Below are six key tips to keep in mind as you work on your Extended Essay for the IB DP. Follow these and you're sure to get an A!

 

#1: Write About Something You Enjoy

• You can't expect to write a compelling essay if you're not a fan of the topic on which you're writing.

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• For example, I just love British theatre and ended up writing my Extended Essay on a revolution in post-WWII British theatre. (Yes, I'm definitely a #TheatreNerd.)

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• I really encourage anyone who pursues an IB Diploma to take the Extended Essay seriously.

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• I was fortunate enough to receive a full-tuition merit scholarship to USC's School of Dramatic Arts program.

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• In my interview for the scholarship, I spoke passionately about my Extended Essay; thus, I genuinely think my Extended Essay helped me get my scholarship.

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#2: Select a Topic That Is Neither Too Broad nor Too Narrow

• There's a fine line between broad and narrow.

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• You need to write about something specific, but not so specific that you can't write 4,000 words on it.

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• You can't write about WWII because that would be a book's worth of material.

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• You also don't want to write about what type of soup prisoners of war received behind enemy lines, because you probably won’t be able to come up with 4,000 words of material about it.

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• However, you could possibly write about how the conditions in German POW camps—and the rations provided—were directly affected by the Nazis' successes and failures on the front, including the use of captured factories and prison labor in Eastern Europe to increase production.

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• WWII military history might be a little overdone, but you get my point.

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#3: Choose an Advisor Who Is Familiar With Your Topic

• If you're not certain of who you would like to be your advisor, create a list of your top three choices.

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• Next, write down the pros and cons of each possibility (I know this sounds tedious, but it really helps!).

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• For example, Mr. Green is my favorite teacher and we get along really well, but he teaches English.

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• For my EE, I want to conduct an experiment that compares the efficiency of American electric cars with foreign electric cars.

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• I had Ms. White a year ago. She teaches physics and enjoyed having me in her class. Unlike Mr. Green, Ms. White could help me design my experiment.

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• Based on my topic and what I need from my advisor, Ms. White would be a better fit for me than would Mr. Green (even though I like him a lot).

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• The moral of my story is this: do not just ask your favorite teacher to be your advisor. They might be a hindrance to you if they teach another subject.

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• For example, I would not recommend asking your biology teacher to guide you in writing an English literature-based EE.

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• There can, of course, be exceptions to this rule. If you have a teacher who's passionate and knowledgeable about your topic (as my English teacher was about my theatre topic), you could ask that instructor.

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• Consider all your options before you do this. There was no theatre teacher at my high school, so I couldn't find a theatre-specific advisor, but I chose the next best thing.

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• Before you approach a teacher to serve as your advisor, check with your high school to see what requirements they have for this process.

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• Some IB high schools require your IB Extended Essay advisor to sign an Agreement Form, for instance.

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• Make sure that you ask your IB coordinator whether there is any required paperwork to fill out.

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• If your school needs a specific form signed, bring it with you when you ask your teacher to be your EE advisor.

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#4: Pick an Advisor Who Will Push You to Be Your Best

• Some teachers might just take on students because they have to and aren't very passionate about reading drafts, only giving you minimal feedback.

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• Choose a teacher who will take the time to read several drafts of your essay and give you extensive notes.

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• I would not have gotten my A without being pushed to make my Extended Essay draft better.

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• Ask a teacher that you have experience with through class or an extracurricular activity. Do not ask a teacher that you have absolutely no connection to.

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• If a teacher already knows you, that means they already know your strengths and weaknesses, so they know what to look for, where you need to improve, and how to encourage your best work.

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• Also, don't forget that your supervisor's assessment is part of your overall EE score.

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• If you're meeting with someone who pushes you to do better—and you actually take their advice—they'll have more impressive things to say about you than a supervisor who doesn't know you well and isn't heavily involved in your research process.

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• Be aware that the IB only allows advisors to make suggestions and give constructive criticism. Your teacher cannot actually help you write your EE.

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• The IB recommends that the supervisor spends approximately two to three hours in total with the candidate discussing the EE.

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#5: Make Sure Your Essay Has a Clear Structure and Flow

• The IB likes structure. Your EE needs a clear introduction (which should be one to two double-spaced pages), research question/focus (i.e., what you're investigating), a body, and a conclusion (about one double-spaced page).

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• An essay with unclear organization will be graded poorly.

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• The body of your EE should make up the bulk of the essay. It should be about eight to 18 pages long (again, depending on your topic).

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• Your body can be split into multiple parts. For example, if you were doing a comparison, you might have one third of your body as Novel A Analysis, another third as Novel B Analysis, and the final third as your comparison of Novels A and B.

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• If you're conducting an experiment or analyzing data, such as in this EE, your EE body should have a clear structure that aligns with the scientific method; you should state the research question, discuss your method, present the data, analyze the data, explain any uncertainties, and draw a conclusion and/or evaluate the success of the experiment.

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#6: Start Writing Sooner Rather Than Later!

• You will not be able to crank out a 4,000-word essay in just a week and get an A on it. You'll be reading many, many articles (and, depending on your topic, possibly books and plays as well!).

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• As such, it's imperative that you start your research as soon as possible.

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• Each school has a slightly different deadline for the Extended Essay. Some schools want them as soon as November of your senior year; others will take them as late as February. Your school will tell you what your deadline is.

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• If they haven't mentioned it by February of your junior year, ask your IB coordinator about it.

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• Some high schools will provide you with a timeline of when you need to come up with a topic, when you need to meet with your advisor, and when certain drafts are due. Not all schools do this.

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• Ask your IB coordinator if you are unsure whether you are on a specific timeline.

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• Below is my recommended EE timeline. While it's earlier than most schools, it'll save you a ton of heartache (trust me, I remember how hard this process was!):

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• January/February of Junior Year: Come up with your final research topic (or at least your top three options).

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• February of Junior Year: Approach a teacher about being your EE advisor. If they decline, keep asking others until you find one. See my notes above on how to pick an EE advisor.

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• April/May of Junior Year: Submit an outline of your EE and a bibliography of potential research sources (I recommend at least seven to 10) to your EE advisor. Meet with your EE advisor to discuss your outline.

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• Summer Between Junior and Senior Year: Complete your first full draft over the summer between your junior and senior year.

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• I know, I know—no one wants to work during the summer, but trust me--this will save you so much stress come fall when you are busy with college applications and other internal assessments for your IB classes.

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• You will want to have this first full draft done because you will want to complete a couple of draft cycles as you likely won't be able to get everything you want to say into 4,000 articulate words on the first attempt.

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• Try to get this first draft into the best possible shape so you don't have to work on too many revisions during the school year on top of your homework, college applications, and extracurriculars.

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• August/September of Senior Year: Turn in your first draft of your EE to your advisor and receive feedback. Work on incorporating their feedback into your essay. If they have a lot of suggestions for improvement, ask if they will read one more draft before the final draft.

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• September/October of Senior Year: Submit second draft of EE to your advisor (if necessary) and look at their feedback. Work on creating the best possible final draft.

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• November-February of Senior Year: Schedule your viva voce. Submit two copies of your final draft to your school to be sent off to the IB. You likely will not get your grade until after you graduate.

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• Remember that in the middle of these milestones, you'll need to schedule two other reflection sessions with your advisor. (Your teachers will actually take notes on these sessions on a form like this one, which then gets submitted to the IB.)

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• I recommend doing them when you get feedback on your drafts, but these meetings will ultimately be up to your supervisor. Just don't forget to do them!