The extended essay is compulsory for all students taking the Diploma Programme.
A student must achieve a D grade or higher to be awarded the Diploma.
The extended essay is externally assessed and, in combination with the grade for theory of knowledge, contributes up to three points to the total score for the IB Diploma.
The extended essay is a piece of independent research on a topic chosen by the student in consultation with a supervisor in the school.
It is presented as a formal piece of sustained academic writing containing no more than 4,000 words accompanied by a reflection form of no more than 500 words.
It is the result of approximately 40 hours of work by the student.
Students are supported by a supervision process recommended to be 3–5 hours, which includes three mandatory reflection sessions.
More for teachers
Subject-specific guides
The links to subject-specific guides below link to the overview pages.
Note the important additional links from these pages (lower left menu) to choice of topic, treatment of topic, and understanding the EE assessment criteria.
The core of the Extended Essay
Source: IBO:https://ibpublishing.ibo.org/extendedessay/apps/dpapp/guide.html?doc=d_0_eeyyy_gui_1602_1_e&part=3&chapter=1