DP extended essay updates

The new extended essay (EE) will be launched in February 2025. First assessment will take place in May 2027.

Below you will find an overview of the course updates. For a technical breakdown of the DP curriculum and assessment methods for this course, read the extended essay subject brief.

You also can view information on the current extended essay course.

To view all subject briefs, visit the DP curriculum page. 

Overview of the new course

The EE, a component of the DP core, is a compulsory, externally assessed piece of independent research presented as a formal piece of academic writing. It is an in-depth study of a focused topic—undertaken either through a subject-focused approach or an interdisciplinary approach. Students choose from the list of available DP subjects for the examination session in question. This normally is one of the six subjects a student is taking (or two, in the case of the interdisciplinary approach) or a subject that a course student has a background in.  

The EE is intended to promote academic research and writing skills, providing students with an opportunity to engage in personal research in a topic of their own choice under the guidance of a supervisor (an appropriately qualified member of staff within the school). Students produce a significant piece of appropriately presented and structured writing in which they communicate their ideas and findings in a coherent, reasoned manner, appropriate to the subject(s) chosen.  

The updated EE puts a stronger emphasis on students using an interdisciplinary approach to research in order to address complex issues and questions. The world studies EE has been absorbed into a broader, more flexible interdisciplinary pathway within the new EE, where students integrate the lenses of two DP subjects. Focusing on one subject for the EE also is an equally viable research pathway for students, depending on the nature of the topic.

Course content changes

• Two clearly defined research pathways: interdisciplinary or subject-focused
• Categories have been removed from language A and language B essays 
• The understanding of reflection in the EE has been enhanced to focus more on the growth of the student through the EE experience, notably the transferable skills learned

Changes to the assessment model

The new assessment model covers the same areas as its predecessor; however, the criteria have been redesigned to improve upon the capacity of the previous criteria to reliably and consistently assess students' performance.

Assessment criteria	Guiding question
Framework for the essay  (6 marks)	Do the research question, research methods and structural conventions followed provide an effective framework for the essay?
Knowledge and understanding  (6 marks)	Does the student demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the subject matter being used in their research?
Analysis and line of argument  (6 marks)	Does the student analyse the information presented in the essay and produce a line of argument?
Discussion and evaluation (8 marks)	Does the student discuss the findings and evaluate the essay?
Reflection  (4 marks)	Does the student evaluate the effect of the extended essay learning experience on them as a learner?