wondering if my research question for my extended essay in business management good and specific enough? How effective has the acquisition between Tesco and Lotus been a growth strategy for the CP group company?

[@MarkBeales]

Hi qistina ayuni, yes I think that's a decent question (you may want to add a specific country, if it's Lotus I assume it's Malaysia or Thailand?) My only concern would be if there is enough data to make a judgement on this as, I think, this was quite a recent acquisition? First thing I would do is see how much research and detail is available about this move, as it needs to be more than you speculating if it's a good strategy. If there is enough, you could certainly show some BM theory to analyse how effective this has been. Good luck!

[@worldwideranks]

Hello Mark, is there any good websites or resources where I can find good examples of recent past Extended Essays on the different subjects and how they were graded?

[@MarkBeales]

There are a few compilations of EEs around. Your teacher will have access to the MyIB site; this has sample EEs for each subject that they can share with you for free. These are graded and include examiner comments so are especially useful.

[@AngelinaAlonso-u6h]

Hi so like for managebac is the IB official EE due if says Final Draft/ Final EE in Managebac by our teachers or will we get to work on it further near the end of the year ?

[@MarkBeales]

@@AngelinaAlonso-u6h Hi Angelina, usually when you submit the final draft, that’s the one that will be submitted and you can’t make any more changes. You can get feedback on your draft from your supervisor.

[@AngelinaAlonso-u6h]

Ok thank you very much for that info. !

[@fernandofernandezdebobadil7788]

Thank you ofr this video! I have one question, do subtitles (or titles of sections) count for the word count?

[@MarkBeales]

Good question Fernando. The 4,000 words includes the introduction, the body, the conclusion and any quotations. It does not include: • acknowledgments • the contents page • maps, charts, diagrams, annotated illustrations and tables • equations, formulas and calculations • citations/references (whether parenthetical or numbered) • footnotes or endnotes • the bibliography • appendices The short answer is, I would say the titles of each section are a part of the body, so they would be included.

[@fernandofernandezdebobadil7788]

@@MarkBeales I see thanks a lot!

[@3dmatt16]

Does my EE have to obligatory be related to one of the six subjects i take in my diploma course? For example: If I take spanish, english, math, physics, chemistry, and economics, can I do my EE on psychology for instance or does it have to be around one of those six subjects I am taking? Thanks.

[@MarkBeales]

Hi 3dmatt16, the EE guide says the essay: 'is normally one of the student’s six chosen subjects for those taking the IB diploma, or a subject that a course student has a background in.' You could therefore do your EE in Psychology eve if you don't take it. However, you would need to have a strong understanding of the subject, and would also need to be sure your school can provide you with a supervisor who knows the Psychology course well.

[@bryanwashington3249]

「もっと多くの人が必要なので、このビデオをもっと

[@taehyungishot3215]

hello im a new ib student I started yesterday im thinking of doing business do people normally score well on those, and what advice do you give

[@MarkBeales]

Hi, doing Business for the EE is a popular choice. My advice would be pick a specific company and issue and make sure it's something you can research (ie if you won't be able to get hold of data that may limit how much you can discuss things). Group 3 subjects in general are the most-popular area for EEs. Good luck!

[@FlynnMegaTensei]

Hello Mark, I am a new student to IB and am already thinking of starting my Extended Essay already and I'd like to write about English but the teachers in my school discourage it since it's supposedly very difficult to get a good grade even when your essay itself is good (lol) and it's very intimidating but I'm really passionate about it, what do I do?

[@MarkBeales]

Hi, I would certainly encourage you to go for a subject and topic you're interested in. That's often one of the best ways to get a good grade. IB statistics show that Language A EEs actually score really well - nearly half receive an A or B, so I'm not sure what your teachers are basing their opinion on (source: www.ibo.org/globalassets/new-structure/about-the-ib/pdfs/provisional-statistical-bulletin-may-2022.pdf) My advice would be to go for something you have a genuine interest in - a well-written, well-researched essay will always score well!

[@qami0014]

should my EE have anything to do with what I want to major in?

[@MarkBeales]

Hi there, it's a good idea to write your EE about a subject you enjoy, and there's a good chance you may major in that. It would certainly be something to add to your university application if your EE is similar to your major, but there's absolutely no requirement to do this. My advice would be firstly to write about something you have a genuine interest in. If it happens to be your major too, that's a bonus. Good luck!

[@mintz1462]

Thank you for this explanation. I just have some slight questions. Does the EE require any abstract section on the paper that describes why you chose to write the topic or is it highly suggested to not include that? and does it matter how popular or used your subject and/or topic is for research?

[@MarkBeales]

Hi mintz, good question. There's no need for an abstract (years ago students did have to write one, but IB got rid of that. If you see old EE samples they may still have it). And, no it shouldn't matter if your subject/topic are popular or not; your examiner will mark the EE based on the mark scheme. Obviously they see a lot of EEs about 1984 but, if it's written well, it will still score highly.

[@muhammadfiras9749]

Thank you for the great explaination sir! do you think my rq is okay or i need to refine it sir? “To what extent does the AI in photoshop affect the job ethics for professional photographers”

[@MarkBeales]

Hi Muhammad, It's certainly an interesting question. It depends which subject you are using for your EE. You would need to think about how you can research this (are there academic papers about photographers' ethics or can you interview some photographers?)

[@muhammadfiras9749]

@@MarkBeales its under digital society subject sir, im actually a freelance sports photographer so i am planning to create a survey or have an interview with my connections, but is this one source enough for the extended essay or i’ll still need to find and use academic papers?

[@MarkBeales]

@@muhammadfiras9749 I would say a single survey wouldn't be enough for an EE. To be sure about your answer, you would want to test your survey results against other, larger surveys or the views of other photographers. It's a subjective question, of course, so you would need to also discuss how you can't come up with a definitive answer to this.

[@SangaPashtunyar]

Hello, I was wondering if this research question for my Extended Essay is good and specific: "To what extent did the Taliban's control over Afghanistan harm the women living there? My subject area is History

[@MarkBeales]

Hi, the subject itself (the Taliban in Afghanistan) is fine, I would just change the question a little. At the moment there's a bias as it suggests they have harmed women (even if this seems obvious, your job is to research and prove this rather than assume it's true). I would also add a timeframe so you only research a specific period. At the moment your question's in the past tense, which suggests you're not looking at the current government. I think in general you should look at 'why is this worth researching?' as the answer seems likely to be 'a lot'. It may be better to look at the factors behind the Taliban's decisions about women's rights and explore these. Talk with your supervisor too as they will know the History EE guide well. And good luck with your EE.

[@SangaPashtunyar]

@@MarkBeales What about this: To what extent did Taliban's restrictions on Afghan women's education, employment, and mobility opportunities during the ruling of Afghanistan from 1996-2001 impact the mental health and well being of women?

[@SangaPashtunyar]

Also, for the extended essay, do we have to use first person point of view or third person point of view?

[@MarkBeales]

@@SangaPashtunyar I think that's starting to take shape a lot more.

[@MarkBeales]

@@SangaPashtunyar The EE guide doesn't give advice on this, but in general I usually feel the third person voice gives the essay more weight. Having said that, if you're giving a personal response or opinion, there's no problem using the first person voice there.