EXTENDED ESSAY IN HISTORY
Overview
The EE gives students an opportunity to undertake in-depth research in an area of interest to them, of local, regional or global significance.
The outcome of the research should be a coherent and structured essay that effectively addresses a particular issue expressed as a research question.
The question should encourage an investigation that lends itself to analysis and critical commentary. Students should avoid straightforward “What” and “How” questions as they tend to lead to narrative treatment. Terms such as “How significant...?” or “How successful...?” are more likely to engage students in analysis.
“To what extent...?” requires an analytical answer, but if students choose this or a similar term, they need to ensure that their task does also require them to consider other factors to answer the question.
Choice of topic
The topic must:
These examples are for guidance only. Students must ensure their choice of topic is focused (left-hand column) rather than broad (right-hand column).
(The essay does not need a title in addition to its research question. It is usually better if they are the same because it helps the student to obtain a clear focus.)
The EE gives students an opportunity to undertake in-depth research in an area of interest to them, of local, regional or global significance.
The outcome of the research should be a coherent and structured essay that effectively addresses a particular issue expressed as a research question.
The question should encourage an investigation that lends itself to analysis and critical commentary. Students should avoid straightforward “What” and “How” questions as they tend to lead to narrative treatment. Terms such as “How significant...?” or “How successful...?” are more likely to engage students in analysis.
“To what extent...?” requires an analytical answer, but if students choose this or a similar term, they need to ensure that their task does also require them to consider other factors to answer the question.
Choice of topic
The topic must:
- focus on the human past (at least 10 years ago)
- be worthy of study
- lend itself to systematic investigation in line with the published assessment criteria.
Ten-year rule
Essays that focus on events of the past 10 years are not acceptable, as these are regarded as current affairs, not history. Any essay that does so will be compromised across all of the criteria.
It is not a requirement for the topic to be chosen from the Diploma Programme history course, but it must be acceptable to the supervisor.
It should provide an opportunity for critical analysis of source material, and not depend on summarizing general secondary sources (such as textbooks and encyclopedias). Such an approach is likely to produce an essay that is essentially narrative or descriptive.
The topic chosen must be suitable for effective treatment within the 4,000-word limit. Essays that cover many aspects of history, or a long time period, are unlikely to prove successful.
Narrowing the scope of the essay:
- is a crucial step in helping to ensure that the essay has a clear focus
- allows students to demonstrate detailed and specific historical knowledge, understanding and critical
analysis.
These examples are for guidance only. Students must ensure their choice of topic is focused (left-hand column) rather than broad (right-hand column).
(The essay does not need a title in addition to its research question. It is usually better if they are the same because it helps the student to obtain a clear focus.)
EE Examples - Check out the website below - the examples all scored top grades. *Note they are all completed under the old EE format*
International School History - International Baccalaureate - Extended Essay
world history international baccalaureate richard jones-nerzic
EXEMPLARS
| history-falklands-3.pdf |
| colonialism_and_rwandan_genocide |
| development_of_soccer_in_costa_rica_and_wider_social_and_political_disputes |
| dreyfuss_affair |
| relationship_between_japanese_government_and_jews_second_world_war |
| the_failure_of_the_german_v_weapon_program |
mETHOD IN HISTORY
One way to narrow down your topic is to think about the key concepts in the Diploma Programme history course:
• causation
• consequence • change
• continuity
• significance
• perspectives.
Causation and consequence are the most common focus of history EEs. Thinking about all the key concepts can give students ideas beyond these.
Treatment of the topic
Disciplinary focus
Some topics can also be approached from the perspective of other subjects, such as economics or geography. Social history includes areas such as music and sport. Students must ensure their treatment of the topic meets the subject requirements of history.
• While social history does include areas such as music and sport, these are only acceptable for a history extended essay if they are tackled from a historical perspective.
Suitable research questions need to lead to:
• causation
• consequence • change
• continuity
• significance
• perspectives.
Causation and consequence are the most common focus of history EEs. Thinking about all the key concepts can give students ideas beyond these.
Treatment of the topic
Disciplinary focus
Some topics can also be approached from the perspective of other subjects, such as economics or geography. Social history includes areas such as music and sport. Students must ensure their treatment of the topic meets the subject requirements of history.
• While social history does include areas such as music and sport, these are only acceptable for a history extended essay if they are tackled from a historical perspective.
Suitable research questions need to lead to:
- systematic investigation
- critical analysis
- detailed understanding.
Adequate available sources are essential. If it is clear at an early stage in the research that they are not, then students should change focus. If necessary, the supervisor should advise them to do so.
Sources
Students who use both primary and secondary sources for their research will find it easier to achieve the highest marks.
If a student chooses to use secondary sources only they will need to take particular care to address the assessment criteria.
Possible approaches to the research question include:
- using primary and secondary sources in order to establish and appraise varying interpretations
- analysing sources in order to explain changing views over time of particular happenings or
developments - using source material for a case study or local history project, perhaps leading to a comparison of local
and national developments - collecting and analysing oral and written data from family and other contacts to help explain past
happenings, perhaps leading to a comparison of local and national developments - using all available sources to answer the question posed.
Examples of topics, research questions and approaches
Once you have identified your topic and written your research question, you can decide how to research your answer. You may find it helpful to write a statement outlining your broad approach.
How is the EE graded?
Critical analysis and evaluation
Students should not accept uncritically the value and reliability of sources, especially when the authenticity of some of the sources may be questionable.
Students should show awareness of the value and limitations of their main sources through analysing their origin, purpose and content:
- Who were the authors?
- What was the intended audience?
- What were the overt and covert reasons for the production of the source being evaluated?
They should integrate this evaluation into the main body of the essay and not adopt a “stand alone” approach of two sources.
Students can show good critical analysis and historical judgment through a sound assessment of source material and different explanations and interpretations.
Opportunities for reporting and assessing different interpretations will vary with the topic chosen. Students will gain credit for explaining why a historian formed an interpretation, not merely stating it.
The essay’s argument
Students should aim to produce an argument that:
- consistently shows good historical understanding
- sets the research question into context
- addresses the research question fully and effectively
- is well substantiated, based on relevant specific evidence with added analytical comments.
An EE in history is a formal essay that is marked according to the assessment criteria. An essay will not score well if students are unaware of these criteria and make no attempt to address them in the work.
An important note on “double-dipping"
Students must ensure that their EE does not overlap significantly with any other work they are submitting for the Diploma Programme.
The history EE and IA
In particular, the EE is not an extension of the internal assessment (IA) for the subject. Students must ensure that they understand the differences between the two.
Topic: Students may choose to write their EE and the IA on the same time period or on a similar topic.
Sources: These must be sufficiently different to show clearly that the student has accessed a broad range of both primary and secondary material. In other words, the IA and EE must not replicate sources. If some of the same sources are used, other different sources must also be used for each of the tasks.
Supervisors play an important role here in guiding students on these distinctions. Students risk their diploma if academic misconduct is found.
Interpreting the EE assessment criteria
Criterion A: Focus and method (Strands: Topic, Research question, Methodology)
Students must choose a topic from the human past that is of a meaningful nature. Topics may not discuss events/individuals/movements which have taken place within 10 years of the writing of the essay. For example, an essay submitted for assessment in 2018 must discuss events prior to 2008. Failure to follow this instruction will limit the grade in this criterion to a maximum of 4.
The topic chosen must be expressed in the form of a research question. The research question must be focused and capable of being discussed effectively within the word limit. Students must establish the historical context and significance of the topic and explain why it is worthy of investigation.
Students must demonstrate that they have selected a suitable range of appropriate and relevant sources. An attempt should be made to use both primary and secondary sources where possible. They should demonstrate both factual material as well as the opinions of historians. These sources must provide sufficient material to develop and support an argument and conclusion relevant to the research question.
Effective planning and a well-focused research question tend to go together. A key indicator of this is that students have chosen a comprehensive range of sources that are relevant and appropriate to answering the research question.
Ten-year rule
If the ten-year rule has not been adhered to, a maximum of only 4 marks can be awarded in this criterion.
Criterion B: Knowledge and understanding (Strands: Context, Subject-specific terminology and concepts)
Writing reflections
| writing_refection_for_ee.pdf |