the sufferings of an ib diploma candidate

This is what I learnt from doing the extended essay, but is applicable to any major research work.

What is the Extended Essay?

As part of the IB, you’ll need to write a 4,000-word essay of your choice. The essay will be part of the three extra points needed to reach a 45, so it is crucial to nail it down.

Planning the EE

1. Start early!

This is the most important step. The essay is definitively a time-consuming activity, and so starting as soon as possible is very important. Considering the IB is a two-year program, this is the kind of timeline you want to adhere to:

Last 2-3 months of year 1: Pick your topic, meet with your supervisor. By the end of your first year, you want to have a question.

First month of the summer break: Do all of your research, and organise it into broad themes.

2 Weeks into the second month: Write your plan! Ideally, you want a very detailed plan. Mine was 1,000 words long, so when writing out the essay I just had to fill in the blanks and improve the structure. 

Last two weeks of the second month: Write a full draft. This is extremely important! You want to go back to school with a complete draft to show to your supervisor.

Handing in your draft: In between the end of the summer break and your draft due date, you want to have regular meetings with your supervisor and improve your draft. This will increase the quality of the feedback you will receive

The final due date: By then, you want to have a full finished copy that you are proud of.

By following this timeline, my essay went from a C at the end of the summer to an A at the due date. It really works!

2. Pick a topic you love, but also play the game

The EE will take up a lot of your time, it is at least a six-month project. So pick something that you truly enjoy and that you are willing to spend time on. It’s also important to consider that you want to study at university when making your decision: if you write an EE in the subject/area of study you want to do later, you can submit it as part of your application. But you still want to play the IB game; you don’t want to do something that everyone has done before and that the markers are sick of reading. For example: I did my extended essay on the Brexit Campaign. I want to study international relations so it’s perfect, but it is also such a recent event that no markers will have read an essay about it.

Writing the EE

1. Write everything

When writing your first draft, write all of your ideas. It is so much easier to cut them out on paper after. My first draft was 7,000 words long, and cutting things out isn’t as bad as it seems. In fact, you will be forced to use concise, coherent language to get your point across, which all examiners appreciate. Once it’s all on paper, be brutal with. Take a red pen and cross out the sentences that don’t make sense, take out the flourish language that does add anything. Get to your point!

2. Analysis not description

You are writing an essay, not telling a story. Get rid of the descriptive language (also because it takes up a lot of words). When ever you write something, ask yourself the question ‘Why?’ (and then write the answer!). You want to draw connection and links between ideas and themes and context. The analysis gets you the marks, not the description.

3. Don’t underestimate sub headings

Subheadings are great for a few reasons. Firstly, they allow you to see how your argument flows on paper rather than in your head. Secondly, it makes it easier for the marker to get a holistic judgement of your EE and give you individual marks on your introduction, conclusion, body, etc… Thirdly, it gives your EE room to breathe, as you are forced to separate it in sections. It makes it easier to read.

4. Referencing

Make sure you in-text reference all of your sources and have a detailed bibliography. If type your essay on Word, you can automatically create a bibliography. Definitively make use of this! Just remember that the marker will eventually go through your bibliography and make sure that you’ve only included your in- text references. So, don’t add in extra sources because you will lose marks.

Meetings with your supervisor

1. What to expect

Don’t expect them to write your EE for you or tell you what to do. They are there to guide you, not spoon feed you. Arrive at your meetings prepares with questions written down. They aren’t going to go through your essay and point out every flaw, they will give you a thematic overview. It is your job to ask for specifics. 

2. Make their life easier

Don’t skip or show up late to meetings. They are devoting their time to you, and you need to appreciate it. Be polite, respectful and open to their criticism. They will happier to help you if you show your dedication to the essay.

On a final note: I found the Extended Essay a really good assignment. It taught me a lot of research, writing and organisation skills. If you pick a topic that you enjoy and are organised, it can actually be a fun experience.