How to finish your Extended Essay and get the marks
by Tim Williams
There is a lot of information out there on how to write your Extended Essay, so I won’t waste your time going over everything in fine detail. This article will focus on those things you should do right before you submit your EE to a) make sure you haven’t left anything out that will cost you marks, and b) give you the chance to add in a few finishing flourishes that will impress the examiner. If you’re earlier on in your Extended Essay process or are a DP 1 student still working out what this IB thing is all about, have a look at my study guide, 167 IB Secrets, it’s full of tips and advice to help you with all things IBDP from the Core to your IB exams.
Getting the marks
You want the grades—then get the Assessment Criteria. Actually, if you can, get your supervisor to get you a document from the Online Curriculum Centre called ‘Unpacking the Criteria’. If they don’t know what you are asking them for, harass them—they should know.
There are five Criteria and they are explained in very concrete detail. It says obvious basic things like:
• ‘Is the topic explained in terms of context and why it’s worth studying?’
• ‘Is the Research Question clearly stated?’
• ‘Is it a maximum of 4,000 words because otherwise the student loses marks on all Criteria?’
• ‘Is there a critical evaluation of the arguments presented?’
• ‘Is it laid out the way the Guide says it should be?’
Go and look at your EE and answer these questions!
It’s not rocket science—a lot of it could be reduced to a Yes / No question checklist. There used to be several available on the internet, often for Economics, but usable for almost any subject.
And the next thing is to make sure you have checked it against the Subject Specific Guidance—well, of course, you did that when your supervisor told you to, right at the beginning, no? But do it again before you submit it.
The only tricky Criterion is ‘Engagement’ and that is mostly ticked off by having kept up your Reflection Space, got to meetings at the right time, responded to your supervisor’s advice (and wrote about how you responded…), and having a cracking final interview just before your supervisor writes their comments.
You can get most of the marks in an Extended Essay simply by following the Guide. I could get a pass in Chemistry and I know nothing about science. Remember: The Extended Essay is mostly teaching you about what research is, not about a subject.
The icing on the cake, aka extra points for very little effort
Annotate your bibliography
Once you’ve produced the bibliography, according to whatever system your school favours, add a phrase which assesses the main sources e.g. ‘ A useful general introduction.’ ‘Obviously very conservatively biased.’ ‘Interesting but very dated’. Very few students do this, so you look much more serious.
Pre-emptive strikes
In your conclusion include a paragraph on things that went wrong, or weren’t discussed, or could have been done better. Your examiner will probably have noticed them anyway, so this way you get credit for doing what professional researchers do, instead of a frown. A short paragraph is enough – don’t do yourself down…
Too many words?
Think what you can turn into diagrams, pictures, charts, illustrations (a picture really is worth a thousand words, though you probably don’t need to hear any cliches from me ). Don’t forget good captions.
I’ve finished my EE, now what?
With the effort you’ve put in and the advice above you’ll soon be wrapping up your Extended Essay. Congratulations! Take a moment and enjoy this accomplishment. Seriously, allow yourself to have a bit of a break. As an IB student, you’ll know that there is always something to move on to, but it’s important to maintain perspective and a positive mental frame of mind all of which is aided by having a bit of fun. So, watch a movie, spend time with friends, do whatever it is that you do to relax. You’ll feel re-energised and ready to take on the next bit of your IB journey, whatever that may be. When you get started again, remember to re-visit our IB study skills resource page for more tips and advice on how to tackle the different components of your IBDP from exam stress to essay writing.
