As we approach the end of one academic year and teachers begin to start thinking about the next, many may be considering new job opportunities or making the move to teach internationally.

If so, the International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma Programme may be a familiar and interesting prospect.

However, one element of it may cause some questions: what is the extended essay - and what role do teachers play in the process?

Before we delve into that specifically, it’s worth understanding the overall structure of the IB Diploma.

Candidates complete six subjects, chosen from more than 30 available courses from six subject groups.

In addition, the Diploma has a compulsory core, consisting of Cas (creativity, action and service), Tok (theory of knowledge) and the extended essay.

The Diploma core is an integral part of the Diploma student experience and helps to set the IB programme apart from A levels.

What is the IB extended essay?

The extended essay is an independent research project undertaken by students alongside their class studies.

It allows them an opportunity to investigate a topic of special interest - this may be something from class that they wish to explore further, or a topic outside the scope of the IB curriculum.

Students must decide on a research question and ultimately submit a 4,000-word essay as the result of approximately 40 hours worth of work.

As part of the Diploma Programme core, the extended essay is a compulsory component in successfully passing the Diploma. In combination with the grade for Tok, it contributes up to three points to the total score of the IB Diploma.

As students are allowed to freely choose their topic and research question from within a subject group, the range of options is incredibly broad.

Students must ultimately narrow their ideas down to one research question, which can be realistically explored in a 4,000-word paper.

There are a number of similarities between the extended essay and the extended project qualification (EPQ) at A level, including the skills developed and the ability for students to select a topic freely to explore in greater detail.

However, two key differences are that the extended essay is a compulsory component of the IB Diploma whereas the EPQ is optional.

Secondly, the EPQ can be submitted in another form, such as a musical or dramatic composition supported with paperwork, whereas the extended essay must take the form of a dissertation.

What skills does the extended essay help to develop?

The core, as a whole, aims to encourage reflection, open-mindedness and critical thinking skills.

The extended essay, in particular, helps students to:

• Improve their time management
• Develop high-level research and writing skills
• Improve their ability to gather, organise and evaluate information
• Develop skills of university-level writing.

The extended essay also promotes intellectual discovery and creativity as students pursue a topic of personal interest to them. 

How can teachers support students with their extended essays?

Each school will follow its own timeline for the extended essay, although most schools introduce students to the task during the first term of the Diploma.

Once students have chosen their subject area or topic, the extended essay coordinator will allocate subject teachers as supervisors for the students.

The supervisor role is arguably the most important relationship for students during the research and writing process.

As a subject specialist, the supervisor can provide advice and guidance on the research question, appropriate research methods and the formal requirements for the completion of the task.

They are primarily there to support the student through the process rather than giving them all the answers.

If you are asked to be a supervisor for the extended essay, you will be required to monitor the progress of your students along with undertaking three mandatory reflection sessions.

These sessions allow you to provide verbal feedback to the student on their work at different stages of the process and to encourage them to reflect on their successes and challenges at each stage.

Upon completion of the essay, and after the final reflection session, you will write your supervisor comment, which is attached to the student’s reflections and submitted to the IB.

This allows you to comment on the student’s journey and also confirm the authenticity of the final piece.

Assessment of the extended essay

The extended essay is an externally assessed component, marked by the IB’s examiner team.

Along with assessing the student’s focus on their research question, knowledge and understanding of their question and topic, and critical thinking skills, the students are also assessed on their reflections made throughout their writing journey.

This is marked independently from the rest of their essay and includes reflections on their decision making and planning, and how they responded to any challenges that arose during the completion of the essay.

This aspect makes the extended essay unique, as it encourages true engagement with the research process and values the journey to completing the project as well as the final outcome.

Caitlin Gray is a secondary English teacher and extended essay coordinator at an international school in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. She tweets @missgray_eng