The arduous voyage of the Extended Essay in the IB!
Apart from Theory of Knowledge, the Extended Essay is another component of the IB core that anyone can be overwhelmed by at first. A task, an essay, but, an independent research piece of work of four thousand words. Can that be feared? Well, there’s more that meets the eye the moment we take off on our journey with this mini-thesis.
Firstly, choosing the topic is a fundamental milestone after the journey begins. It can be very likely that many tend to choose their topic without looking at the subject specific details in the guide, including information of any categories which possible topics should fit into. Based on prior experience, it is imperative to go through that before finalising a topic. Better still, it will give you heads up for your research, leading up to your research question. Your research question is extremely pivotal for the scope of research and the direction at which it will be taken forward. Mind you, there are two marks out of the maximum marks of thirty-four which one can get for there research question and methodology!
Moreover, never feel hesitant to change your topic should things not work. To be honest, the journey is full of rollercoasters. Refining your research question will be something you will be doing right up to the interim reflection session (between the first reflection session and the last one – viva voce).
Hence, it is best to take off early which doesn’t mean to finish the task before schedule, however, allows one to pace time for any unforeseen turbulences in between.
While it is a specialty of the IB curriculum that there is no spoon-feeding of ideas and topic selection as seen in the Extended Essay and the Internal Assessments, taking guidance from your teacher or supervisor is a must. He or she can be like your first officer who will help you save your ship or aircraft from any hurdle in the route. They can provide exemplars, advice and help in citations as well. We do not want to lose our diploma due to improper citations no?
With your supervisor’s guidance, it is unlikely that you will divert towards a tangent.
Lastly, but important, let’s say no to procrastination! The main moral that the IB instills. This can allow anyone to produce the best they can and hence escape from touching down in a big soup. Better to be planned than sorry.
The bottom line is that the journey of producing a mini-thesis like the Extended Essay cannot be designed without pitfalls and hurdles. Taking the right advice and planning well is the key to travelling through the process with zest.
Anhad Viswanath
Grade 12