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100 Extended Essay Topics, the Essay’s Layout, and Additional Info

Updated 02 Mar 2023

The International Baccalaureate (IB) is an educational foundation with worldwide outreach founded in 1968 and which offers education programs to students or pupils 3 to 19 years old. In 2017, more than 4,650 schools worldwide taught International Baccalaureate programs – this corresponds to roughly 1.4 million IB students in 152 countries. Out of all schools, 1700 are located in the US alone.

An important International Baccalaureate Program (one of the four tracks available) is the Diploma Program aimed at students between 16 and 19 years old – in 2016, roughly 150,000 students worldwide took an IB Diploma Program exam. One of the mandatory IB Diploma requirements is to write an extended essay, which contributes significantly to the total score. Below, we provide some guiding information and a selection of extended essay topics to help get you started with this task.

Definition and Purpose

The IB extended essay is part of the core requirements/curriculum of an IB Diploma Program and involves focused independent research by the IB student on a chosen theme. Resulting papers have a typical length of up to 4000 words long (they should tend to reach this, although writing 3500 words can still be acceptable). A low score (E) for the extended paper and/or Theory of Knowledge essay revokes the right to receive an IB Diploma. By contrast, good marks contribute to the overall score, which could impact a student’s college application success.

While submission deadlines for extended essays are set by the IB, schools are free to set their own internal deadlines. Preparation and work on this assignment spans several academic terms – this includes choosing extended essay topics, submitting proposals, designating supervisors, information gathering (e.g. sources from local libraries), writing a draft (for instance, over a summer break), receiving feedback from supervisors, etc.

Extended Essay Topics

IB Extended Essay Layout

There are six required elements in an extended essay layout:

A methodology section or other sections might also be appropriate. Also, there might be an Appendices section if you have supplementary material to add (this is not included in the total word count). Also note that starting with 2018, no abstract is needed – adding it will unnecessarily steal roughly 300 words from the total word count, which will almost certainly prove detrimental (so it’s wise to skip it).

How to Choose a Good Topic

IB students must take six subjects, one from each subject group (there are 6 in total) with the exception that no subject from the sixth group (Arts) is mandatory and can be substituted with a subject from any of the other five groups. IB extended essay topics are normally chosen so that they are related to subjects picked by the student but they must fall into a course belonging to any of the following six subject groups (categories):

It is highly recommended you choose a topic that interests and motivates you – after all, you’ll be working on and perfecting your extended paper over several months. Some challenge (e.g. unfamiliar fields) is also fine but risks should be reasonable. Choose issues that are narrow enough to be explored and covered comprehensively in 4000 words – attempting to do this with a very broad theme, would look very unprofessional.

In order to pick an interesting topic, it might be very useful to have brainstorm sessions on your own (this will help you focus on your interests) but also to browse the web or other resources for lists of potential themes (especially if you feel confused or stuck) – it could very well happen that one such topic would inspire you to choose a related one, which would be even better adjusted to your interests and goals.

Choosing a topic is not the only challenge encountered while writing an extended essay – writing up in a clear, organized manner and using correct language is also a must. Even if you proofread your extended paper several times, there might still be errors you can skip (occasional comas, wrong spellings, etc.).

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100 IB Extended Essay Topic Ideas

Below is a list of IB extended essay topic ideas sorted by subject that might help you identify a favorite.

Biology extended essay topics

Read also: 170 Interesting Biology Research Paper Topics

Essay Examples Relevant to Biology

Psychology extended essay topics

Essay Examples Relevant to Psychology

English extended essay topics

Essay Examples Relevant to English

Literature extended essay topics

Read also: Literary Analysis Essay Topics for Students

Essay Examples Relevant to Literature

Geography extended essay topics

Save your time with free essay samples on Geography

History extended essay topics.

Essay Examples Relevant to History

Physics extended essay topics

Essay Examples Relevant to Physics

Film extended essay topics

Save your time with free essay samples on Film

Economics extended essay topics.

Essay Examples Relevant to Economics

World religion studies extended essays topics

Essay Examples Relevant to World Religion Studies

Need Some Expert Help?

While provided topics might be helpful in inspiring a research subject, don’t forget that you can always use our essay topic generator to explore even more topics from multiple categories. Also, you can choose to delegate the entire task to our writing experts – you can pick them yourself by reviewing their previous performance on our platform).

Our writers could come up with a topic or pick your favorite one, do all related research, and provide you with a final proofread paper. Our policies guarantee as many free revisions as necessary until you are satisfied with your paper (only after this, money is released to your writer). So if you need help with any writing task, don’t hesitate to contact our services.

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Extended Essay

english literature extended essay ideas

What is the Extended Essay?

English Extended Essay Topics

Free IB English extended essay topics list for College and University is suggested here by experts. All the topics are new and cover several areas of English like literature, English language, and various literary themes. English extended essays can be written by doing complete research on the topic of the essay.

Such essays are written by elaborating every element of the topic and that is why known as extended essays. International baccalaureate offers so many IB diploma and certificate courses in various subjects and students have to write these extended essays on their respective subjects. Those who have taken English for the IB course can select any topic, which is listed below to complete IB English extended essay.

So follow the IB English extended essay structure and write your essay on any listed topic for College easily.

Consult Essay Writing Expert & Get Premium Essay Topics

What is an english extended essay.

English extended essays are assigned to the students pursuing an International Baccalaureate diploma in English. The essay is written after complete research and critical analysis on the topic. Such essays are assigned to the students of the course so that a good understanding of research could be inculcated in the students for higher studies.

Every student is assigned a subject for the essay in which he has to write an essay by analyzing every aspect of the topic. A college student who is writing such an essay must possess in-depth knowledge on the subject of the essay as a high level of research is needed to write the essay

Why IB diploma course students are given English extended essays?

How to set the structure of the ib english extended essay.

Free extended essay topics ideas on English Poetry

Extended essay ( EE ) topics for IB English diploma course on Renaissance

Latest Extended Essay Topics in English Based on the age of Romanticism

Examples of english extended essay topics about neoclassical literature, pay to get the best ib english extended essay writing services.

The English extended essays are given to the IB diploma course students of English so that students can get an understanding of writing research-based essays.

Such essays are assigned to the students before their admission in the various research degree courses in Colleges and Universities. The overall purpose is to give exposure to research before plunging into the core research field.

So those who are going to write these essays must go through professional examples of English extended essays. It will give them a direction and orientation to write a perfect essay for the IB English diploma course.

The IB English extended essay structure is similar to that of any other essay and written by dividing the essay in the five-paragraph essay outline format. That is the Thesis statement , Introduction, Main body of the essay, conclusion, and Bibliography.

Apart from it, one has to go through writing the Abstract of the essay like that of the dissertation abstract and a cover page including the title and content of the essay. An extended essay can be written in the way a long essay is written for College and University by the students.

The length of the essay varies from 3500 to 4500 words and that is why it is known as an extended essay in which the writer is supposed to cover all the aspects of the topic.

English Extended essay topics for College and University Students (T he development of English Language)

Best English extended essay topics Based on American Literature

Hire an Essay Writer to Write your Complete Essay on Time

Ib english extended essay topics about modernism to college students.

Free English extended essay topics ideas –  related to Victorian literature

Consult with USA Essay Writers to Write your College Essay

IB extended essays are research-based long essays that can go beyond 4000 words count and there cannot be written easily by college students. That is why Students Assignment Help experts are offering IB English extended essay writing help to college and university students.

All types of essays that are given on several subjects are easily completed by the experts due to a long experience in the field. The complete research is done on the topic before writing the essay so that quality does not get hampered.  Very reasonable cost is taken in return for the best essay writing services by the professionals.

The essays are written on time before deadlines and hundred percent plagiarisms free. Graduates can also seek other types of essay help like critical essay writing help , process essay help, and argumentative essay help from the same website.

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100 IB Extended Essay Topic Ideas!

One of the biggest keys to the Extended Essay is choosing which subject you want to write your work in and developing that crucial research question. Read on to find inspiration for blog topics across a wide range of subjects.

Extended Essay: The Love/Hate aspect of the IB

Coming up with that idea and research question can be the toughest part of the entire process. Writing 4,000 words about something you are interested in is a big ask and it often feels impossible to narrow down your thoughts.

How to Begin Your IB Extended Essay

To make everything super clear, here are 100 Extended Essay Topics for you to draw inspiration from! Use these as a springboard to  create your own research question !

Get Support from a Top Tutor Today

At Lanterna, we have over 300 tutors who smashed their Extended Essay. They know exactly how to get an A in your EE and can give you tips and tricks on how you can do the same. What are you waiting for? Get your own tutor today!

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10 steps to writing an extended essay.

Before we look at specific topics for your essay, let's recap the 10-steps you'll need to follow to complete your extended essay.

1. Define the Topic and Draft the Research Question

2. create a timeline, 3. identify and gather sources, 4. set deadlines, 5. plan the structure according to the total word count, 6. evaluate, 7. independent research, 8. write the extended essay draft, 10. present.

By following the steps above, you should be able to produce a logical and coherent rationale to follow when writing the extended essay for your IB diploma programme.

The Ultimate IB Extended Essay Guide

By starting with a solid research question, you'll be able to put an extended essay of global significance together, from the research and writing process all the way through to your final submission with a favourable extended essay grade.

Below, we're sharing 10 topics across 10 subjects to inspire your next IB extended essay.

1. How the change of habitat affects an X organism?

2. How does climate affect the growth of X plant?

3. Can photosynthesis take place without sunlight?

4. What is the effect of age and gender on the photoreceptor cells in the human retina?

5. How is climate change impacting the appearance of coral reefs?

6. An evaluation of how  antioxidants  work in our bodies?

7. Does hand sanitizer, hand soap or antibacterial wipes have the greatest ability to inhibit the growth of E. Coli?

8. To what extent do live cultures in yogurts/milk/other dairy products reduce the concentration of lactose present over the course of a 2 hour incubation period at x°C?

9. What is the relationship between  population density  between X and population size of X?

10. What is the relationship between indoleacetic acid, a growth hormone, and the growth of X (a crop)?

11. How does human influence impact an aquatic ecosystem?

12. How can one organize a pollution check along a X canal in X?

13. What is the effect of the increased ecological footprint in the  Amazon ?

14. What are the forest and woodland restoration in Siberia, Russia and which one is most effective?

15. How does human interference cause ecological imbalances in an X city/country/continent?

16. What is the impact of urban development on the  bee population  in X city?

17. What are the differences in the conversation efforts in Yosemite National Park (California, USA) and the Lake District National Park (UK)?

18. To what extent have healthcare policies in X country influenced their human population curve?

19. How have changes in environmental systems influenced the value system of X country?

20. How has X landfill site affected the surrounding terrestrial ecosystem?

21. What is the profitability of  airline companies ?

22. How does unemployment affect the market?

23. Why did X recession occur?

24. How did the financial Policy affect the economy in X?

25. How effective are government policies in reducing overconsumption of alcohol (specifically hard liquor)?

26. To what extent are public buses and subways substitute goods in a country?

27. How did the tax reform in country x affect its growth and development? (many countries to choose from)

28. To what extent was weak government policy responsible for the Latin American financial crisis of 1997?

29. How effective is the  Big Mac Index  in measuring purchasing power parity?

30. To what extent would the UK suffer from leaving the European Customs Union if Brexit happens?

31. Is there an association between viewing violence on television and the display of violent acts?

32. What motivational climate should a coach employ in order to achieve optimal performance in athletes?

33. How does  X hormone affect human behavior ?

34. Compare theories explaining altruism in human behaviour

35. Discuss short-term and long-term consequences of exposure to violence

36. Why do relationships change or end?

37. Discuss how  social variables (poverty, parenting, educational environment) may the affect cognitive environment.

38. To what extent do mirror neurons play a role in empathy? (2014)

39. To what extent does Mindfulness help people cope with General Anxiety Disorder (GAD)?

40. To what extent is drug therapy effective in the treatment of bipolar disorder?

41. Does the British Parliamentary reforms act of 1832 deserve its title as the great reform act?

42. To what extent are there similarities in Hitler and Mussolini’s Rise to Power?

43. To what extent did Mao’s tackle the problems which he faced?

44. Was Tsar Alexander II of Russia reforms a success or failure?

45. To what extent was the bombing of Dresden in 1945 justifiable?

46. To what extent can  Sweden be considered neutral during WWII ?

47. The impact of structural economic weakness on the collapse of the Soviet Union.

48. How were women treated differently in 1920s and 1950s Great Britain?

49. Why did Israel win the  Six Day War  of 1967?

50. What role did economics play in the unification of Germany from 1834 to 1871?

English Literature

51. What are the Compare and Contrast Jane Austen Books?

52. How does Joseph Conrad’s portray Racism in A Heart of Darkness?

53. How does Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman critique today’s capitalist society? The American Dream?

54. To what extent does Chris McCandless in Jon Krakauer’s Into the Wild escape familial influence?

55. What are the similarities and differences between J.K. Rowling’s characterization of Severus Snape in Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows?

56. How does Yaa Gyasi use structure in her novel Homegoing to portray the evolution of time?

57. What is the impact of the social context on Holden Caufield and Huckleberry Finn?

58. How does Sylvia Path’s use of Inanimate objects in Bell Jar?

59. How is the empowerment of Feminine portrayed in the Lord of the Rings?

60. Compare the political rhetoric as used in the inaugural addresses of George W. Bush, Barack Obama, and Donald Trump.

61. The design, construction and calibration of an apparatus for measuring lipid concentration in milk.

62. What is the effect of a change in the optimal lift on the horizontal gliding distance of an aircraft?

63. How does the sugar concentration affect the refractive index of water?

64. How does temperature affect the viscosity of X juice/soda?

65. Is the relationship between temperature and conductivity and insulators and conductors?

66. What is the Oberth Effect?

67. What is the temperature dependence of work performed on an AA battery?

68. How can the rotational frequency of a fan driven by a flame measure distance?

69. Do wine bottles of different shapes behave as Helmholtz resonators?

70. How does the diameter of a wheel affect stability in different weather conditions?

71. What factors influence the location of industries in country/city X?

72. An investigation into the significance of preserving the quality of water in a continent/country/city?

73. An investigation into the degree to which City X can be considered a Sustainable City/Community.

74. To what extent is Biodiversity being managed successfully in city X?

75. To what extent does the education and employment of women affect Country x’s fertility rate?

76. To what extent do gender, educational attainment, and working parameters influence obesity risk?

77. To what extent has urban development affected human thermal comfort levels in Country/city x (a country/city that has developed in a rapid rate over the past decades)?

78. To what extent is the Company x corporate waste management program effective, demonstrating environmental sustainability?

79. To what extent is biodiversity being managed successfully at National Park X?

80. What types of urban design encourage high rates of vandalism in X neighbourhoods?

81. The kinetics of Enzymatic Reactions.

82. How do Iron Intake Diets differ in X country?

83. What are the different factors that affect the iodine values in cooking oils?

84. What is the effect of standing time and temperate on the acid content in X juice or soda?

85. Can caffeine in tea or coffee be reduced?

86. What is the effect of temperature on the souring of milk?

87. What are the sources of error in calorimetry?

88. Does brushing your teeth affect the pH in your mouth after eating?

89. How does changing the concentration of the reagents affect the formation and spacing between Liesehang rings in the reaction between X chloride and X when conducted in a test tube?

90. What effect does the coating of aspirin tablets have on the hydrolysis of aspirin?

Social and Cultural Anthropology

91. How clothing relates to the cultural anthropology of X culture.

92. The extent to which social media networks affect different societies.

93. The relationship between ritual, myths and faith in an X society.

94. The history of rituals in X culture.

95. How different marriage rituals inform the cultural anthropology of X culture.

96. Climate change and its impact on the evolution of different creatures on the planet.

97. Understanding the social and cultural anthropology of the supernatural in X culture.

98. An analysis of body modification in relation to social and cultural anthropology.

100. Chaste systems and social ranks in societies.

There are so many class subjects that can form the basis of your extended essay, including these popular six subjects:

- Information technology

- Computer science

- Health science

- World studies

- Visual arts

- Business management

Extended essays are a great way to improve your writing skills in academic writing. Essays of a high standard that demonstrate critical thinking and in depth analysis can be submitted to academic journals. These have the potential to reach the global society.

Start Writing Your Extended Essay Topic

We hope this gave you some great inspiration for the variation of topics available for your Extended Essay . The research question you select is what will carry you through the entire process, so be sure to choose wisely!

Remember, if you are looking for more help with your Extended Essay, make sure to check out our guide which will tell you exactly how to plan, structure, research and write your Extended Essay!

Grab Free Extended Essay Resources!

No matter the subject groups in your diploma program, we're here to help all of our IB students. Whether you're writing about social and cultural anthropology, business management, design technology, or scientific methods for your IB diploma, Lanterna has you covered.

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25 Good Extended Essay Topics for IB

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Table of contents

Extended essays in the International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma Programme are dreaded by most students because they are viewed as extensive work that requires a lot of effort to complete.

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In this article, we'll discuss the tried-and-true tips for finding good extended essay topics that can help speed up your process and make writing more enjoyable.

But first, let's circle back to what an IB extended essay is.

What is an IB Extended Essay

An extended essay (EE) is an independent essay in the form of a 4,000-word mini-thesis that IB students need to write to complete the Diploma Programme.

When writing an extended essay, you'll be under the supervision of a mentor or advisor. The process of writing an extended essay starts by formulating a research question as a topic, which will then be approved by the International Baccalaureate Organization (IBO).

How is the Extended Essay Scored

While you'll be under the supervision of a teacher from your school, all IB extended essays are scored externally by examiners appointed directly by the IBO. The score range for an IB extended essay is from 0 to 34.

But as students, you'll only see the typical letter grades:

An IB extended essay is one of two parts of the Diploma Programme core (DP core), along with the theory of knowledge (TOK) essay and Creativity, activity, service (CAS). Collectively, your extended and TOK essay can give you up to 3 additional points toward your overall diploma score.

Your diploma score is made up of your score from each subject – and you'll need at least a 24 score to pass. So, the three additional points from your extended and TOK essay could really save your degree, should you fall short of meeting the minimum passing score.

That said, you should pay more attention to the topic you choose for your essay so that you can get the most score from it.

How to Choose a Topic for your IB Extended Essay

While you can choose whatever topic you like as your IB extended essay, you shouldn't randomly come up with research questions that you can't possibly answer in less than 4,000 words.

To ensure that your essay can go swimmingly, here are several tips on choosing good extended essay topics:

1. Choose a subject in your scope of study

It's important that you also find a topic that falls somewhere in the six subjects of study you picked when you enrolled in IB. You should consider choosing a topic that is covered by a higher level (HL) subject because you might have already learned about it in classes – which obviously can speed up your research and writing process.

If you choose a topic that's not within your scope of the study, you might have to read up on dozens of additional resources before you can gather enough information to write your essay.

Despite being given up to 10 months to work on an extended essay, you should avoid risks by taking on a topic that you have minimum knowledge of.

Students are encouraged to choose Extended Essay topics from one of the following subjects:

Global Politics

Visual Arts

2. keep considerable time aside for topic brainstorming.

Given the freedom and range of possible topics you're given, it's a good idea to set aside some time of your day for topic brainstorming. Ideally, you should use this time to chat with your advisor since they're also responsible for ensuring you have a well-formulated research question.

But if your advisor isn't really available – or you have zero ideas about what you want to write about – you can allocate some time to brainstorm with your peers or read through essay libraries to get that 'aha' moment.

Remember to always jot down any ideas you have when you're out and about in your notebook or note-taking apps on your phone.

Here’s a video by Worldwide Speak on brainstorming topic ideas that might be helpful

3. Choose a topic of interest

It's really important that you choose a topic you genuinely have an interest in. Interest and enthusiasm are essential because these are what will push you to put in that extra effort to make your essay really shine.

If you're not interested enough in your topic, forget about going the extra mile and making an essay that shines – doing the bare minimum might feel draining enough. The trick is to find a topic you'd be willing to spend your time on, even if you didn't have to write an essay about it.

It might be challenging to find such a topic – that's why you must actively make time to do so. But once you do find it, you'll get away from one of the most common problems in essay writing: procrastination. Once you find the topic that piques your interest, extended essay writing might feel like creative writing .

4. Make sure it is in your scope of study

If you choose a topic that's not within your scope of the study, you might have to read up on dozens of additional resources before you can gather enough information to write your essay. Despite being given up to 10 months to work on an extended essay, you should avoid risks by taking on a topic that you have minimum knowledge of.

5. Avoid topics that are too broad or narrow

The challenge with writing an essay is that you have to find a topic that no one has written about before. But if you choose a topic that's too narrow, you'll have difficulty finding resources and previous research to use as references.

However, picking a topic that's too general or broad also comes with a challenge: you'll have too many resources to read through. As a consequence, you won't be able to decide which information to include in your extended essay.

A good IB extended essay topic should have the right mix between resource availability and uniqueness.

Instead of writing an essay on "What are the side effects of global warming?" – which is too broad of a subject – you can narrow it down to something like "What are the side effects of global warming on the farming industry in Nevada?".

The second example above is narrower, but you won't have difficulty finding references for the effects of global warming and the farming industry in Nevada.

6. Do background research

Don't waste a good IB extended essay topic by delivering sub-par writing and arguments. Before you start writing away your thoughts and analysis on the subject, make sure you read up on references and resources.

Doing background research helps you to determine an appropriate scope of your research. Reading up on previous research might help you find a subject that fits in the broader discussion around a topic.

Background research can also help you see the value of your essay and how its result may impact others who are interested in the same field of study as you. Through background research, you'll also be exposed to the previous works of experts, their points of view, and how your essay will complement them.

25 Good Extended Essay Topics for your Inspiration

Here’s a list of topics for some key IB subjects.

Final thoughts

Finding good extended essay topics is not as difficult as you might think – but it's not a walk in the park either. Do your background research and dedicate some time to brainstorm, discuss, and mull over your ideas.

You shouldn't pick topics that others think are valuable and interesting . After all, you will be the one writing the essay, not them. So, it's best to go with topics that you're genuinely interested in studying further.

But we agree choosing a topic can get complicated. If you’re stuck, write to us at Writers Per Hour, and our expert IB writers can write a solid extended essay that will take your final IB grade to the next level or help you brainstorm topic ideas.

Last edit at Mar 03 2023

Stefani Holloway

Stefani is a professional writer and blogger at Writers Per Hour . She primarily contributes articles about careers, leadership, business, and writing. Her educational background in family science and journalism has given her a broad base from which to approach many topics. She especially enjoys preparing resumes for individuals who are changing careers.

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The Complete Extended Essay Guide | 100 Topics & Examples

Published by Ellie Cross at November 3rd, 2021 , Revised On January 26, 2023

One of the International Baccalaureate (IB) programme’s mandatory requirements is to produce a 4,000 words long extended essay, which should be submitted as an independent piece of research.

All IB students must complete the extended essay assignment regardless of the subjects they are taking because, together with CAS and TOK, it is a core module of the IB programme.

An extended essay allows students to choose any suitable topic of their choice and demonstrate their knowledge and capability beyond what they learn in the classroom. This assignment sets the stage for students to hone their research and writing skills for Bachelor’s and Master’s level coursework.

Students write an extended essay in the second term of the IB program’s first year. All students are expected to work closely with their supervisor to finalise the essay topic and the research questions.

The project involves submitting one extended essay draft to get the supervisor’s feedback before submitting the second and final version. A short viva voce must be included at the end of the essay.

Extended Essay Facts

Significance of Extended Essay

So how significantly does the extended essay assignment contribute towards the overall grade?

The extended essay is of critical importance for the following reasons:

If you choose to undertake the extended essay in world studies, you will be required to conduct extensive interdisciplinary research on an issue of global significance.

Extended Essay Assessment Criteria

Extended essays are marked on a scale from 0 to 34 by external examines chosen by the IB itself. The score you will achieve in the assignment will relate to one of the following bands:

Please click here to check how your grade in the extended essay assignment affects the overall diploma score. Here is the breakdown of EE scores (from the May 2019 bulletin)

How to Select a Topic for the Extended Essay?

Selecting an enjoyable and manageable topic for the extended essay is perhaps the most exciting yet challenging part of the whole process. In a nutshell, you will be required to research a topic in one of the six subjects you are undertaking for the IB Programme. The selection criteria are based on the analysis of an issue of global significance in a specific context. For example, you can investigate technological, environmental, medical, or cultural trends from the local perspective. Here are some tips for choosing the best extended essay topic:

Choosing the topic can often be overwhelming. Think about the issues you enjoy the most, and more specifically, why you want to learn about them. This will help you develop many ideas that you can review, compare, and pick from. Note: The IBO approves the proposed topic.

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How to Formulate Research Questions for the Extended Essay?

Once the topic has been approved, you can proceed to formulate the research questions (s). A poorly planned research question can cause complications at a later stage, so make sure to take your time to develop a question that would genuinely add value to the existing literature.

The answer to the formulated research question should not be a simple yes or no. It should instead provide valuable information in a larger context. The research question should be focused and relevant to the title. If the research question includes a hypothesis, then there is no obligation on your part to provide it right or wrong. Your job is to test the hypothesis and reveal the facts only.

The question should not necessarily start with words like “Is”, “Will”, “Should”, “Why”, “How”, or “Does”. Merely asserting that “yes, this is correct”, or “no, this is not correct” is inappropriate.

The highest-scoring essays usually address a research question that starts with broader phrases such as, “An investigation of”, “Exploring the idea”, “An analysis of”, “To what extent”, “A review of”, or “Examining the role”. Or it could simply be a hypothesis statement that you aim to test.

If you set out to answer a research question without contemplating the resources required to address it, then you are making a fatal mistake. Whether the essay research is primary or secondary, we cannot understate the importance of a well-thought-out plan to gather relevant supporting academic sources.

However, in most cases, it is only possible to base your essay on secondary data because conducting primary research can involve time and money. But make sure to state your reasons for choosing one research method over another.

Finally, if you cannot find a sufficient number of sources for your research question, you can alter it with your supervisor’s help.

Also read: Mental health essay topics

Choosing the Supervisor

Here are some suggestions on how to choose an advisor

Structure of an Extended Essay

The extended essay follows the standard essay structure , including the introduction , main body , and conclusion. However, always check with your supervisor about the structure you must follow to avoid complications later.

Your supervisor will provide the necessary guidance and advice to support you throughout the research and writing process.

The project includes up to three reflection rounds with the assigned supervisor, with the final round consisting of an interview, also known as the viva voce.

The extended essay and the reflection meetings provide a much-needed impetus, especially to those required to pass an interview assessment for a place at university and before acceptance for employment.

There are six required components of an extended essay structure:

The title page is where you state the research question you set out to address, the subject you are studying, your school name, your name, total word count of the essay, and category (for language essays).

Contents Page

This is where you must list the heading and the subheadings with corresponding page numbers. All pages should be numbered using the Microsoft page numbering feature.

Introduction

The extended essay’s introduction should provide a brief background to the research question, thesis statement , and the central argument presented in the essay.

This is where you present your arguments, evaluation, comparison, discussion, and analysis of the subject matter. This section’s structure varies according to the subject of the essay, but the supporting evidence should accompany every piece of information.

The conclusion section should relate to the thesis statement, the overall scope of the research, and the line of argument taken. It should also reflect any open questions, research limitations, and unexplained problems.

References and Bibliography

A list of academic sources used is provided in the required citation style at the end of the essay. The citation style you need to follow varies subject to subject, but make sure you consistently use it throughout the essay.

The deadline you Need to Meet

Your school will let you know the deadline for the extended essay assignment. Each school has a different official IB deadline. You will have a year to complete the essay, but unfortunately, most students leave their essay to the last week before the deadline.

Careful planning can help you complete the task promptly and avoid a last-minute crunch. Many students make the fatal mistake of giving too much time to research and reading and with very little time to write an essay .

Most schools set their deadlines for different project milestones to help students stay on schedule. Keep in regular contact with your advisor and management to ensure each section is completed in due time.

The viva voce Interview

The viva voice interview allows students to demonstrate the significance of the research results. More specifically, students can provide details of the challenges and the successes of their research during the interview.

For example, you could tell your supervisor about the problem you faced during the data collection process, the strategies you used to overcome them, and how the exercise helped improve your writing skills.

Free Extended Essay Topics

Here are some amazing topic ideas in various subjects that you can consider for your extended essay.

Biology Extended Essay Topics

Psychology Extended Essay Topics

Discuss the relationship between violent acts and viewing the violence shown on social media platforms.

English Extended Essay Topics

Literature Extended Essay Topics

Economics extended essay topics

Movie and Film Extended Essay Topics

History Extended Essay Topics

Geography Extended Essay Topics

Mathematics and Physics Extended Essay Topics

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english literature extended essay ideas

IB Extended Essay (EE)

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Excellent extended essay - english, find example excellent essays, click on the subjects to browse the list of excellent extended essays..

100+ IB extended essay topic ideas for your ease

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Vasy Kafidoff

June 20th, 2022

english literature extended essay ideas

The International Baccalaureate is an educational foundation that has reached all over the world. It was founded in the year 1968, and ever since, it offers several different educational programs to 1.4 billion IB students all over the world. One of the very important requirements of an IB diploma is the extended essay. This really helps bring up the total score. And one problem students face here is gathering ideas for their IB extended essay. Here is some guiding information that can help with extended essay topics.

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The first and the most important thing is to come up with an idea for it. When people come up with the right idea for it, they can work hard and make their way through this. The same with IA and EE – a good extended essay can only be written when the right topic is selected. If you do not select the right topic you want to focus on, the chances of failing your extended essay are way higher.

Once the topic is selected, further information can be gathered on it. However, the prompt that you are working o n should be one that you are very well aware of. Not just that, but you should also be extremely interested in the topic. Only then can you work very well on this topic.

IB Extended Essay Layout

There are mainly six elements in the essay layout. The first part is the title page. Here, the research question is written, along with the subject and the category. The total word count needs to also be mentioned here. The next part is the content page. This is the one that is right at the beginning. It has all the headings along with the page numbers as well.

Then, next comes the introduction. Here, the scope and focus of the research is written. Alongside that, the sources that are used and the main argument that is going to be presented is also written. Next comes the main part of the essay, which is the body of the essay. This is the part where the research and the analysis s done. The evaluation also comes here, where the student is supposed to give his own viewpoint here. The argument should be developed in a coherent fashion here. Everything should be in the right order as well here.

Meanwhile, if you are interested in writing IB extended essay, please check the article that describes in detail how long it takes to write an IB EE . And never forget that an extended essay should be up to 4000 words , around 14-15 pages of content.

After this is done, the conclusion part comes. Here, the argument is summarized. Not just that, but any limitations of the research and also any unsolved issues are highlighted here. Towards the end comes the bibliography of the essay. Once the student chooses the academic style of references, the references are written in the correct order.

Other sections that can be added in the essay include the methodology and the appendix. The appendix is where the extra material is written. The methodology is where the entire part of the essay that describes the way that information is gathered. According to the latest requirements , no abstract is needed.

IB Extended Essay Topics

good ee topics

Ready to get good EE topics? Here are a few ideas to work on, for all of those who are looking to get some inspiration for their IB extended essay topic.

Let’s begin with a few generic topic ideas that you can work on.

General EE topic ideas

Like we have mentioned previously with capstone project topics and ideas for comparison essays , here are a few specific examples of topics based on certain groups. I’ll be focusing on general IB groups of studies.

Group 1: Studies in Language and Literature Essay Topics

Group 2: Language acquisition, including classical languages Essay Topics

Group 3: Individuals and societies Essay Topics

Check this article for those who are also interested in how to write an IB Environment System and Societies IA . Enjoy reading it, and now let’s get back to the article.

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Group 4: the sciences essay topics.

Group 5: Mathematics Essay Topics

Group 6: The Arts Essay Topics

Group 7: Interdisciplinary Essay Topics

Group 8: History Essay Topics

These are a few topic ideas that you can choose from.

Choose your IB extended topic wisely

So, if you are in one of the certified IB schools , I wish you good luck with writing your IB EE. To write an effective extended essay , make sure that you are very passionate about the topic that you choose!

Oh, almost forgot – do not hesitate to contact our team, in case you need any sort of assistance from expert IB writers with it.

english literature extended essay ideas

Vasy Kafidoff is the co-founder of the Writing Metier. Being in the education field for a very long time, his experience speaks volumes about his knowledge in the field. His aim is to make more people aware about new learning possibilities for children. You can find more information about Vasy on his personal blog .

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How Long Does it Take to Write an IB Extended Essay?

Many students studying International Baccalaureate are searching for an approximate time needed to write an IB extended essay. The IB extended essay needs to be of a maximum of 4000 words. Given that many words need to be completed, it goes without saying that there is a lot of research involved too. This is why this does take a sufficient amount of time as well.

How Many References are Enough for a 1500 Words Essay?

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