The Extended Essay: IB History
Understanding the Extended Essay
The IB Extended Essay is one of three core components of the IB Diploma Programme. This means that all IB students must complete an Extended Essay and passing it is vital to receiving the IB diploma. The Extended Essay is described as a self-directed independent research paper in which IB candidates select a subject and area of interest within that subject, then produce a 4,000 word essay that provides an in-depth analysis of their chosen topic.
The purpose of the Extended Essay is to promote academic research and further develop a student’s writing skills. Moreover, the Extended Essay functions as a primer for the type of work expected of those who go on to study at university.
Put simply, the IB Extended Essay is one of, if not the most, challenging aspect of a student’s IBDP. That the IB Extended Essay is not the only piece of coursework, with IAs and other such projects necessary, as well as the need for continuous revision, IB students can easily become overwhelmed.
How Is the EE Assessed?
The Extended Essay, unlike the Internal Assessments, is externally moderated. While IB candidates do work with an EE supervisor—this being one of their teachers or another staff member—only three meetings are permitted. Consequently, much of the work that students complete is done independently.
The Extended Essay is assessed under the following criteria:
Framework for the essay: Do the research question, research methods, and structural conventions followed provide an effective framework for the essay?
Knowledge and understanding: Does the student demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the subject matter being used in their research?
Analysis and line of argument: Does the student analyse the information presented in the essay and produce a line of argument?
Discussion and evaluation: Does the student discuss the findings and evaluate the essay?
Reflection: Does the student evaluate the effect of the extended essay learning experience on them as a learner?
The Extended Essay and IB History
IB students are able to select any IB subject for their Extended Essay. Each year, countless individuals chose history for their Extended Essay and it is easy to see why. The options available to those who choose to complete their Extended Essay in history are innumerable. The only parameters set for an Extended Essay in history is that a student cannot examine an event that occurred within the last ten years. Beyond that, IB candidates who have chosen to complete their Extended Essay in history can explore any event or era.
Where to Start
Once a student has chosen history as their Extended Essay subject, they must develop a research question. This is often where a history Extended Essay is won or lost, as a poorly conceived research question means an essay of lesser quality. Thus, candidates must think carefully about their research question and consider not only where their own interests lie but also the extent to which an historical debate exists regarding their preferred topic and how much readings, both primary and secondary, are available to work from. It can be beneficial to begin a research question with phrases such as ‘to what extent’, ‘how significant’ or ‘how successful’ as these imply a greater degree of variability within the work and indicate that some kind of debate exists. Additionally, the time frame under examination should be kept relatively short. IB candidates attempting to examine a 100 year period will be overwhelmed by the amount of reading necessary to compose a thorough answer to any question. So, be safe and limit the scope of the task to as short a period of time as possible.
Common Pitfalls
As with any piece of coursework, there are a number of common pitfalls that trap those completing an IB Extended Essay in history. The first is, of course, a poorly developed research question. Beyond this, candidates often fail to incorporate enough sources into their work. It is vital that primary and secondary sources are utilised throughout the research and writing of an IB Extended Essay for history and all of these sources should be carefully noted. Moreover, students should become familiar with the citation style that their supervisor recommends to them, be it MLA, APA, or otherwise. What’s more, it is recommended that students avoid using online citation tools. These rarely work correctly and often end up producing a poor approximation of what is expected. Thus, students should review the relevant citation guidelines of the style recommended by their supervisor and manually input all source citations, both in-text and in the work cited section.
Can a Tutor Help?
An IB history Extended Essay is a challenge for even the most academically inclined students. It requires a significant amount of thought, research, and writing to complete to the IB standard. An experienced tutor can prove highly beneficial as they come equipped with the knowledge to guide IB candidates to greater success in their Extended Essay. A tutor can assist with the generation of research questions, the compiling of sources, and reviewing any writing produced. While the inclination of many IB candidates may be to go it alone, the watchful eye of a tutor can make all the difference insofar as keeping the work on track and to the standard expected.
BartyED and EE Support
At BartyED, our team of expert IB tutors have guided IB students through Extended Essays in history, English, economics, and a wide range of other IB subjects. Our experienced tutors have a clear understanding of what is expected of candidates with regard to their Extended Essay and are able to offer the appropriate level of support. If you think that you or your child could benefit from the expertise of a BartyED IB tutor, contact us today by phone or via our contact form.
Frequently Asked Questions
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The IB Extended Essay should be no more than 4,000 words.
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Yes, regardless of the subject chosen for their Extended Essay, all students must make use of sources.
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This depends on a student’s personal interests. However, history remains a consistently popular choice.
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There is no IB preference for citation style. Typically, students use whatever style is recommended by their supervisor.