Guidelines for the IB Extended Essay - Commack Schools



Name: ________________________

Guidelines for the IB Extended Essay

What is the Extended Essay (EE) and what is its purpose?

The Extended Essay offers diploma candidates the opportunity to investigate a topic of special interest and acquaints students with the independent research and writing skills expected at the college level. In other words, the extended essay is an in-depth study of a limited topic within a subject area.

Who is responsible for completing an Extended Essay?

Every IB diploma candidate must submit an extended essay.

What are the basic guidelines for the Extended Essay?

1. To complete this task, each student must be supervised by a teacher or administrator within the district that is qualified and/or experienced in the subject chosen by the candidate. Your Extended Essay mentor has four responsibilities:

a. To encourage and support you throughout the research and writing of the extended essay.

b. To provide you with advice and guidance in the skills of undertaking research.

c. To ensure that the extended essay is your original work.

d. To complete the supervisor’s report about your Extended Essay.

2. Extended essays cannot be submitted in a Theory of Knowledge topic or a pilot program offered in the school.

3. You must register your Extended Essay in the correct subject area. Extended essays submitted for assessment in the wrong subject may not be assessed.

How long should it take to complete the Extended Essay?

Candidates are expected to spend about 40 hours in total on the extended essay. During these 40 hours, three “mandatory reflection sessions” must occur along with three “check-in sessions.” With each of the mandatory meetings, the candidate is expected to complete a portion of their Reflections on Planning and Progress Form (RPPF). The last mandatory reflection session will be the viva voce, an interview conducted by your mentor pertaining to your growth as a researcher and writer. The RPPF will be submitted digitally along with your Extended Essay to the IBO.

How does one begin the process of writing an Extended Essay?

1. It is recommended that the candidate should choose the subject area for the essay before deciding the topic. Candidates should base the choice of subject on their personal interests.

2. Once the subject is selected, the candidate should select a topic to research. The topic chosen should be limited in scope and sufficiently narrow to allow it to be examined in depth. The essay must be presented in the form of a research question.

3. Once the subject and topic are picked, it is the responsibility of the candidate to find a mentor who is willing to work with them. Be sure that the teacher/administrator fully understands his/her responsibilities and is made aware of the topic. It is at this point that the mentor and candidate should discuss the logistics of completing an essay on the chosen topic.

4. Begin the research and writing process while updating your mentor on your progress.

What are the subject areas one can write their Extended Essay in?

|Individuals and Societies |The Sciences |The Arts |Mathematics |

|Business Management |Biology |Dance |Mathematics |

|Economics |Chemistry |Film | |

|Geography |Computer Science |Music | |

|Global Politics |Design Technology |Theatre | |

|History |Physics |Visual Arts | |

|Information Technology in a Global Society |Sports, Exercise and Health | | |

|(ITGS) |Science | | |

|Philosophy | | | |

|Psychology | | | |

|Social and Cultural Anthropology | | | |

|World Religions | | | |

|Group 1: Studies in Language and Literature |Group 2: Language Acquisition, including Classical Languages |

|Category 1: studies of one or more literary works originally written in English |Category 1: a specific analysis of the language (use and structure), related|

| |to its cultural context or a specific text |

|Category 2: studies of a literary work or works originally written in English | |

|compared to one or more literary works originally written in another language (may|Category 2: a social-cultural analysis of the impact of an issue on the form|

|be studied in translation) |or use of the language: |

| |Based on an examination of language use |

|Category 3: studies in language based on one or more texts originally produced in|An essay of a general cultural nature based on specific cultural artifacts |

|English | |

| |Category 3: an analysis of a literary type, based on a specific work or |

| |works of literature exclusively from the target language |

What is the IB looking for in the various sections of the Extended Essay?

Introduction:

The introduction should include:

• A reason why the topic chosen is interesting, important or worthy of study.

• Some background information on the topic.

• A clearly and precisely stated research question.

• A response to the research question that will be developed in the body of the essay.

Body:

The body should develop a convincing answer to the research question. Some subjects may require sub-headings for major sections within the main body.

Conclusion:

The conclusion should be:

• Clearly stated.

• Relevant to the research question being investigated.

• A way to present issues, unresolved questions and new questions that have emerged from the research.

What are the technical guidelines for the Extended Essay?

There is a 4,000-word limit on the Extended Essay. This upper limit includes the introduction, the body, the conclusion and any quotations, but does not include:

• acknowledgements

• the table of contents page

• maps, charts, diagrams, annotated illustrations and tables

• the references/bibliography

• appendices

Essays in excess of 4000 words are subject to penalties and examiners are not required to read material in excess of the word limit.

Every Extended Essay must have a(n):

1. Title

a. The title should provide a clear indication of the focus of the essay. It should be precise and phrased in the form of a question.

2. Contents Page

a. A table of contents page must be provided at the beginning of the Extended Essay and all pages should be numbered.

3. References/Bibliography

a. The direct or indirect use of the words of another person, written, oral or electronic, must be correctly cited. An accepted form of quoting and documenting sources should be applied consistently. A candidate’s failure to comply with this will have his/her essay treated as a case of plagiarism.

b. The bibliography or list of references should include only those works, such as books and journals, which have been consulted by the candidate. The bibliography should specify: author/s, title, date and place of publication, and the name of the publisher, following consistently one standard method of listing sources.

|An Extended Essay can, but does not have to, have visuals. |

| |

|Illustrations |

|Graphs, diagrams, tables and maps must be directly related to the text and acknowledged where appropriate. The use of photographs is acceptable only if they are|

|captioned and/or annotated and are used to illustrate a specific point made in the Extended Essay. |

How is the Extended Essay graded?

All extended essays are externally assessed by examiners appointed by the IBO. All extended essays are marked on a scale from 0 to 34. The first 28 marks are based on the general assessment criterion which is applied to all subject areas. The remaining 6 marks are based on the completion of the Reflections on Planning and Progress Form (RPPF). Earning an “A” on the Extended Essay will reward you with 3 additional points towards your diploma. An “E” on the Extended Essay (or in ToK) will prevent you from earning your IB Diploma.

................
................

In order to avoid copyright disputes, this page is only a partial summary.

Google Online Preview   Download