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Introduction to the EE in Language Acquisition

And extended essay (EE) in language acquisition gives students an opportunity to:

• develop their awareness and knowledge of the target language they are studying
• demonstrate their understanding of the culture associated with their target language.

The essay requires students to carry out research based on:

• texts (taken to be any meaningful piece of spoken or written language, e.g. an article, a book, a play, a poem), or
• specific cultural artifacts, e.g., works of fine art, architecture, films, radio or television programmes, or lyrics from popular music.

The essay is intended for students who are studying a second modern language. It must be written in the language for which it is registered (the target language) and focus on matters related to the target culture. Students may not write a language acquisition EE in a language that they are studying for the Diploma as a language A literature, or language A studies in language and literature. Students are assessed on the basis of their skills in research and analysis, not their language proficiency.

For more detailed information about the Language Acquisition EEs see Studies in Language Acquisition. This document contains information on:

• Topic Selection
• The Research Question
• Research Methods
• A Framework for the EE in Language Acquisition.

Other essential documents for the EE in Language and Literature:

• Language and Literature Subject Specific Guidelines - A short guide on how to write the Language Acquisition 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.