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IBDP History

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Updated 12 May 2024

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• 4. Essay writing: Papers 2 and 3
• Getting started: Students

Papers Two and Three of your IB history examination are assessed through essay writing; thus a large part of your history course will be devoted to practising essay writing, both in non-timed and in timed conditions. Below are some tips to help you develop this skill.Please note that for every historical topic on this website we have essay planning pages with suggestions for essay plans and exercises that will help you...

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Revision/Exam Tips: IB History

IB History is a very intense course with loads of material to study, so having a good revision strategy is vital for the exams. Here are some things you can do to maximise your study time.

Take notes in class & study in advance

You simply cannot cram the entire History course the night before the exam. You should begin to revise well in advance – and if you study a bit throughout the two years, most facts should stick to your head by the time you need to revise for your final exams, saving you loads of study time. This also means that you should be taking notes in class or at home throughout the two years to make your revision easier. The last thing you want to do is have no notes or incomplete notes when you sit down for your revision.

Flashcards & Timelines

A great way to memorise all the dates and events is to make your own flashcards and timelines. Timelines are a better option since you can see what was happening at each point in time and how events progressed, which will allow you to analyse your topics in a more global context, making your understanding of history more elaborate. You might even notice connections between seemingly unrelated topics by seeing if they happened during similar time periods.

Essay Practice

Memorising dates won’t be enough to get a good mark in History. Your essay skills need to be perfect for Paper 2 (and Paper 3 if you are doing HL). There are three main things you can do to improve your essay-writing skills:

• Outlines You don’t really need to write a million essays to practice (although it’s a good idea to do a couple timed essays before the exam to practice time management). Writing down outlines of your answer will help you organise your work, structure your arguments and bring in all the relevant evidence you need in each paragraph. This will help you improve your structure, which is vital for essays, and will also help to recall dates and events.
• Critical thinking IB History essays are argumentative essays, meaning that you need to have a viewpoint on an issue, analyse and evaluate it. Do not spend too much time describing events. Focus on why your evidence supports your claim – but also think of its limitations and possible counterarguments. You need to be critical of your work if you want to achieve a 7. Purely descriptive essays will not score high.
• Break down the question You should always divide the question into three sections: what it wants you to do (e.g. evaluate), the issue at hand (e.g. rise to power) and the subject (e.g. Lenin). It will make the question easier to understand and you will be able to give an answer which is well-focused on the question.

Sporadic source practice

Paper 1 is fully based on your ability to analyse sources, so you should take some time throughout the course to check out different sources – from book extracts to cartoons and propaganda. You can analyse the message of a source or compare and contrast it to another one in a relatively short amount of time, and doing this sort of quick practice will certainly boost your source-analysis skills. Obviously, do a proper Paper 1 practice too when the time of the exam comes nearer.

All in all, if you put in the work, you will be fine. Good luck with your exams!

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Introduction

Step 1: learn the syllabus, step 2: study the past paper questions, step 3: read, write, and think, step 4: get more examples & ideas, step 5: know your time during the exam, historiography, what to aim for, how to write faster by hand, how much to write.

All historical arguments contained or referred to in this article are solely for exam preparation and do not necessarily reflect the view of the author.

This article includes:

• Steps for IB DP History paper 2 revision;
• Some extra tips (they can’t really fit into the steps);
• Study resources;
• My brief essay outlines,

which worked together to help me reach a 7 on paper 2 in my M21 history SL final exam.

This article works best for:

• Final exam prep;
• Short-term revision;
• Developing exam skills, not necessarily historical skills;
• SL students who need to know just enough for paper 2, not any more content for paper 3.

This article uses topic 10 authoritarian states (20th century) as an example.

In my blog article “ Short-Term Revision ”, I mentioned some of my experience preparing for the DP History final exam. I’ll try not to repeat too much of that here.

TL;DR is at the end of this article.

Learn the syllabus by heart.

For example, this is the IB syllabus for topic 10 authoritarian states:

Completing this revision step means that you can recall exactly what’s in the table. By that, I mean every single word in the table . Do make sure you read the description paragraph above, too, but you don’t need to learn it by heart.

Once you do this, every time when you come across a fact, a historical event, or a historiography, you can immediately identify the sub-topic you can use it for in an essay. Then, you can easily think about your arguments and try to structure your essays every time you revise factual information.

Look at the past paper questions to see what have already been asked, and when. The IB questions don’t tend to repeat a lot, especially not in successive exam sessions. This means you can guess the questions that are likely to come up on your exam paper, althugh officially, the IB discourages doing this.

Here are all the past paper questions summarized in one document, both organized by year and by syllabus theme:

You can download the document as an annotated PDF here , or access it here as a google doc without annotations.

This document doesn’t include the M21 questions, because I made it for my own revision before M21. The M21 TZ2 questions for topic 10 roughly stated:

Evaluate the impact of foreign policy on the maintenance of power in two authoritarian states. “Full control was not always achieved in authoritarian states.” Discuss with reference to two authoritarian states.

According to this thread on Reddit , treatment of opposition instead of foreign policy came up for TZ1.

What I found was that:

• Almost every sub-topic appeared fewer than twice in past papers.
• There’s usually a gap of around 2 exam sessions (e.g from M18 to N19) between the questions under the same sub-topic.
• The past paper questions (not counting the specimen papers here) never repeat exactly . They can be similar, but always with a slightly different emphasis.
• Usually, only 2 of the sub-topics (emergence, maintenance, and policy) appear in one exam session , except for once in N19 where question 2 was on both maintenance and policy.
• The appearance of sub-topics is quite balanced.
• It’s very rare that a question asks for only one authoritarian state— only happened twice . (Highlighted in yellow.)
• A few questions have appeared only once or never.

So I made guesses based on the findings and other information, and altered my revision plans:

I chose to ignore emergence and turned to focus on the other two sub-topics. My thinking process is outlined in a section of my blog article “Short-Term Revision”.

The things in pink are what I thought, when I was revising, that would be likely to come up. They were either questions that had never come up before under the current syllabus, or those that had only come up once. Most of them also fitted in the “2 exam session gap” time frame. Those were my priorities.

Apart from these, I was convinced that preparing for compare and contrast, or at least formulating arguments for two states , would be necessary.

Take concise, structured notes for every topic that you revise, especially those that are likely to come up based on what have been asked before. But only take notes if you know you can use them to support your arguments, or you’ll just waste time.

You can follow a textbook to save your time researching, which I found to be extremely helpful. I have talked about some history textbooks in this blog post: My Experience & Tips for IB Textbooks: History SL .

As you take notes, also write down thoughtful arguments . If you’re like me who wants to be safe, you can do that for every single possible essay question. Knowing the syllabus by heart helps a lot here, because that helps you formulate your own IB style questions quickly.

Try to come up with counter-arguments and then counter those counter-arguments to strengthen your original arguments. Add the “debates” into your essay, even if those are just your thoughts going back and forth.

I find it helpful to write out complete sentences when I work on my arguments. That helps me to clear up my own ideas and saves me time structuring my sentences during a tight essay exam. Then, I recommend that you condense the arguments so that you can remember them. I also prefer typing over writing on paper because I can write much faster by typing, and I can organize digital files better than physical ones.

As an example, I wrote a 3-line outline for every essay question I could think of. Each line (out of the 3 lines) summarizes a paragraph in my essay. Of course, this is after thinking about or writing out more detailed notes for my arguments and supporting evidence. This is a preview:

You can download the complete PDF document here . Unfortunately, I don’t have any detailed notes because I lost a lot of data on my laptop during a system update.

There’re a lot of my own short-hand notations in the document. So if you do use this to revise and find something confusing, don’t hesitate to ask me in the comments or via email (see the end of my “About” page). I’ll try my best to recall what I meant.

To emphasis, I repeat: all historical arguments contained or referred to in this article are solely for exam preparation and do not necessarily reflect my view.

This step can be done together with step 3. Sometimes you might run out of ideas or get confused about what kind of arguments the IB likes. Reading more essays can help. Especially, the good ones can give you some inspiration, as well as some excellent arguments to agree with or argue against in your own essay.

Some places to get example essays:

• Textbook appendices
• P2 Example 18 , scored 13/15
• P2 Example 19 , scored 13/15
• Your school teacher
• Your own paper 2 practices over the 2 years
• Your classmates' essays

I recommend that you get a physical copy of each example essay along with examiner’s comments (if any), so that you can read and annotate it carefully.

If you can’t find existing essays, write them yourself ! Write full essays, paragraphs, introduction, even just a short thesis, and kindly ask your teacher for feedback. Try out new writing approaches because you might find better ways to write. You don’t have to time yourself while writing these. At this point, getting feedback is the most important because it helps you improve and further develop your skills and arguments!

To get ideas for essays, you can also look at the indicative content in IB markschemes . The indicative content tends to be more detailed for papers testing the old syllabus (before first assessment 2017) but the new markschemes can also give you some hint.

Get used to the exam environment by practicing timed paper 2 exams. But it’s fine if you do it at the very end of your revision, because knowing what to write can help you write faster than doing anything else, including doing timed paper 2 exams.

However, it’s still important to plan your time prior to the exam and closely follow the plan. In this way, during the exam, you can stay calm so you don’t rush or forget about your arguments.

As an example, this is my plan, with all time and durations in minutes:

At the very beginning of my exam, I quickly calculated the exact time when I would need to finish each task. For example, if the reading time started at 8:33, I would calculate that I would need to finish my mental outline at 8:38, my written outline at 8:43, my intro at 8:48, etc. I wrote down the minute digits on a scratch paper so that during the exam, I could quickly check if my progress matched my plan.

It is possible to get to 12/15 with only a name-dropping of a historian and his/her argument. True personal story. I did that on my final exam.

Take a look at the example paper 2 essays in the Teacher Support Material , too, especially examples 18 and 19. (I’ve mentioned them above.) No historiography, no quoting of historians, but, bang—they both got 13/15 for the topic 10 question.

As long as there are decent original arguments in an essay, the lack of historians' views is fine , unless you’re aiming for 14 or 15 marks. This really alleviated a lot of stress for me.

You don’t need to have a 7 in every single component to get an overall 7 .

This is how I did my calculation before I took my M21 exams.

I used the IB M19 boundaries for SL TZ2, which was the most recent May exam-route session with available grade boundaries:

Using the modified marks and weightings in M21, I calculated that the number of marks needed to get a 7 for paper 2 was 12/15.

So I calculated that if I got:

• Paper 1: 17/24,
• Paper 2: 12/15,

then my total scaled score (out of 100) would be $\frac{20}{25} \times 25 + \frac{17}{24} \times 30 + \frac{12}{15} \times 45 \approx 77.3 %$, which is higher than 74, the boundary for getting an overall 7.

This is true for N20 and M18, too, and should be true for most exam sessions.

Let’s continue to use M19 as our example. The boundary for an overall 7 is slightly lower, so one can afford to lose one or more points. The following combination of marks can all give an overall 7.

Try calculating the overall result for different combinations and choose to work towards the one that seems the most realistic for you. Once you know what marks you need in each component, you have a more specific and a more accomplishable goal.

Notice that because paper 2 is weighted the more heavily (45%), getting a reasonably high mark on paper 2 is more important than on paper 1 or IA .

You don’t have to write prettily, or even clearly—as long as it’s legible in the context. This is my hand-writing at full speed:

Both my teacher and the examiner grading my final exam papers managed to recognize my writing.

Pick a pen in which the ink can flow smoothly and which you don’t need to press hard on the paper to write with.

If your pen has a cap, leave it off the end of the pen. It takes you more effort to move the pen when the cap is attached to the end, especially when you write a lot. I learned this from this YouTube video .

4 sides (on A4 size paper) should be enough. I even wrote only 3 sides several times and that was fine. Quality over quantity.

When we had timed, in-class summative assessments, I almost never managed to finish my essays.

And, although I usually wrote only a few sides, although I couldn’t really finish the essays, I could still get 10-12 marks out of 15. So, absolutely no worries if you can’t finish your essays or you only write 3 sides.

Feel free to ask me any questions in the comments or via email (see the end of my “About” page). I might share a few of my own history essay practices in the future but that’s not guaranteed 😅

• Learn by heart exactly what’s covered in the paper 2 topic you’re studying.
• Look for patterns in the past paper questions and prioritize the ones that you think are likely to come up.
• As you take notes for the possible essay questions, develop strong arguments that can stand counter-arguments.
• Read exemplar/example essays and indicative content in IB markschemes. Write your own essays/paragraphs and ask your teacher for feedback if you can’t find others' essays.
• Plan how much time you’ll use for each paragraph beforehand, so you don’t panic during an exam.
• You don’t need historiography to get to 12/15 (or you only need to name-drop one or two historians if that counts).
• You don’t need all 7s in all component to get an overall 7. Calculate how many marks you need to get the overall grade that you want to narrow down your goal.
• To write faster, use a smooth, light-weight pen. It’s alright to have messy (but legible) hand-writing.
• It’s fine if you write 3-4 sides on A4 size paper or you can’t finish your essays.

How to Approach History IB Revision To Achieve a 7: Our Updated 2024 Study Guide

In this blog, Rachel, a double first-class Cambridge HSPS graduate, gives tips on how to revise to achieve a 7 in IB History Higher Level. Before she attended Cambridge, Rachel took the IB and achieved a 45, a score attained by only the top 0.44% of students worldwide in her examination cohort. Her subjects were History, Philosophy, and English Literature Higher Level, and Maths, Biology and Spanish Ab Initio Standard Level.

How to prepare for the History IB: Revision, Notes and Tips

I often felt overwhelmed by the amount of content I had to cover in History. However, there are a few methods I used to break down the content and make the whole revision process a lot easier.

Step 1: Figure out what you need notes for

There’s a huge amount of content to cover for History HL, and you’ll find details of this in the syllabus guide. You should start by noting down each heading on the syllabus guide that’s relevant to you , as you may be required to write an essay about all of these subjects, even if you haven’t necessarily studied them in class. 

For History, it’s particularly important to take note of which factors you may be asked to compare and contrast . For example, as you can see in the screenshot below, if you are doing authoritarian states in Paper 2, you might be asked to compare the importance of economic factors, social division, war, and the political system in the emergence of authoritarian states, so you should make sure your revision compares and contrasts all of these factors, as opposed to just preparing one argument about why one of these factors was the most important. Similarly with the methods used to establish authoritarian states, make sure your revision covers how persuasion and coercion, leaders, ideology, force, AND propaganda may have contributed to the establishment of authoritarian states, as you may be asked a question on just one of these factors i.e., how does the use of force contribute to the establishment of authoritarian states? Although your response should compare the importance of the use of force to other factors, you need to have a good understanding of how all of these factors contribute to the establishment of an authoritarian state, and how they may interact with each other , in order to make a good argument.

Step 2: Divide the material with friends

  There is a lot of content to cover for History, and so it’s best to divide and conquer if you can. I had a friend who I really trusted and had worked well with before, so we split up the material for each paper and each wrote essay plans for half of the topic areas. It was also good as we kept each other accountable – I couldn’t procrastinate writing those essay plans as I knew I’d be letting her down as well as myself.

Step 3: Write essay plans, not notes

A constant problem that people encounter when writing History essays is that their essays become descriptions of facts as opposed to actual arguments. I think the best method to fix this is to make sure your notes are written as essay plans from the outset .

With my essay plans, I would write a thesis statement for each paragraph, and then underneath that, a few pieces of relevant evidence and explanation of how that evidence was relevant. This meant that all the facts I memorised were clearly linked to a point I was trying to make, and I was therefore able to avoid the trap of just listing a bunch of information. I also made sure to insert allusions to at least one historiographical debate relevant to my argument in the introduction or conclusion.  

Step 4: Memorise your essay plans

I know this sounds really tedious, but after I’d written up all my essay plans, I memorised them. As I’d used the syllabus guide, this meant I was basically prepared for any question on the examination paper. During the exam, I was able to write out the essay plan I’d memorised without having to think too much, meaning I had a lot more time to write as well. This also meant I was a lot less nervous going into the exam than I would’ve been otherwise, as I felt assured that no matter what I was asked, I had a corresponding essay plan.

Step 5: Practise the source paper

  The one paper you can’t apply this method to is the source paper, as that’s supposed to be unseen and writing out essay plans in advance will make your responses seem too rehearsed, and often times will mean your responses don’t really answer the question. As a result, it’s best just to do quite a few practice papers in advance, and to develop a general structure that you want your answers to follow . Make sure you also get feedback from teachers on your past papers, as this will help refine your responses.

An Oxbridge History Graduate’s Top Tips for Source Analysis and Understanding Historiography

Check out our blog on Historiography & engaging your historical imagination on our co-curricular site, Minds Underground.

Step 6: The actual exam

  Make sure that you eat and sleep well in the week before the exam so that you’re on top form on the day. Don’t try and cram the night before – even if you feel less prepared than you like, I promise it’s more important to get a good night’s sleep than to memorise a few extra essay plans. Best of luck!

Looking for an IB History Tutor?

Due to the amount of work involved, the IB can feel overwhelming, but our specialist IB tutors are skilled at finding strategies to manage the large amounts of material required to cover, and to help students score highly across each component. Each tutor is capable of adapting their teaching style to suit each individual student’s needs and adept at helping students develop the skills required to create high quality essays under exam conditions. We also offer sessions on Study Skills, Essay Writing, Theory of Knowledge and Academic Research for Pre-IB candidates.

The IB Tuition Process:

Most clients book a complimentary consultation  to discuss their particular requirements. We have a large team of Oxbridge-educated IB History tutors, including a number of tutors who have achieved perfect (45) or near-perfect scores. For both Standard and Higher Level subjects, we will pair students with an IB tutor who has not only excelled in their own IB in the subject (Scored 7), but also gone on to take the subject (or a closely related subject) to degree level at Oxford or Cambridge university.

We suggest a specialist IB tutor/s and send their full CV/s for review: Our tutors are deeply familiar with the IB process, and are well-placed to guide students through examination preparation, IA assessments, Theory of Knowledge, Extended Essays etc. We may suggest a range of IB tutors to choose from with slightly differing rates depending on qualifications and level of experience.

We typically suggest beginning with a 1.5 hour informal assessment/ preliminary session , where the tutor will informally assess the student’s current subject level and identify areas for development. Following this, we issue a report with feedback, and structure a plan to best prepare.

Regular IB sessions: If you are happy to proceed following the initial session, we will have registered you on our online system, following which, sessions can be arranged as and when you need, with reports sent after every session. Our IB tutors will guide the student through each element of the process required, will plan for sessions meticulously, and ensure the student is on track to achieve their desired grade.

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History IA HELP ME PLEASE (To what extent was the discontent of society the main cause of the downfall of the french monarchy)

Hii sorry if my title is written incorrectly, my native language isnt english. i wanted to ask if someone has resources about the downfall of the french monarchy or other things that could help me with that topic? also some IAs that i can use as examples for mine might also help me a lot too thanks yall

I was told to do my history IA on something I love. I love analyzing movies and society. I had a few other ideas but one of them would be way too hard to put a focus around and the other would be way too hard to find enough sources and proof for. My third idea, however, I thought was pretty good but I'd like a second opinion. Would it be a good idea to do my IA on the history of romcoms and how they aligned with society as they grew? Like, if I were to analyze the makeup of some of the older, more famous romcoms, or just romances in general, vs how society perceived romance at the time, going into how views have or haven't changed?

Please help clarify something for me. I got feedback from the rough draft of my HI and the only comments were on the title page. The teacher did not make any in-line comments within the paper itself and I am finding the feedback is not helpful. I asked the teacher and she told me that this was the way IB History and historians in general do this. I got specific feedback on rough drafts in other subjects and my EE. Is there a special rule for history or is my teacher just lazy?

HELP HISTORY IA

How can I make this research question better and more specific, and is it okay? What were the characteristics of women accused of being witches during the 17th century?

IA about the history of the foster care system

I was wondering if this would be a good question for my iB History IA: To what extent did World War 2 affect the creation of the foster care system? Please let me know. Is this a good topic? Is there any other way I could word this? Should I even talk about the foster care system?

Which resources and websites (free please) are best for studying for maths aa HL?

Which youtube channels and resources do you guys recommend for studying maths aa HL?

Which resources do you guys recommend for History HL?

Which resources, websites or youtube channels are best for studying for history HL?

Help with history EE

Hi everyone, I am student in IB1 who has to sumbit my choice of EE subject and RQ. I was really intrested in the Romanov family relations with the britsh but i dont have much knowledge on the part of history. I was thinking of doing the RQ on the impact the ignorance of the Romanov cry for help had on the image of the British but my teachers are saying its to broad and I am not sure on what basis i can narrow it down. Im also having trouble finding sources, can anyone reccomed any sites i can find the resources or anything? Thank you

IB History markscheme

Here is a useful breakdown of the Paper 2 Markscheme!! Paper 2 Markscheme.pages

History IA Questions

I'm in grade 11. My teacher assigns mock history IA's before the real one next year. My first one I did "“To what extent did the stigmatization of mental disorders limit the effectiveness of shell shock treatments for British soldiers during WWI?". I found it really interesting but I spent way too much time on it and I got a 6. This time my teacher keeps emphasizing its only a 1400 word paper and it should be a simple topic. (Years are 1920s-1940s) My only ideas are 1. How the culture shifted once things were mass produced and automated, and manual labor was not needed in the house. It's really interesting to me how peoples lives shifted so fast. Ofc…

is there any russian history expert here?

I'm thinking about writing my extended essay on 19th century - 20th century russian history and I wanted to ask some people here in ibs for some tips throughout the process... anyone? I'll PM you my topic.

Need Guidance for History IA Topic

• 3 followers

Hey guys, I was recently brainstorming ideas for a history IA quetion/topic and came up with this: "To what extent was the German Campaign of 1813 a catalyst for German unification?" I was wondering if this is a good topic, if it is too vague or broad, etc. Or if you guys think it might be hard to write about or approach. I Have only done a broad collection of sources so far so it would be quite helpful to have your opinions before I start most of the actual work on my IA. If you guys have any sources about this topic or anything else that is useful that would obviously also be greatly appreciated.

• History IA Help

History IA Markbands

• 32.6k views

Is it like 25-23 is a 7 and etc.?

Need help on HI topic

Hey fellow IB people, I'm taking IB HOA HL (history of the americas) and I'm trying to narrow down my HI idea. I want to do something related to the Chernobyl disaster, perhaps connecting it to the fall of the USSR. Was thinking something like "how did the chernobyl nuclear disaster contribute to the fall of the USSR," but that feels just a touch too broad. any ideas on how I could make it a bit more specific?

How to limit my History AI question? How to find sources?

• 2 followers

Hello everyone!!! I'm a new IB student and it's my first time using this platform :) This year my teacher of history had to go, so now I have a new one but she doesn't know much about the IB. Therefore, I'm a bit lost, especially in my IA, which I want to start so I don't get saturated next year. For the last week I've been killing myself looking for sources for my inquiry question "To what extent were the Bismarckian alliance systems a cause of WWI?", but aside from not knowing how to look for sources, I've found that the inquiry question it's quite wide. So, reading some comments on this web page, I wanted to narrow it down. Since I really want to do so…

HELP, my history IA is due in two days and is currently around 2700 words

My history IA is due in two days and currently is about 500 words over the limit, does anyone have any tips to make the writing more concise without reducing the quality of it?

IB history HL IA research question

Hey!! I want to start my history IA as soon as possible, but I'm struggling with the topic. Do I look for some research questions which relate to the topic I learnt in school? Because I saw some people online say it will not waste your time and it’s good for exams, but will the teacher be unhappy(give me a low mark) about it? Like you didn’t choose it because you like or something? I choose those RQ below, but they are not relate to those topics I leant, tell me which is the best and how I can improve the RQ: To what extent did Qing internal conflict provide the conditions for the Boxer Rebellion? Was the Japanese invasion of Manchuria in 1931 a me…

• HistoryIA HLHISOTRY

History Textbooks

Dear IB History teachers, We have established a new school and just hired a history teacher. They are trying to build their curriculum, but we are having trouble finding history textbooks that cover the topics that she wants to teach. The topics she is looking at teaching are: SL - Prescribed topic (Rights and Protest) we have this one ordered. SL - World History topics {Society and economy (750-1400) and 4. Societies in transition (1400-1700)} HL - 3. History of Asia and Oceania (Sub-topics (3), (5), and (13).

How to answer History HL's Final?

Several sources have told me that I should include the opinions of historians in my essay. However, I am not quite sure how to do that. How should I include it? It would be helpful if you could also give me some examples. Also, I am not sure do I have to include opinions of historians for both Paper2 and Paper3? (I understand that paper 1 is just from sorce book is OK so I do not have to include my original opinions of historian) Thanks for reading and answer this. And if you have Model answer for History HL Final, Pleae put URL or File.... I just wan…

IA Source Dilemma

Hey guys, So my IB World History IA is about whether Ronald Reagans SDI played a prominent role in ending the cold war, and I found this article source called "Did Star Wars Help End the Cold War? Soviet Response to the SDI Program," It was a really informative secondary source. I really want to use it but the problem is that it tackles the same exact question I am addressing, literally. So, would it be okay for me to use and cite it as a secondary source, or should I avoid it due to the similarity between the research questions. Thanks in advance!

History IA (Pt. 2: Investigation) Question

I'm struggling to come up with different topics to discuss and analyse for my History IA investigation section. My question is: "To what extent did Konrad Adenauer influence The Berlin Crisis of 1958-1963 as Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany?". I have some notes and sources but don't know how to approach writing an investigative essay on this. Any tips, ideas, or suggestions? Thanks!

I know I want to do my IA about something like "How far did violence impact the negotiation process in South Africa between 1990 and 1994?" and one of the sources im going to use is Mandela address to the nation. Do you guys have any idea of what other source I could use? thanks!!!😁

Help in History extended essay please!!

Hello, guys. I'm almost finishing my EE on History, the topic I've chosen is "What was the impact of the 1992's Coup d'État on the Rule of Law as a democracy pillar in Peru?". However, I'm worried due to some people think is not related to History, but to Politics and Law. What do you think? :/

History IA question

so i am working on my history ia and i know what i wanna write about but idk what specifically i wanna talk about alexander the great and how he wasn't from egypt but became a pharaoh anyway and dive into that, but it's not specific enough. any ideas on how to get more specific? i'm way into the mythology aspect as well but i don't know how, if at all, to tie it in.

I'm doing my History IA on the Korean war and I have a question, however I'm in doubt about whether or not it's good enough. Anyone have any advice? Q: "What was the significance of the Battle of the Imjin River to the Korean War?"

Hitler Consolidation

Hope this Timeline Helps Hitler Consolidation.odt

Can I Write About The GMD In An Authoritarian States Essay?

Hi all, I'm currently tackling an essay outline regarding the conditions that led to the rise of authoritarian states in China. My course has mainly focused on how the CCP rose to power under the GMD. However, for my body paragraph on economic factors, I would like to write about how Yuan Shikai's failure to establish a strong central government in China led to exacerbated the poor economic conditions in China at the time, which ultimately led to the GMD taking over. Is this fine or should I focus solely on the CCP? Cheers.

IA's - efficiency

i feel like i am not efficient at all when it comes to writing my history IA and EE, or even when writing any assessment, i overthink alot and so i have a difficult time trying to finish things, it will take me a long time, but i am not being efficient or productive😫 does anyone have any tips on how to be efficient w time and just get stuff done

History Extended Essay; help on word distribution?

Hi everyone! I am currently writing my History extended essay and I am wondering how the word count sshould be distributed. I notice that I'm putting most of my words into the body and I am writing more than 500 words per claim. Is this too much? Please help!

Help with finding resources for IA

So I am writing my IA and the topic I chose was, To what extent did the Jallianwala Bagh massacre cause the Indian Independence movement?. I was wondering if you have any good source recommendations and any help would be appreciated.

Need help finding a history IA topic

I'm currently trying to find a good topic for my history IA. I am interested in doing something with artillery in WWII. However, I don't want to solely focus on the weapons themselves. Instead I want to focus on the soldiers who operated them as well. My two current topics that I have developed right now are, To what extent was American Artillery more effective and decisive than German Artillery in WWII?, and What was the effectiveness of American forward observers in WWII? However, my teacher thinks that these topics only focus on the artillery weapons and incorporating the people behind the weapons would make my topic to broad. Do y'all have any idea how I could eithe…

I have to figure out what I want to write my history EE about and I am really not sure what topics would be interesting to consider, I really want to do it about ww2, any suggestions?

What is/was your topic for the IA in HL History? 1 2

• 144.3k views

Could you share the topic of your History IA (and your grade if you already have it) ? This could be helpful for many! Do you have any tips about choosing a topic? I was planning on choosing a topic related to what we've learned in class because it may help me study for the exams. Do you recommend this? Do you recommend a topic related to Ancient History or to Modern History? Too bad nobody answered Well anyways I want to share the process I went when deciding a history topic First I wanted to do something related to witch hunting: ¿What factors caused the young women to be acused of being witches and imprisoned in the Salem Witch Trials of 1692 and how was this …

history IA question

hi! i've been trying to narrow down my question for my history ia. my current question is, "Who was to blame for the escalation of the Marco Polo Bridge Incident into the Second Sino-Japanese War?" is this okay? i was already planning to look at both sides, but would it be better to narrow down the question to "To what extent can the [Chinese/Japanese] be blamed for the escalation....etc.?" thank you!

• ia question

Please Help- History IA

My question is about the Space-Races effects on U.S education but I don't know what arguments to use, please help.

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How to Write a History Essay in IB

For a history essay, researching what we were studying was the most engaging method for understanding the material.  I did well in history because I genuinely enjoyed the subject. Pay attention in class, look up videos on your own time, and explore different perspectives – hopefully you’ll enjoy the subject enough to have fun working on it too. This extra research while also be the foundation of your essay. 

A strong thesis will provide an effective introduction to your history essay, so it is important to understand what you want to say with your essay and to spend some time refining the statement. I would suggest focusing on three major points in your thesis that you intend on developing in your essay. 

As for the conclusion, this is where I would reframe your thesis as well as some of the main arguments and counterarguments you brought up in the body of the essay.

Now onto some broader essay tips. Don’t merely list the facts of an event, say why they matter and what they add to your argument. Adding counter arguments and debunking them is also key to building a strong argument. In addition, making essay outlines is probably my second best tip. They helped me structure my thoughts in order to deliver well-constructed arguments. Discussing the events in class and with friends also helped with recalling the information. 

My best tip is to use historiography. Knowing the views and stances of different historians not only helped my understanding but is one of the criteria for a highly marked essay. Also, I find that knowing historiography helps greatly with structuring the essay, because you are able to interpret, interconnect and articulate events and evidence. 

History is a fun course, and although it does consist of a lot of writing, with the right approach and attitude, I’m sure you can excel!

You may also like…

• Joanne’s thoughts on how to approach a History EE
• Tyus’s tips on how to get an A on your History EE
• Find IB information about History here

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IB History Extended Essay: The Complete Guide for Students

by  Antony W

November 9, 2022

This is the complete guide on IB History Extended Essay.

History is a fascinating subject, and most students taking it enjoy digging up juicy bits here and there. However, when it comes to in-depth research culminating in a 4000-word essay, all the fun seems to come to a premature end. As with other IB subjects, the extended essay in history can cause students many sleepless nights.

Now that you’re here, though, you can say goodbye to all the stress and pressure you feel. Help for Assessment is a team of IB experts here to get you that A in the essay. All you have to do is leave us your order here and let us do the rest.

If you prefer to go through this guide first, let’s get to it. We will explore the what and how of exceptional history EEs.

Understanding the IB History Extended Essay

For most students, the History internal assessment and the extended essay can have some confusing similarities, yet they are completely different.

For one, the history EE is 4000 words long while the IA is 1500 words in length. Second, the EE is a more in-depth exploration with an emphasis on primary sources while the IA can get away with a slightly more cursory approach. Grading and structure are also quite different.

The extended essay in history is a 4000-word essay written after thorough, independent research on a chosen topic. It is designed to prepare students for the undergraduate research they will be expected to do in university.

Apart from this, it is also designed to develop and sharpen the student’s research, analytical, and communication skills. In the process, students are supposed to develop the capacity to analyze, evaluate, and synthesize knowledge, according to the IBO website.

The first step to dealing with the History EE is coming up with the right topic, which we have already dealt with exhaustively. However, you should remember that the extended essay topic needs to be different to the one you used in the IA for increased diversity.

History Extended Essay Assessment Criteria

The assessment criteria and guidelines provided by IBO will guide us on how to write an outstanding history extended essay. We want an A-grade essay, so it pays to know what the IBO deems an “A” grade essay.

Focus and method (6 points)

This criterion is mainly about the research question that you choose to handle. The topic must be historical, i.e, it took place not less than 10 years past.

It must also be very specific and straightforward to allow a deep analysis while being sufficiently wide for the word count. Ideally, you should confine the research question to a specific period, country, people, etc.

Your instructor will have to vet the topic chosen, but the research question is mainly up to you. For an A, the topic must be accurate, effective, properly focused, and clearly stated.

Focus also covers the research methodology used, which must be exhaustive, effective, and credible.

Knowledge and understanding (5-6 marks)

You need to show that you understand the place of the RQ chosen in the wider historical context. You also have to show proper use of the relevant historical terms and concepts, again adhering to the ten-year rule.

To get top marks for this, your essay should demonstrate an in-depth understanding and knowledge of the chosen topic, then explore that topic effectively using methods learned in the coursework and textbooks.

Critical thinking (12 points)

You need to display a “critical engagement with the past”, which means that instead of just quoting what other sources say, you need to show personal initiative to explore and analyze them to come up with compelling arguments.

Such arguments must be supported by an analysis of the research material followed by consistent conclusions.

In other words, examiners are looking for an analytical rather than a descriptive essay. For example, having identified your position relative to what your sources state, you should be able to draw convincing, well-supported arguments for or against it.

After doing that, go ahead and offer an analysis of the evidence and show how reliable and/or accurate you think it is.

To get the full 12 marks, your essay must have:

• A focused and well-reasoned argument or arguments developed from the research.
• A conclusion that is consistent with and reflective of the analysis and material.
• Have well-structured and coherent arguments. Minor inconsistencies, while allowable, do not hinder the major argument or invalidate the conclusions.
• Critical evaluation of the research

Presentation (4 marks)

As with other extended essays, this criterion evaluates how well the entire essay is presented in relation to accepted academic standards.

To begin with, the essay should have a section/subsection structure arranged logically and formatted acceptably.

Second, any charts, tables, graphs, and other figures should only be used where you feel they illustrate a certain point more clearly. They should have proper naming and explanation.

Any text, figures, calculations, or anything else you use directly from a source must also be clearly and carefully acknowledged, including a corresponding entry in the bibliography.

To get the full marks for presentation, you should have a clear layout that supports and simplifies the reading and evaluation of the essay.

Engagement (6 marks)

This criterion evaluates how well you interact with the research process. You are supposed to show personal engagement with clear insights into your thought process and decision-making.

You show this by giving clear evidence of your conclusions, with no assumptions made.

One of the best ways to show personal engagement is to be critical of your own methods and conclusions, showing where you thought you should have done better.

Describe any challenges you faced and the solutions you adopted.

Getting the full marks for engagement will entail reflections in your decision-making and evaluations and mentions of any challenges experienced or questions raised.

The said reflections should communicate “a high degree of intellectual and personal engagement” with the research question. In short, you should demonstrate authenticity, intellectual initiative, and a creative approach using your own unique voice.

Get Help for the History Extended Essay

Help for Assessment is dedicated to getting you that coveted top grade in the history extended essay. If the essay is too much for you, we can do more to help – we will write the entire essay for you and ensure fully original, thoroughly researched, and error-free essays.

Our IB experts ensure top quality every time, and all you need to do is leave us your order . We will handle the essay for you at the most affordable prices, and we will even give you up to 25% off your first order.

About the author 

Antony W is a professional writer and coach at Help for Assessment. He spends countless hours every day researching and writing great content filled with expert advice on how to write engaging essays, research papers, and assignments.

Choose Your Test

Sat / act prep online guides and tips, the complete ib extended essay guide: examples, topics, and ideas.

International Baccalaureate (IB)

IB students around the globe fear writing the Extended Essay, but it doesn't have to be a source of stress! In this article, I'll get you excited about writing your Extended Essay and provide you with the resources you need to get an A on it.

If you're reading this article, I'm going to assume you're an IB student getting ready to write your Extended Essay. If you're looking at this as a potential future IB student, I recommend reading our introductory IB articles first, including our guide to what the IB program is and our full coverage of the IB curriculum .

IB Extended Essay: Why Should You Trust My Advice?

I myself am a recipient of an IB Diploma, and I happened to receive an A on my IB Extended Essay. Don't believe me? The proof is in the IBO pudding:

If you're confused by what this report means, EE is short for Extended Essay , and English A1 is the subject that my Extended Essay topic coordinated with. In layman's terms, my IB Diploma was graded in May 2010, I wrote my Extended Essay in the English A1 category, and I received an A grade on it.

What Is the Extended Essay in the IB Diploma Programme?

The IB Extended Essay, or EE , is a mini-thesis you write under the supervision of an IB advisor (an IB teacher at your school), which counts toward your IB Diploma (learn more about the major IB Diploma requirements in our guide) . I will explain exactly how the EE affects your Diploma later in this article.

For the Extended Essay, you will choose a research question as a topic, conduct the research independently, then write an essay on your findings . The essay itself is a long one—although there's a cap of 4,000 words, most successful essays get very close to this limit.

Keep in mind that the IB requires this essay to be a "formal piece of academic writing," meaning you'll have to do outside research and cite additional sources.

The IB Extended Essay must include the following:

• A title page
• Contents page
• Introduction
• Body of the essay
• References and bibliography

Additionally, your research topic must fall into one of the six approved DP categories , or IB subject groups, which are as follows:

• Group 1: Studies in Language and Literature
• Group 2: Language Acquisition
• Group 3: Individuals and Societies
• Group 4: Sciences
• Group 5: Mathematics
• Group 6: The Arts

Once you figure out your category and have identified a potential research topic, it's time to pick your advisor, who is normally an IB teacher at your school (though you can also find one online ). This person will help direct your research, and they'll conduct the reflection sessions you'll have to do as part of your Extended Essay.

As of 2018, the IB requires a "reflection process" as part of your EE supervision process. To fulfill this requirement, you have to meet at least three times with your supervisor in what the IB calls "reflection sessions." These meetings are not only mandatory but are also part of the formal assessment of the EE and your research methods.

According to the IB, the purpose of these meetings is to "provide an opportunity for students to reflect on their engagement with the research process." Basically, these meetings give your supervisor the opportunity to offer feedback, push you to think differently, and encourage you to evaluate your research process.

The final reflection session is called the viva voce, and it's a short 10- to 15-minute interview between you and your advisor. This happens at the very end of the EE process, and it's designed to help your advisor write their report, which factors into your EE grade.

Here are the topics covered in your viva voce :

• A check on plagiarism and malpractice
• Your reflection on your project's successes and difficulties
• Your reflection on what you've learned during the EE process

Your completed Extended Essay, along with your supervisor's report, will then be sent to the IB to be graded. We'll cover the assessment criteria in just a moment.

We'll help you learn how to have those "lightbulb" moments...even on test day!  

What Should You Write About in Your IB Extended Essay?

You can technically write about anything, so long as it falls within one of the approved categories listed above.

It's best to choose a topic that matches one of the IB courses , (such as Theatre, Film, Spanish, French, Math, Biology, etc.), which shouldn't be difficult because there are so many class subjects.

Here is a range of sample topics with the attached extended essay:

• Biology: The Effect of Age and Gender on the Photoreceptor Cells in the Human Retina
• Chemistry: How Does Reflux Time Affect the Yield and Purity of Ethyl Aminobenzoate (Benzocaine), and How Effective is Recrystallisation as a Purification Technique for This Compound?
• English: An Exploration of Jane Austen's Use of the Outdoors in Emma
• Geography: The Effect of Location on the Educational Attainment of Indigenous Secondary Students in Queensland, Australia
• Math: Alhazen's Billiard Problem
• Visual Arts: Can Luc Tuymans Be Classified as a Political Painter?

You can see from how varied the topics are that you have a lot of freedom when it comes to picking a topic . So how do you pick when the options are limitless?

How to Write a Stellar IB Extended Essay: 6 Essential Tips

Below are six key tips to keep in mind as you work on your Extended Essay for the IB DP. Follow these and you're sure to get an A!

#1: Write About Something You Enjoy

You can't expect to write a compelling essay if you're not a fan of the topic on which you're writing. For example, I just love British theatre and ended up writing my Extended Essay on a revolution in post-WWII British theatre. (Yes, I'm definitely a #TheatreNerd.)

I really encourage anyone who pursues an IB Diploma to take the Extended Essay seriously. I was fortunate enough to receive a full-tuition merit scholarship to USC's School of Dramatic Arts program. In my interview for the scholarship, I spoke passionately about my Extended Essay; thus, I genuinely think my Extended Essay helped me get my scholarship.

But how do you find a topic you're passionate about? Start by thinking about which classes you enjoy the most and why . Do you like math classes because you like to solve problems? Or do you enjoy English because you like to analyze literary texts?

Keep in mind that there's no right or wrong answer when it comes to choosing your Extended Essay topic. You're not more likely to get high marks because you're writing about science, just like you're not doomed to failure because you've chosen to tackle the social sciences. The quality of what you produce—not the field you choose to research within—will determine your grade.

Once you've figured out your category, you should brainstorm more specific topics by putting pen to paper . What was your favorite chapter you learned in that class? Was it astrophysics or mechanics? What did you like about that specific chapter? Is there something you want to learn more about? I recommend spending a few hours on this type of brainstorming.

One last note: if you're truly stumped on what to research, pick a topic that will help you in your future major or career . That way you can use your Extended Essay as a talking point in your college essays (and it will prepare you for your studies to come too!).

#2: Select a Topic That Is Neither Too Broad nor Too Narrow

There's a fine line between broad and narrow. You need to write about something specific, but not so specific that you can't write 4,000 words on it.

You can't write about WWII because that would be a book's worth of material. You also don't want to write about what type of soup prisoners of war received behind enemy lines, because you probably won’t be able to come up with 4,000 words of material about it. However, you could possibly write about how the conditions in German POW camps—and the rations provided—were directly affected by the Nazis' successes and failures on the front, including the use of captured factories and prison labor in Eastern Europe to increase production. WWII military history might be a little overdone, but you get my point.

If you're really stuck trying to pinpoint a not-too-broad-or-too-narrow topic, I suggest trying to brainstorm a topic that uses a comparison. Once you begin looking through the list of sample essays below, you'll notice that many use comparisons to formulate their main arguments.

I also used a comparison in my EE, contrasting Harold Pinter's Party Time with John Osborne's Look Back in Anger in order to show a transition in British theatre. Topics with comparisons of two to three plays, books, and so on tend to be the sweet spot. You can analyze each item and then compare them with one another after doing some in-depth analysis of each individually. The ways these items compare and contrast will end up forming the thesis of your essay!

When choosing a comparative topic, the key is that the comparison should be significant. I compared two plays to illustrate the transition in British theatre, but you could compare the ways different regional dialects affect people's job prospects or how different temperatures may or may not affect the mating patterns of lightning bugs. The point here is that comparisons not only help you limit your topic, but they also help you build your argument.

Comparisons are not the only way to get a grade-A EE, though. If after brainstorming, you pick a non-comparison-based topic and are still unsure whether your topic is too broad or narrow, spend about 30 minutes doing some basic research and see how much material is out there.

If there are more than 1,000 books, articles, or documentaries out there on that exact topic, it may be too broad. But if there are only two books that have any connection to your topic, it may be too narrow. If you're still unsure, ask your advisor—it's what they're there for! Speaking of advisors...

Don't get stuck with a narrow topic!

#3: Choose an Advisor Who Is Familiar With Your Topic

If you're not certain of who you would like to be your advisor, create a list of your top three choices. Next, write down the pros and cons of each possibility (I know this sounds tedious, but it really helps!).

For example, Mr. Green is my favorite teacher and we get along really well, but he teaches English. For my EE, I want to conduct an experiment that compares the efficiency of American electric cars with foreign electric cars.

I had Ms. White a year ago. She teaches physics and enjoyed having me in her class. Unlike Mr. Green, Ms. White could help me design my experiment.

Based on my topic and what I need from my advisor, Ms. White would be a better fit for me than would Mr. Green (even though I like him a lot).

The moral of my story is this: do not just ask your favorite teacher to be your advisor . They might be a hindrance to you if they teach another subject. For example, I would not recommend asking your biology teacher to guide you in writing an English literature-based EE.

There can, of course, be exceptions to this rule. If you have a teacher who's passionate and knowledgeable about your topic (as my English teacher was about my theatre topic), you could ask that instructor. Consider all your options before you do this. There was no theatre teacher at my high school, so I couldn't find a theatre-specific advisor, but I chose the next best thing.

Before you approach a teacher to serve as your advisor, check with your high school to see what requirements they have for this process. Some IB high schools require your IB Extended Essay advisor to sign an Agreement Form , for instance.

Make sure that you ask your IB coordinator whether there is any required paperwork to fill out. If your school needs a specific form signed, bring it with you when you ask your teacher to be your EE advisor.

#4: Pick an Advisor Who Will Push You to Be Your Best

Some teachers might just take on students because they have to and aren't very passionate about reading drafts, only giving you minimal feedback. Choose a teacher who will take the time to read several drafts of your essay and give you extensive notes. I would not have gotten my A without being pushed to make my Extended Essay draft better.

Ask a teacher that you have experience with through class or an extracurricular activity. Do not ask a teacher that you have absolutely no connection to. If a teacher already knows you, that means they already know your strengths and weaknesses, so they know what to look for, where you need to improve, and how to encourage your best work.

Also, don't forget that your supervisor's assessment is part of your overall EE score . If you're meeting with someone who pushes you to do better—and you actually take their advice—they'll have more impressive things to say about you than a supervisor who doesn't know you well and isn't heavily involved in your research process.

Be aware that the IB only allows advisors to make suggestions and give constructive criticism. Your teacher cannot actually help you write your EE. The IB recommends that the supervisor spends approximately two to three hours in total with the candidate discussing the EE.

#5: Make Sure Your Essay Has a Clear Structure and Flow

The IB likes structure. Your EE needs a clear introduction (which should be one to two double-spaced pages), research question/focus (i.e., what you're investigating), a body, and a conclusion (about one double-spaced page). An essay with unclear organization will be graded poorly.

The body of your EE should make up the bulk of the essay. It should be about eight to 18 pages long (again, depending on your topic). Your body can be split into multiple parts. For example, if you were doing a comparison, you might have one third of your body as Novel A Analysis, another third as Novel B Analysis, and the final third as your comparison of Novels A and B.

If you're conducting an experiment or analyzing data, such as in this EE , your EE body should have a clear structure that aligns with the scientific method ; you should state the research question, discuss your method, present the data, analyze the data, explain any uncertainties, and draw a conclusion and/or evaluate the success of the experiment.

#6: Start Writing Sooner Rather Than Later!

You will not be able to crank out a 4,000-word essay in just a week and get an A on it. You'll be reading many, many articles (and, depending on your topic, possibly books and plays as well!). As such, it's imperative that you start your research as soon as possible.

Each school has a slightly different deadline for the Extended Essay. Some schools want them as soon as November of your senior year; others will take them as late as February. Your school will tell you what your deadline is. If they haven't mentioned it by February of your junior year, ask your IB coordinator about it.

Some high schools will provide you with a timeline of when you need to come up with a topic, when you need to meet with your advisor, and when certain drafts are due. Not all schools do this. Ask your IB coordinator if you are unsure whether you are on a specific timeline.

Below is my recommended EE timeline. While it's earlier than most schools, it'll save you a ton of heartache (trust me, I remember how hard this process was!):

• January/February of Junior Year: Come up with your final research topic (or at least your top three options).
• February of Junior Year: Approach a teacher about being your EE advisor. If they decline, keep asking others until you find one. See my notes above on how to pick an EE advisor.
• April/May of Junior Year: Submit an outline of your EE and a bibliography of potential research sources (I recommend at least seven to 10) to your EE advisor. Meet with your EE advisor to discuss your outline.
• Summer Between Junior and Senior Year: Complete your first full draft over the summer between your junior and senior year. I know, I know—no one wants to work during the summer, but trust me—this will save you so much stress come fall when you are busy with college applications and other internal assessments for your IB classes. You will want to have this first full draft done because you will want to complete a couple of draft cycles as you likely won't be able to get everything you want to say into 4,000 articulate words on the first attempt. Try to get this first draft into the best possible shape so you don't have to work on too many revisions during the school year on top of your homework, college applications, and extracurriculars.
• August/September of Senior Year: Turn in your first draft of your EE to your advisor and receive feedback. Work on incorporating their feedback into your essay. If they have a lot of suggestions for improvement, ask if they will read one more draft before the final draft.
• September/October of Senior Year: Submit the second draft of your EE to your advisor (if necessary) and look at their feedback. Work on creating the best possible final draft.
• November-February of Senior Year: Schedule your viva voce. Submit two copies of your final draft to your school to be sent off to the IB. You likely will not get your grade until after you graduate.

Remember that in the middle of these milestones, you'll need to schedule two other reflection sessions with your advisor . (Your teachers will actually take notes on these sessions on a form like this one , which then gets submitted to the IB.)

I recommend doing them when you get feedback on your drafts, but these meetings will ultimately be up to your supervisor. Just don't forget to do them!

The early bird DOES get the worm!

How Is the IB Extended Essay Graded?

Extended Essays are graded by examiners appointed by the IB on a scale of 0 to 34 . You'll be graded on five criteria, each with its own set of points. You can learn more about how EE scoring works by reading the IB guide to extended essays .

• Criterion A: Focus and Method (6 points maximum)
• Criterion B: Knowledge and Understanding (6 points maximum)
• Criterion C: Critical Thinking (12 points maximum)
• Criterion D: Presentation (4 points maximum)
• Criterion E: Engagement (6 points maximum)

How well you do on each of these criteria will determine the final letter grade you get for your EE. You must earn at least a D to be eligible to receive your IB Diploma.

Although each criterion has a point value, the IB explicitly states that graders are not converting point totals into grades; instead, they're using qualitative grade descriptors to determine the final grade of your Extended Essay . Grade descriptors are on pages 102-103 of this document .

Here's a rough estimate of how these different point values translate to letter grades based on previous scoring methods for the EE. This is just an estimate —you should read and understand the grade descriptors so you know exactly what the scorers are looking for.

Here is the breakdown of EE scores (from the May 2021 bulletin):

How Does the Extended Essay Grade Affect Your IB Diploma?

The Extended Essay grade is combined with your TOK (Theory of Knowledge) grade to determine how many points you get toward your IB Diploma.

To learn about Theory of Knowledge or how many points you need to receive an IB Diploma, read our complete guide to the IB program and our guide to the IB Diploma requirements .

This diagram shows how the two scores are combined to determine how many points you receive for your IB diploma (3 being the most, 0 being the least). In order to get your IB Diploma, you have to earn 24 points across both categories (the TOK and EE). The highest score anyone can earn is 45 points.

Let's say you get an A on your EE and a B on TOK. You will get 3 points toward your Diploma. As of 2014, a student who scores an E on either the extended essay or TOK essay will not be eligible to receive an IB Diploma .

Prior to the class of 2010, a Diploma candidate could receive a failing grade in either the Extended Essay or Theory of Knowledge and still be awarded a Diploma, but this is no longer true.

Figuring out how you're assessed can be a little tricky. Luckily, the IB breaks everything down here in this document . (The assessment information begins on page 219.)

40+ Sample Extended Essays for the IB Diploma Programme

In case you want a little more guidance on how to get an A on your EE, here are over 40 excellent (grade A) sample extended essays for your reading pleasure. Essays are grouped by IB subject.

• Business Management 1
• Chemistry 1
• Chemistry 2
• Chemistry 3
• Chemistry 4
• Chemistry 5
• Chemistry 6
• Chemistry 7
• Computer Science 1
• Economics 1
• Design Technology 1
• Design Technology 2
• Environmental Systems and Societies 1
• Geography 1
• Geography 2
• Geography 3
• Geography 4
• Geography 5
• Geography 6
• Literature and Performance 1
• Mathematics 1
• Mathematics 2
• Mathematics 3
• Mathematics 4
• Mathematics 5
• Philosophy 1
• Philosophy 2
• Philosophy 3
• Philosophy 4
• Philosophy 5
• Psychology 1
• Psychology 2
• Psychology 3
• Psychology 4
• Psychology 5
• Social and Cultural Anthropology 1
• Social and Cultural Anthropology 2
• Social and Cultural Anthropology 3
• Sports, Exercise and Health Science 1
• Sports, Exercise and Health Science 2
• Visual Arts 1
• Visual Arts 2
• Visual Arts 3
• Visual Arts 4
• Visual Arts 5
• World Religion 1
• World Religion 2
• World Religion 3

What's Next?

Trying to figure out what extracurriculars you should do? Learn more about participating in the Science Olympiad , starting a club , doing volunteer work , and joining Student Government .

Studying for the SAT? Check out our expert study guide to the SAT . Taking the SAT in a month or so? Learn how to cram effectively for this important test .

Not sure where you want to go to college? Read our guide to finding your target school . Also, determine your target SAT score or target ACT score .

As an SAT/ACT tutor, Dora has guided many students to test prep success. She loves watching students succeed and is committed to helping you get there. Dora received a full-tuition merit based scholarship to University of Southern California. She graduated magna cum laude and scored in the 99th percentile on the ACT. She is also passionate about acting, writing, and photography.

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