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IB English B EE examples

Filter exemplars, to what extent does the protagonist of the novel the bell jar symbolize women who experience pressure by the patriarchal society in the 1950s, how is the theme of hope portrayed in “the book thief” from the perspective of liesel, want to get full marks for your ee allow us to review it for you 🎯, how is the problem of search of one’s identity presented in anthony burgess’s “a clockwork orange”, how successful was tupac shakur in portraying police brutality, gun violence and racism towards african american people in america using his platform from the years 1990 to 1996, how are identities of dystopian characters shaped in the movies blade runner and blade runner 2049, fast track your coursework with mark schemes moderated by ib examiners. upgrade now 🚀, to what extent does the employment of magical realism through the ghost alter the perspectives of time and memory in beloved, in what ways has the hip hop movement in the united states of america been able to address racism and its consequences such as the unfair treatment by the oppressive government, how is poetry used on kendrick lamar’s “good kid, m.a.a.d. city” lyrics to portray social problems such as racism, poverty, police brutality, financial struggle, among others, in the usa, to what extent does the use of symbolism by tara westover in educated portray the establishment of her identity in the conflict with her family, in what ways does the portrayal of poles in british newspapers: the guardian and the daily mail in 2004-2011 reflect public attitudes towards a8 polish migrants, how has the portrayal of women evolved in disney's films throughout a timeline (1937-2016), to what extend does the press manipulate language and form to portray specific events in a light that reflects the bias of its reporters and readers, to what extent can christopher booker’s theory of the seven basic plots be applied to jojo moyes’ short stories crocodile shoes and thirteen days with john c, and is there a pattern to be found between these stories from the same author, "mad at disney" by salem ilese: a critique of disney's portrayal of gender stereotypes and love expectations through a viral diss track, how has the portrayal of female roles and traits in disney movies changed as women’s rights evolved in american society (1950 – 1998), how does virginia woolf portray the concept of self and the process of identity formation in her novels the waves and orlando, in what ways did the protest songs of bob dylan reflect the values of the 1960s counterculture in the us, how does margaret atwood portray the influence of patriarchy on women in the handmaid’s tale and alias grace, to what extent has political correctness and social movements influenced the use of the english language over time, to what extent is the eponymous character of lucy maud montgomery’s masterpiece “anne of green gables” a reflection of a typical girl from her era, to what extent does maya angelou’s identity construction process, portrayed in the book “i know why the caged bird sings”, fit into literary tradition or sociological theory, how successfully has kate chopin used male and female characters, and symbols and imagery through the settings in her realist novel, “the awakening”, to depict the main character, edna’s self-discovery while having been encompassed by the gender norms of the 19th century united states, how is the limitation of law enforcement and social constructions on women's pursuit of self-sufficiency depicted in the 19th century english society through pride and prejudice by jane austen', how does angela carter depart from traditional fairy tale conventions in the bloody chamber and other stories as a means of conveying a feminist message, how is author mary shelley’s grief portrayed in the narrative of the novel frankenstein; or, the modern prometheus, in what ways is the abuse of power through manipulation of language in george orwell’s animal farm reflected in donald trump’s leadership style, how does christopher boone, the main character of the curious incident of the dog in the night-time use memoir writing as a tool to demonstrate perseverance to achieve his personal and academic goals, in her memoir “brown girl dreaming,” how has jacqueline woodson used the “north” and “south” symbols to depict the racism that the narrator experienced in the 1960s united states, how does the song pumped up kicks by foster the people represent and incite gun violence in young americans in the 21st century, how does the movie the help represent the racial segregation and labor abuse of afro-american maids in 1960s in mississippi, to what extent does starr the protagonist of the novel the hate u give by angie thomas represent the struggle of a young african- american teenager growing up in the us in the 21st century, to what extent did donald j. trump apply aristotle’s modes of persuasion in his appearance during the first presidential debate in 2016, how are native american medical practises linked to native american belief systems, to what extent does the movie ''the godfather'' by francis ford copolla accurately represent the life of the mafia in the 1940s, how does lousia may alcott’s literary works advocate for feminist, mini ee: oppression in “weekend” and “woman work”, how appropriate was the reaction of the british press and politicians to judgements given in cases ‘miller i’ and ‘miller ii’.

English B Extended Essay Topic Ideas

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Table of contents

  • Writing Metier

Struggling to pick a topic for your English B Extended Essay? Fear not, because we’ve got a treasure trove of ideas that’ll spark your creativity and curiosity. Yes, my team at Writing Metier have been in this industry for quite a while now, and I’ll share this awesome list of more than 50 various topic options with you.

From the influence of culture in literature to the evolving dynamics of language in our digital age, we’re covering a spectrum of topics that are not just about writing an extended essay , but about exploring the fascinating world of language and its impact on our lives. 

Get ready to find a topic that not only intrigues you but also challenges you to think and write outside the box!

Extended Essay Topics for English B

Ready to explore how literature isn’t just words on a page, but a reflection of our world? 

extended essay topics english b

Cultural Influence in Literature

In Cultural Influence in Literature, we’re connecting historical events, cultural identities, and the effects of globalization with the stories and poems we love. It’s like watching history and culture come alive through words.

Influence of Historical Events on Literature

  • Topic:  The Influence of World War II on British Post-War Literature
  • Research Question:  How did World War II shape the themes and characterizations in British post-war literature?
  • Topic:  The Reflection of the Civil Rights Movement in American Literature
  • Research Question:  How did the Civil Rights Movement influence the portrayal of racial themes in American literature of the 1960s?

Representation of Cultural Identity in Modern Novels

  • Topic:  Cultural Identity in the Novels of Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
  • Research Question:  How does Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie portray Nigerian cultural identity in her novels?
  • Topic:  Exploring Indigenous Cultural Identity in Tommy Orange’s “There There”
  • Research Question:  How does Tommy Orange represent the complexities of Indigenous cultural identity in “There There”?

Impact of Globalization on Contemporary Poetry

  • Topic:  The Influence of Globalization on the Themes of Contemporary African Poetry
  • Research Question:  How has globalization influenced the thematic development of contemporary African poetry?
  • Topic:  Cross-Cultural Influences in the Contemporary Poetry of the Asian Diaspora
  • Research Question:  How do poets of the Asian diaspora incorporate cross-cultural influences in their work in the context of globalization?

Switching gears, let’s talk about Language and Communication. Here, we’re unraveling the magic of how we express ourselves.

Language and Communication

From the evolution of texting to the nuances of cross-cultural chats and the persuasive power of a well-crafted speech , language is our bridge to understanding each other in this hyper-connected world.

The Evolution of Language in Digital Communication

  • Topic:  The Impact of Social Media on the Evolution of English Slang
  • Research Question:  How has social media contributed to the evolution and spread of English slang?
  • Topic:  Emoji as a Language: The Changing Face of Digital Communication
  • Research Question:  How have emojis influenced the way language is used and interpreted in digital communication?

The Role of Language in Cross-Cultural Understanding

  • Topic:  The Role of English as a Lingua Franca in International Business
  • Research Question:  How does the use of English as a lingua franca facilitate or hinder cross-cultural understanding in international business?
  • Topic:  Language Barriers in Healthcare: A Study of Patient-Provider Communication
  • Research Question:  How do language barriers affect communication and understanding between healthcare providers and patients from different cultural backgrounds?

Language as a Tool for Persuasion in Political Speeches

  • Topic:  Rhetorical Strategies in Barack Obama’s Presidential Speeches
  • Research Question:  What rhetorical strategies does Barack Obama employ in his presidential speeches to persuade and connect with his audience?
  • Topic:  The Use of Language for Persuasion in Environmental Activism Speeches
  • Research Question:  How is language used as a tool for persuasion in speeches by prominent environmental activists?

Each of these topics offers a unique opportunity to explore the intersection of culture, language, and literature, providing a rich basis for an Extended Essay in English B.

Now, let’s step into the intriguing world of Comparative Literary Analysis .

Comparative Literary Analysis

Imagine having a conversation between a 19th-century novelist and a contemporary writer, or seeing how poets from different eras play with the same theme. It’s like being a literary matchmaker, finding connections across time and style.

Thematic Comparisons between Classic and Modern Novels

  • Topic:  Exploring the Theme of Love in Jane Austen’s “Pride and Prejudice” and John Green’s “The Fault in Our Stars”
  • Research Question:  How is the theme of love portrayed differently in Jane Austen’s “Pride and Prejudice” compared to John Green’s “The Fault in Our Stars”?
  • Topic:  The Evolution of the Hero’s Journey in Classical Greek Literature and Modern Superhero Novels
  • Research Question:  How does the concept of the hero’s journey in classical Greek literature compare to its portrayal in modern superhero novels?

Comparative Analysis of Literary Techniques in Poetry

  • Topic:  A Comparative Analysis of Imagery in the Poetry of William Wordsworth and Sylvia Plath
  • Research Question:  How do William Wordsworth and Sylvia Plath uniquely employ imagery in their poetry, and what effects do these techniques have?
  • Topic:  The Use of Metaphor in the Works of Langston Hughes and Maya Angelou
  • Research Question:  How do Langston Hughes and Maya Angelou use metaphor in their poetry, and what are the implications for understanding their respective themes?

Character Development in Dystopian vs. Utopian Literature

  • Topic:  Character Evolution in George Orwell’s “1984” and Thomas More’s “Utopia”
  • Research Question:  How is character development employed differently in the dystopian world of George Orwell’s “1984” compared to the utopian society in Thomas More’s “Utopia”?
  • Topic:  The Role of Protagonists in Aldous Huxley’s “Brave New World” and Lois Lowry’s “The Giver”
  • Research Question:  How do the protagonists in Aldous Huxley’s “Brave New World” and Lois Lowry’s “The Giver” reflect and challenge the norms of their respective societies?

Next, we’re diving into Media and Society. This is where stories jump off the page and onto our screens.

Media and Society

We’re looking at how social media is reshaping our language, how movies and TV shows mirror our diverse societies, and the powerful role journalism plays in our perception of the world. It’s storytelling with a pulse on society’s heartbeat.

The Influence of Social Media on Language and Communication

  • Topic:  The Impact of Twitter on the Brevity and Informality of Language
  • Research Question:  How has Twitter influenced changes in language use towards greater brevity and informality?
  • Topic:  The Role of Memes in Shaping Modern Internet Slang
  • Research Question:  How have internet memes contributed to the development and spread of modern internet slang?

Representation of Gender and Diversity in Film and Television

  • Topic:  Gender Stereotypes in Contemporary Romantic Comedies
  • Research Question:  How do contemporary romantic comedies perpetuate or challenge traditional gender stereotypes?
  • Topic:  The Portrayal of Racial Diversity in Recent Superhero Movies
  • Research Question:  How has the portrayal of racial diversity in recent superhero movies evolved, and what impact does it have on audience perception?

The Role of Journalism in Shaping Public Opinion

  • Topic:  The Influence of Investigative Journalism on Public Awareness of Environmental Issues
  • Research Question:  How has investigative journalism influenced public awareness and opinion on major environmental issues?
  • Topic:  The Impact of 24-Hour News Cycles on Political Discourse
  • Research Question:  How have 24-hour news cycles affected the nature of political discourse and public opinion?

Let’s take a turn into Literature and Psychology . Before I proceed further, I would like to share with you our psychology essay writing service , which has proved its quality through the lats several years. If you ever need assistance with your psychology-related assignments, they are one of the best on the market.

Literature and Psychology

Here, we’re peeking into the minds of characters and exploring the emotional depths of narratives. How do novels explore mental health? What makes a character in a drama so relatable? It’s like being a literary psychologist, decoding the human experience through stories.

Psychological Analysis of Characters in Literature

  • Topic:  The Psychological Complexity of Hamlet in Shakespeare’s Play
  • Research Question:  How does Shakespeare’s portrayal of Hamlet reflect psychological theories of human behavior and motivation?
  • Topic:  The Representation of Narcissism in Oscar Wilde’s “The Picture of Dorian Gray”
  • Research Question:  How does “The Picture of Dorian Gray” depict the psychological aspects and consequences of narcissism?

Exploration of Mental Health Themes in Contemporary Novels

  • Topic:  Mental Health Representation in Sylvia Plath’s “The Bell Jar”
  • Research Question:  How does “The Bell Jar” portray the realities of mental health issues, particularly in the context of the 1950s?
  • Topic:  The Depiction of Depression in J.D. Salinger’s “The Catcher in the Rye”
  • Research Question:  How does “The Catcher in the Rye” explore the theme of depression and its impact on adolescent identity?

The Use of Psychological Realism in Modern Drama

  • Topic:  Psychological Realism in Arthur Miller’s “Death of a Salesman”
  • Research Question:  How does “Death of a Salesman” employ psychological realism to explore the human condition?
  • Topic:  The Portrayal of Family Dynamics and Psychological Conflict in Tennessee Williams’ “A Streetcar Named Desire”
  • Research Question:  How does “A Streetcar Named Desire” use psychological realism to depict family dynamics and conflict?

And now, let’s explore the Adaptation of Literature. 

Adaptation of Literature

Ever wonder what happens when a beloved book gets a movie makeover or how ancient myths are reborn in today’s novels? We’re about to see how stories evolve when they travel across mediums and cultures, transforming with each retelling.

Analysis of Film Adaptations of Classic Novels

  • Topic:  The Adaptation of Jane Austen’s “Pride and Prejudice” in Modern Cinema
  • Research Question:  How do modern film adaptations of “Pride and Prejudice” interpret and portray the novel’s themes and characters?
  • Topic:  Cinematic Interpretations of Mary Shelley’s “Frankenstein”
  • Research Question:  How have different film adaptations of “Frankenstein” varied in their portrayal of the novel’s core themes?

The Transformation of Myths and Legends in Modern Literature

  • Topic:  The Modern Reinterpretation of Greek Myths in Contemporary Literature
  • Research Question:  How does contemporary literature reinterpret Greek myths, and what new perspectives do these adaptations offer?
  • Topic:  The Influence of Norse Mythology in Modern Fantasy Novels
  • Research Question:  How have modern fantasy novels incorporated and transformed Norse mythology?

The Impact of Cultural Context on Literary Adaptations

  • Topic:  Cultural Adaptation of Shakespeare’s Plays in Non-Western Contexts
  • Research Question:  How are Shakespeare’s plays adapted and interpreted in non-Western cultures, and what cultural elements are emphasized?
  • Topic:  The Adaptation of “One Thousand and One Nights” in Western Literature
  • Research Question:  How have Western adaptations of “One Thousand and One Nights” been influenced by their cultural context?

Finally, we arrive at Language in Education. Also, make sure to check our other related articles; if you are interested in Film extended essay topics , you will get more than 30 options related to film studies.

Language in Education

This is where the building blocks of language learning come together. We’re talking about the power of bilingual education, the strategies that make learning English B engaging, and the role literature plays in shaping language skills . It’s where language learning meets real-world application.

The Effectiveness of Bilingual Education Systems

  • Topic:  The Impact of Bilingual Education on Academic Achievement
  • Research Question:  How does participation in bilingual education programs affect students’ academic achievement and language proficiency?
  • Topic:  Bilingual Education and Cognitive Development in Early Childhood
  • Research Question:  What is the impact of bilingual education on cognitive development in early childhood?

Language Acquisition and Learning Strategies in English B

  • Topic:  The Role of Immersion in Second Language Acquisition
  • Research Question:  How effective is immersion as a strategy for language acquisition in English B learners?
  • Topic:  The Use of Technology in Enhancing English Language Learning
  • Research Question:  How does the integration of technology in the classroom enhance the language learning experience for English B students?

The Role of Literature in Language Learning and Development

  • Topic:  The Impact of Literary Texts on Vocabulary Development in English B Learners
  • Research Question:  How do literary texts contribute to vocabulary development in students learning English B?
  • Topic:  Incorporating Multicultural Literature in English B Curriculum
  • Research Question:  What are the benefits of incorporating multicultural literature in the English B curriculum for fostering cultural awareness and language skills?

There you have it – a sneak peek into the diverse and dynamic world of English B. At Writing Metier, we’re excited to help you explore these avenues in your Extended Essay, bringing fresh insights and perspectives to your writing. 

For those of you who were searching for some modern, fresh topics and research questions – here is the next block. 

10 Modern Topics for 2024

Here are 10 unique and modern research questions for an English B Extended Essay, each designed to explore contemporary and relevant topics:

  • How does the portrayal of artificial intelligence in contemporary science fiction literature reflect societal attitudes towards technology and ethics?
  • In what ways do modern graphic novels challenge traditional narrative structures and themes found in conventional literature?
  • How does the use of code-switching in bilingual literature influence readers’ understanding of cultural identity and language dynamics?
  • What role does dystopian young adult literature play in shaping adolescents’ perspectives on political and social issues?
  • How do contemporary travel blogs and vlogs influence linguistic and cultural perceptions among English B learners?
  • In what ways do modern podcast narratives utilize language to create immersive storytelling experiences?
  • How do contemporary song lyrics reflect the linguistic evolution of English in the context of global cultural exchange?
  • What impact does the increasing use of internet slang and abbreviations in digital communication have on formal language skills among English B students?
  • How do modern adaptations of Shakespeare’s plays in film and theater incorporate contemporary language and themes, and what effect does this have on audience engagement?
  • In what ways do autobiographies of refugees and immigrants contribute to the understanding of cross-cultural experiences and language adaptation among English B learners?

Let’s turn those ideas into an essay that speaks volumes! 

Select your IB EE topic wisely!

There you have it – a collection of English B Extended Essay topics to get your gears turning! Picking your topic is just the first step on this exciting path. 

If you’re feeling a bit stuck or just want a helping hand along the way, remember Writing Metier is right here to back you up. Whether it’s brainstorming ideas, organizing your thoughts, or polishing your final extended essay draft , we’re here to guide you through. 

We’re committed to helping you create an essay that’s not only impressive in meeting IB standards but also brilliantly reflects your own voice and insights. 

Need a partner in your essay-writing adventure? Give us a shout, and let’s make your Extended Essay shine! 

english b essay

Free topic suggestions

Vasy kafidoff.

Vasyl Kafidoff is a co-founder and CEO at WritingMetier. He is interested in education and how modern technology makes it more accessible. He wants to bring awareness about new learning possibilities as an educational specialist. When Vasy is not working, he’s found behind a drum kit.

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english b essay

Theme for English B Summary & Analysis by Langston Hughes

  • Line-by-Line Explanation & Analysis
  • Poetic Devices
  • Vocabulary & References
  • Form, Meter, & Rhyme Scheme
  • Line-by-Line Explanations

english b essay

“Theme for English B” was published the American poet Langston Hughes in 1951, toward the end of Hughes’s career. The poem is a dramatic monologue written in the voice of a twenty-two-year-old black college student at Columbia University in New York City. His professor gives an apparently simple assignment: to write one page that is “true” to himself. But for the speaker, this assignment raises complicated questions about race, identity, and belonging. As he puzzles through these difficult questions, the speaker arrives at a powerful argument against American racism: white people and black people are not (and should not be) separate or distinct. Instead, they are “part” of each other.

  • Read the full text of “Theme for English B”

english b essay

The Full Text of “Theme for English B”

“theme for english b” summary, “theme for english b” themes.

Theme Race, Identity, and Belonging

Race, Identity, and Belonging

Line-by-line explanation & analysis of “theme for english b”.

The instructor said, ... ... will be true.

english b essay

I wonder if ... ... in my class.

Lines 11-15

The steps from ... ... write this page:

Lines 16-20

It’s not easy ... ... York, too.) Me—who?

Lines 21-26

Well, I like ... ... are other races.   

Lines 27-30

So will my ... ... of you, instructor.

Lines 31-33

You are white— ... ... That’s American.

Lines 34-36

Sometimes perhaps you ... ... are, that’s true!

Lines 37-41

As I learn ... ... for English B.

“Theme for English B” Symbols

Symbol The Hill

  • Line 9: “hill”
  • Line 11: “hil”

“Theme for English B” Poetic Devices & Figurative Language

End-stopped line.

  • Line 1: “said,”
  • Line 3: “tonight.”
  • Line 4: “you—”
  • Line 5: “true.”
  • Line 6: “simple?”
  • Line 7: “Winston-Salem.”
  • Line 9: “Harlem.”
  • Line 10: “class.”
  • Line 11: “Harlem,”
  • Line 12: “Nicholas,”
  • Line 13: “Y,”
  • Line 15: “page:”
  • Line 18: “you:”
  • Line 19: “page.”
  • Line 20: “who?”
  • Line 21: “love.”
  • Line 22: “life.”
  • Line 24: “Bach.”
  • Line 26: “races.”
  • Line 27: “write?”
  • Line 28: “white.”
  • Line 30: “instructor.”
  • Line 31: “white—”
  • Line 32: “you.”
  • Line 33: “American.”
  • Line 34: “me.”
  • Line 35: “you.”
  • Line 36: “true!”
  • Line 37: “you,”
  • Line 38: “me—”
  • Line 39: “white—”
  • Line 40: “free.”
  • Line 41: “B.”
  • Lines 2-3: “write /       a ”
  • Lines 8-9: “here    / to”
  • Lines 14-15: “elevator    / up”
  • Lines 16-17: “me    / at”
  • Lines 17-18: “what / I”
  • Lines 25-26: “like / the”
  • Lines 29-30: “be / a”
  • Line 5: “Then, it”
  • Line 7: “twenty-two, colored, born”
  • Line 8: “there, then Durham, then”
  • Line 12: “park, then”
  • Line 13: “Avenue, Seventh, and”
  • Line 14: “Y, where”
  • Line 15: “room, sit down, and”
  • Line 17: “twenty-two, my age. But”
  • Line 18: “hear, Harlem, I”
  • Line 19: “you, hear me—we two—you, me, talk”
  • Line 20: “York, too.) Me—who”
  • Line 21: “Well, I,” “eat, sleep, drink, and”
  • Line 22: “work, read, learn, and”
  • Line 24: “records—Bessie, bop, or”
  • Line 28: “me, it”
  • Line 30: “you, instructor”
  • Line 32: “me, as”
  • Line 36: “are, that’s”
  • Line 39: “older—and”

Alliteration

  • Line 6: “i,” “i”
  • Line 7: “t,” “t”
  • Line 8: “th,” “th,” “th”
  • Line 9: “th,” “th,” “h,” “H”
  • Line 10: “c,” “st,” “c”
  • Line 11: “st,” “h,” “H”
  • Line 15: “r,” “wr”
  • Line 16: “n,” “kn”
  • Line 17: “tw,” “t,” “w,” “I,” “I”
  • Line 18: “I,” “h,” “H,” “h,” “y”
  • Line 19: “h,” “y,” “h,” “m,” “t,” “y,” “m,” “t”
  • Line 20: “h,” “Y,” “t,” “M”
  • Line 21: “l,” “l”
  • Line 22: “l,” “l,” “l”
  • Line 23: “l,” “p,” “p”
  • Line 24: “B,” “b,” “B”
  • Line 25: “b,” “m,” “m”
  • Line 26: “o,” “o”
  • Line 28: “B,” “b”
  • Line 29: “B,” “b”
  • Line 32: “p,” “p”
  • Line 34: “p,” “w,” “p”
  • Line 35: “w,” “p”
  • Line 36: “w”
  • Line 37: “fr”
  • Line 38: “l,” “fr”
  • Line 40: “f”
  • Line 2: “o,” “o,” “i”
  • Line 3: “a,” “i”
  • Line 4: “a,” “ou”
  • Line 5: “i,” “i,” “ue”
  • Line 6: “I,” “i,” “i,” “i”
  • Line 7: “I,” “i,” “i”
  • Line 8: “I,” “o,” “oo,” “e,” “e,” “e”
  • Line 10: “I,” “e,” “y,” “a”
  • Line 11: “i,” “i”
  • Line 12: “a”
  • Line 13: “I,” “Y”
  • Line 14: “ Y,” “I,” “a,” “a”
  • Line 15: “o,” “oo,” “i,” “i,” “a”
  • Line 16: “ea,” “y,” “o,” “ue,” “ou,” “e”
  • Line 17: “y,” “o,” “y,” “I,” “I”
  • Line 18: “I,” “ee,” “ee,” “ea,” “ea,” “ou”
  • Line 19: “ea,” “ou,” “ea,” “e,” “e,” “o,” “ou,” “e,” “a,” “o”
  • Line 20: “ea,” “oo,” “e,” “o”
  • Line 21: “I,” “i,” “ea,” “ee,” “e”
  • Line 22: “I,” “i,” “o,” “ea,” “a,” “a,” “i”
  • Line 23: “I,” “i,” “i,” “e,” “e”
  • Line 24: “e,” “e,” “ie,” “o,” “a”
  • Line 25: “ei,” “e”
  • Line 27: “y,” “I,” “i”
  • Line 28: “e,” “i,” “e,” “i,” “i,” “e,” “i”
  • Line 29: “i,” “i,” “e”
  • Line 30: “ou”
  • Line 31: “ou”
  • Line 32: “a,” “o,” “a,” “o”
  • Line 34: “ou,” “o,” “e,” “e”
  • Line 35: “o,” “a,” “o,” “e,” “ou”
  • Line 36: “e,” “ue”
  • Line 37: “I,” “ea,” “o,” “ou”
  • Line 38: “I,” “ou,” “ea,” “o,” “e”
  • Line 39: “ou,” “o”
  • Line 40: “ee”
  • Line 41: “i,” “i,” “i,” “B”
  • Line 1: “tr,” “t,” “r”
  • Line 2: “m,” “t”
  • Line 3: “p,” “t,” “t”
  • Line 4: “t,” “p,” “m,” “t”
  • Line 5: “t,” “t”
  • Line 6: “w,” “t,” “t”
  • Line 7: “t,” “w,” “t,” “t,” “r,” “r,” “n,” “n,” “W,” “n,” “s,” “t,” “n,” “S,” “m”
  • Line 8: “n,” “t,” “t,” “th,” “th,” “n,” “m,” “th,” “n”
  • Line 9: “th,” “ll,” “th,” “h,” “ll,” “H,” “l,” “m”
  • Line 10: “m,” “l,” “c,” “l,” “t,” “m,” “c,” “l,” “ss”
  • Line 11: “st,” “s,” “m,” “h,” “ll,” “l,” “d,” “d,” “H,” “rl,” “m”
  • Line 12: “r,” “r,” “k,” “c,” “r,” “ss,” “S,” “ch,” “s”
  • Line 13: “th,” “v,” “v,” “th,” “m”
  • Line 14: “r,” “m,” “r,” “r,” “r”
  • Line 15: “m,” “m,” “t,” “wr,” “t”
  • Line 16: “n,” “t,” “t,” “kn,” “w,” “wh,” “tr”
  • Line 17: “t,” “tw,” “t,” “t,” “m,” “t,” “m,” “wh,” “t”
  • Line 18: “h,” “r,” “H,” “r,” “m,” “h,” “r”
  • Line 19: “h,” “r,” “h,” “r,” “m,” “t,” “m,” “t”
  • Line 20: “h,” “M,” “wh”
  • Line 21: “ll,” “l,” “k,” “l,” “k,” “l”
  • Line 22: “l,” “k,” “rk,” “r,” “d,” “l,” “r,” “d,” “r,” “d,” “l”
  • Line 23: “l,” “k,” “r,” “r,” “s,” “s,” “r,” “s”
  • Line 25: “b,” “c,” “d,” “d,” “n,” “t,” “m,” “k,” “m,” “n,” “t,” “k”
  • Line 26: “k,” “k,” “r,” “r,” “r”
  • Line 27: “r,” “t,” “w,” “r,” “t”
  • Line 28: “B,” “t,” “t,” “b,” “t”
  • Line 29: “B,” “t,” “t,” “b”
  • Line 30: “rt,” “tr,” “t,” “r”
  • Line 31: “r,” “t”
  • Line 32: “t,” “p,” “rt,” “m,” “m,” “p,” “rt”
  • Line 33: “m”
  • Line 34: “m,” “m,” “p,” “r,” “p,” “n,” “t,” “n,” “t,” “t,” “p,” “rt,” “m”
  • Line 35: “N,” “r,” “f,” “t,” “n,” “nt,” “t,” “rt,” “f”
  • Line 36: “t,” “r,” “t,” “tr”
  • Line 37: “l,” “r,” “fr,” “m”
  • Line 38: “l,” “r,” “n,” “fr,” “m,” “m”
  • Line 39: “l,” “r,” “l,” “r,” “wh,” “t”
  • Line 40: “m,” “wh,” “t,” “m,” “r”
  • Line 41: “s,” “s”
  • Line 4: “And let that page come out of you”
  • Line 18: “Harlem, I hear you”
  • Line 20: “(I hear New York, too.)”
  • Line 27: “So will my page be colored that I write? ”
  • Line 28: “Being me, it will not be white.”
  • Lines 29-30: “But it will be / a part of you, instructor.”
  • Lines 31-32: “You are white— / yet a part of me, as I am a part of you.”
  • Lines 34-35: “Sometimes perhaps you don’t want to be a part of me.    / Nor do I often want to be a part of you.”
  • Line 6: “I”
  • Line 7: “I”
  • Line 8: “I”
  • Line 10: “I”
  • Line 21: “I like”
  • Line 22: “I like”
  • Line 23: “I like”
  • Line 8: “then Durham, then here  ”
  • Lines 17-19: “But I guess I’m what / I feel and see and hear, Harlem, I hear you: / hear you, hear me—we two—you, me, talk on this page.”
  • Lines 25-26: “I guess being colored doesn’t make me  / not /   / the same things other folks like who are other races.”
  • Line 25: “like”
  • Line 30: “a part of you”
  • Line 34: “a part of me”
  • Line 35: “a part of you”
  • Lines 37-38: “As I learn from you, / I guess you learn from me—”

“Theme for English B” Vocabulary

Select any word below to get its definition in the context of the poem. The words are listed in the order in which they appear in the poem.

  • Winston-Salem
  • This College
  • St. Nicholas
  • Eighth Avenue
  • (Location in poem: Line 3: “page”; Line 4: “page”; Line 41: “page”)

Form, Meter, & Rhyme Scheme of “Theme for English B”

Rhyme scheme, “theme for english b” speaker, “theme for english b” setting, literary and historical context of “theme for english b”, more “theme for english b” resources, external resources.

"Theme for English B" Read Aloud — The playwright Jermaine Ross reads "Theme for English B" aloud.

Hughes's Life Story — A detailed biography of Langston Hughes from the Poetry Foundation.

Poetry and the Civil Rights Movement — A collection of poems and resources from the Poetry Foundation focused on the poetry of the Civil Rights Movement.

An Introduction to the Harlem Renaissance — A detailed introduction to the African American literary movement, with links to important poems and poets.

Early Black Students at Columbia University — An article by Paulina Fein on the way tha first black students to attend Columbia University were treated.

LitCharts on Other Poems by Langston Hughes

As I Grew Older

Aunt Sue's Stories

Daybreak in Alabama

Dream Variations

I Look at the World

Let America Be America Again

Mother to Son

Night Funeral in Harlem

The Ballad of the Landlord

The Negro Speaks of Rivers

The Weary Blues

Everything you need for every book you read.

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English B

Extended Essay

Interested in doing your EE in English B? Read the detailed explanation of what it takes.

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English B Extended Essay: Definition, Outline, Topics

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by  Antony W

May 19, 2023

English B Extended Essay

The English B Extended Essay focuses on the English language and literature. Here is an opportunity for you to explore a topic of your interest within the scope of language and literature.

In this guide, we look at everything you need to know about IB English B Extended Essay. Specifically, we look at:

  • What IB English BB focuses on
  • The outline to use and
  • Some topic ideas to get you started

In short, if you’re looking for a simplified yet complete guide on the subject, you’ll find this post incredibly helpful.

Key Takeaways

  • An Extended Essay in English B requires you to study a focused topic and present your findings in a 4,000-word report.
  • The goal of the assignment is to promote high-level learning. In the end, you should have developed your research and writing skills and your intellectual discovery and creativity should clearly reflect in your work.
  • Because you’ll engage in a personal research on a topic of your choice, the EE should be easy and interesting to write.

If you already have a topic in English but you need writing assistance, you can hire an Extended Essay writer from Help for Assessment to make your writing process easier. Our team focuses on in-depth research, custom writing, and timely delivery.

What is IB English B Extended Essay?

English B EE is an individual assignment that requires you to conduct independent research on a topic of your interest in the English language.

This is an opportunity for you to develop your awareness and knowledge of the language. Also, it goes a long way to help you have a clear understanding of the culture in question.

It’s important to note that an EE in English B aims to enhance your knowledge of the target culture and language. Therefore, if the topic you propose does not further this aim, your supervisor will not allow you to proceed with it.

10+ English B Extended Essay Topics and Ideas

The success of an Extended Essay in English B depends on the topic that you choose. You must spend enough time on topic selection, and ensure that the topic you choose is not only interesting to you but also relevant to the subject and equally engaging. 

Keep in mind that there are many potential topics to explore in English B. You can base your work on linguistics, literature, or even cultural studies.

Here are some IB Extended Essay topics that may be suitable for your English B assignment:

  • Examining the usage of imagery in a specific poem or novel
  • Exploring the significance of family in a chosen piece of literature
  • Assessing the impact of colonialism on the growth of literature in a distinct culture or region
  • Comparing and contrasting two literary works that address similar themes
  • Scrutinizing the portrayal of gender in a particular literary genre
  • Investigating the influence of a specific historical event on a particular literary piece
  • Tracing the development and evolution of a particular literary form over time
  • Analyzing the function of language in a chosen literary work
  • Exploring the depiction of race in a specific literary piece
  • Examining the interplay between form and content in a distinct literary work

Keep in mind that these topics are just for inspiration. We strongly recommend that you discuss your selection with your teacher, so that they can offer their feedback and guidance based on the EE requirements of the assignment.

The bottom line when it comes to topic selection is that you consider your interests, availability of resources, and the practicality of conducting research before you jump onto a topic.

Get EE Writing Assistance

Our goal as an academic assistance platform is to help you understand the IB program better and grow into an individual who can think critically even in difficult situations.

The IB experts in our team of writers are available to help you increase your chances of scoring a 34 in English EE. Simply our team and we’ll do our best to help you get started with your EE project. 

If you already have a topic to work on but you don’t have enough time to spare because of IAs and ToK assignments, place your order here and we’ll assign one of our top IB writers to work with you.

How to Choose IB English B Extended Essay Topics

Merely choosing any topic just because you have the freedom to write what you in an Extended Essay won’t cut it.

So, here’s how to choose the right topic to explore:

1. Determine if the Topic is Relevant

When selecting a topic for the English B Extended Essay, your interests and relevance of the topic are the foremost and critical factors to consider.

The topic must captivate your curiosity and passion to ensure that you remain inspired throughout the research and writing process.

2. Check for the Availability of Resources

Access to resources and support is also an important factor to consider when choosing an EE topic in English B.

Ensure you have access to various scholarly materials, including academic journals, books, and online resources to support your research.

Also, you should have access to a supervisor who can offer guidance and assistance throughout the research and writing process.

3. Consider the Feasibility and Practicality of the Research

You must consider the feasibility and practicality of researching the topic that you’ve selected. So, weigh the time, resources, and scope of the research to decide if the subject matter is feasible and practical.

To prevent burnout, you should select a manageable topic. In other words, pick a topic that you can complete within the time and resource constraints of the Extended Essay.

Closing Thoughts

We hope that this guide has given you a clear ideal on what English B Extended Essay focuses on, as well as the list of topic ideas that you can focus on.

If you have any question regarding this subject, feel free to get in touch with us.

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.

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International Baccalaureate (IB)

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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:

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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.

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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?

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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...

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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!

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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.

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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
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  • CSEC ENGLISH A

CSEC ENGLISH B

english b essay

FORMAT OF THE CSEC EXAMINATION: ENGLISH B

The English B examination is offered at the General Proficiency level. The Assessment comprises three papers, Paper 01, Paper 02, and Paper 031 or Paper 032.

Papers 01 and 02 are assessed externally. Paper 031 is the School-Based Assessment (SBA) and is assessed internally by the teacher and moderated by CXC.

Paper 032 is an alternative to the SBA and is intended for candidates registered as private candidates.

The CSEC examination, also known as CXC, is a Caribbean based assessment that includes a wide range of subjects, including English Language and Literature. The syllabus starts in grade 10 and ends in the third term of grade 11, with examinations across the Caribbean islands. The information that is seen below pertains to the 2018 – 2023 syllabus. For more information, go to www.cxc.org.

ENGLISH B (English Literature) Paper 01:

The duration of the exam is 1 hr, 45 minutes (changed from 1 hr, 30 minutes)

It is worth 29% of the total assessment (changed from 36%) All questions are compulsory It consists of 3 comprehensions Possible types of comprehensions are: drama / poetry / prose There are 5-7 questions on each comprehension Each comprehension is worth 20 marks Total = 60 marks

ENGLISH B PAPER 02:     The duration of the exam is 2 hrs: 10 minutes (10 minutes added)

It is worth 50% of the total assessment (changed from 64%)

SECTION 1 Section 1 examines 1 Shakespearean drama and one modern drama This section contains 2 questions (changed from 4 questions) 1 question from the Shakespearean text and 1 from the modern drama Answer 1 question   Type of Question- Type A (meaning a single text is used to answer the questions) Each question is worth 35 marks

SECTION 2 Section 2 examines poems (from the selection of 20 poems) This section has 2 questions 1 question is generic, or based on poems of the students choice (from the selection) 1 question names the two poems that are to be compared Answer 1 question Type of Question- Type B (meaning a comparison question- compare two poems) Each question is worth 35 marks

The student is asked to compare a West Indian text with other novels in English OR  to compare West Indian short stories with other short stories in English This section contains 4 questions (changed from 6 questions) 1 question is type A, meaning a single text is used to answer the questions 1 question is from each prescribed novel, equaling 2 questions Next is 2 type B questions, meaning a comparison 1 question is generic, or based on stories of the students choice from the prescribed list 1 question based on two named short stories from the prescribed list Answer 1 question Types of Question- Type A & B Each question is worth 35 marks  

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  • Aug 10, 2020
  • 13 min read

Nature in Poetry: CSEC English B Poem Analysis and Comparison

Updated: Nov 5, 2020

english b essay

An African Thunderstorm

Sonnet Composed Upon Westminster Bridge

God’s Grandeur

The presentations of nature vary across each of the poems above. In and of itself, nature is a concept that encompasses the Earth and all of its organic inner workings. The day to day shifts of natural occurrences are testaments to its constant regeneration and infinitely flowing fortitude. As expected of different artistic portrayals, each poem represents another facet of nature, ranging from its resilience to its insurmountable destructive power.

Describing the Expression of Nature

An African Thunderstorm relates the destructive power of nature. The persona suddenly finds himself and his village in the path of a terrifying thunderstorm, a chaotic amalgam of dark clouds and powerful winds. The clouds move with eager velocity, as stated in the line ‘ clouds come hurrying with the wind.’ The wind’s haphazard darting and turning in all directions builds up the sense of speed and anxiety. The movement of the wind is so frantic that the poet likens it to ‘a plague of locusts,’ revealing the definite ruinous potential such quick winds possess. Just like a plague of locusts, known for devastating crops and moving in a semblance of unison despite comprising several thousands of individual tiny creatures, the wind’s power holds the potential to destroy all in its path, despite being the summation of the chaotic movement of air particles in a low pressure weather system such as this thunderstorm. Moreover, the wind is said to ‘toss things up on its tail’ confirming its disruption of all that it passes. The poet reinforces the idea of its frantic, uncoordinated movement and cataclysmic potential by relating it to a ‘madman chasing nothing,’ a person lacking in depth of thought and thus, moving with no clear pattern and assuredly a danger to themselves and others. The clouds are described as being ‘ pregnant,’ personifying them to be like mothers with children growing within waiting to be released into the world. In the same way, the clouds are full of torrents of rain and bolts of lightning, like their own children of chaos to be deposited onto the land below. These clouds, high up in the sky, take on a level of dignity moving in the wind, as noted by the poet using a personification: ‘ [the clouds] ride stately on [the wind’s] back.’ Their slow procession appears now dignified, like a Lord entering his feudal manor on the back of a noble steed. The rain clouds gather ‘ to perch on hills like dark sinister wings,’ relating them to crows in their dark shade and an emanating sense of evil. The “trees bend to let [the wind] pass” as it whistles by, showing the sheer force of its movement- even forcing the strong, tall-standing trees to bend as though prostrating themselves before the wind’s undeniable power. The members of the village are bearing witness to the storm as it inches ever closer, eliciting different reactions. The children are delighted, screaming joyously at the prospect of something new occurring in their village. Though apparently out of place, their limited understanding of the world would lead them to find excitement in the novelty of abnormally quick winds and massive looming clouds. The women of the village seem to be mirroring the frantic movement of the wind from the previous stanza, daring ‘ about, in and out madly.’ In this anxious shuffle, they may be hurriedly attempting to make preparations for the storm, or are in a panic unsure of what to do in such an unforeseen circumstance. This fear exhibited by these women appears to be inherited by their babies, who are ‘ clinging on their backs,’ presumably out of trepidation as they too are buffeted by the powerful winds. The clothes of the people of the village are affected too, made to ‘ wave like flags’ as they are blown about and even off of their bodies by violent winds. All of this reinforces the idea of impending doom- inhabitants of the village are faced by this immensely powerful force of nature with no choice but to be subjugated and ruined by its arrival.

Sonnet Composed Upon Westminster Bridge, September 3, 1802 expresses nature’s striking beauty. The persona is simply awestruck by the existence of such a serene natural scene, complimenting profusely the elegant allure of the silent morning. This poem, in contrast to An African Thunderstorm, describes a scene that exemplifies nature’s power to inspire awe through its beauty rather than its power to destroy. The beginning of this sonnet is an exaggeration- the persona states that ‘ Earth has not anything to show more fair’ than the scene before him. So moved by the scenery, he proclaims that anyone able to pass by it without being compelled to admire it momentarily would be ‘ dull… of soul.’ Thus, the persona subtly conveys that the idyllic sight before him directly calls to the soul of the one admiring it. The speaker is looking out over the city, stating with the use of a simile that the landscape ‘ now doth, like a garment wear, the beauty of the morning.’ Like a dress, the city seems to be clothed or covered by something different from what the speaker is accustomed to. Although the city itself is the same, now clothed by the silent, elegant beauty of the morning, it takes on a new personality- a novel allure. The natural beauty of the morning is capable of even transforming manmade structures seen every day by our persona into a seemingly new scene capable of touching his very soul. The buildings ‘ lie open unto the fields, and to the sky,’ becoming a part of their natural surroundings through the omnipresent veil of the silent morning. Now, though so distinctly different in composition to organic structures, they too appear ‘ bright and glittering’ in air untainted by the smoke of industrial work created later on in the day. The poet’s ode continues- decreeing that the sun had never so beautifully ‘steep[ed] in his first splendour, valley, rock or hill,’ conveying that the sun’s appearance to him now, sitting at the very base of the sky like a teabag steeping in the bottom of a cup, is more beautiful and touching than he had ever seen it before. This alluring natural calm of the morning is one he had never yet felt or observed. Everything seems to be at peace in the eyes of the persona, even the river glides by ‘ at his own sweet will,’ unencumbered by watercrafts and humans disrupting its easy flow. Under the peaceful calm of the morning, ‘ the very houses seem asleep,’ as they, too, are at peace when the bustling of humanity is subdued in slumber. The ‘mighty heart’ of the city is ‘ lying still ,’ as much a part of the unshakeable calm as the natural scene around it. The poem exudes admiration in the speaker’s lavish expression of the tranquil scene before him. All seems calm, and his very soul is moved by it. Nature’s ability to refresh even such an industrial town with the stillness of morning is incredible to him, and shows a face of nature different to that expressed in An African Thunderstorm. Instead of seeing the tumultuous, chaotically powerful side of nature, he is exposed to its reinvigorating calm, able to create scenes of unmatchable majesty.

Orchids relates the poetic intrigue of nature’s resilience. An African Thunderstorm and Sonnet Composed view nature’s impact on a wider scale. Sonnet Composed is the speaker’s expression of nature’s ability to create beautiful, majestic scenes through the stillness of morning as he views the serene sight of Westminster wearing this veil of morning. An African Thunderstorm descriptively conveys the ruinous capabilities of nature- its potential to destroy and inspire fear as an inextricable force in the form of a storm. Orchids instead views a smaller scale impact of nature. The persona unwittingly bears witness to the resilience of the natural world in the form of a spray of strangely stubborn orchids. As the speaker clears their home to move after seemingly only five weeks, they have boxed this chapter of their life into pieces ready to be sent on ‘ to fill spaces in [their] future life.’ Now all that remains, with seemingly no place among the other boxed pieces, is a spray of orchids. The persona finds no importance in these flowers, because, even though they were given to her as a gift, it was by a person who gives flowers habitually. Thus, the gift seems meaningless, simply a product of this person’s perfunctory habits. What the orchids lack in fragrance, they make up for in visual appeal, as ‘ the purple petals draw you to look at the purple heart.’ The purple centres of these orchids, referred to as ‘hearts’ to create a clever allusion to the US military prize (purple heart), are appealing to the persona. Alluding to the US military prize of the purple heart suggests that these flowers, like the soldiers granted these awards, have done something brave and valiant in their existence. The speaker reveals that they had only watered the orchids once ‘ when the blossoms were full blown like polished poems, ’ showing that despite their acknowledgement of the orchids’ pristine and complicated allure, they still expressed indifference to their survival. So much so, in fact, that the persona says that they were ‘ sure they’d wilt, and [they would] toss them out with the five-week litter.’ The persona had expected that, in light of his negligence of their wellbeing, the orchids would succumb to the unpropitious state of their situation and die- becoming yet another thing to be discarded at the end of this chapter of his life. But, miraculously, valiantly even, they refuse to die. The persona ‘ starved them,’ possibly intentionally, to deny the vapid, ritualistic nature of the gift, but they persevere nonetheless. The morning the persona intends to leave, ‘ the bud at the stalk’s tip unfurled.’ Not only have the orchids survived in the face of adversity, they have thrived to the point at which the bud has bloomed in maturity. This curious turn of events motivates the speaker to preserve one of the blooms ‘ between pages of memory’ rather than discarding them, hoping to one day discover the ‘ peculiar poetry’ of the orchids once they dry and can be seen through (literally and figuratively). The speaker attempts to stifle the orchids through his own negligence, but is instead met head on by the remarkable resilience of nature. He is forced to notice these orchids despite initially writing them off as completely meaningless due to the nature of the gift and the giver of the gift. The peculiar poetry in the survival of these orchids communicates a fundamental idea surrounding the power of nature. In the poem, the persona experiences the valiant perseverance of these orchids- their survival and subsequent thriving- in the face of adverse circumstances created by an inattentive owner. In the same way, nature is capable of the same resilience, even when the humans within it ignore its wellbeing out of misguided indifference. In the short liminal time between shifts in a nomadic lifestyle, the persona encounters this curious circumstance and is taught a lesson of the resilience and bravery nature possesses through a stubborn spray of orchids.

God’s Grandeur examines nature from a religious standpoint, highlighting its undying regenerative quality which renews the world constantly despite the tireless attempts of humanity to tarnish its lustre. An African Thunderstorm created a scene of terror and impending doom highlighting the face of nature which holds cataclysmic potential. This is similar to the expression of God in the Bible when coupled with the facet of nature conveyed in God’s Grandeur. Nature, like God, transitions between periods of harsh destruction and sublime revitalizing calm. Sonnet Composed presents nature similarly to G od’s Grandeur, highlighting its majestic beauty in applying a new veil of calm to even the mighty, industrialized city in the morning, where God’s Grandeur intimates a wider view of the organic world’s regenerative property even when tainted by human pursuits. Orchids’ relation of nature mirrors that of this poem most closely, however. Orchids tells a tale of someone inadvertently bearing witness to nature’s resilience, with or without human interference- just like how God’s Grandeur highlights the ability of nature to regenerate daily even when trod upon by generations of selfish humans. This poem, however, is seen through the eyes of a persona who already understands this resilient natural world- and now expresses his admiration of it while relating the role of the spiritual source of this power. In God’s Grandeur, the persona declares with the beginning of the poem that the natural world is ‘ charged with the grandeur of God,’ indicating that nature is imbued with an innate energy related directly to God’s great power. The world is ‘ charged’ as though with an electric current, but an alternate reading of the use of the word ‘charged’ suggests that instead, the people of the world are given responsibility of God’s grandeur. The greatness of God is given a fulminant, volatile quality, as it will ‘ flame out, like shining from shook foil.’ It is in this ascription of the impressively beautiful and great grandeur of God that the poet introduces the point of perplexity for the speaker. This imposing strength, grandiose and fulminant for all the world to see, is understandably deserving of deference from all of creation. However, the speaker finds that humans do not accede to God’s divine authority. Instead, humanity is fixated on commercial pursuits and personal gain. The natural world, once untainted in the moment of God’s careful creation, is now ‘ seared with trade, bleared, smeared with toil.’ Man’s obsession with industry has left its mark on the world. In pursuing gains through financial systems of his own creation, man throws the state of the natural world to the wayside to extract, manipulate and exploit it by all means necessary. Now, all ‘ wears man’s smudge and shares man’s smell,’ showing that everything with which humanity has interacted in seeking self-satisfaction is besmirched by the mark of human industrialism. Everything has been impacted- nature is tainted by man’s pursuits. Once overgrowing with vegetation, ‘ the soil is bare now,’ exhausted from the exploitation of commercial agriculture and being crushed under the feet of apathetic humans. It appears that man has become numb to his own connection to nature, as their feet cannot even feel the earth below, ‘ being shod.’ Covered by shoes, they trample greenery without a second thought, unfeeling and indifferent. Despite all this, ‘ nature is never spent.’ The natural world is never completely exhausted, even when trod upon by generations of humans who taint their surroundings with the stench of industry. The persona intimates that deep down in everything ‘ lives the dearest freshness.’ This freshness is inherent to nature, charged with God’s insurmountable power, reinvigorating the world even through adversity. Even though night falls and the day comes to an end, ‘morning… springs,’ forward yet again. The world returns to fullness day after day, because, according to the speaker, the Holy Ghost, like a bird brooding over its eggs, protects the earth, warms it, and refreshes it every passing day, regardless of the abrasive impact of humanity.

South is a lot more complex in its presentation of nature. Instead of viewing nature from the perspective of the persona’s experience, nature is analysed in direct relation to the persona. The natural world has a direct bearing on the speaker, and thus, South expresses nature’s ability to affect feelings of detachment and nostalgia whilst representing a conduit for our own emotional changes. The poem opens with a triumphant statement of the persona’s reclamation of the ‘ bright beaches’ and ‘blue mist from the ocean’ of his homeland. This, the land of his birth, is characterized by a direct connection to nature. The scenery and ‘ sound of the sea’ breathes life into him, and is therefore always connected to emotions of happiness surrounding his childhood. When the speaker travels away from his homeland, the natural scenery around him changes- ‘ bright beaches’ are replaced with northern lands in ‘slanting sleet and… hail;’ the shores of the ocean are replaced by ‘saltless savannas,’ all devoid of the ocean and island scenery he so loves. His home is now in the forest, where ‘shadows oppress [him]’ and the sea is no where to be seen- the only water he has is the ‘rain and the tepid taste of the river.’ At this point, the persona has experienced several extremes of the manifestations of nature. His early life, lit up by sunshine, spiced by the salt of the sea and given ambiance by the sound of the waves is dear to him. So much so, that every place he goes, he highlights their lack of the salty ocean (‘ saltless’, ‘tepid taste’ ). Nature now has a direct bearing on his emotions- such a jarring shift from the life he once knew makes him feel oppressed and dejected. The river, he says, is no solace to him. The infinite flowing of the river mirrors his own unending longing for his home and the landscape which warms his heart. Nature reflects not only the thing for which he longs, but also the thing which mirrors his own yearning. When he denies the river and its ‘ cunning declension down to the sea,’ he also denies his own yearning. But, when he is finally able to accept it, understanding its natural flow as a chronicle of history, he is finally able to be where both he and the river end, the sea. In this way, the river works as a method of coping for a homesick man, constantly searching for his homeland wherever he goes and being constantly disappointed. Finally able to return- reminiscing joyously despite all the hardships he must pass in his memory- the speaker is revitalized. ‘ Bright waves splash up from the rocks to refresh’ the persona as he plunges headfirst into an idealized nostalgic visualization of his childhood home. Nature is no longer a mirror for his yearning, but rather a refreshing force which unencumbers him and remains as a pillar of the joy he recalls from childhood. ‘ Small urchins… look up from their traps to salute’ the persona. ‘ A starfish lies in its pool,’ relaxed and unburdened just like the lifestyle of the island. The persona has returned home in memory, able to experience the beautiful natural world unfold before him the way he remembers it. Nature becomes what reinvigorates him, and his progression from denial to acceptance allows him to indulge (in memory) a world of bright beaches and blue sea shells once more.

NB: On the CSEC English B Paper 2, the student is given a choice between two poetry essay questions. Since 2009 , these two questions have followed a basic formula: the first question names two poems and asks that the student compare them based on a theme or concept presented by both poems. The second question always asks the student select two poems on the syllabus that present the theme given (i.e. the poems are not named). Each question is then split up into 3 parts (a, b and c) with marks allocated in the ratio of 8:8:9 (total: 25 marks). The 3 question parts will always consist of a description question (i.e. relate/describe what the poem is about or a certain aspect of the poem); a discussion (or comment) question, which requires that the student introduce and argue their own views on the attitude of the speaker in a poem, the effects of a certain theme in the poem, the treatment of that idea/theme or which poem is more effective/appealing; and a poetic device question, (always valued at 9 marks) where the student must recall a poetic device from each poem which expresses the theme given and discuss its effectiveness along with the type of figurative device. Of course, there are several different ways that these questions can be expressed, but that is the basic structure of every CSEC poetry question since 2009.

As each CSEC question requires the comparison of 2 poems, there are 380 possible permutations (combinations) of 2. However, excluding repeated combinations in this calculated value, there are also poems that have no common themes (at least as interpreted in this document). So, for the purpose of efficiency, reason and organization, the poems will be compared and separated based on themes whilst highlighting theme-related poetic devices, describing the poem in relation to the theme and exploring possible discussions.

Comparisons will be made for every theme and then uploaded as a full document.

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English A vs. English B Extended Essays | Comprehensive Comparison

english a and english b

Luke MacQuoid

As an expert International Baccalaureate Extended Essay tutor, I understand that choosing the right subject area for your Extended Essay is a crucial decision that can impact your overall experience and success in the IB Diploma Program. But how should I select belween English A and English B for my IB EE?

The Extended Essay, a 4,000-word independent research paper , provides an opportunity for students to delve deep into a topic they are passionate about while honing their research and writing skills. 

In this article, I will share my knowledge and insights with IB students seeking assistance in differentiating between English A and English B Extended Essays, helping you make an informed decision based on your interests and goals.

Subject Area Focus

Let me start from the very beginning and give you an overall comparison of English A and English B extended essays.

english a vs english b extended essays

English A Extended Essay

The English A Extended Essay is centered on the in-depth analysis of literary works, which can encompass novels, plays, and poetry. Students are expected to engage critically with their chosen text(s) and provide a thorough analysis of various aspects, such as themes, characters, plot, and literary techniques. 

The objective is to demonstrate a deep understanding of the work’s artistic and cultural significance and to offer original interpretations and insights. 

English A essays can explore topics within a single literary work , compare multiple works by the same author, or analyze different texts that share common themes or elements.

Some examples of English A Extended Essay topics:

  • An exploration of the theme of isolation in Virginia Woolf’s “Mrs. Dalloway” and “To the Lighthouse”
  • The role of nature and its symbolism in the poetry of Emily Dickinson
  • A comparative analysis of tragic heroes in Shakespeare’s “Othello” and “Macbeth”

English B Extended Essay

In contrast, the English B Extended Essay is focused on studying language and culture. Rather than delving into the intricacies of a particular literary work, English B essays examine broader topics that explore linguistic, cultural, and societal aspects. 

Students may choose to investigate topics such as language acquisition, the role of language in shaping identity, the impact of literature on a specific culture, or the portrayal of cultural values and beliefs in various texts.

Some examples of English B Extended Essay topics .

  • The influence of Japanese manga on the perception of gender roles in contemporary Japanese society
  • The impact of bilingualism on cognitive development and academic performance
  • A comparative analysis of the portrayal of the American Dream in literary works by F. Scott Fitzgerald and contemporary authors

As you can see, the subject area focus for English A and English B Extended Essays differs significantly, with English A concentrating on literary analysis and English B exploring language and culture. 

In the following sections, I will discuss the importance of formulating a clear research question, the methodologies and analysis required for each subject area, and the assessment criteria for both English A and English B Extended Essays.

Research Question

A well-formulated research question is crucial for both English A and English B Extended Essays, as it helps guide your investigation and provides a clear focus for your analysis.

english b essay

Need help with your IB extended essay?

From research and analysis to structuring and editing, our skilled mentors will be by your side, helping you craft an exceptional extended essay that not only meets the wordcount and stringent IB criteria but also reflects your passion for selected IB group.

The research question should be specific, concise, and answerable within the scope of a 4,000-word essay.

Examples of research questions for each subject area:

IB English A

  • How does the narrative structure in Emily Brontë’s “Wuthering Heights” contribute to the novel’s exploration of love and obsession?
  • In what ways does the use of magical realism in Gabriel García Márquez’s “One Hundred Years of Solitude” reflect and critique the historical and political context of Colombia?

IB English B

  • How does code-switching in bilingual communities impact cultural identity and social relationships?
  • To what extent do the works of Nigerian author Chinua Achebe challenge Western perspectives on African culture and history?

Methodology and Analysis

Let’s move forward to the differences and common things in the methodology and analysis of these two IB EEs.

  • Close reading and textual analysis are the primary methodologies for English A essays. You should analyze the chosen text(s) in depth, examining elements such as themes, characters, plot, and literary techniques.
  • Consider incorporating theoretical approaches or critical lenses (e.g., feminist, postcolonial, or psychoanalytical) to enrich your analysis and offer unique insights.
  • The methodology for English B essays varies depending on your research question. Possible approaches include discourse analysis, sociolinguistic analysis, or cultural studies.
  • You might analyze primary sources, such as literature, films, or interviews, as well as secondary sources like scholarly articles, to support your argument.

Assessment Criteria of English A & B Extended Essays

Both English A and English B Extended Essays share some common assessment criteria , such as formal presentation, use of appropriate terminology, and critical thinking. 

However, there are differences in expectations for subject-specific content and analysis.

  • Focus on literary analysis and interpretation, demonstrating an in-depth understanding of the text(s) and their artistic and cultural significance.
  • Provide original insights and interpretations, supported by textual evidence and scholarly sources.
  • Explore linguistic and cultural aspects, using relevant methodologies and theoretical frameworks.
  • Examine the broader context of the topic, considering historical , social, and political factors.

Tips for Success with your EEs

english a vs english b

Before you selected one of this subjects for your IB extended essay , below is a list of tips if you want to succeed with English B and English A extended essays.

  • Choose a subject area and topic that align with your interests and strengths. Passion for the subject will help you stay motivated throughout the research and writing process.
  • Work closely with your IB supervisor, seeking guidance and feedback to ensure your essay meets the necessary criteria.
  • Conduct thorough research using a variety of reliable sources , such as academic journals, books, and reputable websites.
  • Plan your time effectively to allow for drafting, revising, and editing your essay. Aim to complete your first draft well before the deadline, leaving ample time for revisions and improvements.

Case Studies & Examples

Providing examples of successful English A and English B Extended Essays can further illustrate the differences in focus, methodology, and analysis.

  • An Extended Essay examining the portrayal of gender and power dynamics in Margaret Atwood’s “The Handmaid’s Tale,” using feminist literary theory to analyze the novel’s dystopian society and its implications for contemporary gender issues.
  • An Extended Essay exploring the impact of social media on language use among teenagers, using discourse analysis to examine the linguistic features of online communication and discussing the implications for linguistic evolution and cultural identity.

Now you know the main differences between English A and English B

In conclusion, the main differences between English A and English B Extended Essays lie in their subject area focus, methodologies, and assessment criteria. 

By understanding these distinctions and choosing the right subject area, you can now select the preferred subject based on your interests and goals. Remember to seek guidance from your supervisor, conduct thorough research, and engage in the writing and revision process diligently.

Additionally, if you require professional assistance with topic suggestions, research guidance, writing your IB EE proposal or extended essay writing, our company,  Extended Essay Writers , is here to help. 

Our team of experienced writers and subject matter experts can provide personalized support tailored to your specific needs, ensuring that you submit an Extended Essay that meets the highest IB standards. 

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Luke MacQuoid has extensive experience teaching English as a foreign language in Japan, having worked with students of all ages for over 12 years. Currently, he is teaching at the tertiary level. Luke holds a BA from the University of Sussex and an MA in TESOL from Lancaster University, both located in England. As well to his work as an IB Examiner and Master Tutor, Luke also enjoys sharing his experiences and insights with others through writing articles for various websites, including extendedessaywriters.com blog

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  • Text type expectations

english b essay

What should we be teaching our students about the text types required under the 2018 Subject Guide?

To put it another way, how will they be expected to handle each text type in Paper 1: Productive skills - writing ? Basically, what instructions do we give the students ... what plans do we provide them, so that they can construct something that will fly ?

Command of text types is assessed principally under Criterion C: Conceptual understanding (see the page Writing criteria, unpacked  ). This criterion includes the following general areas:

  • context, audience, purpose - normally, as set out in the question
  • register and tone - generally implied by the norm in the type of text, but may be altered by the nature of the task
  • conventions - the standard techniques of format, address, rhetoric, structure, etc

The task involves a "choice of text type" which demonstrates "appropriate" understanding, and handling, of the general areas. So, students have to be taught how the general areas apply to each of the text types - and then how to adapt the general characteristics of each text type to the particular requirements of each specific task / question.

Key Issue: the meaning of 'appropriate'

It would appear that the most important factor in choosing the right text type is to think about whether the text type will reach correctly the specified audience. This in turn means that students should understand where each text type is used, and for which purpose.

  • To illustrate, if the task is to explain a personal experience to a friend ... and the options are # Speech; # News report; and # E-mail ... it would be inappropriate to choose the first two, and appropriate to choose the last.

Each text type page has a box entitled 'Appropriate?' - this contains guidance about how and why this text type would be 'appropriate' to particular sorts of task.

Here is an example of what the box looks like . ..

Appropriate?

A blog will be appropriate if the task requires you to ... (+ explanation of when the text type would be appropriate)

Not to be confused with...

'article' or ' opinion column ' or 'essay' .. . (+ explanation of why these possibly similar text types would not be appropriate)

Text type pages

As you can see from the index at top left, all the text types that may be used in examinations have a dedicated page.

Each page sets out to provide brief summary notes about the likely expectations of how Conceptual understandings should be applied to each text type included in the IB-specified list of text types for exams (see the page Exam list of text types  ). These notes are organised as follows:

Key features

This box provides the important elements to remember about each text type, thus -

  • context, audience, purpose
  • register and tone
  • conventions - (the first three in the list will be the most likely to be expected in marking)

'Appropriate?'

This box contains advice about how to choose each text type as the most 'appropriate' for the task required by the question, from the choice of three presented.

In addition, the key features are developed in more detail, in this section:

Format and approach, discussed

The recognisable features of each text type have been organised according to two categories :-

Basic Format ... the most easily visible (and teachable) features of the text type - 'format' in the sense of layout, the physical organisation of the script

I list all of the common features that I can think of; not all of these would need to be present for the text type to be clearly recognisable.

Approach ... the less visible features of how the text type would normally be handled - register, author's voice and tone, address to audience, organisation of ideas, and so on.

I list major elements, in descending order of importance (most important, in my view, first). Again, not all of these need to be present - indeed in some cases, some of the approaches may be contradictory and would need to be selected according to the precise nature of the task.

The Basic Format elements can easily be taught and even the weakest students should be able to reproduce them. The Approach elements are intrinsically more difficult to teach, since they often involve quite sophisticated mental procedures - but surely students should be appropriately challenged with these.

  • Finally, note that I regularly refer to 'an exam script', in the context of defining what a 'good' version of the text type should display. This is simply being realistic - the point of this list is not primarily to teach students how to write, for example, good diaries in real life, but rather how to be able to produce a realistic version of a diary in an exam.

Relevant writing purposes

Links are provided to the most useful of the skills presented in the writing purposes section, for teaching approaches, examples and models.

Finally, the following resources relevant to the text type are provided:-

* Materials & models ... blue boxes like this contain links to selected examples of each text type, elsewhere in the site

* Suggested 'new style' exam tasks ... cream boxes like this provide tasks in the format of the current Guide's assessment system - in each of these tasks, the required 'appropriate' text type is the one to which the page is dedicated.

* Recent exam tasks ('old' style) ...pink boxes like this contain examples of how each text type has been set in Paper 2.

Note - at present, all these examples are 'old style' i.e. written according to the old Paper 2 Writing which applied up to November 2019. So, you shouldn't set these as they stand for student practice purposes. However, you can adapt and re-write them, always remembering that :-

1. You need to make clear the expected audience

2. There should be three actions that the student should perform - e.g. 'describe...' + 'explain...' + 'comment...'

3. Three optional text types should be provided - chosen so that there is an appropriate text type (the one you want the students to choose) + a generally appropriate text type (one that might be more or less suitable, but not really) + an inappropriate text type (one that is evidently unsuitable for audience and purpose)

Writing practice TASKS

Under each text type, there is a page which provides a task which enables the student to carry out basic practice in producing that text type.

Each of these pages includes:

The task - Note that the task is not written as in the real IB Paper 1 Writing exam. It does not provide three options for the student to choose from - the purpose of the exercise is precisely to focus on practising that one text type. This means that you cannot apply Criterion C in full: you can't apply the first bullet point about 'choice', but you can apply the other two, about 'Register and tone' and 'Conventions'.

Heading: 'Approach, with tips ' - This section provides general advice on the nature of the text type, and the basic principles of how to write it

Heading: 'Exploration' - Suggestions for how the student should tackle the job of thinking out ideas in preparation, and of how to fit those ideas to the requirements of the task.

Heading: 'Organising and planning' - Suggestions for how to organise preparatory exploratory notes into a clear and effective running order for the text.

Online writing exercise - for students to write and submit the practice through Student Access

****************

Interesting Literature

A Summary and Analysis of Langston Hughes’ ‘Theme for English B’

By Dr Oliver Tearle (Loughborough University)

‘Theme for English B’ is a 1951 poem by Langston Hughes (1901-67), one of the leading figures in the Harlem Renaissance . In the poem, a young African-American man studying at a college in Harlem describes the piece of homework his white teacher gave his class, which involved going home and writing a ‘true’ page.

You can read ‘Theme for English B’ here (the poem takes around one minute to read). Below, we offer a summary and analysis of this quintessential Langston Hughes poem.

‘Theme for English B’: summary

The speaker of the poem is twenty-two and African-American. He was born in Winston-Salem in North Carolina and attended school there, before going to Durham, in the same US state. After that he came to the college where he is currently studying, on a ‘hill above Harlem’ in New York.

His teacher gives the class some homework: to go home and write a page that evening, writing from the heart, so that what the students write will therefore be true. But the speaker of the poem wonders if it’s as easy as all that. After outlining his brief life history to us, specifically his educational history, he points out that he is the only Black student in his class.

He then describes his journey home from the college, walking down the hill and into Harlem, through the park, and then across St Nicholas Avenue, Eighth Avenue, Seventh Avenue, until he comes to ‘the Y’, the Harlem branch of the YMCA (Young Men’s Christian Association). He goes up to his room, sits down, and writes a page, as instructed by his college teacher.

He writes on the page what he has already told us: that it isn’t easy to determine what is true when he, the speaker of the poem, is still so young. But he realises that who he is amounts to the same as what his experiences are, around Harlem. Indeed, he sees himself as being in a dialogue with Harlem as he writes, and more broadly, with the whole of New York City.

And who is he? He writes that he likes to eat, sleep, drink, and be in love, as well as to work, read, learn, and to understand life. He likes receiving a pipe to smoke with, as a Christmas gift, or some music records to play. He is equally fond of Bessie Smith’s jazz and blues, and of bebop , a popular African-American genre of music, as he is of Johann Sebastian Bach’s classical music.

So, he comes to realise, being Black doesn’t mean he is disinclined to like the same sort of things that white people like. Will the page he writes these observations on be defined by his race? Because the page is him – his thoughts, it will not be white. (Hughes utilises some clever wordplay here: in filling the white page with black ink, by writing on it, he is, in a sense, inscribing his identity as a Black person onto the page.)

But the speaker concludes that what he writes will be formed partly by his white teacher, too: he is white, and he is a part of the speaker, just as the speaker is part of him. And that is what it means to be American. It doesn’t matter that sometimes they don’t especially want to view themselves as linked to each other in this way: they are, whether they like it or not. And that is true.

And just as he learns from his instructor, so his instructor learns from his student, the speaker. Even though he’s older, and he’s white, and therefore freer than the young Black speaker, the teacher still has things to learn from his young student. And with that, the speaker finds that he has written his page of homework for his ‘English B’ class.

‘Theme for English B’: analysis

‘Theme for English B’ belongs to Langston Hughes’ later career, and he was nearly fifty when the poem was published. The speaker of his poem, by contrast, is just twenty-two: a young man of the next generation growing up in Harlem. However, Hughes himself knew what it was to live as a young man in Harlem, and, whilst the poem is not strictly autobiographical, the poet could draw on a deep well of experiences involving that part of New York.

In the poem, the Black speaker addresses or apostrophises his white instructor or college tutor. Apostrophe is a rhetorical device whereby a speaker addresses someone in a dramatic way: often someone who is absent, as the speaker’s teacher is in the poem itself. This is especially significant in ‘Theme for English B’ because the issue of race is so central to the speaker’s way of formulating his understanding of America, and he, a young Black man, is talking to his white instructor, perhaps with more freedom than he would have in the class itself while face-to-face with him.

A key element of ‘Theme for English B’ is America itself. Hughes’ speaker comes to realise that such dialogues between black and white, much like the ‘dialogue’ between black ink and white paper as he composes his assignment on the page, is what makes America what it is.

It is a country of racial difference but also of shared similarities: he is both other than his white teacher (who could never share exactly the same experiences as a young Black student) and bonded to him by a commonality, not just by their both being American but by their shared access to ‘white’, European culture (the reference to ‘Bach’ alongside ‘Bessie’ Smith).

‘Theme for English B’: form

Like the majority of Langston Hughes’ poems, ‘Theme for English B’ is written in free verse : it lacks a rhyme scheme or any regular metre or rhythm, and the line and stanza lengths are also irregular. Hughes preferred to write in this style, and was partly influenced by the rhythms of jazz music – so important to the Harlem Renaissance of the 1920s of which he was a key part – in composing his free-verse poetry.

This gives the poem a loose, conversational feel which is entirely in keeping with the colloquial tone of the poem (indeed, it’s sometimes analysed as a dramatic monologue, because we can picture the speaker of the poem sitting at his desk with his pen in hand, speaking the poem aloud to his instructor as he composes his assignment).

However, ‘free’ verse is very rarely completely free, for all great poetry contains artistic control and some sort of structure. In the case of ‘Theme for English B’, we can detect a certain consonance between ‘Winston-Salem’, ‘Harlem’, and ‘Harlem’ (repeated) at the ends of the lines in the first stanza; similarly, ‘St. Nicholas’ plays off ‘class’ (which is almost an abbreviation of ‘Ni c ’ las ’), while later in the poem we even get full rhymes (‘you’ and ‘who’; ‘write’ and ‘white’; ‘true’ and ‘you’; ‘me’ and ‘free’).

It is worth pondering the significance of these occasional moments of rhyme which assert themselves among the free-forming unrhymed lines as the speaker thinks through his attitude to race and America: it is as if things are falling into place (to ‘write’ upon the ‘white’ page is to couple white with black; his instructor is more ‘free’ than ‘me’, i.e., the speaker), that through writing his page, the speaker is realising what he thinks.

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IMAGES

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  3. Theme For English B Essay

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COMMENTS

  1. IB English B EE examples

    E Session May 2025 May 2024 November 2023 May 2023 November 2022 May 2022 November 2021 May 2021 November 2020 May 2020 Other Apply To what extent does the protagonist of the novel The Bell Jar symbolize women who experience pressure by the patriarchal society in the 1950s? EE English B B

  2. English B Extended Essay Topics and RQs

    English B Extended Essay Topic Ideas Vasy Kafidoff November 30th, 2023 IB Topics Struggling to pick a topic for your English B Extended Essay? Fear not, because we've got a treasure trove of ideas that'll spark your creativity and curiosity.

  3. CSEC English B: A Guide to Writing Poetry Essays

    CSEC English B: A Guide to Writing Poetry Essays Updated: Jun 1, 2021 If you're reading this, chances are, you've been subjected to the unfortunate torture that is the English B (comparative) poetry essay. That's right- you've been allotted around 30 minutes to write on two of the twenty poems CSEC prescribed for your study over two years.

  4. Theme for English B by Langston Hughes

    Back to Previous Theme for English B By Langston Hughes The instructor said, Go home and write a page tonight. And let that page come out of you— Then, it will be true. I wonder if it's that simple? I am twenty-two, colored, born in Winston-Salem. I went to school there, then Durham, then here to this college on the hill above Harlem.

  5. Theme for English B Poem Summary and Analysis

    LitCharts Get the entire guide to "Theme for English B" as a printable PDF. Download The Full Text of "Theme for English B" "Theme for English B" Summary

  6. DP English B

    Extended Essay 2018. So far as I know, Konomi, graphic novels would be considered as works of literature (if unconventional), and so this would be Cat.3. ... With up to date information on the English B, this is by far a better resource for teachers than any textbook or Teacher's guide on the subject. If there is a question about English B ...

  7. English B CXC Study Guide

    English B CXC Study Guide. advertisement. 4 Writing 4.1 LEARNING OUTCOMES In this section you will: • consider how to practise the necessary skills for essay writing in the exam • learn how to maximise your grade. Writing practice Crafting your essay Paper 2 of the English B examination requires you to write your answer in essay form.

  8. PDF 7.

    essay will he organized in coherent paragraphs that fluently transition from one idea to the next, with appropriately written introduction and conclusion, and that the appropriate grammatical and mechanical conventions are observed. Candidate s Response to Question 7 in this response the candidate uses 7cc Edgell s Beka Lamb and BalTy Hines A ...

  9. PDF C a R I B B E a N E X a M I N a T I O N S C O U N C I L

    Section B: POETRY Questions 5 and 6 Section C: PROSE FICTION Questions 7 to 10: Novel Questions 11 and 12: Short Story 2. Answer THREE questions only, ONE question from EACH section. 3. You are advised to take some time to read through the paper and plan your answers. 4. You MUST write in essay format and develop ALL your responses fully. 5.

  10. Extended Essay

    Login Extended Essay Interested in doing your EE in English B? Read the detailed explanation of what it takes.

  11. English B Extended Essay: Definition, Outline, Topics

    by Antony W May 19, 2023 The English B Extended Essay focuses on the English language and literature. Here is an opportunity for you to explore a topic of your interest within the scope of language and literature. In this guide, we look at everything you need to know about IB English B Extended Essay. Specifically, we look at:

  12. Essay Writing for CSEC English B with Samples

    This presentation outlines how to write an effective comparative essay for CSEC English B using a sample as a guide. Students will discover the importance of...

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    Jan 29, 2021. 5 min. CSEC English B: The Tempest Revision Notes- Magic and the Supernatural. Magic is, without a doubt, among the strongest themes in The Tempest. Every major plot point in the play is either officiated by Prospero's. 881 views 0 comments. 23. JH@Quelpr. Jan 29, 2021.

  14. The Complete IB Extended Essay Guide: Examples, Topics, and Ideas

    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.

  15. Csec English B

    ENGLISH B (English Literature)Paper 01: The duration of the exam is 1 hr, 45 minutes (changed from 1 hr, 30 minutes) It is worth 29% of the total assessment (changed from 36%) All questions are compulsory. It consists of 3 comprehensions. Possible types of comprehensions are: drama / poetry / prose. There are 5-7 questions on each comprehension.

  16. PDF English B

    English B Extended Essay A group 2 extended essay is intended for students who are studying a second modern language. Students may not write a group 2 extended essay in a language that they are offering as a language A for their diploma. There are 3 categories of group 2 extended essays: Category 1—Language Category 2—Culture and society (a ...

  17. Nature in Poetry: CSEC English B Poem Analysis and Comparison

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  18. English A vs. English B in IB Extended Essays

    English A vs. English B in IB Extended Essays English A vs. English B Extended Essays | Comprehensive Comparison Get expert insights on excelling in your IB extended essay with this comprehensive comparison of English A and English B essays by an experienced IB tutor.

  19. DP English B: Text type expectations

    The task involves a "choice of text type" which demonstrates "appropriate" understanding, and handling, of the general areas. So, students have to be taught how the general areas apply to each of the text types - and then how to adapt the general characteristics of each text type to the particular requirements of each specific task / question.

  20. Theme for English B by Langston Hughes

    Structure of Theme for English B. 'Theme for English B' by Langston Hughes is a thirty-six line poem that is divided into stanzas of varying lengths. The shortest is only one line long and the longest is twenty lines. There is not a single pattern of rhyme that Hughes used to structure the entire poem, although the poem does contain rhyme.

  21. Official English B/ Literature , Study guide for CSEC

    Crafting your essay. Paper 2 of the English B examination requires you to write your answer in essay form. This means that the examiner expects a piece of writing that demonstrates a smooth flow and is written with an excellent level of grammar and well-developed paragraphs. Questions on the exam paper will no longer be broken up into sections ...

  22. A Summary and Analysis of Langston Hughes' 'Theme for English B'

    'Theme for English B' is a 1951 poem by Langston Hughes (1901-67), one of the leading figures in the Harlem Renaissance. In the poem, a young African-American man studying at a college in Harlem describes the piece of homework his white teacher gave his class, which involved going home and writing a 'true' page.

  23. Eng B

    We are a team of Caribbean students who wanted to support each other and the student community during the Covid-19 period. Our hope is that this website will be used to optimize your studies and improve your scores on the upcoming examinations.

  24. TOEFL TestReady

    No other English language test provider has a prep offering like this — designed for you, with you. TOEFL ® TestReady ™ combines the best TOEFL iBT prep offerings with exclusive features and deeper insights to enhance your English communication skills. All feedback, recommendations, personalized insights and tips are developed by the same teams that write and produce the TOEFL iBT test.

  25. Essay

    Paul Alexander. Feb. 9, 2024 9:00 pm ET. Listen. (3 min) Billie Holiday is widely considered jazz's pre-eminent singer. Frank Sinatra once said that "with few exceptions, every major pop ...