What is the Extended Essay?

By SamB

It’s only November but Extended Essay Season is already upon us. For many people in STA’s IB program the prospect of writing an Extended Essay (or EE) is a daunting idea which many of us would rather not think about. This, coupled with the fact that IB is a rigorous program involving copious amounts of homework to begin with is probably why many of us haven’t even started. So what is the Extended Essay you might ask? The Extended Essay is a 4000 word essay that an IB student must write and earn a passing grade on in order to obtain their IB diploma. Sounds pretty important right? It is!  However, the biggest reason why many of us haven’t even started is due to the word count… 4000 words on a topic that piques the student’s interest. The EE is meant to be an “enjoyable” experience of self-discovery. Unfortunately, I have yet to find any joy in writing my own EE. The deadline of the first draft of the EE is fast approaching (for all of you IBs who haven’t been reading your emails it’s November 11th). While this may seem concerning my fellow IB classmates and I are notorious procrastinators. That being said, I’m sure on November 11th many of us will come to school resembling zombies after pulling an all-nighter writing it. However, rest assured the approximately 50 words I have already written of mine are top notch.  To the IB students in grade 11: remember it is never too early to start thinking about your EE and the summer before your grade 12 year is a great time to do so! Unfortunately, this is one of those things in life that you cannot avoid forever… Trust me I’ve tried!