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Sign inDon’t have an account? Click to sign up today!The IB Extended Essay: Extended Essay Tips
The Extended Essay is multidisciplinary by nature, but there are many tips that transcend the subject boundaries and help ensure it is a success regardless the subject lenses being used. A wide collection of these ‘Expert Tips’ can be found in the textbook ‘Extended Essay for the IB Diploma’. Below is one such tip adapted from chapter 1: understanding the assessment criteria.
Evaluation and Metacognition:
The IB Diploma fosters metacognitive skills, and this is most apparent in the Extended Essay through its emphasis on evaluation and reflection. This was assessed under Criterion C ‘Critical Thinking’ in the previous incarnation of the EE, but has now been given even more prominence in the new version of the EE as Criterion D: ‘Discussion and Evaluation’. It is also an important element of the Reflective Statement, a 500 word reflection submitted as part of the RPF (Reflections and Progress Form).
For those who are unsure, metacognition is in essence ‘thinking about thinking’. It is typically divided into two main components…
Metacognitive Knowledge: This is the awareness of your own thinking processes and having a clear understanding of how you learn best (declarative knowledge), how to carry out specific tasks (procedural knowledge), and when and why to use particular strategies (conditional knowledge).
Metacognitive Regulation: This is the management of your thinking processes, including evaluating the outcomes and effectiveness of your strategies, planning and setting goals, and judging success.
Both are important in evaluating your Extended Essay, and you will often find yourself explicitly critiquing your essay in the essay itself. This demonstrates a sharp critical mind and shows academic rigour in your response. The following points outlines some key considerations for evaluation in the EE.
- Evaluation should be integrated throughout your essay, not just reserved for the conclusion. Discussing the scope of your essay in your introduction, critically assessing the strengths and weaknesses of your analysis and secondary sources in the main body, and weighing the merits of different positions as you analyse all come under the umbrella term of 'evaluation'.
- Consider the strengths and limitations of your research materials - what is effective about your exploration and where do its limitations lie? This can apply to any primary and secondary research that you have conducted to address the research question.
- Engage critically with your secondary sources. Show an understanding of the explicit and implicit perspectives and arguments presented by the authors of secondary sources. Critically engaging with sources will help you maintain academic rigour.
- Evaluate the success of your essay. When evaluating your overall essay, discuss whether or not you were ultimately able to answer the research question effectively and whether your research methods were well chosen.
For more information about the new textbook for the IB Extended Essay, click here.
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