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International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme
The Who, What, Why, When and How of the
Extended Essay
For more details, please see the extended
essay guide.
 Who
Diploma candidates:
4000 words maximum
Certificate candidates:
2000 words minimum
All OIS students must write an extended
essay (EE) to graduate from OIS. EEs for diploma candidates are
submitted to outside IB examiners for evaluation. EEs for certificate
candidates are evaluated by teachers in school. The word limits are
different. All other aspects and expectation of the work—paper format,
content requirements, deadlines—are the same.
What
What
is it? The EE offers students
the opportunity to investigate in depth a limited topic of individual
interest; the paper acquaints students with the independent research and
writing skills expected at the university level.
The
essay stems from an in-depth study of a limited, focused topic within a
broader subject area. It is research-based, analytical and evaluative.
Writers examine issues through personal research—the collection, generation
and evaluation of data.
The
EE is NOT a project, a report, a story or an essay about a
well-documented topic. It must not be solely descriptive or narrative; it
must attempt to convincingly answer an important, interesting research
question, one that is not too simple, predictable, or insignificant.
Subject
areas: The EE can be written
in one of over 20 subjects.
Supervisors:
Students choose teachers as their
supervisors. Supervisors are not required to spend more 5 hours with
writers.
Time:
The recommended time to spend on the EE is about 40 hours,
mostly before the fall trimester of the senior year.
Why
Idealistic
reasons: The EE allows students to explore a topic of
interest, to engage in independent research, to use language in new ways,
to study something in broader terms... to learn.
Practical
reasons: The EE gives students an opportunity to develop
writing and research skills that will be useful and expected at
university. Also, the final grade of the EE can add bonus points to a
student’s final IB score.
Realistic
reason: You have to… if you
want to graduate.
When
 Calendar and deadlines
Students who miss any deadline may be ineligible for
extracurricular activities (including sports, clubs, student council, all
school production), senior privileges, the senior service trip and other
privileges/ activities until work is completed. Students who miss the final
deadlines—in-school and IB deadlines—in addition to being withheld from
extra-curricular activities and being ineligible for senior privileges, may
forfeit further supervisor assistance.
How... to get stated
Choose a subject area.
Narrow to a focused topic.
Consult a supervisor.
Draft a research question.
Postulate a thesis.
Develop a research "plan of attack."
Start researching.
Create an essay outline.
These steps are listed in a traditional order, though
in reality you will complete some steps out of order, some at the same
time, and some more than once, bouncing back and forth as you rethink and
revise and refine. But you will need to complete all of these steps before the summer holiday begins.
 Some
of the files above are in pdf
format
 Click for a free download of Adobe
Reader©
For
more information, please contact Peter Heimer,
OIS IB Coordinator
(072-727-5290,
pheimer@senri.ed.jp), or visit the
IBDP office, room 324 (third floor, next to tennis court), or visit the IBO
public website at www.ibo.org.
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