Extended Essay 专题论文: Subject-specific Rules and Considerations

Most often a WSEE draws on subjects from across subject groups. The subjects can be within the same group—but students must not choose subjects that are too similar to allow for an interdisciplinary approach—for example economics and business management.

Students are advised to use only two Diploma Programme subjects, one of which they must be studying already.

The requirement for the study of a WSEE is that it is based on a topic of contemporary, global significance. This means that the subject-specific interpretations (such as the ten-year rule for History and the five-year rule for Economics) are not applicable to the WSEE

In general, most DP extended essay subjects require the use of both primary and secondary research sources. However, this is not always the case for certain subjects, and it is recommend to check the subject-specific guidance to corroborate the rules on primary research collection.  

• Social and cultural anthropology: Whereas the IA is based on primary sources, including fieldwork, the EE can only use primary sources as a supplement to secondary data and sources; the EE must be based on existing ethnographic material(s).

• Psychology: When choosing their topic, students should remember that their EE must be based on secondary sources ONLY. The collection of primary data is not permitted for the psychology EE.

Students must ensure that they are not using material submitted for any other assessment component as part of their EE submission. While resources can be shared between components, sometimes it is best to avoid this. Resources used for an IA, for example, could be used as part of the EE, but no content can be duplicated at all, so to prevent any cross-over the candidate would need to have a substantially different angle that they investigate and there must be a complete shift in focus. Supervisors play an important role in guiding students on these distinctions. Students risk failing to achieve their diploma if academic misconduct is detected.

• Mathematics: For example, students are not permitted to repeat any of the mathematics present in their IA in their EE, and vice-versa.

• Biology: For example, data collected for experiments undertaken as part of science lessons or the internal assessment task cannot be used as the basis of an EE in biology.

• Physics: For example, the same experiments cannot be used for the EE and the internal assessment or other practical work carried out during the course.

• Global politics: For example, the engagement activity and higher level extension tasks might give students ideas and inspiration for their EE, but they must not examine the same political issue.

• Economics: For example, the data gathered for an economics EE should not be used to fulfil the requirements of internal assessment tasks in other subjects.

• Classic languages: In particular, students of classical Greek or Latin should avoid overlap between their individual study and EE. For example, a student whose individual study investigates Roman agricultural practices should not submit an EE examining the extent to which Virgil’s Georgics promotes established farming techniques.