Extended Essay Essentials

What's in this guide?

In this guide, you will find essential documents for writing the EE in the following subjects

• Biology
• Chemistry
• Computer Science
• Design Technology
• Physics

Essential documents include Subject Specific Guidelines and Sample Essays for each course.

Introduction to the EE in The Sciences

From The Sciences: An Introduction:

An extended essay (EE) in the sciences gives students an opportunity to apply a range of skills while researching a topic of personal interest in the field. Students working on a science EE must demonstrate an in-depth analysis of the subject matter studies, be it biology, chemistry, computer science, design technology, or physics.

Students should be advised that while there is overlap between the subjects, their study should reflect one specific science area. For example:

• biology - dealing with living organisms and life processes
• chemistry - dealing with the composition, characterization, and transformation of substances
• computer science - exploring advances in hardware and software development, network systems, and computer control systems..

For a longer general overview of an arts-related EE, see The Sciences: An Introduction. This document contains information on:

• Topic Selection
• Literature Review
• The Research Question
• Research Methods
• A Framework for the EE in the Sciences.

Biology EE Essentials

• Biology Subject Specific Guidelines - A short guide on how to write the Biology EE
• Score Reports - See what students did (and did not do well) in these short reports from the chief examiner.
• Sample Papers - Read sample EE papers provided by IB and see how they scored.

Chemistry EE Essentials

• Chemistry Subject Specific Guidelines - A short guide on how to write the Chemistry EE
• Score Reports - See what students did (and did not do well) in these short reports from the chief examiner.
• Sample Papers - Read sample EE papers provided by the IB and see how they scored.

Computer Science EE Essentials

• Computer Science Subject Specific Guidelines - A short guide on how to write the Computer Science EE
• Score Reports - See what students did (and did not do) well in these short reports from the chief examiner.
• Sample Papers - Read sample EE papers provided by IB and see how they scored.

Design Technology EE Essentials

• Design Technology Subject Specific Guidelines - A short guide on how to write the Design Technology EE
• Score Reports - See what students did (and did not do) well in these short reports from the chief examiner.
• Sample Papers - Read sample EE papers provided by IB and see how they scored

Physics EE Essentials

• Physics Subject Specific Guidelines - A short guide on how to write the Physics EE
• Score Reports - See what students did (and did not do) well in these short reports from the chief examiner.
• Sample Papers - Read sample EE papers provided by IB and see how they scored