THE IB EXTENDED ESSAY

Problems of supervision

and

How to help the student

THE EXTENDED ESSAY



What is it?



How do I get started?



Good and Bad Research Questions



Some Common Problems

Basic Facts



Personal research by the student



On a question or hypothesis chosen by
the student, not assigned by the teacher



In a subject or discipline listed by the IB
(e.g., NOT Linguistics, Sociology or
Mathematical Economics)



In the format of a formal research paper

Basic Facts



Length 4,000 words



not including appendices,
illustrations, bibliography,
footnotes or endnotes



with an abstract within 300
words

Basic Facts



Required for the IB Diploma



Counts towards additional
diploma points along with
Theory of Knowledge



Assessed according to
published criteria

WHO IS INVOLVED IN THE

EXTENDED ESSAY?



The student



The student’s supervisor



The IB Coordinator



The International Baccalaureate
Organization

HOW TO CHOOSE A

RESEARCH TOPIC



Decide which subject interests
you the most.



Without personal curiosity and
interest, it’s impossible to do
research.

HOW TO CHOOSE A

RESEARCH TOPIC

In that subject, make a

list of the topical areas

in the subject that

interest you the most.

Discuss this list with



your teacher



your friends



your parents and/or



anyone else who you think

may be able to give you

advice or be interested.

HOW TO CHOOSE A

RESEARCH TOPIC

HOW TO CHOOSE A

RESEARCH TOPIC

Choose an area from
this list, and read more
in this area - if
possible, with advice
from your supervisor.

HOW TO CHOOSE A

RESEARCH TOPIC



While reading, try and list
questions that you are curious
about.



THIS MUST BE DONE RIGHT
THROUGH THE RESEARCH
PROCESS, SO....

KEEP A RESEARCH

DIARY!

Ask yourself



what data you might need to answer
these questions



whether you will have access to the data



whether you will need to find other
sources of data

See whether there has been any

research by others in this area.

HOW TO CHOOSE A

RESEARCH TOPIC

HOW TO CHOOSE A

RESEARCH TOPIC

Consult the librarian
for help with tracking
down research papers
or writings, and read
the abstracts.

HOW TO CHOOSE A

RESEARCH TOPIC

Ask what methods you
will need to adopt to
answer the questions
you have in mind.

HOW TO CHOOSE A

RESEARCH TOPIC



Brainstorm



Draw spider diagrams of
questions and issues and
connections between them.

HOW TO CHOOSE A

RESEARCH TOPIC

Narrow down the number
and scope of your
questions as you proceed.

HOW TO CHOOSE A

RESEARCH TOPIC

Consult your

supervisor at each

stage, and in case of

difficulty.

HOW TO CHOOSE A

RESEARCH TOPIC

EXPECT TO CHANGE
YOUR MIND SEVERAL
TIMES BEFORE YOU
FINALLY SETTLE ON A
TOPIC.



One formulated by the student out
of his/her own curiosity or interest



Non-trivial (i.e., substantial, not
speculative or too limited in scope,
not self-evident)



Sharply enough focused so that the
student can answer it in 4,000
words.

WHAT IS A GOOD

RESEARCH QUESTION?

EXAMPLE OF A BAD

RESEARCH QUESTION

ECONOMICS

Does globalization affect

Turkey?

EXAMPLE OF A BAD

RESEARCH QUESTION

BIOLOGY

What causes cancer?

EXAMPLE OF A BAD

RESEARCH QUESTION

HISTORY

What would have

happened to Turkey if the last

Sultans had been more

powerful?

EXAMPLE OF A BAD

RESEARCH QUESTION

GEOGRAPHY

Does Istanbul have a central
business district? (variant of an
example in The Extended Essay, IBO,
1998)

EXAMPLE OF A GOOD

RESEARCH QUESTION

ECONOMICS

Is there a connexion

between international coffee

prices and living standards in

Uganda?

EXAMPLE OF A GOOD

RESEARCH QUESTION

BIOLOGY

The ecology of snails in the Koç

School campus.

EXAMPLE OF A GOOD

RESEARCH QUESTION

HISTORY

The establishment of foreign

schools in Turkey in the 19

century

EXAMPLE OF A GOOD

RESEARCH QUESTION

GEOGRAPHY

How has migration affected land

use patterns in Van province?

COMMON PROBLEMS

WITH EXTENDED

ESSAYS

Students discover too
late that there is too
little data, or data is
inaccessible.

COMMON PROBLEMS
WITH EXTENDED
ESSAYS

Bad pacing of the
research and writing
process

COMMON PROBLEMS

WITH EXTENDED ESSAYS

PLAGIARISM

The use of the work of other authors
(texts, data, creative productions,
oral statements OR ideas) without
proper acknowledgement, with the
effect that it appears to be the
plagiarist’s own work or idea.

COMMON PROBLEMS

WITH EXTENDED

ESSAYS

Over-reliance on

web-based

sources

COMMON PROBLEMS

WITH EXTENDED

ESSAYS

Students discover
too late that their
knowledge of the
subject is not deep
enough.

COMMON PROBLEMS

WITH EXTENDED

ESSAYS

Ethical issues

regarding gathering of

data or performing of

experiments

COMMON PROBLEMS
WITH EXTENDED
ESSAYS

No contribution by the

student – the

extended essay is a

compilation of

information from other

sources.

EXTENDED ESSAY

ADVISORY SESSION

with STUDENTS

End of IB 1 or Beginning of IB

What does this session
cover?



Where you should be in the process now.



What you need to do if you are not there.



Possible problems at this stage, and what
to do about them.



Tips and pitfalls



Discussion with subject teachers and
librarian.

Where should you be in
the EE process by now?



You should have:



Assembled the material and bibliography for
your research



Performed experiments (where required)



Recorded data or observations on which
your research is based.



Written up research notes



Outlined your analysis



Started writing the SECOND DRAFT

What you need to do if you
are not there



Decide whether you still want the IB diploma.

If you do…



Show your supervisor what you have done



Ask for advice.



Spend more time on the EE research process

to complete what needs to be done up to the

second draft.



Submit a second draft with what you have,

and try and improve on it AFTER it is returned

to you with your supervisor’s comments.

What you SHOULD NOT do
if you are not there



DON’T PANIC!



Don’t give up. No extended essay
means NO IB DIPLOMA.



Don’t PROCRASTINATE and DELAY,
or pretend that the problem will go
away.

Possible Problems at this
Stage 1



You have not focused your research question
appropriately for the size of the essay or the
discipline.



The direction of your research may be
contrary to the guidelines.



You have not identified resources for
answering your research question.



You have not completed readings or
experiments or the gathering of data for your
research.



You find it difficult to organize,
analyze or interpret the material or
data required for your research.



You find the material is insufficient
or inconclusive for your research.



You feel you don’t know enough in
the discipline to be able to complete
your research.

Possible Problems at this
Stage 2

If you have not focused your research
question appropriately for the size of the
essay or the discipline…



Remember that your research question needs to

be addressed in 4,000 words.



Remember that the essay has to be firmly in one

of the disciplines taught in the IB, e.g., English,

History, Peace & Conflict Studies; but not

Cultural Studies, Mathematical Economics, etc.



Seek your supervisor’s guidance.



Relate your essay to a specific thing, such as a

novel, country, time, effect, law. The Ecology of

Snails in the Koç School Campus is better than

The Ecology of Turkey.

If the direction of your
research is contrary to the
guidelines…



Check carefully from the Extended Essay
Guide what the criteria for your essay are.



Refocus the question and start again. (It
may be too late to do this, so…)



Complete the essay as you have started
to the best of your ability, and hope for
the best!



Remember that NO ESSAY MEANS NO IB
DIPLOMA.

If you have not identified all
necessary resources…



Tell your supervisor, and ask for
advice.



Seek help from the librarian to find
various sources of information
and/or ideas.



Find people or institutions outside
school that may be able to help you,
and approach them.

If you have not completed
readings or gathering data…



Submit a second draft on the
basis of what is available, and
try to improve in the third draft.
OR



Complete the readings or data
collection in time for your
second draft.

If you find it difficult to organize, analyze or

interpret the material or data required for

your research…



Seek your supervisor’s advice.



Consider whether you need to re-
word or re-think your research
question.



Look for theoretical frameworks or
tools in your discipline that can help
you analyze or interpret the material
you have available.

If you find the material is
inconclusive for your
research…



Speak to your supervisor.



Re-examine the material and see
whether you are missing something.



Re-examine the theoretical
“spectacles” with which you are
viewing the material.



Examine why it is inconclusive as part
of the analysis and discussion in your
essay.

If you feel you don’t know enough in
the discipline to be able to complete

your research…



Seek help from your supervisor to find out

what ideas, concepts, frameworks, tools or

techniques will help you address the

research question.



Read more in the discipline in which you

are doing the research.



Seek help from professors or graduate

students at universities to teach you what

you need to know. (Your supervisor will

probably not teach you, but may help you

teach yourself. )

TIPS AND PITS



Tips:



Make sure your question is narrowly focused.



It helps to exceed by about 20-30% the word

limit in the first few drafts, and cut it back to

the maximum of 4,000 for the final.



Keep assessing each draft of your essay

against the General and Subject Criteria in

the Extended Essay Guide, or ask your

supervisor to do so.



Record ALL sources that you consult and

use, and cite them carefully.

TIPS AND PITS



More Tips:



Keep a Research Diary or Journal or Notebook,
especially a pocket-sized one that you can carry about
and record any ideas that occur to you anywhere.



Frequently draw spider diagrams to get the bigger
picture, and make links that you know of, and look for
other possible links that you may have missed.



Make sure that you present, analyze and interpret
data – not just present them!



Use the technical vocabulary and concepts of the
discipline in which you are working - don’t write like a
journalist.

TIPS AND PITS



STILL more tips:



Remember that if you give up on the essay, you
still need to hand in a Yearly Project, and you
disqualify yourself from the IB Diploma. So…



Complete the essay as best you can, even if
you run into problems. That way you will have
learnt something valuable!



Write the Introduction LAST, so that you can
give the reader a clear statement of the
research question, and how you have
addressed it (a “roadmap” of the essay).