Extended Essay

One of the hallmarks of the IB curriculum is that students develop outstanding writing skills and those skills are on full display in the Extended Essay. You’ll pick a topic you’re passionate about, build your knowledge through independent research, develop a thesis, and write a 4,000-word essay on the topic.

Each student engages in personal research on a topic of her choice, under the guidance of a faculty supervisor. Students in recent years have chosen such varied topics as fractals, apartheid, the opium trade in Afghanistan, and the Irish Revolution, among others. The Extended Essay is college-level work that showcases many of the skills that the IB does such a great job of developing, such as critical thinking, working independently, and clear communication.

Extended Essay Sample Topics

List of 5 items.

  • classic greek and latin

    A comparison of Ancient Greek and Ancient Egyptian beliefs, values and practices to represent universality among human beings
  • economics

    What is the economic impact of corn on inflation, as discussions on global warming and high fuel prices promote alternative fuels, primarily ethanol, in the usa?
  • english

    • “Slaughterhouse Five” and “The Things They Carried” as anti-war novels
    • Symbolism in John Steinbeck’s “The Grapes of Wrath”
  • history

    • The contradictory nature of the use of terror in the French Revolution
    • The Nazi-Soviet pact
    • How the launch of Sputnik I impacted the United States culturally, technologically and militaristically
  • Science

    • Developing a cure for autism by using gene therapy
    • The effect of laundry detergent, its enzymes, and its chemicals on the environment