Extended Essay criteria explained (2027)

These are our own plain-words summaries of the five criteria for the Extended Essay from May 2027. We have deliberately not copied the IB's wording or its descriptors, so read the official criteria alongside this page: your school can give you the IB's version, and the IB's version is what examiners use.

Total 30 marks. D carries the most (8), and E is marked from the reflective statement on your reflection and progress form, not from the essay itself. Whichever pathway you choose, subject-focused or interdisciplinary, the same five criteria apply.

A. Framework for the essay (6 marks)

What it rewards. A reader should finish your introduction knowing what you are asking, how you will find the answer and why that route is sensible. This criterion is about the planning that sits behind the essay: the question, the sources and methods you chose, and whether the structure follows from them.

What moves an essay up. Narrow the question until it is answerable, then show that each source and method was chosen for a reason. Organise the essay around the question rather than around topics, so each section clearly advances the answer. On the interdisciplinary route, show why you need both subjects.

Common slips. A question so broad that the essay can only survey; sources picked because they were easy rather than because they suit the question; headings that name topics, not steps in an argument; no sentence anywhere that says what the method is.

Checklist

• Can I state my question in one sentence with a limit built in?
• Have I said, briefly, why my sources and method suit this question?
• Does every section title point back to the question?
• If I am on the interdisciplinary route, does each subject do work the other cannot?

B. Knowledge and understanding (6 marks)

What it rewards. Accurate, relevant subject knowledge, used with the language of the subject. It is not a test of how much you know; it is whether what you use is correct, suited to the question and understood well enough to apply.

What moves an essay up. Choose concepts, theories and terms that bear directly on the question, define them where a reader might need it, and use them to do something rather than to decorate. Show that you know where your question sits in the wider subject, for example which debate or model it connects to.

Common slips. Padding with background the question never needs; terminology used loosely or wrongly; relying on textbook-level sources only; knowledge that is accurate but never applied to the case.

Checklist

• Is each concept I introduce used later in my argument?
• Have I used the subject's vocabulary correctly and consistently?
• Do my sources go beyond a general textbook or website?
• Could a subject teacher find a factual error in my background?

C. Analysis and line of argument (6 marks)

What it rewards. Turning evidence into reasoning. The essay should move from claim to evidence to explanation to a conclusion that follows, rather than listing facts or quoting authorities.

What moves an essay up. Make every paragraph earn its place by advancing the answer. Explain what each piece of evidence shows and why it matters, link paragraphs so the argument builds, and stay on your question. A clear thread from the introduction to the conclusion is what lifts an essay from description to argument.

Common slips. Long summaries of background with a single line of analysis; evidence quoted and left to speak for itself; paragraphs that could be moved anywhere without changing the essay; a conclusion that introduces new points.

Checklist

• Does each paragraph make one claim and support it?
• After each piece of evidence, have I said what it shows?
• Could a reader summarise my argument from the first sentence of each paragraph?
• Does my conclusion answer the question I asked?

D. Discussion and evaluation (8 marks)

What it rewards. The largest criterion, and the one many essays under-serve. It rewards weighing: how strong is the evidence, how reliable are the methods, what do other interpretations say, and how confident should the reader be in your answer.

What moves an essay up. Evaluate as you go, not in one paragraph at the end. Say which evidence is strongest and why, where the method limits what you can claim, what a rival explanation would argue, and why you still prefer your conclusion. Qualified, specific judgements beat sweeping praise or blanket caution.

Common slips. Evaluation squeezed into the last 200 words; vague phrases such as "more research is needed"; limitations listed but never connected to how far the conclusion can be trusted; ignoring evidence that points the other way.

Checklist

• Have I weighed at least one rival explanation or interpretation?
• Do I say how far each limitation affects my conclusion?
• Is there evaluation in the body of the essay, not only at the end?
• Does my conclusion state how confident I am, and why?

E. Reflection (4 marks)

What it rewards. Your reflective statement of up to 500 words on the reflection and progress form. It rewards honest judgement of your own decisions and a clear sense of what you learned about researching, not a diary of what you did.

What moves an essay up. Pick two or three real decisions, such as changing the question, dropping a source or rethinking a method, and explain what you weighed and what you would do differently. Link what you learned to skills you can use again. Specific examples from your three reflection sessions help.

Common slips. A timeline of tasks; thanks to your supervisor; claims that the process went smoothly with no decisions named; writing the statement in one sitting after submission.

Checklist

• Have I named specific decisions and why I made them?
• Do I say what I learned that I will reuse?
• Does my statement draw on my reflection sessions?
• Is it within 500 words, and did I write it as I went?

Putting the marks together

Criteria A to D reward the essay, and D rewards it most, so evaluation should run through the whole piece. E is separate: it comes from the reflective statement, so keep notes after each of the three reflection sessions (the first, the interim and the viva voce). The essay is graded A to E from the 30 marks, you need at least a D to be awarded the Diploma, and combined with your TOK grade it can add up to 3 points.

If you are still choosing your question, start with topics and research questions. To see where the marks are earned in a plan, read the annotated outlines, and for length and what counts, see word count and rules.

Written by Ejaz Ahmad, IB teacher since 2015. Checked against the IB's published guide, October 2026. Photon Resources is independent of the IB.