The Structure of the Extended Essay
The parts of the essay are listed, in order, here.
- Title Page
- Abstract
- Contents page
- Introduction
- Body(the development of argument)
- Conclusion (What have you discovered and learnt by trying to answer your question?)
- APA Reference List
- Appendices (if any)
Abstract
- Please write this last.
- The abstract shouldn’t be more than 300 words long.
- It should be written in the third person.
- The abstract is a synopsis of your essay which explains the scope of your investigation and states the research question and conclusion.
- It is formal in tone.
- Place the Abstract directly after the Table of Contents.
- The minimum requirements for an abstract are to state: · the research question being investigated, the scope of the investigation and the conclusion/s of the essay.
Contents page
- Head your page Table of Contents
- Copy this pattern, substituting your own page numbers, and adding more divisions if you wish.
- Abstract……….……………….3
- Introduction………...……….4
- Body……………………...……..5
- Conclusion………….……….19
- Bibliography…………...…..20
The Introduction
- The Introduction serves to state the purpose and the structure of your extended essay. It introduces your research question, clearly stating it.
- Your introduction should detail the way you will sharply focus on answering that research question, what resources ( e.g. critics) you have used to flesh out your argument, how you have decided to structure your essay.
- You should comment (succinctly) on why you believe the topic you have chosen is worthy of study. How does your research question relate to existing knowledge on the topic? Why is your topic worth investigating?
- If your topic has personal significance for you, state why really briefly.
- Briefly preview your body by providing a game plan for the essay, in which you detail how you intend to answer the research question i.e. how you propose to proceed in the body.
- At the end of your introduction state your thesis. Take a position; show how you propose to defend your thesis. Your entire essay should be a response to your research question and a logical, critical, structured, deep examination of your topic.
- NB Your tone should be upbeat. You are excited about your question, have read widely about your topic; want to add to existing scholarship about your topic.
- There is absolutely no room in an EE essay for spelling errors or sloppy phrasing. First impressions count. Show you really care about this essay! Make your Introduction punchy, on the button, interesting.
- Show your introduction to your supervisor so you feel confident.
Body of the essay
- The structure of the Body of the essay will depend upon the subject. Essentially, the body is a convincing and appropriate answer to the Research Question. Some subjects will require sub – headings.
- Remember when writing your body to ensure that everything you write applies to your question and/ or the development of your thesis. Don’t go off on a tangent!
- Your body should include analysis and interpretation of evidence, including critical analysis and evaluation of sources and your own argument and evaluation of this argument. You need to answer the research question and argue for your thesis, presenting evidence to support your argument. This evidence, for example in an English EE, might come from quoting critics and examining the text of your work closely and including appropriate quotes to show you have honed down on your topic.
- Show the examiner that you have examined all angles of your question, that you have thoroughly evaluated your source using critics and your own thoughts, and that you are able to write well critically and formally. Plan the body carefully so you can present all your ideas and arguments in a really logical and structured way.
Conclusion
- What have you concluded by studying your research question? State this clearly. Have you concluded that there are new or unresolved questions that have arisen from your careful research?
- Review how you have convincingly supported your thesis and answered the research question. Restate your key points in shortened form and discuss any wider implications of your thesis.
- How have you answered your research question properly?
Reference List / Bibliography
- You need to acknowledge any material you use when doing your EE to avoid being guilty of plagiarism.
- Each work consulted must appear in your Bibliography. The bibliography or list of references should only include those works, such as books and journals, which you have used in writing your essay.
- Use the APA referencing system (check out the guidelines under the heading 'Researching' on this site.
- Keep a record of the books etc. you use as you go. This will make it easier when it comes to compiling your Reference List. Gather and keep the title, author, publisher, date, place of publication.
Appendices
- Appendices are not an essential section of the essay and may not be looked at in depth, so you should ensure that you include all information of relevance to your argument in the main part of the essay.