The extended essay…one of the many way that the IB deprives its 11th and 12th grade students of their sleep. Its like every other assignment that we always push to the side for many valid reasons like catching up with our favourite TV-show. But not really. Because doing so with the extended essay will likely lead to countless nights of nearly endless tears of misery. I think we have established how strenuous the extended essay is. So why not make it a little less tiresome by reading a few tips on writing the EE with the help of students from UNIS’s Class of 2015

1. Do a lot of  research

Research is by far the most important part of the extended essay. It is essential to make sure that you choose a topic that you can actually get decent information on. For most students doing the extended essay, the problem is not obtaining the research but more so the quality of the research and the information that they gather.  The Flame Chief Editor Than Viet says “When you do research and absorb it all in, I believe you are internalizing and digesting the information to a point that when you write it, you can do it succinctly and in an organized manner”

2.Start Early

Every 12th grader that I asked  told me that starting early was the best way to do well on the extended essay. This is with good reason as starting the extended essay a month before it is due adds to the already hefty workload of the Grade 12 IB subjects. The EE is a long process, which makes it pretty easy for students to put it at the bottom of their workpile. However starting early give students more than enough time to revise and tweak their essays to perfection.

3.Use online library rescource

UNIS has kindly made accounts for us to use some of the best research websites for high school scholars in the world. These library rescources are extremly useful but unfortunately underused. Most people usually search the internet for information that they could use for the extended essay and other assignments much like it. The only problem with that is the nearly endless amount of false information and data on the internet. The library resources are a much more reliable place for research on the internet that is inaccessible to others because of initial and monthly fees that need to be paid by its users, (which, by the way, the school is paying for).

4. Understand the Criteria

The extended essay criteria is quite lengthy, but understanding what is wanted from the ideal extended essay is imperative for good scores. Supervisors are also very useful for digesting the criteria for those writing the extended essay, so make sure that you ask them as many questions as you can

E.E is an extensive process that can be quite demanding, but hopefully utilizing these strategies will make the experience a little less troubling.