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 several 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.
One way to help students narrow down their topic is to encourage them 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.
Examples of Topics
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, RQs, & Approaches
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.
Note: All information on this webpage has been copied or adapted from the IB Extended Essay Guide (2018) and is used for educational purposes only.