Extended essay
The extended essay is the concluding project for the IBDP. The extended essay (EE) process has long been regarded as the prime aspect of the IBDP with which the library and librarian should be involved.
This section looks at important areas of the EE feature of the IBDP, and indicates areas where the librarian could contribute to student engagement.
What is the extended essay?
“The extended essay is perhaps the most inquiry-based activity that DP students will undertake, given that it is an open-ended task, driven by student interest. The extended essay inspires students to examine a topic that matters to them in an in-depth and meaningful way. Students choose what they want to research, decide on an appropriate research method, and engage in independent inquiry with the support of their supervisors. They develop important, transferable skills, such as planning, time management, decision- making and critical thinking, along with the qualities of perseverance and resilience.”
Diploma Programme Extended Essay, first assessment 2027. International Baccalaureate Organization, 2025, p. 9
How this EE section works
This introduction page is very much a marker for the section. Most visitors to this website head for the extended essay section first.
As you can see from the menu on the left hand of this page and from selected pages from the section at the bottom of this page, there is a lot to look at. So, in this EE section, we look at the extended essay from different perspectives, including
- Student perceptions and requirements
- What is involved in the EE process
- Who is involved in the process
- Academic integrity
- Library and librarian support - what it looks like
- Research, inquiry, reflections
New Extended Essay Guide (published February 2025, for use in 2027 onwards)
The big news for EE is that there was a new guide published by the EE in 2025. This video is a good introduction to the main sections of the new guide.
Concluding project
This is the term used by the IB to collectively identify the big inquiry moment that typically ends each of the four IB programmes, which are the:
- Exhibition in the PYP (Primary Years Programme)
- Personal Project in the MYP (Middle Years Programme)
- Reflective Project in the CP (Careers Programme)
- and the Extended Essay (DP)
Extended essay, extended essay or Extended essay
The IB prefers ‘extended essay’ except where the term begins a sentence in which case ‘Extended essay’ is appropriate. However, others use ‘Extended Essay’. You'll find a mixture of these in this section, though we try to be sensitive to the style used by the IB: extended essay. Naturally, the acronym - EE - helps!
Reference
Photo: introduction box image created by an author of this website
Bold text in IB quote above made by authors of this website
Selected Pages
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Extended essay
Academic databases & EE
Databases - provision and use - is the subject of a common question from and work focus of a DP librarian so we've looked
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Extended essay
Critical thinking in the extended essay
Critical thinking is not confined to the extended essay, however it has a strong association with it and can be a major
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Extended essay
Extended Essay exemplar collection in the school library
It can be helpful for students to refer to previous Extended Essay texts, i.e. completed by students in preceding years,
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Extended essay
Academic article
An academic article - also called scholarly or journal article, research paper or a study - may be a relatively new concept
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Extended essay
AI and the Extended Essay
The impact of artificial intelligence on education is wide ranging, and the stance of the IB and good practice is identified
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Extended essay
Helping students see EE benefits
It is well known that the Extended Essay process has been valued by universities and colleges as an introduction to what