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Moderator Reports

The IBO compiles a moderator's report that outlines the way in which students have addressed the criteria. This report contains detailed information about the strengths and weaknesses of essays in each subject area and is vitally important to the success of your own essay.

Topic Examples

Below is a list of research questions completed by Scotch students to help give you ideas about the type of topics you could investigate.

History To what extent did Australia’s 1967 Constitutional Referendum benefit Indigenous Australians' claims to land rights?
History Analyze the experience of children at the Moore River Native Settlement between 1919 and 1939.
Language and Literature - A How do Thomas Keneally in Schindler’s Ark and Elie Wiesel in Night employ patterns of imagery to deepen the reader’s understanding of human experiences during the Holocaust?
Language and Literature - A In what ways and to what effect do Murakami and Eggers utilize metafictional devices in Colourless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage and A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius?
ITGS What strategies have been implemented to control Australian media piracy over the past five years (2010-15) and to what extent have they been effective?
World Studies: Environmental sustainability What role can zeolite play in reducing the eutrophication process in waterways affected by excessive fertilizer runoff?
Biology What is the impact of essential oils, including clove, tea tree, eucalyptus and lavender, on combatting and inhibiting the growth of both Penicillium chrysogenum and Aspergillus niger on nutrient agar at 35˚C over a five day period?
Physics What is the relationship between the kinetic energy of an impacting body and the size of the crater created and how can an understanding of this be used to predict the environmental impact of such collisions?
Economics To what extent can the market for clinical psychologists in private practice in Perth be considered perfectly competitive?
Chemistry What concentration range (ppm) of cyanuric acid allows for optimisation of hypochlorite ion and hypochlorous acid levels in swimming pool water?
Chemistry What are the optimum conditions for storing ascorbic acid; specifically air exposure time, storage material and temperature?
Visual Arts How does Takashi Murakami draw the link between traditional Japanese aesthetics and Japanese modern graphics through the art style Superflat?
History Analyse the effects of the introduction of chemical weaponry technology on Allied soldiers on the Western Front throughout the First World War.
Language and Literature By what means and to what effect does Ray Bradbury utilize characterization to highlight the consequences of technology and media use in the novel Fahrenheit 451, investigated through the lens of Jean Baudrillard’s media theories?
Language and Literature How and to what effect is the issue of climate change represented in the documentary Before the Flood and on the social media platform Twitter?
Geography To what extent does the White Gum Valley project in Perth meet the principles of One Planet Living?
Film How have contemporary auteur directors interpreted the French New Wave to create an enduring notion of film as art?
Theatre To what extent are Islamic theatrical traditions a purely original concept or are they adapted from Western theatre traditions?
Psychology To what the extent does genetic composition impact perceptions of happiness in comparison to the predominant cognitive and social cultural theories?
Music In what ways are the characteristics of jazz and gospel of the 1960s incorporated into Duke Ellington first sacred song- In the Beginning, God?

Introduction

Welcome to the Extended Essay resource guide. The Extended Essay is an Investigation into a topic that personally interests you. Explore this topic to develop a reasoned argument that proves your ideas. This resource guide contains information designed to support you through your Extended Essay.

What is the Extended Essay

The Extended Essay is an opportunity for you to conduct independent research into a topic you are personally interested in. You can elect any field of research that relates to one of the subject areas in your Diploma course. The advantage of selecting your own topic is that you have the opportunity to research an area that you are truly interested in allowing you to become fully engaged in what you are discovering. The Extended Essay is designed to help you to continue to develop the skills you need to progress from a largely prescriptive academic environment to the independence and self-motivation required to become a successful tertiary student.

The Extended Essay is one of the three core components of the IB Diploma Programme. It is an opportunity for you to showcase the skills you have acquired as an IB student.

Extended Essay in Brief

Contact

Loreen Kerrigan | IB Extended Essay Coordinator | Humanities and TOK Teacher
Scotch College | 76 Shenton Road, Swanbourne, WA, 6010
Tel: (08) 9383 6865 E: Loreen.Kerrigan@scotch.wa.edu.au

Subject Specific introduction to the Extended Essay

Individuals and Societies
Introduction into the Individuals and Societies Extended Essay.
Language Acquisition
Introduction into the Language Acquisition Extended Essay.
Mathematics
Introduction into the Mathematics Extended Essay.
The Sciences
Introduction into the Sciences Extended Essay.
Interdisciplinary Essays
An introduction into the Interdisciplinary Essays Extended Essay.
Language and Literature
An introduction into the Language and Literature Extended Essay.
The Arts
An introduction into The Arts Extended Essay.

Examples and Results

EXAMPLES

RESULTS

Key Terms

analyse Break down in order to bring out the essential elements or structure. To identify parts and relationships, and to interpret information to reach conclusions.
demonstrate Prove or make clear by reasoning or evidence, illustrating with examples or practical application.
describe Give a detailed account or picture of a situation, event, pattern or process.
document Credit sources of information used by referencing (or citing) following one recognized referencing system. References should be included in the text and also at the end of the piece of work in a reference list or bibliography.
evaluate Assess the implications and limitations; make judgments about the ideas, works, solutions or methods in relation to selected criteria.
formulate Express precisely and systematically the relevant concept(s) or argument(s).
identify Provide an answer from a number of possibilities. Recognize and state briefly a distinguishing fact or feature.
interpret Use knowledge and understanding to recognize trends and draw conclusions from given information.
investigate Observe, study or make a detailed and systematic examination, in order to establish facts and reach new conclusions.
key concept Key concepts are powerful ideas that have relevance within the subject group but also transcend it. Students must explore and re-explore key concepts in order to develop a coherent, in-depth understanding.
recognise Identify through patterns or features.
synthesize Combine different ideas in order to create new understanding.
use Apply knowledge or rules to put theory into practice.