The Extended Essay offers you the chance to produce a university-style dissertation on a subject of your choice. Highly valued by both universities and employers, the Extended Essay allows you the chance to experience true independent learning, and to explore a topic that interests you, without the constraints of exams or syllabus content.
With the support of their supervisor, students are able to set their own research question. This can be on any aspect of any subject offered at IB. (This does not have to be a subject you are taking, or even a subject we are offering at Parkside). Some examples of Extended Essay research questions designed by previous IB students around the world are:
- What level of data compression in music files is acceptable to the human ear?
- Is it possible to determine the presence of a black hole at the centre of the Milky Way?
Extended Essay Curriculum Overview
Extended Essay Subject Brief
How will I be assessed?
The final mark is made up of a 4000 word dissertation, written in the style of a paper in an academic journal. You will be marked not just on your final piece, but also on how you approached your investigation, and you will have a ‘viva voce’ style interview with your supervisor when you have finished your essay. The essay will be marked by the IB Organisation, but this will be based on your teacher’s report as well as on the dissertation itself.