The Extended Essay: Get Started, Get Feedback, Get it Done, Extend Yourself

1. Webnote 503THE EXTENDED ESSAY GET STARTED GET FEEDBACK GET IT DONE EXTEND YOURSELF……… O'Farrell Buckley Webnote 503

2. The Easier Bits… Research question 2 marks Introduction 2 marks Conclusion 2 marks Abstract 2 marks Presentation 4 marks Se yourself a target of 10 to 12 points here ! O'Farrell Buckley Webnote 503

3. The Harder Bits… Investigation 4 marks Knowledge and Understanding 4 marks Argument 4 marks Language 4 marks Critical Evaluation 4 marks Holistic 4 marks Your target should be at least level 3 for each of these! O'Farrell Buckley Webnote 503

4. The RQ Things to ask yourself… Do you have one? Is it clear - can you explain what it is about? Is it focused? Does it have clear limits (time , people, places, events etc) Does it use the language of the subject you are writing in? Does it fit well in the subject you are writing in? Can it be answered ( or can a meaningful answer be attempted) in 4000 words? O'Farrell Buckley Webnote 503

5. TheIntroduction Things to ask yourself… Do you explain why the RQ is important? Do you report what you have read in the sources you have used? Does the information from the sources relate directly to the RQ? Do you explain what is already known (from your sources) and what you hope to add to this thorugh your own research… O'Farrell Buckley Webnote 503

6. The Conclusion Things to ask yourself… Do you restate the RQ ? ( good idea!) Do you give an answer for the RQ ( you should!) Does your answer agree with the evidence you have presented ? (it should!) Do you introduce completely new ideas here? ( Bad idea) Do you suggest extensions to the research? (Good idea) O'Farrell Buckley Webnote 503

7. The Abstract Things to ask yourself… Do you have one? ( you must) Is it less than 300 words long? (it must be) Does it contain the RQ and your conclusion? (it should!) Does it tell the reader what the essay is about ? ( it must) Do you briefuly outline the research methods that you used?(Good idea) O'Farrell Buckley Webnote 503

8. Formal presentation… Things to ask yourself… Have you used the template from the library website? ( GOOD idea!!) Is the essay less than 4000 words long? (it must be) Do your have a bibliography and in- text references? ( you must) Do the bibliography and in- text references match up? ( they must) Have you checked all of the technical elements : title page, table of contents, list of illustrations, page numbers, footnotes or in text references, bibliography, abstract, illustrations? (Good idea) O'Farrell Buckley Webnote 503

9. Once you have done all of this you can check the “harder bits”! O'Farrell Buckley Webnote 503

10. The Investigation Things to ask yourself… ( you need a ”yes” answer in each case!) Have you planned the investigation? Does the essay contain any evidence that you have planned it? Is there clear evidence that it is your own work? Is the investigation based on a recognized set of methods or a recognized approach in the subject? Have you accessed / read the right kind and variety of sources? (does this come over clearly in the essay?) Have you gathered enough of the right kind of data or information to answer the RQ? O'Farrell Buckley Webnote 503

11. Knowledge and Understanding Things to ask yourself Is it clear that you know what you are talking (writing) about? Do you understand it yourself? ( a good starting point) Do your ideas go beyond the subject syllabus ? ( they should) Do you explain difficult concepts and ideas? (you should!) O'Farrell Buckley Webnote 503

12. The Argument Things to ask yourself… Do you have a CLEAR LINE of argument? (you need to) Does the argument go something like this: here is my idea, here is the question I would like to try to answer based on this idea, here is the evidence I have been able to gather, here is what I think the evidence is saying, here is what I conclude from this ? ( It should!) O'Farrell Buckley Webnote 503

13. Language Things to ask yourself… Do you use the typical language of the subject? (you should) Do you use jargon? ( you should not) Is your language simple and easy to follow? ( it should be) Do you explain difficult subject specific terms (ones that are not found in the syllabus). ( you should) Is your language style consistent? ( it should be) O'Farrell Buckley Webnote 503

14. Critical Evaluation Things to ask yourself… Have I looked back at my work and thought about weaknesses in what I have done and written? (you should) Have you explained these weaknesses and said why they were unavoidable? ( you should ) Have you outlined how they might be avoided in future research? ( you should) Have you evaluated your sources? O'Farrell Buckley Webnote 503

15. Holistic Judegement Things to ask yourself… Is my essay interesting? ( it should be!) Does it contain evidence that I actually enjoyed writing it? that I was excited about the ideas? that I went beyond the minimum requirements? that I worked hard to overcome difficulties? ( it should!) O'Farrell Buckley Webnote 503