Core
Extended Essay guide
The Extended Essay (EE) is a 4,000-word independent research paper. This guide walks through choosing a question, structuring the essay and hitting the assessment criteria.
1. The essay at a glance
What the extended essay is, why it exists, how much time it takes and who helps you along the way. Start here before you think about pathways or topics.
EE1.1 — What the EE is
What the extended essay is — A compulsory piece of independent research, written up as a formal essay of up to 4,000 words on a topic you choose, and marked externally.
The four aims — The EE is meant to give you the excitement of exploration, ownership of a research topic, transferable skills and a chance to reflect on how you learn.
Where the EE sits in the IB — The EE is one of the three parts of the DP core, alongside TOK and CAS, and the last in a line of IB research projects that starts with the PYP exhibition and MYP personal project.
The skills it builds — The EE develops four groups of transferable skills around inquiry: research, self-management, agency and reflection.
EE1.2 — Time and people
About 40 hours of your time — Expect roughly 40 hours of your own work, supported by about three to five hours of supervision that includes three compulsory reflection sessions.
Your supervisor — Your supervisor is a teacher at your school who mentors you through three sessions and check-ins, reads one draft only and never edits your work.
Others who help — Your coordinator, school librarian and, in some cases, an external mentor also support you, but your in-school supervisor still runs the reflection sessions.
EE1.3 — What changed for 2027
Old guide versus new guide — The 2027 EE is marked out of 30 instead of 34, with critical thinking split into two criteria, presentation folded into criterion A, engagement replaced by reflection and world studies replaced by the interdisciplinary pathway.
2. Choosing a pathway
Decide whether your topic belongs in one DP subject or needs two. This section explains both pathways, the five frameworks for interdisciplinary essays and how to turn an interest into a workable topic.
EE2.1 — Two pathways
Subject-focused or interdisciplinary — You either investigate your topic through one DP subject or integrate two; both routes are marked against the same five criteria.
Making the decision — The guide's pathway flowchart starts from your topic, asks whether one subject is enough or two would be better, and ends with a research question you are ready to change.
EE2.2 — The subject-focused pathway
What subject-focused means — You use the knowledge, concepts, theories, perspectives or methods of one DP subject to answer your question, going well beyond what you did in class.
Which subject you can use — Choose from the IB's list of available subjects for your session; the guide strongly recommends a subject you already study in the DP.
Taking your idea for a walk — Three questions test whether a broad interest can become a good subject-focused topic: what interests you, why one subject suits it, and how it will stretch you.
EE2.3 — The interdisciplinary pathway
Integration, not two essays side by side — An interdisciplinary essay integrates knowledge, concepts, theories, perspectives or methods from two DP subjects; the balance can be uneven, but the integration must make the answer possible.
Know at least one of your subjects — The guide strongly recommends that you study at least one of the two subjects you combine, because your grounding in it supports rigour.
ESS and literature and performance — The guide repeatedly says these two cross-disciplinary subjects can only be used in the subject-focused pathway; one passage allows a cautious combination, so confirm with your coordinator.
How the criteria read for an interdisciplinary essay — All five criteria apply as usual, but each one also looks for evidence that the two subjects have been combined well.
No double-dipping — Your EE must not reuse content from any other DP submission, such as an IA, and needs a substantially different angle and focus.
EE2.4 — The five frameworks
How the frameworks work — Every interdisciplinary essay is registered under one of five frameworks; the frameworks overlap, a topic need not touch all three words, and the link itself is not marked.
Power, equality, justice — For topics about social and political issues and how power is held, shared or resisted.
Culture, identity, expression — For topics about beliefs, identity, art, language and how people express who they are.
Movement, time, space — For topics about migration, places, travel, virtual spaces and change over time and distance.
Evidence, measurement, innovation — For topics where science, mathematics and new technology meet questions of evidence and change.
Sustainability, development, change — For topics about environmental, social and economic sustainability, development, food, health and poverty.
EE2.5 — Choosing a topic
From interest to focused topic — Brainstorm, narrow, align with your subject(s) and check resources; for an interdisciplinary topic, add four questions that test whether two subjects and a framework fit.
Example topics from the guide — The guide's worked examples show how real topics map to a framework and a pair of DP subjects.
3. The research question
Your research question drives the whole essay. This section shows how to develop one step by step and how to tell a strong question from a weak one.
EE3.1 — Developing the question
Four steps to a research question — Confirm your focused topic, investigate it, brainstorm and test the questions that emerge, then choose and refine one provisional question.
Changing direction is allowed — Amending your question, or even changing topic, is completely acceptable and supported by your supervisor.
EE3.2 — What a good question looks like
The ground rules — A research question must be a genuine, single, focused question that invites analysis rather than description and can be answered in 4,000 words.
Clear, focused, arguable — Test each candidate question for clarity, focus and arguability, and prefer higher-order wording such as "to what extent" or "how significant".
Interdisciplinary: a question that needs both subjects — An interdisciplinary research question must invite you to integrate the two subjects, and you should explain and justify that approach.
Nobody will approve your question in advance — The IB will not comment on whether a specific research question is suitable, because developing it is part of what is assessed.
4. Researching
How the research actually unfolds: the stages from a broad idea to a finished essay, the sources and methods you will use, the reflection space that keeps you organised, and what it means to research ethically.
EE4.1 — The research and writing process
Ten stages, from broad topic to final edit — The guide's ten-stage process runs from choosing a broad topic area to reviewing the final essay, though the order can flex.
Planning your timeline and your support — Build a timeline that includes your school's deadlines and the three reflection sessions, and use the people around you.
EE4.2 — Sources and methods
Primary and secondary sources — Primary sources are data you gather first-hand; secondary sources analyse existing data. A literature review is required in every EE.
Methodology versus research methods — Methodology is your overall strategy and rationale; research methods are the specific tools. Explain why your methods suit your question.
EE4.3 — The researcher's reflection space
What the RRS is — A personal space, physical or digital, for recording your reading, thinking and emerging questions; strongly recommended, not mandatory.
Three jobs for your RRS — Use the RRS for thinking, for planning and for academic integrity, tagging every note as your own idea or someone else's.
EE4.4 — Ethical research
The four components of ethical research — Ethical research rests on academic integrity, awareness of well-being and sensitivities, ethics and safety, and care for the environment.
People, experiments and sensitive topics — Research with people needs care for comfort, culture, privacy and consent; experiments need the sciences guidelines; sensitive topics need a talk with your supervisor and coordinator.
5. Writing and presenting
How to put the essay together: the required structure, the formatting and word-count rules, citing and referencing, and the academic integrity rules that cover drafts, the final version and AI.
EE5.1 — Structure
The required parts, in order — Title page, contents page, introduction, body, conclusion, and a reference list or bibliography, plus your subject's own conventions.
Introduction, body and conclusion — The introduction sets up topic, scope and question; the body argues with evidence, one point per paragraph; the conclusion answers the question with no new points.
EE5.2 — The rules of the document
The 4,000-word limit — 4,000 words is the upper limit; examiners stop reading beyond it, and an over-length essay is compromised across every criterion.
Formatting, anonymity and the title page — Font 12, 1.5 spacing, page numbers after the contents page, under 10 MB, no names anywhere; the title page shows code, question, subject(s) and word count.
Footnotes and endnotes — Reference footnotes and original-language quotation footnotes are free; explanatory footnotes count towards the 4,000 words and must be declared on the title page.
Appendices — Examiners are not required to read appendices, so nothing important to your argument can live there.
EE5.3 — Citing and referencing
Choosing a style and the minimum information — The IB prescribes no referencing style, but you must use a standard one consistently and give at least the minimum details, including access dates for online sources.
Reference list, bibliography and good habits — A reference list holds only cited sources; a bibliography holds everything consulted. Cite as you write and handle other-language sources carefully.
EE5.4 — Academic integrity and AI
Authenticity, drafts and the final version — Your essay must be your own work; one draft gets feedback, the clean final version goes in before the viva, and nothing changes after that.
Using AI — AI may never write your essay; it can be a resource only if acknowledged, cited and checked, and conventional search is better for early investigation.
6. The assessment criteria
How examiners mark the extended essay, and what each of the five criteria rewards, band by band, in plain language.
EE6.1 — How the essay is marked
Criteria, not competition — The EE is marked against fixed criteria, never against other students, and the five criterion marks are added together.
Best fit and positive marking — Examiners look for the band that best describes your work overall and give credit for what is there rather than hunting for gaps.
Reading from the top band down — Examiners start at the highest band, work down to the one that fits, then choose a mark within it; one seriously weak strand pulls you to the lower end.
What is marked where, and who marks it — A to D are applied to the essay as a whole, E only to the reflective statement; supervisors predict a grade but never mark.
EE6.2 — Criterion A: Framework for the essay
What criterion A assesses — Criterion A (6 marks) checks the frame of the essay: the research question, the research methods and the structural conventions.
Strand: research question — Moving up means going from a question that drifts or is vague, to one that is clear but too wide or narrow, to one that is clear and sized for 4,000 words.
Strand: research methods — Moving up means going from methods that mostly do not fit the question, to suitable methods partly well applied, to suitable methods explained and applied effectively.
Strand: structure — Moving up means going from conventions that are present but do not help, to conventions that help in places, to conventions that support communication throughout.
Criterion A in an interdisciplinary essay — Your question must reflect the interdisciplinary approach, you should justify it, use methods from both subjects and respect both sets of conventions where relevant.
How marks are lost on A — Typical losses: an unfocused or descriptive question, methods that are hidden or unexplained, conventions that do not help the reader, and going over 4,000 words.
EE6.3 — Criterion B: Knowledge and understanding
What criterion B assesses — Criterion B (6 marks) checks your knowledge of the subject matter and your understanding, shown through terminology and concepts.
Strand: knowledge — Moving up means going from materials that lack relevance, to relevant materials giving some knowledge, to comprehensive relevant materials.
Strand: terminology — Moving up means going from inaccurate or very limited vocabulary, to some accurate terms, to relevant terms used accurately and consistently.
Strand: concepts — Moving up means going from concepts that are irrelevant or explained superficially, to some concepts used with partial success, to relevant concepts explained and used effectively.
Criterion B in an interdisciplinary essay — You need grounding in both subjects through their terminology and concepts, but the balance between them does not have to be even.
How marks are lost on B — Typical losses: irrelevant or thin sources, too much quotation, loose or missing terminology, and concepts that are named but never used.
EE6.4 — Criterion C: Analysis and line of argument
What criterion C assesses — Criterion C (6 marks) checks whether you analyse rather than describe, and whether a line of argument links question, findings and conclusions.
Strand: analysis — Moving up means going from description instead of analysis, to partly effective analysis with some findings, to effective analysis that consistently produces relevant findings.
Strand: line of argument — Moving up means going from a partial argument, to one that links question, findings and conclusions only partly consistently, to a clear and sustained one.
Criterion C in an interdisciplinary essay — Your findings should reflect both subject lenses, and your argument should show how the integration of the two develops.
How marks are lost on C — Typical losses: describing instead of analysing, unsupported points, and parts of the essay that never connect back to the question.
EE6.5 — Criterion D: Discussion and evaluation
What criterion D assesses — Criterion D (8 marks, the largest) checks your discussion of the findings and your evaluation of the essay, in four bands.
Strand: discussion — Moving up means going from describing significance without evidence, to a partly balanced discussion sometimes backed, to balanced and often backed, to balanced and fully backed.
Strand: evaluation, the key differentiator — The bands climb from strengths and limitations not stated, to stated, to described, to explained; explaining is what the top band rewards.
Criterion D in an interdisciplinary essay — Discussion is the main tool for integrating the two subjects, and evaluation can include an appraisal of the interdisciplinary approach itself.
How marks are lost on D — Typical losses: claims without evidence, one-sided discussion, limitations only listed, and all evaluation saved for the end.
EE6.6 — Criterion E: Reflection
What criterion E assesses — Criterion E (4 marks) applies only to the reflective statement on the RPF and checks whether you evaluate how the EE changed you as a learner.
Strand: evaluative — Moving up means going from pure description, to description with some examples, to partly evaluative with specific examples, to consistently evaluative with specific examples.
Strand: growth — Moving up means going from describing the process with no transfer, to growth and transfer shown sometimes, then often, then consistently.
Criterion E in an interdisciplinary essay — E works the same for both pathways; one transferable skill an interdisciplinary student can reflect on is applying an interdisciplinary approach.
The zero rule and the 500-word cap — A blank, missing or wrong-language RPF scores 0 for E, and examiners stop reading the statement at 500 words.
How marks are lost on E — Typical losses: describing the process instead of evaluating it, vague claims without examples, no transfer of learning, and reflection placed in the essay instead of the statement.
7. Supervision, reflection and the reflection and progress form
Your three reflection sessions, the one draft your supervisor comments on, and the 500-word reflective statement that criterion E marks.
EE7.1 — The three reflection sessions
Reflection sessions vs check-ins — Three formal reflection sessions of about 20–30 minutes are recorded on the RPF; informal check-ins in between are encouraged but not recorded.
The first reflection session — Early in the process: a dialogue about your initial explorations, where you arrive with background reading and a possible proposal.
The interim reflection session — In the middle of research and writing: you show your progress, discuss challenges and solutions, and check your question and line of argument.
The final reflection session: the viva voce — After your clean final version is handed in: a 20–30 minute interview celebrating the finished essay, reflecting on your learning and confirming authenticity.
EE7.2 — Drafts and the final version
One draft, one round of comments — Your supervisor reads and comments on one draft only, after the interim session and before the final one, and never edits it for you.
The clean final version — After the commented draft, the next version your supervisor sees is the final one, handed in clean before the viva and not changed afterwards.
EE7.3 — The reflective statement
What the reflective statement is — A statement of up to 500 words on the RPF, in the same language as the essay, written at the end of the process and assessed under criterion E.
What to draw on and what to address — Use your session records, essay and RRS; address the viva, transferable skills, insights, changes in perspective, the impact of your choices and future thinking.
How criterion E reads your statement — Examiners look for reflection that is consistently evaluative with specific examples and that consistently shows growth and transfer of learning.
8. Your subject, specifically
Each subject reads the EE criteria in its own way. Find your subject for its specific rules, the topics that work, and the guide's examples in our words.
EE8.1 — Language A
Language A: Literature — A literature EE analyses how one or more literary texts create their effects, using close reading backed by criticism.
Language A: Language and literature — A language and literature EE can analyse literary texts, non-literary texts, or both, but must avoid texts you studied in class.
EE8.2 — Language B
Language B — A language B EE investigates literature, language use or culture in your target language, using only texts originally produced in that language.
EE8.3 — Classical languages
Classical languages: Greek and Latin — A classical languages EE investigates the language, literature or civilisation of ancient Greece or Rome, using sources in the original.
EE8.4 — Individuals and societies
Business management — A business management EE investigates a real organisation through business concepts and methods, using secondary research with or without primary data.
Digital society — A digital society EE investigates how digital systems affect people and communities, often through a case study combining secondary and primary sources.
Economics — An economics EE tests economic theory against evidence, using secondary research and, where suitable, primary data.
Geography — A geography EE investigates spatial patterns and processes, often with primary data or mapped secondary data tested against a model.
Global politics — A global politics EE applies political concepts to real cases, with academic secondary sources at its core.
History — A history EE analyses a focused question about the past, built on primary sources and the historians who interpret them.
Philosophy — A philosophy EE analyses a philosophical text or problem within a clear theoretical frame, weighing arguments to reach a justified answer.
Psychology — A psychology EE is a review and analysis of published, peer-reviewed research: secondary sources only.
Social and cultural anthropology — An SCA EE analyses existing ethnographies through anthropological theory; your own fieldwork can only supplement them.
World religions — A world religions EE analyses religious texts, beliefs or practices through a chosen theoretical framework.
EE8.5 — Sciences
Biology — A biology EE tests a falsifiable hypothesis with controlled variables or a carefully selected body of published data, and the analysis must be yours.
Chemistry — A chemistry EE needs a tightly controlled experiment or a well-chosen data set, explained through the underlying theory, with SI units and uncertainties throughout.
Computer science — A computer science EE usually runs a fair, replicable experiment such as a benchmark or a comparison of algorithms, built on a clear explanation of the theory.
Design technology — Design technology counts as a science in the EE: you investigate a design problem or a technology with evidence, often combining user research, prototypes and testing.
Physics — A physics EE applies fundamental principles to a focused question, using either a carefully controlled experiment or secondary data, with uncertainties and SI units throughout.
Sports, exercise and health science — An SEHS EE investigates performance or health with a controlled study on participants or a systematic review of published research, with ethics planned from the start.
EE8.6 — Mathematics
Mathematics (AA and AI) — A mathematics EE explores a theory, applies maths to a real situation or analyses data, and its success rests on showing you truly understand every step.
EE8.7 — The arts
Dance — A dance EE analyses choreography and performance as art, integrating close study of works with scholarly sources rather than drifting into history or sociology.
Film — A film EE analyses how films make meaning, supported by film theory and scholarship, and claims of influence need hard evidence beyond visible similarities.
Music — A music EE analyses the music itself, using scores and recordings alongside scholarship, and avoids topics about the industry or the musicians' lives.
Theatre — A theatre EE analyses texts and productions as theatre, often drawing on live performance, design and practitioners' writing, all tied to scholarly sources.
Visual arts — A visual arts EE analyses artworks closely, supports claims with scholarship, and must include images in the body of the essay.
EE8.8 — Cross-disciplinary subjects
Environmental systems and societies — An ESS EE pairs an environmental issue with a societal viewpoint and analyses them together, usually through a systems approach, and it must be subject-focused.
Literature and performance — A literature and performance EE studies a written text and then a realised performance of it, comparing them in a balanced way; it must be subject-focused.
9. Grades and diploma points
How your essay's marks become a grade from A to E, and how that grade combines with your TOK grade to earn up to three diploma points.
EE9.1 — From marks to a grade
How grades are set — Your marks out of 30 become a grade A to E using boundaries set each session by senior examiners; the guide does not publish them.
The five grade descriptors — What a typical A, B, C, D and E essay looks like, in our words.
EE9.2 — The EE and TOK matrix
The points matrix — Your EE and TOK grades combine through a fixed matrix to give up to three diploma points.
Passing: D or better — You need at least a D in the EE to be awarded the diploma; an E or N in the EE or TOK is a failing condition, but zero points is not.