EE (Extended Essay) Nedir?

Writing a "Mini-Thesis" at Secondary School: A 4,000-Word Academic Journey

At the very heart of the IB (International Baccalaureate) programme lies the Extended Essay (EE), in other words the Extended Essay, one of the most serious, most comprehensive and most pride-worthy academic works a student will undertake throughout secondary school.

The Extended Essay; is an independent research paper that a student prepares over an approximately one-year period on a subject and topic of their own choosing, and that is based on the 4,000-word limit.

1. The Logic of the EE: Why Is It So Long?

Many people may ask, "Why would a secondary school student write 4,000 words?" The purpose of the EE is to teach the student these three things:

• Independent Research: Using libraries and databases like a professional.

• Academic Writing: Not merely presenting information, but bringing it together around a specific argument, while citing sources (Citations) and within ethical rules.

• Depth: Going into the finest detail of a topic that the curriculum addresses only superficially.

2. The Scoring System: "3 Bonus Points" and a Shared Fate

The EE does not receive a mark on its own; when combined with the TOK (Theory of Knowledge) course, it contributes +3 additional points to the diploma.

• The letter grades you receive from the EE and TOK (A, B, C, D) are combined on a matrix.

• Note: If you receive an "E" (fail) in the EE, you will not be able to obtain the IB diploma even if all your other subjects are 7. That is why the EE is too serious to be neglected.

3. How Does the EE Process Progress? (From Zero to Publication)

For an EE to be completed successfully, the following stages must be passed through:

1. Choosing the Subject and Supervisor: The student selects one of the 6 subjects they are taking (e.g. History, Economics or Physics). A teacher from the school is assigned as the "Supervisor".

2. Research Question: This is the most critical step of the EE. The question should not be too broad (e.g. "The causes of the Second World War") nor too narrow.

   • Ideal Example: "The effects of the 1929 Great Depression on New York's textile industry."

3. Methodology: How will the data be collected? Will an experiment be conducted, a survey organised, or primary sources be reviewed?

4. Writing and Reflection: As the student writes the paper, they hold 3 formal meetings (RPPF) with their supervisor. In these meetings, the student answers questions such as "What have I learned, where did I struggle?" IB also awards points for these reflections.

5. Viva Voce: This is a final oral interview with the supervisor once the paper is complete.

4. Why Are Universities So Impressed by the EE?

When universities such as UCL, Oxford or Harvard see the EE topic in an application file, they know this: "This student knows how to reference academically, can manage a long-term project and can defend a thesis."Many of our students, in their first years at university, are able to get through this process very comfortably thanks to their EE experience, while their friends struggle to write papers.

5. How Does Solitas Academy Make the EE Process Easier?

Most students feel "lost" during the EE process. We break this massive project into manageable parts:

• Correct Question Design: We turn the area the student is interested in into a "Research Question" that will support 4,000 words without losing its focus.

• Source Management Support: We teach how to access academic articles (JSTOR, Google Scholar, etc.) and how to reference them in MLA/APA format.

• Structural Review: We monitor the flow of the paper, the strength of the arguments and the quality of the academic language according to the IB criteria (Criterion A-E).

Motivation and Time Planning: We create a submission calendar so that they do not fall into the trap of "procrastination" (postponement) during this one-year process.