How to Succeed in the New IB Extended Essay (First Assessment 2027)

The first decision shapes your entire essay. You now choose one of two pathways.

Subject-Focused Pathway

This is the traditional deep-dive into one DP subject. You research and write using the concepts, theories, and methods of a single discipline. It suits students with a clear, narrow focus inside one subject. If you love your Chemistry course and have a specific question that lives inside it, this is your path.

Interdisciplinary Pathway

This is the new replacement for World Studies. You combine two DP subjects to answer one complex question. Picture Biology and Geography working together to investigate coastal erosion and species loss. Picture Economics and Psychology examining consumer behaviour.

Two things make this pathway powerful:

• It is no longer restricted to “global significance.” The old World Studies essay forced a global lens. The new pathway does not. You can merge any two subjects to serve your question.
• The split does not have to be even. A combination of Economics and Theatre does not need a 50–50 balance. What matters is that the two subjects genuinely integrate to answer the research question.

The IB also gives you five interdisciplinary frameworks to position your idea: power, equality, justice; culture, identity, expression; movement, time, space; evidence, measurement, innovation; and systems, complexity, interdependence. These frameworks guide your thinking. They are not assessed directly.

Five criteria carry marks, labelled A through E. The total is 30. According to the IB's official Extended Essay guide, here is how the points break down.

• Criterion A — Framework for the Essay (6 marks). Formal presentation is now folded into this criterion. Your focus is the research question and the methodology. A clear, answerable question and a sound method earn these marks.
• Criterion B — Knowledge and Understanding (6 marks). This rewards correct use of subject-specific terminology and concepts. Show that you understand the field, not just the topic.
• Criterion C — Analysis and Line of Argument (6 marks). This measures the logic of your investigation. Your argument must build, step by step, toward your conclusion.
• Criterion D — Discussion and Evaluation (8 marks). This is the critical point. It is the highest-weighted criterion in the entire essay. You must show evaluative thinking throughout the work, not only in a final paragraph. Weigh your evidence. Question your sources. Acknowledge limitations as you go.
• Criterion E — Reflection (4 marks). This reflects the shift to the new Reflection and Progress Form (RPF). The marks are lower than before, and the format is completely different. More on that next.

The reflection is the most changed part of the EE.

What is new

Previous years required three separate reflection entries. 2027 requires one consolidated reflective statement of up to 500 words. You write it after the viva voce, your final interview with your supervisor.

What to write about

The IB wants your growth, not your diary. Do not simply describe what you did. Focus on two things:

1. Skills transfer. Which research, thinking, and writing skills did you build, and how will they carry into future work?
2. Intellectual growth. How did your thinking change? What did you learn about how you learn?

A strong reflection sounds like a learner who grew. A weak reflection sounds like a summary of steps. Aim for the first.

The EE is roughly a 40-hour research project. Spread across the diploma, that demands a plan. Follow these steps.

1. The “digital-first” research stage. Start in academic databases, not a general search engine. Track every source from day one. Manage your digital references in one place so your citations stay clean and your reading stays organised.
2. Craft a “two-lens” research question. This step matters most on the Interdisciplinary Pathway. Write a question that genuinely needs both subjects to answer. If one subject could answer it alone, the question is not interdisciplinary yet.
3. Move from draft to viva voce on a clear timeline. Plan backward from your deadline. Set milestones for your proposal, your first draft, your supervisor meetings, and your viva voce. Treat each milestone as fixed, not flexible.

A simple timeline keeps the 40 hours from becoming a final-week panic.

Three moves separate top essays from average ones.

• Build evaluation into every chapter. Criterion D is worth nearly 30% of the grade. Do not save evaluation for the conclusion. Question your evidence, compare interpretations, and name limitations inside each section as you write.
• Use the simplified subject-group guidance. The IB now organises guidance into subject groups — for example, one set of guidance for all the Sciences. Read the guidance for your subject group early. On the Interdisciplinary Pathway, read both relevant guidances if your subjects sit in different groups.
• Maximise supervisor synergy. Three reflection sessions remain mandatory. Treat them as working sessions, not status checks. Bring questions, bring evidence of progress, and leave with clear next steps.

The 2027 Extended Essay is an evolution, not a revolution. The structure is leaner. The pathways are clearer. The reflection is simpler. Yet the bar for thinking has risen — the new system rewards how you think, not just what you found.

Master Criterion D. Choose your pathway with intent. Write a reflection that shows real growth. Do those three things, and the “A” is within reach. You do not have to navigate these changes alone.