IB History Extended Essay: How to Research, Write, and Succeed

Melina is a certified IB History teacher, with over 20 years of experience, and also supervises Extended Essays and IAs. She has been an IB Examiner since 2014. She has a master’s in Sociology and before becoming a school teacher was a History professor at the University of Buenos Aires. So, she’s perfectly placed to guide students to success in their IB History Extended Essay.

Article reviewed & updated by Melina, 10th June 2025

Want to get a bonus point for your overall Diploma Programme score? Then writing a profound analytical EE is a must. If you’ve chosen to complete an IB History Extended Essay, be ready to work with a multitude of historical sources and analyse various perspectives.

If you’re wondering what else you should know to make your essay impactful and worthy of a top grade, then this guide is for you. Melina gives her expert tips for every step, from choosing your topic to forming your evaluations. You can see her full profile here.

What is IB History Extended Essay?

The IB History Extended Essay is a 4000-word research paper. Its purpose is to introduce you to historical analysis and polish your research skills at a pre-university level.

You are free to explore any historical topic that catches your interest – it can be of local, regional, or global importance. However, the chosen events must have occurred at least ten years in the past. This restriction ensures that there is enough historical perspective on your topic.

You don’t have to stick to the topics covered in your Diploma Programme History course. That said, your supervisor needs to approve your choice. You will have three mandatory sessions with them throughout the process, and it’s worth discussing your ideas early on. Melina emphasises that, “These meetings are fundamental to build the Reflection, an additional part of the Extended Essay process that must also be presented when you submit the Extended Essay. The Reflection will get marked as well, and has to focus on the skills and academic experience you’ve acquired throughout the research.”

At its core, the Extended Essay addresses a specific historical question or issue. These research questions typically start with phrases like “How significant…?”, “How successful…?”, or “To what extent…?” For instance, you might ask, “To what extent did economic factors contribute to the start of World War II?” or “How successful was Gandhi’s non-violent resistance in achieving Indian independence?”

Melina insists that once you’ve chosen a topic or theme of interest, it’s key that you phrase it in an argumentative way, using the P2 and P3 command terms as inspiration. “While the EE process will have a part where you will describe or narrate events, individuals or situations, if the Essay does not go beyond the descriptive level, you will not get relevant marks for the “Discussion and Evaluation” criterion, that is the one that carries more weight in the overall work. Avoid questions that start with “What” or “How”!”

Structure and format of the IB History EE

To get a good grade for your IB History Extended Essay, presentation matters just as much as content. Your 4,000-word research paper should be typed in a readable font (Arial is recommended) with size 12, double-spacing throughout, and 2,5 cm margins.

It is an absolute must to choose a clear structure for your History EE, not only because it is one of the assessment requirements, but also since it allows you to present your argument logically. Simply put, you will earn more marks if an examiner can easily follow your analysis and understand how your evidence supports your claims.

There are no hard and fast rules regarding the structure of your Extended Essay, except the six mandatory pages (the title page, tables of contents, introduction, body, conclusion, and bibliography). This means you can pick whatever structure makes sense for your historical investigation. Still, our IB History tutors, many of whom are also actual EE supervisors, suggest that your paper contains the following layout.

Title page

The very first page of your History Extended Essay must include the topic of your investigation, your specific research question, the subject, and the total word count. Keep in mind that no names of either yourself or your supervisor should appear here, as it helps to assess these papers anonymously and objectively. You shouldn’t include the school’s name either.

This section should list all subsections of your essay along with their corresponding page numbers. This is where the actual page numbering of your Extended Essay begins. A clear table of contents makes navigation easier for your examiner. Melina recommends giving a name to each one of your subsections or chapters: “For example, instead of saying “Chapter 1”, you can put a title like “Social division before the emergence to power of xyz”. You can even be more creative or even lyrical when naming your sections, as it makes the reading more engaging and suggests a more profound work on the research.”

Introduction

The introduction tells the readers what to expect from your essay. Most important of all, highlights Melina, is to outline a thesis in this section, as that will help organise the investigation later. You can start with a comprehensive overview of your chosen topic to show your grasp of the broader historical context. It is also important to identify the specific historical issue at hand and present how it connects to different historical concepts. If necessary, include definitions related to your topic and use appropriate historical terminology throughout. Finally, you should give a preview of the sources you’ll be using to support your argument.

Methodology

Most often, History EE are based on a combination of primary and secondary sources.

One of the requirements of historical analysis is multiple perspectives on the chosen topic. Therefore, you need to work with a variety of sources – they may represent different origins, historical interpretations, and schools of thought. However, you should include only those that effectively support your analysis. Any irrelevant information will cost you points! Take time to explain how your chosen sources enhance your investigation and why they matter.

Melina insists that “before building the structure of the essay based on perspectives, it is very important you present this to your supervisor, as they can help you trim the irrelevant or not so reliable sources.”

Analysis

This is the heart of your essay, where you answer your research question. It should have a clear structure, with each paragraph focusing on a separate argument or source.

Every argument you provide must be followed by insightful analysis that demonstrates your ability to evaluate the information. To make it persuasive, it is vital to include carefully selected evidence that directly addresses your research question. This evidence comes, more often than not, in the form of in-text citations. You can come up with mini-conclusions for each of your arguments, where you, among other things, acknowledge limitations of your sources, such as accidental or intentional omissions. Melina emphasises that these “partial conclusions” are very important to foster analysis and focus the research question.

The final step is to assess the strengths of your Extended Essay and potential ways to improve or expand your research in the future.

The bottom line: your History Extended Essay should be about critical analysis and an evaluation of the different perspectives rather than telling a story or describing events. Your examiners want to see your ability to think historically instead of stating well-known facts.

Conclusion

In your conclusion, it’s worth refreshing the reader’s memory. Therefore, a good starting point is to restate the central research question and the purpose of your essay.

Then, you should briefly describe the scope and depth of your research. Once again, mention the variety of your sources to show the groundwork you laid. Most importantly, you need to review the key findings you drew from these sources and explain how they helped support your argument. Finally, provide a direct answer to your research question. Remember, a conclusion is a summary of your work; therefore, you shouldn’t bring in any new information.

Bibliography

The bibliography (not included in your word count) should contain a detailed list of all sources used in your investigation, arranged in alphabetical order. You need to find out which referencing style is used in your school (MLA, APA, or Chicago) and stick to it throughout your entire essay.

Assessment Criteria for the IB History EE

It is virtually impossible to get a top mark for your History Extended Essay without knowing how it is assessed. While the new assessment criteria for the Extended Essay was announced in February 2025, the current assessment criteria applies for the May 2026 assessment period. Here are the five key assessment criteria to keep in mind, that bring a total of 34 marks:

Criterion A: Focus and Method (6 marks)

To meet this criterion, you must choose a history topic that’s meaningful and worthy of investigation. Remember the “ten-year rule” – your topic cannot discuss events or movements that occurred within ten years of writing your essay. So, if you’re submitting your EE in 2025, your essay must focus on events before 2015. Breaking this rule automatically limits your score to a maximum of 4 marks.

When it comes to your research question, it needs to be focused and manageable within the 4,000-word limit. Your particular task will include establishing the historical context, explaining the significance of your topic, and justifying why it deserves investigation.

In terms of sources, it is important to find a balance between primary and secondary materials whenever possible. These sources should provide sufficient evidence to develop your argument and support your conclusion. At the same time, they must offer historical facts along with a clear perspective.

Criterion B: Knowledge and Understanding (6 marks)

This criterion evaluates how well you place your research question within its broader historical context. For instance, if you’re writing about the Marshall Plan, you need to demonstrate how this connects to the context of the Cold War’s origins.

A proper use of historical terminology and concepts relevant to your topic is equally important. When necessary, provide clear explanations of key terms.

Lastly, your History EE should demonstrate your ability to analyse information from your sources. Specifically, it means selecting only those sources that are relevant to your research question. Moreover, they must help you form logical arguments and reach sound conclusions

Criterion C: Critical Thinking (12 marks)

Because this criterion has the highest mark allocation, critical thinking is the backbone of your History EE. To gain these 12 marks, you need to engage critically with historical sources and construct an argument that addresses your research question.

Remember, your arguments must be consistently relevant to your research question. Including irrelevant ideas will weaken your analysis and affect your score. Every point you make should be backed by specific evidence.

Essays that are primarily narrative or descriptive don’t score well. The whole point of this research is to develop a reasoned argument based on source analysis. The starting point is your position on the question, which you support with evidence and build toward a logical conclusion. Make sure this conclusion reflects your points throughout your investigation, but doesn’t introduce any new information.

An essential aspect of Criterion C is evaluating the significance and limitations of your sources. Whenever you’re citing a source or historian’s opinion, you need to discuss its reliability and relevance. This evaluation should naturally occur in your text instead of being isolated in a separate section.

Criterion D: Presentation (4 marks)

This criterion looks at how well your essay follows academic standards for research papers. While you may use section headings to organise your work, make sure they don’t distract from your overall structure or argument.

You are allowed to use charts, tables, and images, but only if they enhance your argument at that specific point. Unnecessary visual elements won’t earn extra marks and might actually detract from your essay. Typically, these elements don’t count toward your word limit unless you include tables containing significant text.

Whenever you use non-original materials (quotes, ideas, audiovisual content, data, etc.), you must properly cite them. All these sources should be added to the bibliography list in alphabetical order. Make sure to follow the exact format your school recommends, as well as prescribed formatting standards for the title page and table of contents. It is also critical to adhere to the 4,000-word limit – exceeding it won’t automatically lower your mark, but examiners won’t read beyond it.

Criterion E: Engagement (6 marks)

The final criterion assesses your engagement with both the research focus and process. Examiners evaluate this based on the Extended Essay itself, as well as the Reflections on Planning and Progress Form (RPPF), and the comments of your supervisor.

Your reflections should detail your decision-making process, planning, and the skills you developed. Specifically, you need to provide an explanation of your approach and the challenges you faced, along with your ways to overcome them. If you came up with additional questions during your investigation, you can discuss them in the RPPF as well. Basically, examiners want to get insights into your thinking and understand how the research process contributed to your learning.

Best practice for writing a successful IB History EE

Next, we would like to share some valuable tips on how to write a high-scoring IB History Extended Essay, from coming up with a good title to keeping your work plagiarism-free.

How to Choose an IB History Extended Essay topic

Your IB History EE journey begins with the first step – finding the right topic. You have to choose it right since it can make or break your entire experience. Here is what you can do to find your engaging topic:

1. Think about the historical periods, events, or themes that truly fascinate you. Since you’ll be spending months researching and writing about your chosen topic, it’s worth picking something that makes you curious. After all, when you are passionate about it, late-night research sessions will feel less like work and more like discovery.

2. Your topic needs to be specific enough to be examined thoroughly within the 4,000-word limit, yet broad enough to access sufficient historical sources. For example, “The Cold War” is far too broad, but “The Role of the Cuban Missile Crisis in Shaping U.S.-Soviet Diplomacy During the Cold War” offers the right balance.

3. Consider if you can come up with a fresh topic. This could be, for instance, a local historical event that hasn’t received much scholarly attention. Or maybe in recent years, new evidence has been discovered that challenges established historical interpretations.

4. It’s worth assessing historical sources before you start your investigation. Besides your school library, you can look for inspiration in a local archive, museum, or specialised databases. Sometimes, the availability of unique or interesting sources can help shape your topic choice.

5. Once you have a few potential topics in mind, discuss them with your supervisor. They can help you determine which ones are feasible and appropriate for an Extended Essay. Thanks to their experience with previous students, they can point out potential challenges or suggest approaches you hadn’t considered.

Craft a focused and clear research question

Our IB Historytutors say that they can often predict the final grade of an essay simply by looking at the quality of the research question. This only confirms how critical it is to make it investigation-worthy and clear.

Melina recommends ensuring your research question provides a clear target for your investigation. If your question is not grounded in your thesis, you are likely to end up with a paper that wanders through historical facts without making a compelling argument.

Second, a good question creates natural boundaries for your research. The IB Extended Essay has strict word limits. Therefore, you need these boundaries to keep your work focused and prevent it from becoming too broad or shallow.

So, a right IB History research question is extremely important. But how do you find one?

Melina suggests beginning with broad “how” and “why” questions about your chosen topic. For example, if you’re interested in the French Revolution, you might ask, “Why did the French monarchy collapse so quickly?”

Next, refine your question to make it more specific. You can do so by introducing more details, such as the causes of events, the parties involved, the time period under investigation, and so on. Your initial question might evolve into “To what extent did economic factors outweigh political grievances in triggering the French Revolution of 1789?”

To make sure you’re on the right path, you can run your potential questions through this three-part test:

Is it clear? Anyone reading it should immediately understand what you’re investigating.
Is it focused? You should be able to address it within 4,000 words.
Is it arguable? There should be room for analysis and multiple perspectives.

Remember, your IB History EE must focus on analysis rather than description. That’s why questions beginning with “To what extent…” or “How significant…” will naturally push you toward evaluation.

When working on your research question, it is also worth considering possible outcomes of your investigation. Let’s get back to our potential research question “To what extent did economic factors outweigh political grievances in triggering the French Revolution of 1789?”, you might want to outline arguments for economic primacy (bread shortages, taxation burden on peasants, financial crisis, etc.) against those emphasising political factors (aristocratic resistance to reform, Enlightenment ideals, and so on).

Also, you should consider what evidence you’ll need to support different positions. This helps identify any potential gaps in available research materials early on.

Last but not least, have a backup plan if your initial research reveals insufficient sources. Sometimes, what seems like a brilliant idea simply doesn’t have enough evidence to evolve into a full essay.

Present a clear and coherent thesis

A historical thesis is essentially your answer to the research question. You come to it based on the appropriate evidence and its interpretation.

Let’s go back to our potential research question: “To what extent did economic factors outweigh political grievances in triggering the French Revolution of 1789?”. Here, a strong main thesis might be the following: “While acute economic crises created the volatile conditions necessary for revolution, it was the political framework of absolutism that prevented peaceful reform. Therefore, economic factors were the immediate trigger, but only because long-standing political grievances had created a system incapable of adapting to economic challenges.”

This thesis acknowledges both factors but takes a clear position on their relationship and relative importance.

Melina says students often wonder how many arguments they need to have in their IB History EE. The best approach is to develop one overarching argument (your thesis) with several supporting points or sub-arguments.

In our French Revolution example, the thesis is: “Economic factors triggered the revolution, but only because political structures prevented the peaceful resolution of these problems.”

Meanwhile, the supporting points can be the following:

The immediate economic crisis of 1788-89 (poor harvests, bread shortages);
Long-term economic inequalities (tax burden on Third Estate);
Political rigidity of absolutism that prevented reforms;
The politically empowered aristocracy’s resistance to economic reforms;
How political Enlightenment ideas provided the intellectual framework to challenge the system.

Each of these points supports your main argument from different angles. Together, they create a comprehensive case without competing or contradicting each other.

Your thesis should be clear right from the start, i.e. you place it right in the introduction to answer your research question. The main body is where you go into more details and elaborate on your supporting points. Keep in mind that every paragraph should explicitly connect to your thesis. If you can’t explain how a particular section supports your thesis, it probably doesn’t belong in your essay.

Your thesis, along with supporting points, should directly stem from evidence. For example, when discussing bread prices in 1789, explain specifically how this connects to your argument about economic triggers. Make sure to provide citations from your sources to make your argument more persuasive.

You are likely to come across opposing viewpoints as you work with the sources. However, don’t ignore things that contradict your arguments. Instead, discuss them to show that you understand varying standpoints. For instance, you can mention perspectives that emphasise political ideology alone as the revolution’s cause, but ensure to explain (with evidence) why you believe your specific view is more convincing.

Finally, when presenting your points, you need to do it consistently and progressively. Each section of your History EE should logically flow into the next and help readers understand your position. Disconnected points won’t likely to bring you good marks within Criterion C Critical Thinking.

Use both primary and secondary sources

Strictly speaking, IB History EE assessment criteria don’t explicitly require you to use both primary and secondary sources. However, examiners welcome a varied approach. That’s because it may help you view historical events from different perspectives and build a more nuanced analysis. The truth is, two sources covering the same topic can tell very different stories, depending on the author’s intent, time period, and ideological stance.

Primary sources offer direct, firsthand accounts of historical events. They capture an author’s perspective at the moment and remain free from later interpretations. You may find it useful to engage with these types of primary sources:

Personal letters;
Official government documents;
Newspaper articles from the time;
Photographs and artwork;
Diaries and personal journals;
Speeches and interviews.

Secondary sources, on the other hand, analyse and interpret primary materials. Their value is that they place events in context. These are:

Scholarly books;
Academic journal articles;
Historians’ interpretations and analyses;
Comprehensive overviews of historical periods;
Synthesised research from multiple primary sources.

Melina recommends that you choose secondary sources that reflect different schools of thought (Orthodox, Revisionist, or Post-Revisionist) and a lens of interpretation. For instance, Marxist historians tend to frame revolutions as class struggle, while liberal historians often shift their focus to political freedoms and governance.

Remember, examiners don’t assess your ability to collect resources. What they want to see is how you use them to construct an evidence-based argument. Therefore, your task is to select those that help answer your research question and analyse their worth and reliability. Ultimately, this is an exercise in historical thinking.

Pay attention to the historiography of your topic

Contrary to popular belief, history is not an objective set of facts. In fact, when you read about historical events, you are likely to encounter various perspectives, as well as political or ideological influences. Besides, newly uncovered evidence can add an extra depth to well-known historical episodes. All these varying historical perspectives and points of view are what is known as historiography.

Historiography is what you need to pay attention to when working with your secondary sources. Specifically, you should examine how different historians have framed an event you write about, identify contrasting viewpoints, and evaluate the credibility of their claims.

Typically, historical interpretations fall into three categories:

Orthodox historians are those who write soon after an event (within 10 years of its occurrence). They tend to reflect the dominant views of their time and immediate political narratives.
Revisionist historians revisit events decades later. They often challenge established interpretations and, sometimes, completely change our understanding.
Post-Revisionist historians take an even broader view. They may incorporate multiple perspectives and use newly available materials (such as declassified documents) to create a more balanced assessment.

Remember, historiography is not an add-on to your IB History Extended Essay. In other words, it doesn’t require a separate section. Instead, it should flow naturally into your argument. A good start is to establish the basic facts of an event and present your evidence. At key moments, you can bring in a historian’s viewpoint to add depth to your analysis. For instance, you might say, “This perspective aligns with the views of historian Richard J. Evans, who argued that…”.

Create a detailed outline to organise your ideas

We have already explained the importance of a logical and appropriate structure and even suggested one. But before you start filling it with text, it’s worth outlining your main ideas and establishing a particular course for your historical investigation.

Let’s start with an introduction since it is the opening section of your Extended Essay. Here, you should draw out its essential elements, such as topic overview, why it’s relevant, which background information you want to provide, and a brief explanation of your approach. Although you might want to outline your introduction early on, we suggest finalising it last. It is actually easier to do so once all your arguments and evidence are in place.

The body of your Extended Essay is its most valuable part. Try to think in advance which sections you want it to feature. Keep in mind that each section should support a distinct point related to your research question. Therefore, all of them must introduce their own argument and provide supporting evidence. These sections don’t have to be separated by headers and specified in the table of contents. In fact, it is better that you keep this division purely mental to tie all your ideas together. In the actual essay, however, it’s best to keep a natural flow, i.e. your new argument should stem from the previous one.

While outlining your arguments, consider the sources you are going to use. You can note their perspectives and possible citations to back up your claims. Simultaneously, start building a list of our references. This can help you prevent last-minute scrambling.

Your conclusion is another section that benefits from planning early, even if you write it last. Even at this early stage, try to think of the broader implications of your research – what larger historical understanding will it contribute?

Remember, this outline isn’t necessarily a plan of action. It is just the likely direction of the research, something that is supposed to keep you on track. As your investigation progresses, you might refine your arguments or shift your focus completely.

Break the process into manageable steps

Writing a History Extended Essay might seem daunting. Indeed, the IBO envisions 40 hours for the process, but you might spend even more with profound research and all of the revisions. The good news, you don’t need to tackle everything at once. The best approach is to break your essay down into smaller, manageable steps.

It’s worth spending some time on your research question. After all, it shapes the direction of your essay and ensures you have a clear focus. At this point, it makes sense to conduct some preliminary investigation and see if there are enough sources to support a meaningful analysis. However, don’t start the actual research before you discuss your question with the supervisor and get the green light.

The next step is to gather your sources. This phase might take days or even weeks, depending on your topic. You’ll spend a lot of time reading, taking notes, and collecting citations, so keep track of everything as you go. At the same stage, you should consider different historiographical perspectives.

Outlining your essay is the next step. Don’t spend too much time on it since it is rather a skeleton of your investigation, not a rigid plan. As your arguments evolve, your structure might shift, and that’s okay.

When it’s time to draft your essay, the 4,000-word limit may seem frightening. In reality, it is something you can easily produce over the weekend. However, you don’t have to rush with it. The most effective approach is to work steadily and focus on one section at a time. You could begin with the main body, perhaps by developing each of your arguments sequentially. As you work on it, it’s wise to keep track of your citations and simultaneously build your bibliography. This will save you time later. Once the main body is complete, you can move on to writing your conclusion and reflections. Introduction may come after this, i.e. after you know exactly what your work is all about. Finally, the title page and table of contents may come last in the process.

Step by step, you get your first draft. We recommend completing it during the break between Year 1 and Year 2 in the IB Diploma Programme. This way, you will have plenty of time for revision in your second year in high school.

Speaking about revision, start working on it after submitting your first draft to the supervisor. If your research and analysis were solid, revisions might just involve refining your language, ensuring a logical flow throughout your essay, and checking formatting.

Take detailed notes

As you gather information for your historical investigation, make sure to take notes. The best way to approach this task is to organise everything by a historiography (or an author if you use multiple sources with the same perspective) or an argument. To refine the process, you may use digital tools such as Evernote or OneNote. But even if you prefer handwritten notes, keeping them well-structured can make a huge difference.

Melina can’t highlight enough how important this is: “Have a folder/document that collects all the information you’re working with, because these can get easily lost if not accounted for in the moment. If you’re working with webpages, make sure you take screenshots and note the date of access, as they may be modified, or the preview of an article may offer different pages/chapters.”

How do you organise them exactly? Historical concepts can help you focus on the things necessary for your evidence:

Causation – note the reasons behind the events in question;
Consequence – write down their impact, both immediate and long-term;
Change – explore how societies, governments, ideologies, etc. evolved;
Continuity – point out what remained stable despite the major changes;
Significance – here you determine why an event matters and how it connects to broader historical narratives;
Perspectives – comment on how different historians or groups interpret the same events.

Along with this, make sure to capture essential details, including names, dates, locations, and data points. When citing sources, note page numbers and publication details to streamline your bibliography later on.

Seek regular feedback from your supervisor

Throughout your History Extended Essay journey, you will have three mandatory sessions with your supervisor. They are in place to make sure you can keep the deadlines and meet the IB expectations. At the same time, they are an opportunity to refine your research.

The first session is typically about your research question. Your supervisor can help you narrow your topic and make it academically viable. They may also evaluate whether you’ll have enough sources to support your investigation.

At the second meeting, your supervisor would like to see your progress with your IB History Extended Essay. By this stage, you should have a solid foundation of research and an initial outline. Your supervisor can provide feedback on your arguments or suggest historiographical perspectives you may have overlooked. Overall, the goal here is to spot any major flaws or inconsistencies early in your investigation.

The final mandatory session takes place after you submit your first full draft. The feedback from your supervisor should tell you how to further improve your work. It may concern the structure of the essay or something more substantial, such as refining your main argument or source evaluation. In any case, you need to incorporate the suggested changes to be confident that you meet the EE standards.

Along with this, the help of your supervisor can extend outside these mandatory sessions. Often, it is possible to seek informal feedback throughout the process and clarify any doubts you may have.

Avoid plagiarism

The IBO puts a lot of value on academic honesty. When you submit your Extended Essay, it must be your original work. Plagiarism is not acceptable in any form, even if it is unintentional. That’s why, if you include quotes or visual material created by others, you must cite their sources. In its Academic Integrity Policy, the IBO points out that citations show respect to the intellectual work of other people and make your research more credible.

If you fail to meet this requirement, you will not receive a grade for your Extended Essay. And without it, you won’t be able to get your IB diploma. Sure, you have a chance to submit a new Extended Essay, but it is far wiser to adhere to the academic honesty guidelines from the get-go. This way, you can avoid unnecessary stress.

In recent years, another crucial aspect of academic integrity has emerged: the use of AI tools. If you happen to delegate writing tasks to AI, you should treat such texts similarly to your sources, i.e. cite them in your work and bibliography. However, you are unlikely to receive high marks for minimal personal contribution.

The IBO itself doesn’t prohibit IA as long as you use it ethically. For instance, you may rely on artificial intelligence models to check your spelling, but not for writing your entire essay. Interestingly, a certain amount of AI content is tolerated, due to the probability of false positives for academic writing, where even an EE produced entirely through your independent research could, in theory, be flagged as AI-generated.

If this happens, Melina says the best pay to provide evidence of your authorship is through having early drafts and notes, and being able to thoroughly explain your research process. To avoid issues she recommends being in touch regularly with your supervisor: “It is the teacher that will vouch for the authenticity of your work. Make sure you’re working steadily and communicating with them so you can easily prove the authorship of your text.”

Common mistakes to avoid in an IB History EE

Every year, IB History supervisors keep seeing the same mistakes, which happen even to the most dedicated students at times. They result in lower grades and disappointment. If you don’t want this to happen to you, too, Melina suggests being aware of these pitfalls:

Don’t choose an overly broad topic. Topics such as “The Causes of World War II” or “The French Revolution” are too expansive for a 4,000-word essay and will lead to a superficial analysis.
Don’t tell a story. Your History EE must be about developing an analytical argument and defending it with evidence.
Don’t overlook historiography. An Extended Essay in History is a continuation of historical debates. That’s why it is important to represent various historical perspectives on the chosen topic.
Don’t make your EE too personal. While it’s natural to form opinions about historical events, you shouldn’t allow a personal bias to affect your analysis.
Don’t make your research question descriptive. It must be analytical and allow for debate or multiple interpretations.
Don’t exceed the word count. An Extended Essay that is longer than 4,000 words will only indicate poor planning or an excessively broad topic.
Don’t neglect the reflection process. The Reflections on Planning and Progress Form is also part of your Extended Assessment, and it contributes to your marks for engagement with the research process.
Don’t simply summarise your arguments in the conclusion. You should also explain their significance within the broader historical context.
Don’t forget about proper citation. Inconsistent or incorrect citations may result in academic dishonesty concerns.

Last but not least, don’t ignore supervisor feedback. Thanks to their experience with many Extended Essays, your supervisor can offer valuable guidance on how to improve your research. If you don’t address their suggestions, you will deprive yourself of the chance to get full marks.

Get a tutor to enhance your essay-writing skills

Just like every other core component of the Diploma Programme, your Extended Essay brings you one step closer to obtaining your diploma. However, nobody promised that this step is going to be easy. Even if you genuinely enjoy the research process, it will require a significant amount of time and effort, with many stumbling blocks along the way.

Having said that, there is one way to make your journey easier. A knowledgeable tutor, who specialises in IB History and has EE supervisor experience, can show you a shorter path to success. At TutorsPlus, we are privileged to have exactly these experts on our team. Even a few sessions with one of our tutors can result in a higher grade compared to a solo effort.

Don’t hesitate to contact TutorsPlus at +41 22 731 8148 or if you’re having issues with your IB History Extended Essay. From helping you with finding your topic and research question to reviewing your analysis, one of our amazing tutors can be there for you throughout the entire investigation process.