extended essay literature categories

Extended Essay: Language and Literature

• Step 1 - Choosing a Subject
• Step 2 - Choosing a Topic
• Step 3 - Draft a Research Question
• Step 4 - Finding Sources
• Step 5 - Evaluating Information
• Step 6 - Bibliography & Citation
• Step 7 - Organizing Information
• The Arts: Visual Arts
• Individuals & Societies: Business Management
• Individuals & Societies: History
• Individuals & Societies: Psychology
• Language Acquisition

Language and Literature

• Sciences: Biology
• Sciences: Sports, Exercise, and Health Sciences
• Interdisciplinary Papers: World Studies
• Assessment Criteria
• Research Questions
• Investigation

Extended Essays in Language and Literature

Choosing a topic.

• Categories 1 & 2

Categories 1 & 2

***Category 2 essays are the same as category 1, but they analyze works not written in English***

Language and Literature papers in categories 1 and 2 are focused on one or more literary works and can focus on original literary analysis, a particular literary topic, and/or established literary criticism.  

NB: When investigating a film in category 2, the film must be analyzed for its literary value, not filmic. Filmic analysis is allowed in category 3.

Category 3 papers also analyze works, however they are not restricted to literary works! Topics in Category 3 emphasize the production and reception of texts in social, historical and/or cultural contexts. Essays that simply offer a general overview of a topic are not appropriate.

Approaches to Research

Categories 1 and 2

**Category 2 essays are the same as category 1, but analyze works not written in English**

Primary research in Language and Literature may require close reading of one or more texts. Secondary research may also be necessary for information like historical context, biographical information,  and established literary criticism. Students should consider things like the effect of the work, the devices it uses, or the way it is written.

Students should give a focused analysis of the texts being considered. The approach should be balanced, coherently argued, use relevant examples to illustrated the point.

Examples of language in a cultural context

Examples of language and mass communication

Language and Literature Sources

Even students doing primary research will still need to reference secondary sources. These may include established literary interpretations or criticisms, biographical and/or historical information.

Essay Types

An extended essay in language and literature gives students an opportunity to do 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

Studies in language and literature EEs are divided into three categories:

Assessed Student Work

• An exploration of an aspect of the narrative voice in Vladimir Nabokov’s Lolita
• How did the World State government in Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World impact the individuality of the citizens residing in it?
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International Baccalaureate (IB)

IB students around the globe fear writing the Extended Essay, but it doesn't have to be a source of stress! In this article, I'll get you excited about writing your Extended Essay and provide you with the resources you need to get an A on it.

If you're reading this article, I'm going to assume you're an IB student getting ready to write your Extended Essay. If you're looking at this as a potential future IB student, I recommend reading our introductory IB articles first, including our guide to what the IB program is and our full coverage of the IB curriculum .

IB Extended Essay: Why Should You Trust My Advice?

I myself am a recipient of an IB Diploma, and I happened to receive an A on my IB Extended Essay. Don't believe me? The proof is in the IBO pudding:

If you're confused by what this report means, EE is short for Extended Essay , and English A1 is the subject that my Extended Essay topic coordinated with. In layman's terms, my IB Diploma was graded in May 2010, I wrote my Extended Essay in the English A1 category, and I received an A grade on it.

What Is the Extended Essay in the IB Diploma Programme?

The IB Extended Essay, or EE , is a mini-thesis you write under the supervision of an IB advisor (an IB teacher at your school), which counts toward your IB Diploma (learn more about the major IB Diploma requirements in our guide) . I will explain exactly how the EE affects your Diploma later in this article.

For the Extended Essay, you will choose a research question as a topic, conduct the research independently, then write an essay on your findings . The essay itself is a long one—although there's a cap of 4,000 words, most successful essays get very close to this limit.

Keep in mind that the IB requires this essay to be a "formal piece of academic writing," meaning you'll have to do outside research and cite additional sources.

The IB Extended Essay must include the following:

• A title page
• Contents page
• Introduction
• Body of the essay
• References and bibliography

Additionally, your research topic must fall into one of the six approved DP categories , or IB subject groups, which are as follows:

• Group 1: Studies in Language and Literature
• Group 2: Language Acquisition
• Group 3: Individuals and Societies
• Group 4: Sciences
• Group 5: Mathematics
• Group 6: The Arts

Once you figure out your category and have identified a potential research topic, it's time to pick your advisor, who is normally an IB teacher at your school (though you can also find one online ). This person will help direct your research, and they'll conduct the reflection sessions you'll have to do as part of your Extended Essay.

As of 2018, the IB requires a "reflection process" as part of your EE supervision process. To fulfill this requirement, you have to meet at least three times with your supervisor in what the IB calls "reflection sessions." These meetings are not only mandatory but are also part of the formal assessment of the EE and your research methods.

According to the IB, the purpose of these meetings is to "provide an opportunity for students to reflect on their engagement with the research process." Basically, these meetings give your supervisor the opportunity to offer feedback, push you to think differently, and encourage you to evaluate your research process.

The final reflection session is called the viva voce, and it's a short 10- to 15-minute interview between you and your advisor. This happens at the very end of the EE process, and it's designed to help your advisor write their report, which factors into your EE grade.

Here are the topics covered in your viva voce :

• A check on plagiarism and malpractice
• Your reflection on your project's successes and difficulties
• Your reflection on what you've learned during the EE process

Your completed Extended Essay, along with your supervisor's report, will then be sent to the IB to be graded. We'll cover the assessment criteria in just a moment.

We'll help you learn how to have those "lightbulb" moments...even on test day!  

What Should You Write About in Your IB Extended Essay?

You can technically write about anything, so long as it falls within one of the approved categories listed above.

It's best to choose a topic that matches one of the IB courses , (such as Theatre, Film, Spanish, French, Math, Biology, etc.), which shouldn't be difficult because there are so many class subjects.

Here is a range of sample topics with the attached extended essay:

• Biology: The Effect of Age and Gender on the Photoreceptor Cells in the Human Retina
• Chemistry: How Does Reflux Time Affect the Yield and Purity of Ethyl Aminobenzoate (Benzocaine), and How Effective is Recrystallisation as a Purification Technique for This Compound?
• English: An Exploration of Jane Austen's Use of the Outdoors in Emma
• Geography: The Effect of Location on the Educational Attainment of Indigenous Secondary Students in Queensland, Australia
• Math: Alhazen's Billiard Problem
• Visual Arts: Can Luc Tuymans Be Classified as a Political Painter?

You can see from how varied the topics are that you have a lot of freedom when it comes to picking a topic . So how do you pick when the options are limitless?

How to Write a Stellar IB Extended Essay: 6 Essential Tips

Below are six key tips to keep in mind as you work on your Extended Essay for the IB DP. Follow these and you're sure to get an A!

#1: Write About Something You Enjoy

You can't expect to write a compelling essay if you're not a fan of the topic on which you're writing. For example, I just love British theatre and ended up writing my Extended Essay on a revolution in post-WWII British theatre. (Yes, I'm definitely a #TheatreNerd.)

I really encourage anyone who pursues an IB Diploma to take the Extended Essay seriously. I was fortunate enough to receive a full-tuition merit scholarship to USC's School of Dramatic Arts program. In my interview for the scholarship, I spoke passionately about my Extended Essay; thus, I genuinely think my Extended Essay helped me get my scholarship.

But how do you find a topic you're passionate about? Start by thinking about which classes you enjoy the most and why . Do you like math classes because you like to solve problems? Or do you enjoy English because you like to analyze literary texts?

Keep in mind that there's no right or wrong answer when it comes to choosing your Extended Essay topic. You're not more likely to get high marks because you're writing about science, just like you're not doomed to failure because you've chosen to tackle the social sciences. The quality of what you produce—not the field you choose to research within—will determine your grade.

Once you've figured out your category, you should brainstorm more specific topics by putting pen to paper . What was your favorite chapter you learned in that class? Was it astrophysics or mechanics? What did you like about that specific chapter? Is there something you want to learn more about? I recommend spending a few hours on this type of brainstorming.

One last note: if you're truly stumped on what to research, pick a topic that will help you in your future major or career . That way you can use your Extended Essay as a talking point in your college essays (and it will prepare you for your studies to come too!).

#2: Select a Topic That Is Neither Too Broad nor Too Narrow

There's a fine line between broad and narrow. You need to write about something specific, but not so specific that you can't write 4,000 words on it.

You can't write about WWII because that would be a book's worth of material. You also don't want to write about what type of soup prisoners of war received behind enemy lines, because you probably won’t be able to come up with 4,000 words of material about it. However, you could possibly write about how the conditions in German POW camps—and the rations provided—were directly affected by the Nazis' successes and failures on the front, including the use of captured factories and prison labor in Eastern Europe to increase production. WWII military history might be a little overdone, but you get my point.

If you're really stuck trying to pinpoint a not-too-broad-or-too-narrow topic, I suggest trying to brainstorm a topic that uses a comparison. Once you begin looking through the list of sample essays below, you'll notice that many use comparisons to formulate their main arguments.

I also used a comparison in my EE, contrasting Harold Pinter's Party Time with John Osborne's Look Back in Anger in order to show a transition in British theatre. Topics with comparisons of two to three plays, books, and so on tend to be the sweet spot. You can analyze each item and then compare them with one another after doing some in-depth analysis of each individually. The ways these items compare and contrast will end up forming the thesis of your essay!

When choosing a comparative topic, the key is that the comparison should be significant. I compared two plays to illustrate the transition in British theatre, but you could compare the ways different regional dialects affect people's job prospects or how different temperatures may or may not affect the mating patterns of lightning bugs. The point here is that comparisons not only help you limit your topic, but they also help you build your argument.

Comparisons are not the only way to get a grade-A EE, though. If after brainstorming, you pick a non-comparison-based topic and are still unsure whether your topic is too broad or narrow, spend about 30 minutes doing some basic research and see how much material is out there.

If there are more than 1,000 books, articles, or documentaries out there on that exact topic, it may be too broad. But if there are only two books that have any connection to your topic, it may be too narrow. If you're still unsure, ask your advisor—it's what they're there for! Speaking of advisors...

Don't get stuck with a narrow topic!

#3: Choose an Advisor Who Is Familiar With Your Topic

If you're not certain of who you would like to be your advisor, create a list of your top three choices. Next, write down the pros and cons of each possibility (I know this sounds tedious, but it really helps!).

For example, Mr. Green is my favorite teacher and we get along really well, but he teaches English. For my EE, I want to conduct an experiment that compares the efficiency of American electric cars with foreign electric cars.

I had Ms. White a year ago. She teaches physics and enjoyed having me in her class. Unlike Mr. Green, Ms. White could help me design my experiment.

Based on my topic and what I need from my advisor, Ms. White would be a better fit for me than would Mr. Green (even though I like him a lot).

The moral of my story is this: do not just ask your favorite teacher to be your advisor . They might be a hindrance to you if they teach another subject. For example, I would not recommend asking your biology teacher to guide you in writing an English literature-based EE.

There can, of course, be exceptions to this rule. If you have a teacher who's passionate and knowledgeable about your topic (as my English teacher was about my theatre topic), you could ask that instructor. Consider all your options before you do this. There was no theatre teacher at my high school, so I couldn't find a theatre-specific advisor, but I chose the next best thing.

Before you approach a teacher to serve as your advisor, check with your high school to see what requirements they have for this process. Some IB high schools require your IB Extended Essay advisor to sign an Agreement Form , for instance.

Make sure that you ask your IB coordinator whether there is any required paperwork to fill out. If your school needs a specific form signed, bring it with you when you ask your teacher to be your EE advisor.

#4: Pick an Advisor Who Will Push You to Be Your Best

Some teachers might just take on students because they have to and aren't very passionate about reading drafts, only giving you minimal feedback. Choose a teacher who will take the time to read several drafts of your essay and give you extensive notes. I would not have gotten my A without being pushed to make my Extended Essay draft better.

Ask a teacher that you have experience with through class or an extracurricular activity. Do not ask a teacher that you have absolutely no connection to. If a teacher already knows you, that means they already know your strengths and weaknesses, so they know what to look for, where you need to improve, and how to encourage your best work.

Also, don't forget that your supervisor's assessment is part of your overall EE score . If you're meeting with someone who pushes you to do better—and you actually take their advice—they'll have more impressive things to say about you than a supervisor who doesn't know you well and isn't heavily involved in your research process.

Be aware that the IB only allows advisors to make suggestions and give constructive criticism. Your teacher cannot actually help you write your EE. The IB recommends that the supervisor spends approximately two to three hours in total with the candidate discussing the EE.

#5: Make Sure Your Essay Has a Clear Structure and Flow

The IB likes structure. Your EE needs a clear introduction (which should be one to two double-spaced pages), research question/focus (i.e., what you're investigating), a body, and a conclusion (about one double-spaced page). An essay with unclear organization will be graded poorly.

The body of your EE should make up the bulk of the essay. It should be about eight to 18 pages long (again, depending on your topic). Your body can be split into multiple parts. For example, if you were doing a comparison, you might have one third of your body as Novel A Analysis, another third as Novel B Analysis, and the final third as your comparison of Novels A and B.

If you're conducting an experiment or analyzing data, such as in this EE , your EE body should have a clear structure that aligns with the scientific method ; you should state the research question, discuss your method, present the data, analyze the data, explain any uncertainties, and draw a conclusion and/or evaluate the success of the experiment.

#6: Start Writing Sooner Rather Than Later!

You will not be able to crank out a 4,000-word essay in just a week and get an A on it. You'll be reading many, many articles (and, depending on your topic, possibly books and plays as well!). As such, it's imperative that you start your research as soon as possible.

Each school has a slightly different deadline for the Extended Essay. Some schools want them as soon as November of your senior year; others will take them as late as February. Your school will tell you what your deadline is. If they haven't mentioned it by February of your junior year, ask your IB coordinator about it.

Some high schools will provide you with a timeline of when you need to come up with a topic, when you need to meet with your advisor, and when certain drafts are due. Not all schools do this. Ask your IB coordinator if you are unsure whether you are on a specific timeline.

Below is my recommended EE timeline. While it's earlier than most schools, it'll save you a ton of heartache (trust me, I remember how hard this process was!):

• January/February of Junior Year: Come up with your final research topic (or at least your top three options).
• February of Junior Year: Approach a teacher about being your EE advisor. If they decline, keep asking others until you find one. See my notes above on how to pick an EE advisor.
• April/May of Junior Year: Submit an outline of your EE and a bibliography of potential research sources (I recommend at least seven to 10) to your EE advisor. Meet with your EE advisor to discuss your outline.
• Summer Between Junior and Senior Year: Complete your first full draft over the summer between your junior and senior year. I know, I know—no one wants to work during the summer, but trust me—this will save you so much stress come fall when you are busy with college applications and other internal assessments for your IB classes. You will want to have this first full draft done because you will want to complete a couple of draft cycles as you likely won't be able to get everything you want to say into 4,000 articulate words on the first attempt. Try to get this first draft into the best possible shape so you don't have to work on too many revisions during the school year on top of your homework, college applications, and extracurriculars.
• August/September of Senior Year: Turn in your first draft of your EE to your advisor and receive feedback. Work on incorporating their feedback into your essay. If they have a lot of suggestions for improvement, ask if they will read one more draft before the final draft.
• September/October of Senior Year: Submit the second draft of your EE to your advisor (if necessary) and look at their feedback. Work on creating the best possible final draft.
• November-February of Senior Year: Schedule your viva voce. Submit two copies of your final draft to your school to be sent off to the IB. You likely will not get your grade until after you graduate.

Remember that in the middle of these milestones, you'll need to schedule two other reflection sessions with your advisor . (Your teachers will actually take notes on these sessions on a form like this one , which then gets submitted to the IB.)

I recommend doing them when you get feedback on your drafts, but these meetings will ultimately be up to your supervisor. Just don't forget to do them!

The early bird DOES get the worm!

How Is the IB Extended Essay Graded?

Extended Essays are graded by examiners appointed by the IB on a scale of 0 to 34 . You'll be graded on five criteria, each with its own set of points. You can learn more about how EE scoring works by reading the IB guide to extended essays .

• Criterion A: Focus and Method (6 points maximum)
• Criterion B: Knowledge and Understanding (6 points maximum)
• Criterion C: Critical Thinking (12 points maximum)
• Criterion D: Presentation (4 points maximum)
• Criterion E: Engagement (6 points maximum)

How well you do on each of these criteria will determine the final letter grade you get for your EE. You must earn at least a D to be eligible to receive your IB Diploma.

Although each criterion has a point value, the IB explicitly states that graders are not converting point totals into grades; instead, they're using qualitative grade descriptors to determine the final grade of your Extended Essay . Grade descriptors are on pages 102-103 of this document .

Here's a rough estimate of how these different point values translate to letter grades based on previous scoring methods for the EE. This is just an estimate —you should read and understand the grade descriptors so you know exactly what the scorers are looking for.

Here is the breakdown of EE scores (from the May 2021 bulletin):

How Does the Extended Essay Grade Affect Your IB Diploma?

The Extended Essay grade is combined with your TOK (Theory of Knowledge) grade to determine how many points you get toward your IB Diploma.

To learn about Theory of Knowledge or how many points you need to receive an IB Diploma, read our complete guide to the IB program and our guide to the IB Diploma requirements .

This diagram shows how the two scores are combined to determine how many points you receive for your IB diploma (3 being the most, 0 being the least). In order to get your IB Diploma, you have to earn 24 points across both categories (the TOK and EE). The highest score anyone can earn is 45 points.

Let's say you get an A on your EE and a B on TOK. You will get 3 points toward your Diploma. As of 2014, a student who scores an E on either the extended essay or TOK essay will not be eligible to receive an IB Diploma .

Prior to the class of 2010, a Diploma candidate could receive a failing grade in either the Extended Essay or Theory of Knowledge and still be awarded a Diploma, but this is no longer true.

Figuring out how you're assessed can be a little tricky. Luckily, the IB breaks everything down here in this document . (The assessment information begins on page 219.)

40+ Sample Extended Essays for the IB Diploma Programme

In case you want a little more guidance on how to get an A on your EE, here are over 40 excellent (grade A) sample extended essays for your reading pleasure. Essays are grouped by IB subject.

• Business Management 1
• Chemistry 1
• Chemistry 2
• Chemistry 3
• Chemistry 4
• Chemistry 5
• Chemistry 6
• Chemistry 7
• Computer Science 1
• Economics 1
• Design Technology 1
• Design Technology 2
• Environmental Systems and Societies 1
• Geography 1
• Geography 2
• Geography 3
• Geography 4
• Geography 5
• Geography 6
• Literature and Performance 1
• Mathematics 1
• Mathematics 2
• Mathematics 3
• Mathematics 4
• Mathematics 5
• Philosophy 1
• Philosophy 2
• Philosophy 3
• Philosophy 4
• Philosophy 5
• Psychology 1
• Psychology 2
• Psychology 3
• Psychology 4
• Psychology 5
• Social and Cultural Anthropology 1
• Social and Cultural Anthropology 2
• Social and Cultural Anthropology 3
• Sports, Exercise and Health Science 1
• Sports, Exercise and Health Science 2
• Visual Arts 1
• Visual Arts 2
• Visual Arts 3
• Visual Arts 4
• Visual Arts 5
• World Religion 1
• World Religion 2
• World Religion 3

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English Extended Essay: The Complete Guide for IB Students

by  Antony W

March 13, 2023

Group 1 Extended Essay subjects give IB students the opportunity to conduct independent research into a topic of interest in English, Language, and Literature.

Apart from promoting creativity and intellectual discovery, the subject group helps you to appreciate the value of advanced research and improve your writing skills.

In this guide, you’ll learn everything you need to know about English Extended Essay.

In particular, we will look at the definition of English EE, English EE categories, and some English Extended Essay topics to get you started.

English Extended Essay Categories

Category 1: language.

This category focuses on the analysis of some aspects of English.

Topics such as national language policies of English speaking countries, the influence of technology on English vocabulary, and use of dialects and ascents would fit into this category.

The primary sources of information for this category would be newspapers, interviews, and websites. You secondary sources would be articles and journals.

Category 2: Culture and Society

We divide Culture and Society further into two sub-categories.

In the first sub-category, the focus is on the effect of cultural change on a language in a particular issue on the use or form of the language itself.

In this case, your essay can focus on topic to do with gender, communities, or social groups.

For example:

• Does language reflect a shift in gender roles in the workplace?
• To what extend has the rise and use of slang among teenagers affected the English language?

Such are important and interesting questions that your Extended Essay can focus on if you choose to work on this sub-category.

The second sub-category focuses on artefacts. While this sub-category is general in its cultural nature, it must be specific to a country or community that speaks the language.

To research topics in this sub-category, you will have to use cultural artefacts, which can be visual documents (such as architectures and films), written documents (such as newspapers, articles, adverts, and magazines), spoken documents (such as interviews and screenplays), and fashion icons (such as food dishes or brands).

Category 3: Literature

This category of English Extended Essay is based on a specific work of literature wit text written in the English language.

How to Write English Extended Essay

Writing a 4,000-word essay takes time. You have to identify a topic of interest, develop a research question, determine what to base your research on, and find the right information to include in the essay.

In the following section, you’ll learn how to write a comprehensive English Extended Essay using an easy to follow, systematic approach – even if you think your topic of interest in the subject looks complicated.

Step 1: Pick a Topic of Meaningful Interest to You

Explore the topics and themes taught in you English class and pick one that’s not only of interest to you but also one you’d like to know more about.

Generally, the English EE topic you choose should:

• Be something you’re keen to investigate
• Allow you to formulate a relevant research question
• A subject that you can answer in 4,000 words

After identifying your area of interest and the topic that you would like to explore, it should be easy for you to develop a relevant research question to explore.

Step 2: Develop a Research Question

Many IB students fail Extended Essay because they get the research question part completely wrong. Quite too often, they choose narrow or broad topics that they can’t answer in 4,000 words.

You shouldn’t make the same mistake with your English Extended Essay. What you need is a workable research question with a clear focus that you can answer within the word limits of an Extended Essay.

To arrive at more concise topic to explore in your English Extended Essay, it’s best to employ relevant limiting factors to the broad topic.

For example, the theme “how technology and social media impact our lives” is obviously too broad because it doesn’t tell us what part or component of our lives social media affects exactly.

By applying limiting factor to this theme, we can come up with a more focused research question that will be easily to evaluate within the limits of the expected word count.

A question such as “ to what extent social media corrupted or contributed or corrupted the English language” would be an interesting and more specific topic to explore in your EE.

Step 3: Choose What to Base Your Research On

The third step to writing an English Extended Essay is to find relevant sources to support your research into the topic you selected in step 1.

Start by determine which English category you wish to base your Extended Essay on. That’s because there are minimum expectations when it comes to primary as well as secondary sourcing.

Step 4: Find More Information for Your Extended Essay

If you’ve ticked all the boxes in step one to three, schedule an appointment with your supervisor for more guidance on how to proceed further with your research project.

English Extended Essay Topics

You shouldn’t worry too much if you feel stuck on choosing the best topic for your English Extended Essay . We’ve put together a list of some topic ideas that cover different areas in literary themes, literature, and the English language.

English Extended Essay Topics for College and University

• Is the English a language of customs and traditions with no hard and fast rules unlike other languages in the world?
• How is the American English different from British English, and which one is superior to the other?
• Has globalization played a role in the development of the English language?

English Extended Essay Topics on English Poetry

• Was poetry a text of upper classes in English literature in the classical age and in the era of renaissance?
• Why are there fragmentation and lack of interconnectivity between the stanzas of poems in modern poetry?

English EE Topics on American Literature

• Do various American novels and other literary texts show how the American dream proves to be a complete failure?
• Why were slaves against the anti-slavery movement in the United States of America?

About the author 

Antony W is a professional writer and coach at Help for Assessment. He spends countless hours every day researching and writing great content filled with expert advice on how to write engaging essays, research papers, and assignments.

Extended Essay (IB): Choosing a subject and topic

• The Inquiry Process
• EE Seminar 1
• EE Seminar 2
• IT Workshop 1
• EE Investigation Days
• EE Writing Days
• Choosing a subject and topic
• Developing a line of inquiry
• Finding and selecting sources
• Working with ideas
• Expressing your ideas
• Using ManageBac
• Supervisor resources
• Who can help?

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 an interdisciplinary essay, such as 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.

Introduction to the Extended Essay

What is the Extended Essay?

• Compulsory element of the core, along with TOK and CAS
• Inquiry-based research project resulting in an essay of up to 4,000 words
• Topic of your choice, but must be based in a DP subject * and meet subject-specific requirements
• You are strongly encouraged to do your essay in one of your HL subjects

*It is possible, under certain circumstances, to combine two subjects and do a World Studies essay but we do not currently recommend this.

What do I need to do?

This guide is just to get your thinking started.

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.

How do I choose a subject?

• Think about your interests outside the classroom then check whether they might fit into any IB subject areas.
• Think about your IB subjects, particularly your HL subjects. Which would (and wouldn't) you enjoy exploring in more depth?
• Make a list of the topics (for one or more different subject areas) that you have enjoyed in that subject area and a list of topics you haven’t covered but wish you had. You might want to chat to your teachers or have a look in your textbooks.
• Think about any career aspirations you might have, or any ideas for further study, and they could point you in a direction.

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.

Subject Group Overviews

• Group 1: Studies in language and literature
• Group 2: Language acquisition (incl. Classical Languages)
• Group 3: Individuals and societies
• Group 4: Experimental sciences
• Group 5: Mathematics
• Group 6: The Arts
• Interdisciplinary essays

• Category 1 Studies of one or more literary works originally written in the language in which the essay is presented.
• Category 2 Studies of a literary work or works originally written in the language of the essay compared with one or more literary works originally written in another language. (The work originally written in another language may be studied in translation.)
• Category 3 Studies in language based on one or more texts originally produced in the language in which the essay is presented.

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

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:

• an analysis of a cultural context or a specific text OR
• an analysis of trends in the culture studied and the impact of a cultural change on the form or use of the language OR
• an analysis and comparison of literary texts.

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 .

The individuals and societies EE is intended to encourage the systematic and critical study of:

• human experience and behaviour
• physical, economic and social environments
• the history and development of social and cultural institutions.

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:

• biology—dealing with living organisms and life processes
• chemistry—dealing with the composition, characterization and transformation of substances

...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

• the applicability of mathematics to solve both real and abstract problems
• the beauty of mathematics, as in, for instance, geometry or fractal theory
• the elegance of mathematics in the proving of theorems as in, for example, number theory
• the origin and subsequent development of a branch of mathematics over a period of time, measured in tens, hundreds or thousands of years
• the links between different branches of mathematics, or the way that branch of mathematics has been born, or has flourished, as a result of technology.

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

• a coherent analysis and interpretation of their chosen area in relation to a posed research question
• the testing and validation of the research and consideration of its effect on the practice of the investigated area of the arts
• development and exploration in a disciplined and imaginative way of an area of study specifically appropriate to the curriculum area chosen
• a link to a practical dimension.

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

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:

• a coherently written and structured essay that effectively addresses an area of research, taking an interdisciplinary approach
• bringing together concepts, methods and approaches from across different subjects
• the development and exploration of an area of study specifically appropriate to the interdisciplinary choice

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.

Subject Specific Guidance

Use the links below to explore the Subject-Specific Guidance for your chosen subject. Note that it is very important to use the side navigation menu to make sure you have read ALL the relevant guidance (see example for Biology, below).

You MUST read the subject-specific guidance before completing your Supervisor Application Form, and reread it before completing your Research Proposal Log. You might find it helpful to take notes using the Using the Subject-Specific Guidelines table.

Electronic versions of these can be found at the top right hand side of this page (follow links). If you wish to submit your handwritten version to ManageBac, you may upload a (legible!) photograph.

Ethical guidelines

You must address the IB ethical guidelines in your Research Proposal and follow them throughout the EE process. Some Subject Guides will contain specific ethical guidelines for that subject, but here are some general guides you might need to refer to:

Extended essays from previous years

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 are upstairs in the library and can be looked at while you are here.

Please remember:

• These are all the essays from past Oakhamians and they were awarded a range of grades (which are recorded on the contents pages). They are not a set of examples of 'good' essays or even 'good' titles.
• There have been several rule changes in the past, most notably in 2018, so make sure you are aware of the current rules.

You may take photographs of individual pages (such as the contents pages). You may not photograph or photocopy whole essays.

How do I choose a topic?

Go back to your brainstormed list of topics from the first session:

• Eliminate any that you don’t really want to write about and focus on the rest.
• Use the ideas on the mind map below to examine these topics and decide which might be worth further exploration. You might choose to make a mind map like this for some of your 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.

• General internet browsing: You could begin with some freestyle internet searching on a broad topic that interests you. Search for your topic online, give yourself an hour to follow links and see where they take you – keeping an EE focus, of course!
• Subscription Databases : While you will almost certainly search the databases extensively for your research once you have chosen a topic, you can also browse them to help you to chose one. See the ' Browsing our subscription databases ' box below for advice on the best ones to choose for this. Using the subscription databases to help you to choose a topic also means that you are guaranteed to be able to find high quality information on that topic.
• Talk to your teachers, friends and family

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.

Aim to have three suggestions for topic areas you might like to explore for your EE to explore further before making a decision .

Browsing our subscription databases

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).

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.

Hodder Education Magazines

Although aimed at A-level students, browsing these Review magazines may be a good way to identify a broad topic of interest. After you log-in, you can choose to search the whole database or choose a specific subject and browse/search within it.

Other, subject-specific resources

• Art: Oxford Art
• Drama: Drama Online
• Economics: Financial Times and Gale Newspaper Collection
• English literature: Connell Guides, EBSCO Literary Reference Centre, emagazine and MASSOLIT (a video-based resource)
• Music: Naxos Music Library, Oxford Music
• Politics: Financial Times and Gale Newspaper Collection 

Using the Subject Specific Guidelines

This table will help you work with the Subject-Specific Guidelines as you choose your topic. You are not required to submit this form to your supervisor, but you might find it helpful when filling in your Supervisor Application Form and Research Proposal.

AI Prompt Catcher

• AI Prompt Catcher Example

This Prompt Catcher  must  be completed if you are using AI tools as part of your initial research.  Since examiners cannot access the exact AI-generated content subsequently, you must cite and reference the tool in your essay and include a copy of the Prompt Catcher containing the generated content and the prompt you used to generate it in an appendix.

Annotated bibliography

This resource will help you to keep track of all the different sources you find. Once you start working with each source in more detail, you will also need a tool like the Investigative Journal to organise your notes.

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The Extended Essay Step-by-Step Guide 6: How to Write It

With summer either already here or very near, it’s time for our next step in the Extended Essay Step-by-Step Guide. This one will help give you that push to put all of that essay preparation to use. Yes, it’s time to bite the bullet and write the thing.

To recap, this is the stage that comes after:

Topic Choice Topic Research Finalising a Question Outlining/Planning

If you don’t feel you’ve quite nailed something in that list above, have a read of our previous blogs in the series for a comprehensive breakdown of what you can do to get there. If on the other hand you do feel you’ve done all of this, you should know WHAT you’re going to say. The real question is HOW. This isn’t a post about how to write. I know you’ve written things before. This blog is about how to make yourself get that writing for this Extended Essay on the page in front of you.

1. Know When You’ll Write Your Essay

It should be obvious that the key to making sure you write your extended essay is to find the time to write it. But you’d be surprised how easily the time can slip away without a single word getting typed or written. Especially in summer, that pesky thing called procrastination can disguise itself as everything from the new season of Orange is the New Black to a trip to a lake to swim with pelicans.

To make sure you get the writing done when you want it done, take half an hour to get organised. Work out when, objectively, you will have the time to devote some love and care and sweat and blood to this essay. And do it in chunks. Half a day at a time is ideal. Start by scheduling a few at a time near the start of your holiday so that you can see how much time this will actually take you and adjust your schedule accordingly.

To be extra efficient, don’t just decide when you will work on your essay, but decide what you will work on. Set deadlines for finishing different stages of the essay throughout the summer. For a Language, Literature, or Group 3 essay you might set deadlines for completing the introduction, body, conclusion, and proofreading. For a Group 4 Science essay your deadlines could be more detailed, separated for completing sections on background information, methods and materials, and data analysis, for example.

Exercise 1: Take out your calendar, work out what plans you already have for the summer which you’ll need to work around, and mark out your devoted Extended Essay time. Don’t have a calendar? No problem! Download our own printable Extended Essay time planner by clicking here !

2. Getting the Words on the Page

Now you’ve organised yourself and found time to do the writing, it’s time to sit down and put the words on the page. The biggest tip I can possibly give you is to remind that getting any words on the page at all is more important, at this stage, than getting ‘the right words’. This is only a first draft, and at this point it’s only a draft of a first draft. So do whatever you can to help yourself put pen to paper/hands to keyboard.

If you feel like you can launch straight into writing that essay, great! Sit down and do that. On the other hand if you’re still unsure where you start there are a bunch of techniques you can try to help get you started.

• There’s nothing to say you have to write the essay in chronological order! Instead you could take each paragraph of your essay one at a time, and start with the section you feel most confident, or excited about.
• A lot of people find it easier to write things by hand before typing it. If you’re experiencing what I like to call ‘keyboard fear’, ditch the laptop, take a pen and a piece of paper, and write your essay as if you are answering the question in an exam.
• If you’re struggling to turn your outline into full sentences, forget about eloquence for a while and just write it in whatever way you like. No need for good words. Just write. No one will see it but you.

3. Perfect Your Extended Essay Language

Perfect language doesn’t matter at the beginning of your writing process. But making sure that your writing is clear, well-paced and polished is essential for the final product. You’ll get a chance to fix up the writing later in the process, but paying attention to your language, tone and style as you go along will save you a lot of time in the long-run. More importantly, it will help you to see what is and isn’t making sense now.

A great way to get into the right frame of mind for writing a formal essay is to read other examples. Have a look at our free resources page to see how other successful IB students have written their essays in the past. Alternatively you could remind yourself of general guidelines to academic writing like this guide here .

In general it’s better to be simple. Avoid the temptation to write as many long, complicated words as you possibly can so that you reach the 4000 word limit faster! I promise you that the most common Extended Essay problem of all IB students is fitting their words into the word limit at the end. So take some time to relax, breathe, and only write what you need to write.

Case in point: Which sentence makes more sense to you?

• It is arguable that during the nineteenth century, and in the latter half of the century in particular, many people perceived a growth in what can be termed the mass market for novels and literature.
• The later nineteenth century saw an increase in the literary mass market.

Exercise 3: Paste one of your completed paragraphs onto a new document and cut out the unnecessary words and phrases. Aim to cut words down by 10%. Do this for each one of your paragraphs either as you go along or at the end.

The only thing left to say now is to just do it. It will be tough, but you won’t have a better time to work on it than this summer*. If you’d like more help from us have a look at our assignments package for online private tuition, or our Mid-IB Extended Essay workshop .

(*And if you hate the idea of doing it now, think about doing it next term when you have 10 other deadlines to meet as well!)

Happy writing!

Read Part 7: Refine your draft

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Extended Essay

• Mathematics
• Studies in language and literature
• World studies extended essay
• Visual arts
• Language Acquisition

Studies in language and literature Sample A

Studies in language and literature sample b, studies in language and literature sample c, studies in language and literature example.

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• Studies in language and literature sample C
• Last Updated: Oct 14, 2021 3:31 PM
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• Using AI in the Research Process (Extended Essay) (Tim, AI, artificial intelligence, extended essay, research, research process) ...AI in the Research ProcessAI can:Help you understand the steps you need to take in order to conduct research and write your Extended Essay .Recommend a variety of literature work(s) or non-literary texts to read to support with initial, but very vagu...
• Extended Essay (Extended Essay) The extended essay is an IB core requirement, where students explore a subject in depth. The subject must relate to one of the courses offered in Groups 1 - 6 of the IB Diploma Programme. The extended essay is an opportunity to demonstrate research...
• Extended Essays: Studies in Language Sample Topics and Research Questions ...torical strategies employed by the National Rifle Association (NRA) in its (contemporary) press releases. Doing this kind of Extended Essay involves developing an appreciation of a specific historically and culturally situated issue, including the ro...
• HL Essay: Exemplar 5 (Small Axe) Students, increasingly, write Higher Level Essay s and Extended Essay s on film and television. They also discuss these things in their Individual Orals. Presumably, in part, this is because teachers are teaching film and television in their classes. H...
• HL Essay: Exemplar 7: The Awakening ...ow. It doesn’t receive full marks; we’ll tell you that too. It is, however, exactly 1500 words and cannot, therefore, be extended . Something needs to be changed and improved to attain full marks. What, in this generally excellent essay , can be ma...
• HL Essay: Exemplar 11 (The Remains of the Day) ...the suppression of desire and personal fulfillment, that underpins the novel’s comic and tragic qualities.Stevens uses the extended metaphor of the ‘tiger under the table’ to illustrate the English quality of self-restraint. He demonstrates thi...
• Q&A For Students: The Higher Level Essay and the Individual Oral ...our students. They are studying English A: Language and Literature, five other subjects, studying TOK, doing CAS, writing an Extended Essay , negotiating life and perhaps, we hope, actually having and enjoying their lives. The IB is a tall order. It&#...
• Sample Essays (pre-2018) (Tim, EE, Extended Essays, old extended essays, pre-2018 extended essays) All of these Extended Essay s were written before 2018.  The EE guide changed for first examinations in 2018.  The Extended Essay s housed here (pre-2018) were written under "old" requirements.  These EEs were also marked using different...
• EE Category 3 (The Language of Self-Help) (Tim, EE, Extended Essay, Category 3, The Language of Self-Help, Exemplar, model essay, IB Core) ...who fall somewhere in between these two extremes.  It is often with this vast majority of students where the spirit of the Extended Essay can shine.  Even if the essay is not the most analytical or insightful, the purpose of the EE is to instill i...
• Requirements (first exam in 2018) (Tim, EE, Extended Essay, Requirements, IB Core, IB Diploma Core) While the extended essay is an excellent opportunity to explore a topic of choice in depth, it is important that we adhere to the basic requirements of the IB.  It is easy to become carried away with an idea that seems fantastic, but in the end is n...

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• 2018 EE Category 1 (Othello) (Tim, Extended Essay, Category 1, exemplar, model example, Othello, EE, literature) The Extended Essay went under significant revision and students in the May 2018 cohort were the first to submit essay s using completely new marking criteria.Here at InThinking, we have published several Extended Essay s.  For example, we have shown...
• 2019 EE Category 1 (N.W.A Song Lyrics) (Extended Essay, Black Lives Matter, EE, Category 1, NWA, song lyrics, exemplar, Tim) ...5th and final one in the series, looks at how a student could take a personal interest (a love of music) and turn it into an Extended Essay .  The student analyzes N.W.A songs under the larger question "How is police brutality protrayed through...
• Post 5 – a 2019 EE Category 1 (N.W.A Song Lyrics) (Extended Essay, Black Lives Matter, EE, Category 1, NWA, song lyrics, exemplar, Tim) ...5th and final one in the series, looks at how a student could take a personal interest (a love of music) and turn it into an Extended Essay .  The student analyzes N.W.A songs under the larger question "How is police brutality protrayed through...
• Criteria (first exam in 2018) (Tim, EE, Extended Essay Criteria, Criteria, EE) The assessment criteria for the extended essay are both general to all subjects and specific to each subject. The criteria given below are the specific to the Language A: Language and Literature course. These are summaries of the actual criteria, whi...
• 2020 EE Category 2 (The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle and We Have Always Lived in the Castle) (Tim, EE, C2 EE, Extended Essay) ...ept appearing.  She kept thinking about them and thinking about why the authors included them?  That thinking lead to this Extended Essay .It is not a top scoring EE (it scores a low B at 22 total points).  Instead, it is a good example of a studen...
• IB Core (Extended Essay, TOK, ) The English A: Language and Literature course is part of the holistic IB learning explerience. The Extended Essay requirement provides students with the opportunity to write a 3,000 - 4,000 words on a topic of interest from one of their subject area...
• EE Category 1 (The House of Blue Mangoes) This Extended Essay is a Group 1, Category 1 Extended Essay . That is, it is the study of a literary work – in this instance David Davidar’s debut novel The House of Blue Mangoes – originally written in the language (English) in which the essay ...
• EE - Studies in Language - Sample 1 For the first time, in 2013, students were able to submit a Group 1 Extended Essay (EE) in ‘Studies in Language’. The Group 1 essay s, now, are sub-divided into 3 categories as follows:Category 1—Studies of a literary work(s) originally written...
• EE C2 S1 (Chaucer) The following Extended Essay compares and contrasts Giovani Boccaccio's version of Griselda's Tale from the Decameron with Geoffrey Chaucer's version of Griselda's Tale from the Canterbury Tales. Taking on such a comparison is a chall...
• EE Category 1 (The Virgin Suicides) This Extended Essay is a Group 1, Category 1 Extended Essay . That is, it is the study of a literary work – in this instance Jeffrey Eugenides’ 1993 novel The Virgin Suicides – originally written in the language (English) in which the essay is p...
• EE Category 1 (Great Expectations) This Extended Essay is a Group 1, Category 1 Extended Essay . That is, it is the study of a literary work – in this instance Charles Dickens’ widely known and highly regarded novel Great Expectations – originally written in the language (English...
• EE Category 1 (Oryx and Crake) ...ispensable if students are to replicate good practice in their own craft.Below, students have the opportunity to appraise an Extended Essay (EE) written about Margaret Atwood’s celebrated novel Oryx and Crake. It’s a good, intelligent essay , but...
• EE C1 S1 (Disgrace) ...it according to the criteria below. Do your marks match the examiner's marks? Where do the differences lie?Sample essay   Extended Essay Category 1 Sample 1 (Disgrace)Title pageTitle: “The search for identity in South African post-apartheid lit...
• Using Supporting Quotations in Paper 2 ...sses. It does not have to be an English class. It could be something you have written in another subject or, for example, an Extended Essay or TOK Exhibition. What sources have you quoted? Is it clearly integrated? Is it well introduced? Is it effect...
• EE Category 1 (Lewis Carroll) This Extended Essay is a Group 1, Category 1 Extended Essay . Unlike previous Category 1 essay s published on the site, this essay is comparative, comparing and contrasting Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Gl...
• 2022 EE Category 2 (The Bell Jar and The Vegetarian) (Tim, EE, The Bell Jar, The Vegetarian, Category 2) This Category 2 Extended Essay is excellent.  The student takes a well-known, classic piece of literature and compares and contrasts it to a contemporary award-winning novel from South Korea.  In her essay , the student asks this question: How do S...
• 2019 EE Category 1 (When Breath Becomes Air) (Tim, EE, When Breath Becomes Air, memoir, Category 1) ...ontains such beauty and it’s no wonder that students also love the memoir. It was from this beginning that the seed of an extended essay grew.  This is technically a C1 EE even though it is nonfiction.  The memoir is too rich not to be considere...
• P2 SL (The Kite Runner and A Hero of Our Time) ...90 minutes to complete their essay . With this in mind, it is perhaps unreasonable to anticipate that the student could have extended the discussion by any significant margin. The student uses two novels to exemplify the discussion: Lermentov’s A H...
• Skills The extended essay is the culmination of a long process. You could say that the final product is like the tip of a very deep iceberg. While you 'only' see 3,000 - 4,000 words, hours of research, writing, editing and reviewing lie below the s...
• Research questions ...r music videosConcern for stereotyping, bias and prejudiceAim to define a dialect or non-standardized form of language Good extended essay research questions as downloadable PDF.Rewrite the questionTaking what you know now about the key characterist...
• Bodies of work (Tim, bodies of work, new IB course, new course, 2021 exams, body of work) ...(first assessment 2021) published in February of 2019 and updated in August of 2019, the IB defines a body of work as “an extended , full-length non-literary text or a group of shorter non-literary texts that are of one same text type and that shar...
• Sample essays (EE) ...without saying that sample material is an excellent way to make yourself more familiar with the assessment criteria for the extended essay . You can compare your marks with the examiner's. The samples have been labeled 'EE' for 'exten...
• P1 SL (The Language of African Literature) ...peasant family: father, four wives and about twenty-eight children. I also belonged, as we all did in those days, to a wider extended family and to the community as a whole. We spoke Gĩkũyũ as we worked in the fields. We spoke Gĩkũyũ in and out...
• Opinion column (opinion column, blog, editorial, ) ...piece on existentialism. But in more concrete terms, popular works of non-fiction, such as No Logo or Buyology make cases as extended essay s should. You may not write either forms of essay writing for your written task. Blog - With the arrival of the...
• EE Category 3 (Breaking Bad) ...s some familiarity with Breaking Bad is not, to a greater or lesser extent, captivated by it.Students in their search for an Extended Essay (EE) topic, frequently ask if they can engage with some aspect of popular culture – Breaking Bad, say - for...
• Paper 2: Sample Response 11 (A View from the Bridge and Persepolis) ...ning, and there are many good illustrations of this in the essay . Comparison and contrast is good, but, again, this could be extended or made more explicit.Criterion C: Focus and organisation (5 marks)How effectively does the student structure and pr...
• Solar: Getting things wrong and the power of stories ...gun ownership. Your fellow passenger argues that owning and carrying guns would make people safer. You know – you wrote an Extended Essay on this, no less – that what the other passenger says is statistically insupportable. To change his mind, wo...
• Just Do It - Protest! (Tim, Just do it, protest, advertising, advertisement, Nike, Colin Kaepernick, controversy, controversial) ...tfolio over two or three lessons.  This should include all the advertisements being used, the annotations of those ads, and extended thinking about them. 4.  Decide if you want to have an assessment task (of your choosing) connected to #1- #3.  F...
• WT2 Q4 (Persepolis) (Persepolis, WT2, written task 2, Marjane Satrapi) ...h a text that seems to parody another text, act as a pastiche on a particular genre, or allude to another regularly, like an extended metaphor, then this question may be appropriate. See texts on this page for several non-literary commercials that wo...
• Representations of Women in Cartoons (A Body of Work) (Tim, representation, perspective, readers writers and texts, body of work, cartoons, Liza Donnelly, women) ...eptual questions (or area of exploration questions) using these two cartoons in their Learner Portfolio.  This should be an extended written response, but not yet an essay or guided textual analysis (think one page of writing).  In the lesson, have...
• Understanding Modality ...ries and advertisements. Students can show an awareness of modality in response to Paper 1 texts. The activites above can be extended to a Further Oral Activity (FOA). If Orwell is studied in the literature components of the course, modality is one a...
• Faction ...to the Balti, who trekked long distances to graze their animals in summer, and he handed them out to members of Haji Ali’s extended family. To Sakina, he gave his camping stove, capable of burning the kerosene found in every Balti village. He drape...
• What is this thing called free speech? ...may be these: (i) What is the value of free speech? (ii) What limits should we set to free speech?This page was updated and extended in December 2018.Activity 1: Choose the Aphorism Choose the AphorismTeachers should place the following statements...
• Course Construction: Q&A ...is – has to be – transferable. That is, moving through the course, understandings established now will be revisited and extended in the future. Also, these magazine covers are multimodal texts – there is a visual and written mode, although the...
• Undocumented worker or illegal immigrant - The language of immigration (with body of work) (Tim, immigration, body of work, immigrant, undocumented worker, illegal immigrant) ...n find them here and here.  In the resources below, you will find many single text types and two opportunities to create an extended or further study of a body of work.  In other words, when you think it is appropriate, zoom into a body of work if...
• Undocumented worker or illegal immigrant - The language of immigration (with bodies of work) (Tim, immigration, body of work, immigrant, undocumented worker, illegal immigrant, perspective, representation) ...n find them here and here.  In the resources below, you will find many single text types and two opportunities to create an extended or further study of a body of work.  In other words, when you think it is appropriate, zoom into a body of work if...

Blog Posts: 9 results

4 full matches:.

• 2022 Category 2 Extended Essay (The Bell Jar and The Vegetarian) (Tim, 2022, EE, C2, Category 2, Extended Essay, The Bell Jar, The Vegetarian) ...the questions that arise from the powerful conclusion - there's a whole lot to celebrate in this EE!  You can find the Extended Essay here.  Best,Tim and David...
• Extended Essay in Studies in Language ..., our students are preparing for Theory of Knowledge (TOK) presentations, and they are beginning to work with supervisors on Extended Essay s (EEs). Students, as you may know, are now able to write a Group 1, Category 3 EE in ‘Studies in Languag...
• Working with Artificial Intelligence - 2 New Pages (Tim, AI, artificial intelligence, extended essay, research, research process, great debate, AI or student) ...st page is pretty self-explanatory.  It involves helping students use artificial intelligence in the process of writing the Extended Essay .  The second page we are publishing this week is a lesson plan that asks students to debate each other about...
• An Open Letter to Students (about the subject reports) (Tim, Blog, Letter, Subject Reports) ...ore precise—it details all the ways that students and teachers screwed up in 2015.Because I know you are busy writing your Extended Essay , completing your CAS reflections, and trying to figure out what the heck you are actually learning in ToK, let...

5 Partial matches:

• For Students: Higher Level Essay (Tim, Higher Level Essay, for students section, for students) This week, I’ve been working on the “For Students” section of the site with a specific focus on the Higher Level Essay .  I’ve created the following pages for this week’s update:Higher Level Essay What is it?How am I graded?Can I read an ex...
• HL Essay: Exemplar 8 (Graphic Novel - Hostage) (Tim, HLE, Higher Level Essay, graphic novel, Hostage, exemplar, model example) ...the formatting right.  Students will be well-served to study this exemplar to see how to correctly embed evidence into the essay itself.  Students will also be well-served to notice what is missing in this exemplar and how the student could have u...
• Supporting Students with the Higher Level Essay (Tim, Higher Level Essay, For Students, Helping students, process) This week, I’ve finalized the Higher Level Essay pages in the “For Students” section of the site.  The title of each page is written in the form of a question with the answer in the actual post itself.  You’ll find posts about the line of...
• Paper 2: Writing About Literature ...s frequently struggle with, you are likely to receive a range of replies. Some of the answers will highlight the minutiae of essay writing, and that is reasonable enough. However, one big and frequently observed problem with Paper 2 responses is that...
• Bodies of Work (Tim, bodies of work, body of work, new course, 2021 exams) ...with the entire text.  Instead, a student would write using the entire Gap advertisement, if they could write an analytical essay – and not a commentary – on it.  The guide states this: “Care must be taken to make sure that the chosen non-lit...

Comments: 118 results

Hello both;

Hi David and Tim,

We have a student who is exploring the following for her Extended Essay : How do Tamil artists utilize art and literature to express the generational impacts of persecution and genocide?

EE Candidate 1: Category1:

Can you please clarify the following regarding an English A: Language and Literature Extended Essay Cat 3:

I have a student who is interested in writing about a non-literary text for their Extended Essay and then also including it as part of their IOA. Is that possible?

Hi Coralie,

Since neither writer is on the PRL, I would suggest the essay is a category 3 essay , in part because of the nature of the works, and perhaps also because of the student's emphasis on language.

Kind regards,

I have one question regarding HL essay - can students write their essay on two texts by two different authors ? Or is it advisable to stick to one author only ?

Best regards,

Good morning

I am instructing my students about the HL essay and seem to remember there was a compulsory OUTLINE that had to be handed in with the HL essay . Is this (still) true?

One of my student wants to use a film that we have worked with in class for her HL essay . The thing is that she is not analysing language per se.

A:5 B:3 C:3 D:4

Hello David and Tim,

Do you have any advice on when a good deadline would be for the HLE essay , assuming the IO would take in place in semester 1 of year 2?

Thanks for your help,

Studies in language based on one or more texts originally produced in the language in which the essay is presented. Texts can be compared with a translated text originally written in another language.

Please note we normally guide students to clearly distinguish texts they plan to use for the oral, Higher Level essay , and Paper 2 to avoid double dipping.

Laura Kearsley

Students can write their HL essay on a film studied. In almost all instances, students should include relevant still images, and these should be embedded into the body of the response (i.e. not as an appendix).

So then for cat 1, since it says "Studies of one or more literary works originally written in the language in which the essay is presented." - can the student look at multiple Rossetti's poems? Thanks again

Many thanks,

Hello gentlemen,

No outline is required for the HL Essay . On the other hand, an outline is required for the Individual Oral (IO).

Is it ok to use 1st person POV in the EE, like "my essay will explore" or is it better to keep everything in 3rd person POV? Thank you,

Hi Everyone!

Happy new year!!!!

I have a question. What happens if in the HL essay the student needs a big quote and includes it as a foot note? Is that Allowed? Can you please help me with this?

Thank you so much!

As this is my first year teaching Language A I am struggling a bit with the HL essay . I have these two questions which I think are fine, but could you give me some feedback please?

I have a student who would like to complete a cat 3 essay focusing on advertisements. On this, must students pick one brand to focus on or can they choose advertisements from different brands but the connection is thematic?

Dear David and Tim,

Dear Tim and David,

One of my students has chosen this for her HL essay :

The HLE does not require students to explicitly mention one of the seven course concepts in the essay . It's not in the grading criteria, for example.

I have a group of ten HL students and four of them have chosen to do their HL essay on The Stranger by Camus, The four have very different titles but they all consider the narrative voice as that was the focus of my teaching

Can the Monbiot essay s be considered literary in terms of the IO? For example, could you pair a Monbiot essay with a Steve Cutts image? Or would that be disqualified?

If she is only considering the lyrics, it is a category 1 essay . I believe one of the seasons on the Dissect podcast (season 11?) considered Radiohead. I think it would be very worthwhile for the kid to listen to this podcast.

Kind regards

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Plant Studies in Indian Literature (DEADLINE EXTENDED)

Plant Studies in Indian Literature Call for Book Chapter Deadline Extended: 12/05/2024   Introduction:  Indian literature is a rich and diverse tapestry woven from the threads of countless languages, cultures, traditions, and encompasses a vast array of literary forms, genres, and themes, reflecting the complex tapestry of Indian society, its history, spirituality, and cultural heritage. From the ancient Vedas to contemporary works exploring modern Indian identity, Indian literature offers a window into the soul of a nation characterized by its diversity and complexity. Stretching back thousands of years, Indian literature is marked by its pluralism and inclusivity, drawing inspiration from a wide range of philosophical, religious, and cultural influences. Indian literature has served as a medium for the expression of diverse voices and perspectives, reflecting the myriad experiences of people. Currently, Indian literature occupies a prominent place on the global stage, with Indian writers garnering international acclaim and recognition for their contributions to world literature. Through its diversity, complexity, and depth, Indian literature continues to captivate and inspire readers around the world, inviting them on a timeless journey through the heart and soul of one of the world's ancient and most vibrant civilizations. Objective:  This Call for Proposals (CFP) endeavours to compile a comprehensive and interdisciplinary anthology that delves into the intricate representations of plants and flora across various genres and time periods within Indian Writings in English. This publication seeks to facilitate a nuanced exploration of the profound role played by botanical imagery in shaping the emotional, cultural, and environmental landscapes depicted in Indian literary works. By fostering interdisciplinary dialogue and critical examination, this project aims to provide fresh insights into the multifaceted relationship between humans and plants, as portrayed in Indian Literature. Through this endeavour, we aim to enrich our understanding of the diverse botanical heritage embedded in Indian literary traditions and its relevance in contemporary discussions surrounding nature, culture, and ecology  Target Audience:  In this Call for Proposals (CFP), the primary focus is on Indian writings in English. We seek contributions from scholars, researchers, and academicians specializing in the analysis of Indian literary works, both classic and contemporary. By delving into the profound interplay between humans and the natural world depicted in Indian literature, this CFP aims to attract individuals passionate about exploring the intricate relationship between plants and the cultural, environmental, and emotional aspects woven into various literary traditions, particularly within the realm of Indian writings in English.   Recommended topics include, but are not limited to, the following:  Plant metaphors and symbolisms in Indian Writings in English Comparative analysis of plant representation across different Indian literary periods The ecological and environmental perspectives in Indian literature through plant imagery  Cultural, social, and emotional dimensions of plant representations in     Indian literary texts  Plants as objects of allegory, metaphor, or fable in Indian literary contexts Depiction of flora in mythological narratives  Plants as symbols of love, longing, or spirituality in Indian literature Representation of plants in Indian folk tales, oral traditions, and folk songs Botanical gardens, herbal medicine, and plant cultivation practices depicted in Indian literary texts  Plants as markers of identity, belonging, or displacement in diasporic Indian literature Gendered perspectives on plant imagery and botanical metaphors in Indian literary discourse    Peer Review : All the accepted manuscripts will undergo a double-blind review before publication.    Submission Procedure  Researchers and practitioners are invited to submit an  abstract of 150 to 250 words  with  a brief note on the author's bio and contact information (including full name, affiliation, official e-mail address, and mobile number) on or before May 12, 2024. At least one author contributing to the chapter should possess a Ph.D. Send your abstracts to   [email protected] or [email protected] .   Note : There are no submission or publication fees.   Publisher:  This book series is associated with Dr. Douglas Vakoch’s ‘Critical Plant Series’ published by Lexington Books, a renowned publisher committed to advancing scholarly research and intellectual discourse across various fields. Lexington Books has established itself as an excellent platform for academics, researchers, and authors to disseminate their work to a global audience. It continues to publish high-quality peer-reviewed monographs and edited collections by established and emerging scholars who contribute to the humanities and social sciences. For additional information regarding the publisher, please visit https://rowman.com/lexingtonbooks .  Editorial Advisory Board Members  Jaishmitha Riny R, Research Scholar, Christ Deemed to be University, Bangalore, India. 

Prof. Nirmal Selvamony  is former founding professor and Head of the department of English Studies, and Dean, School of Social Sciences and Humanities, Central University of Tamil Nadu. His major areas of interest, in the last four decades, have been alternative ( ti ṇai ) lifeway,  ti ṇai  studies,  tolkāppiyam , ecocriticism,  tami ḻ  musicology, poetics, and theory. Among his many endeavours to pioneer the  ti ṇ ai   movement ,  some significant ones are the launching of the group called " ti ṇ ai " in 1980 in Chennai, offering the first-ever ecocriticism course (then called "Tamil Poetics") in the Indian university system in the 1980s, and the formulation (in the 1980s) of a theory now known as " putti ṇ ai "  (formerly, Oikopoetics).

Dr. A. Edwin Jeevaraj, Associate Professor, Christ Deemed to be University, Bangalore, India. 

N. Depak Saravanan, Assistant Professor, Christ Deemed to be University, Bangalore, India.