Challenges of Writing the IB English Extended Essay

Writing the IB Extended Essay (EE) on English is difficult to say the least. It marks the first time a secondary school student has to write an essay longer than three pages, not to mention on a topic of their own choosing.

This kind of self-directed writing is crucial practice for IB students who wish to go on to study humanities subjects—and to some extent, sciences—in tertiary study. Today we will provide you with some advice on how to score in the top mark band for your extended essay.

Tip #1: Choosing the Perfect English Extended Essay Topic

Don’t pick a topic/book you aren’t interested in.

The author of international bestsellers The Black Swan and Antifragile, Nassim Nicholas Taleb, is famous for being disagreeable (and for predicting the 2008 financial crisis). In the opening pages of Antifragile, he wrote:

“If the subject is not interesting enough for me to look it up independently, for my own curiosity or purposes, and I have not done so before, then I should not be writing about it at all, period.”

You don’t have to go quite so far when choosing an Extended Essay topic, and Taleb does make a distinction between writing as a professional intellectual and writing as a student, but it’s food for thought nevertheless.

Tip #2: How to Choose an IB English Extended Essay Research Question

Your research question has to be narrow and lead the way into a well-defined argument, i.e. thesis statement.

Too often, IB students do not form or clearly state a hypothesis in their introduction. Otherwise, they choose a research question that is too broad.

If you don’t have enough to talk about in the abstract of your English extended essay, there’s a good chance that your argument isn’t defended well or is too broad.

Example of a bad research question: What themes are discussed in J.D. Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye and Franny and Zooey?

An improved version: How does J.D. Salinger explore themes of alienation and loneliness in The Catcher in the Rye and Franny and Zooey?

Tip #3: Making Relevant Analysis for the IB English Extended Essay

Support your argument with incisive and relevant commentary.

An IB Extended Essay on English Literature not only requires specific reference to the text(s) under examination but also evidence of analysis and independent thinking. Some key questions to ask yourself whenever you’re stuck on analysis may include:

Why did the author choose this tone/style/setting?
What literary devices may be significant to discuss?
How is the text informed by its context of production/reception?
Why did the author sit down to write this book at all?

Try to go beyond analysing a text on a merely emotional level; how much deeper can you go?

Tip #4: How many quotations should I use in my IB English Extended Essay?

Don’t overuse quotations.

Use your quotations wisely. They must always support specific arguments in the body of your essay. Candidates will often overuse quotations because they lack the will to paraphrase.

Other times, they simply don’t understand what the quotation is actually saying and cannot paraphrase even if they wanted to.

Tip #5: How to structure an IB English Extended Essay?

Structure is everything.

In order to score in the top mark band for your IB English Extended Essay, your essay needs to follow a logical and clear structure.

This is often where IB students mess up; even if they have the content, students can struggle to deliver a potent argument because their structure is muddled.

Generally, what structure you follow depends entirely on your question, but there are several models you can follow when outlining your extended essay:

Bullet Point Outline

Summarise each paragraph into one line that defines the idea or sub-topic behind it.

Expand each paragraph summary by adding 2 extra bullet points:
- Evidence, data, or a quote.
- How the example relates to the idea you are trying to convey.

Expand your paragraph bullet points by adding in other ideas or points that are directly relevant to the overall idea behind it.

Post-it Note Outline

Put all the points you want to discuss onto post-it notes.
You can proceed by grouping them under different categories, ideas, and themes.
Reshuffle the notes until you have found the best outline.

Spreadsheet Outline

Make a spreadsheet with the following categories for each body paragraph: Summary, 1st Example, and Explanation, 2nd Example/Comparison and Explanation:
- You can add/subtract categories (e.g. add a close analysis category).
- This outline helps you make sure that you cover all your bases and that you follow a logical structure.

Need help with your IB English Extended Essay?

Finally, don’t forget to add a rough estimate for how many words you should allow yourself for each section. Almost all students always end up with more words than they should!

Check out our site for more information about personalised IB Extended Essay support. With a good tutor, the Extended Essay can be an extremely rewarding and constructive experience.

If you think you would benefit from targeted and structured support for planning and writing your IB Extended Essay, in English or any subject, sign up for one of BartyED’s expert consulting sessions with one of our expert IB Extended Essay tutors. You may find us at 2882 1017 or enquiries@bartyed.com.