Loading...
Loading...
The EE is a research paper disguised as homework — and one of the few Diploma components where a Biology student can demonstrate genuine scientific voice. This guide covers topic choice, the 5 criteria, timeline, and what examiners reward.
Pick a biology topic you can access with your school equipment or existing datasets. Avoid topics requiring organisms or equipment you cannot legally or practically obtain.
The RQ must be specific, arguable, and testable within 4,000 words. Prefer "How does [IV] affect [DV] in [organism/system]?" over thematic or descriptive questions.
Schedule at least 3 supervisor meetings (initial, draft, pre-submission). Your supervisor can approve your RQ and give structural feedback but cannot rewrite your work.
Whether wet-lab, field, or database, maintain a reflective research journal (part of the assessment). Document every methodological decision.
Criterion A: Focus and Method. B: Knowledge and Understanding. C: Critical Thinking. D: Presentation. E: Engagement (from your reflections).
Move background, safety protocol, and raw data to appendices. The main body is argument + evidence + analysis — nothing else.
| Criterion | Marks | What examiners reward |
|---|---|---|
| A — Focus and Method | 6 | Clear RQ, justified methodology, appropriate scope for 4,000 words. |
| B — Knowledge and Understanding | 6 | Subject-specific terminology used correctly, sources placed in context of wider biology. |
| C — Critical Thinking | 12 | Argument is well structured, evidence is analysed, counter-evidence acknowledged. The highest-weight criterion. |
| D — Presentation | 4 | Structure, formal academic register, accurate citations, within word limit. |
| E — Engagement | 6 | Assessed from the Reflections on Planning and Progress Form (RPPF) — 500 words of your own voice. |
Total: 34 marks → letter grade A (27–34), B (21–26), C (14–20), D (7–13), E (0–6).
The Extended Essay (EE) is an independent 4,000-word research paper and a required Diploma component. A Biology EE is a student-led investigation into a specific biological question, supervised by a teacher. It is graded A-E and, combined with TOK, contributes up to 3 bonus points toward the IB Diploma.
Two key differences. The IA is 3,000 words and contributes 20% to the Biology subject grade; the EE is 4,000 words and contributes 0% to the Biology grade but up to 3 points to the Diploma. The IA rubric is 4 criteria × 6 marks; the EE rubric is 5 criteria assessed against a single A-E letter grade. See our IA vs EE disambiguation page for a side-by-side table.
Not the same research question. You can work within the same topic area — for example both investigating enzyme kinetics — but the specific research questions, experimental designs, and analyses must be distinct. Examiners treat near-duplicate IA/EE submissions as a malpractice concern.
Plan for 8–12 months, typically starting in late Year 1 (DP1) and submitting by December of Year 2 (DP2). IB suggests 40 hours of student work including research, experimentation, writing, and supervisor meetings. Starting earlier gives buffer for failed experiments.
Across 100+ supervised Biology EEs, our students averaged grade B, with ~35% achieving grade A. The most common reason for B vs A: insufficient depth of biological engagement in the discussion section — often fixable in the final revision round.
No. Biology EEs can be experimental (wet-lab investigation), observational (field study), or database/secondary-data driven. Since 2023 guidance, database-driven EEs are fully accepted as long as the student processes raw data and generates biological conclusions.
Cerebrum's EE Coaching includes topic validation, 3 structured feedback rounds, and RPPF guidance — the 3 areas where most Biology EEs slip from A to B.
Book EE Coaching