Critical thinking in the extended essay

The EE and critical thinking

“The extended essay brings students the excitement of intellectual exploration while helping them to develop important, transferable skills in research, critical thinking, reflection and self-management.”

Extended essay guide (first assessment 2027). International Baccalaureate Organization, 2025, p.13. 

Critical thinking is multi-faceted. In the current EE guide, critical thinking is mentioned in relation to:

• inquiry
• thinking skills / Approaches to teaching and learning
• evolution of thinking skills by a student over time, i.e. in previous IB programmes - PYP and MYP
• international mindedness
• learner profile
• reflection
• assessment criteria

Critical thinking and EE assessment

In the previous EE guide, critical thinking was one of the assessment criteria - a specific, named criterion. In the new or rather current guide, this is not the case. Instead, the concept of critical thinking is divided between two criteria. It is basically a given or an underlying theme and perhaps may be considered something that is wider than an one assessment criterion - as the analysis of where critical thinking can appear in the EE process (box above) shows. 

One of the annual reports from examiners about the EE (General extended essay May 2024 subject report) found that the criterion about critical thinking (C - i.e. relating to the previous guide) was the one that most students found most difficult. The examiners considered that students had some analytical skills, but “then students struggled to know what to do with their results, providing very limited discussions and evaluations.” (page 6)

With regard to research, students were more able to be critical about primary sources or data, but less successful with secondary sources or data.  Examiners considered that secondary sources were important and helped to support discussion and evaluation, though in some cases, analysis could be superficial.

Probably the most concern related to discussion and evaluation. This is what examiners said: “it requires students to position themselves within the debate (context/secondary sources) by creating an argument and sustaining it with the results of their research. Students find this the most difficult aspect, as they think the results of their analysis is enough and they often do not then relate it back to the context/secondary sources.” (page 6)

Assessment criteria

As well as the EE guide itself, the EE section on the PRC includes some other helpful sources of information, including the Extended essay support material (2025), which says:

• “Legacy criterion C” (i.e. the criterion about critical thinking in the previous EE guide) has been re-used and split into two current criteria: C (analysis and line of argument) and D (discussion and evaluation). [page 3]

Therefore, though critical thinking isn't a specific criterion in the current EE, it is still present through two other criteria.

How critical thinking can be demonstrated in the extended essay

In the Extended essay support material (2025), some of the content is written directly to the DP student, so in an analysis of thinking skills, critical thinking is presented as a distinct subsection of thinking skills. So, these strategies can prompt students to use critical thinking skills: 

ATL thinking skills: critical thinking

• In the extended essay, you can demonstrate a deep understanding of a specific area of research, examining it critically as you develop your discussion and argument.
• As you carry out your research, you engage with different sources of information and data and are exposed to a range of new perspectives.
• You need to engage with your research in an analytical and evaluative way.
• To provide a balanced perspective, you must be critical of the sources you use, and also try to think of ways your own arguments could be critiqued.
• You must be self-critical of your own work and be able to derive counterarguments and evaluate whether your research methods are as effective as they could be.
• You should propose how any limitations could be reduced and how you could extend your research to provide a clearer answer to your research question.

[page 44]

Artificial intelligence, the EE and critical thinking 

The Extended essay support material (2025) includes a section aimed at educators, not least with regard to AI, and suggests ways that students can show their critical thinking when using AI. 

• To help students with generating ideas, students can use generative AI tools to help them identify issues and this “can be especially helpful for students who struggle to get going. However, it is only a starting point— students must use critical thinking to filter through the information provided and evaluate their sources for reliability and bias … It is only through constant critical thinking and a mindset of inquiry that students will meet the expectations of the extended essay assessment criteria.” [page 24]
• Questioning skills can be developed by students as an aspect of critical thinking. In terms of AI, “prompt engineering is, in a sense, a form of assisted inquiry which supports students in developing effective questioning, critical thinking and communication skills.” [page 25]
• By using information literacy skills, students can show critical thinking when using AI tools, through identifying inaccuracies and biases (see Critical thinking: evaluating authority and bias in sources). “Therefore, any content produced by AI must be subjected to critical analysis for bias, accuracy and reliability: as much, if not more, than any other source used in research.” [page 25]

So, the challenges that AI present can also provide opportunities and times where students can show their critical thinking.