The Extended Essay is 4,000 words, assessed against strict criteria, and submitted for external moderation. Most students underestimate it. Here is how to approach it correctly from the start.
This guide covers everything you need to write an IB Extended Essay that earns an A — including research question selection, the five assessment criteria, a realistic timeline, and the most common mistakes that cost grades. Whether your child is in DP1 choosing their topic or in DP2 working toward a submission deadline, this is the most practical EE guide available.
The IB Extended Essay contributes up to 3 bonus points to the Diploma score when combined with TOK. It is assessed externally by IB examiners against published criteria. Getting an A requires the right research question, understanding what the criteria reward, and treating the writing as a structured academic exercise. Here is how to do it properly.
The EE is a 4,000-word independent research paper written in a subject the student is studying in the Diploma Programme. It is the longest piece of academic writing most students will have attempted before university. The research question must be focused, arguable, and answerable within the word limit. The essay must demonstrate knowledge of the subject, use of sources, structured argument, and critical evaluation.
Students are assigned a supervisor — a teacher at their school — who provides three formal reflection meetings but cannot help write or substantially edit the content. The final submission is uploaded to the IB, and the examiner who marks it has no relationship with the school or the student.
The single most important insight about the EE: The examiner cannot see how hard you worked, how many drafts you wrote, or how passionate you are about the topic. They can only assess what is on the page against the criteria. Write for the criteria. Not for your interest in the subject.
To earn an A in the IB Extended Essay, you need a focused and arguable research question, analysis that goes beyond description (Criterion C carries 12 of 34 marks), accurate subject-specific knowledge, clean presentation, and genuine reflections on the RPPF. Starting in DP1 and using the summer between DP1 and DP2 for research is the most reliable path to a top grade.
The EE is marked against five criteria, totalling 34 marks. Understanding each criterion before writing a single word is the foundation of a grade A essay.
Is the research question focused and clearly stated? Is the methodology appropriate and explained? Vague questions and unexplained approaches lose marks here before the content is even assessed.
Does the student demonstrate genuine understanding of the subject area? Is terminology used correctly and precisely? Superficial use of subject-specific vocabulary does not score at the top of this criterion.
The highest-weighted criterion. Does the student analyse rather than describe? Are arguments evaluated rather than just presented? Is there genuine engagement with counterarguments and limitations? This is where most essays fall short.
Structure, layout, referencing, and formal conventions. Word count compliance, correct citation format, bibliography. These marks are free — they require no intellectual effort, just care and attention.
Assessed through the Reflections on Planning and Progress Form (RPPF), not the essay itself. Three supervisor meetings are reflected on in writing. Genuine intellectual engagement — not performance of enthusiasm — is what scores here.
Criterion C carries 12 of 34 marks. That is 35% of the total EE score. Students who write descriptively — summarising sources and presenting information — rather than analytically — constructing arguments, evaluating evidence, engaging with counterpositions — consistently underperform on this criterion regardless of the quality of their research.
The research question is the foundation. A poor research question produces a poor essay regardless of how well it is written. The most common mistakes:
"What are the effects of social media on mental health?" is a PhD thesis topic, not a 4,000-word EE. A question this broad cannot be answered with the evidence available to a secondary student, and the essay will inevitably become descriptive rather than analytical. Narrow down to a specific platform, population, context, or time period.
"Did World War One cause significant changes in European society?" — yes, obviously. A question with an obvious answer does not allow for genuine argument or evaluation. The research question needs to have a non-obvious answer that requires weighing evidence, considering alternative perspectives, and reaching a supported conclusion.
Each subject group has specific guidance on what constitutes an acceptable EE. A History EE must be historical — not sociological or political science framed as history. An Economics EE must apply economic theory — not just describe economic events. Supervisors should flag mismatches, but they do not always catch them early enough.
A strong research question is: Focused enough to answer in 4,000 words. Open enough to allow genuine argument. Subject-specific in its framing. And personally interesting enough that the student can sustain engagement across months of work.
Identify the subject group. Generate three or four possible topic areas. Discuss with supervisor and subject teacher before committing. The earlier this happens, the more time there is to read widely before the research question is fixed.
Narrow the topic to a specific, arguable research question. This is the first formal supervisor meeting. The research question should be agreed before the end of DP1 Year. Changing it in DP2 loses months of aligned reading and research.
This is the highest-leverage period. No school pressure, no IA deadlines, no exams. Students who use this time to complete the bulk of their reading, build an annotated bibliography, and draft a detailed outline arrive in DP2 in a fundamentally different position from those who do not.
Write a complete first draft. Imperfect is fine at this stage. The goal is a full draft that can be reviewed by the supervisor, read against the criteria, and revised deliberately. A first draft in early DP2 leaves time for two or three rounds of revision before the submission deadline.
Read the essay against each criterion explicitly. Where is the critical thinking? Where is the argument evaluated against counterevidence? Revise to address gaps — not just to improve the prose.
Final check for word count (must not exceed 4,000), citation consistency, bibliography completeness, and formal presentation. Complete the RPPF reflections genuinely — the examiner reads them as part of Criterion E. Submit with time to spare.
The best subject for your child's EE is the one where they have genuine interest, access to quality sources, and a supervisor with subject expertise. The most commonly chosen subjects are History, Economics, Biology, Psychology, and English. Sciences require access to experimental data or literature; humanities require access to primary and secondary sources; social sciences require real-world data. Choose a subject where the student can find a genuinely arguable question with accessible, high-quality evidence — not the subject that sounds most impressive on paper.
Most students who produce grade A EEs report spending 80–120 hours on the full process — from initial topic exploration to final submission. This includes reading and research (30–40 hours), planning and drafting (30–40 hours), revision and polishing (10–20 hours), and supervisor meetings and RPPF reflections (5–10 hours). The students who struggle are almost always those who underestimate the research phase and begin writing before they have sufficient evidence to support a substantiated argument.
The EE is graded A to E. Grade A corresponds to 28–34 marks out of 34. Grade B is 21–27. Grade C is 14–20. The EE grade is combined with the TOK grade in a matrix to award 0–3 bonus points. An A in both EE and TOK awards 3 bonus points — the maximum. An E in either results in failing the Diploma regardless of the subject scores. The consequence of an E is severe, which is why treating the EE seriously from the start is not optional.
For more on IB Diploma preparation, see our posts on IB Diploma vs A-Levels, IB HL vs SL — how to choose, IB Maths AA vs AI, and how to score a 7 in IB Economics. For 1-on-1 IB tutoring including EE support, visit our IB Diploma tutoring page.
We provide 1-on-1 IB Diploma tutoring including Extended Essay guidance across subjects. Research question development, structural feedback, criterion-by-criterion revision, and RPPF reflection coaching — all available as standalone support or as part of broader IB tutoring. Free diagnostic consultation.
💬 Book a Free Trial on WhatsAppA grade A EE sits in the top band of every criterion. Focused research question. Genuine analytical depth. Arguments evaluated against counterevidence. Clean, well-referenced presentation. None of that is beyond a capable DP student who plans early and writes to the criteria rather than to their own interest in the subject.
Start in DP1. Fix the question early. Use the summer. Write analytically. Revise against the criteria — not just for better prose, but for stronger argument. Those habits are the difference between a B and an A.
The IB Extended Essay has a maximum word count of 4,000 words. The examiner stops reading at the word limit — any content beyond 4,000 words is not assessed. Students should aim for 3,800–3,950 words to ensure the full essay is read without artificially padding to fill the limit.
Yes. An E grade in the Extended Essay (or in Theory of Knowledge) results in automatic failure of the IB Diploma, regardless of the overall points total achieved in subjects. This makes the EE a high-stakes component that cannot be treated as an afterthought.
The EE is marked by an external IB examiner (not the supervisor or school) against five criteria: Focus and Method (6 marks), Knowledge and Understanding (6 marks), Critical Thinking (12 marks), Presentation (4 marks), and Engagement (6 marks), totalling 34 marks. Critical Thinking carries the most weight and is the criterion most students underperform on.