Does an Economics EE need primary data?

Not necessarily. Strong essays can be built on either primary data (prices you collect, surveys) or good secondary data, as long as the data genuinely tests the question. What matters is that theory is applied to real evidence rather than discussed in the abstract.

How many diagrams should an Economics EE include?

Use as many as your argument needs — typically several — but every diagram must be adapted to your specific market and referred to in the analysis. Generic textbook diagrams that are never used to explain your data earn little credit.

Can I write my Economics EE on a macroeconomic topic?

You can, but scope is the danger. Whole-economy questions are hard to answer convincingly in 4,000 words. Narrowing to one policy, one market or one country over a defined period usually produces a stronger essay.

IB Economics Extended Essay

The IB Economics Extended Essay is a 4,000-word investigation that applies economic theory to a real market, policy or economic question, marked out of 34 against the five Extended Essay criteria. It is not an essay about economics — it is economics done to something specific: a defined market, a defined policy, a defined period, with real data tested against the predictions of a model. Essays that never touch data cannot demonstrate application, and application is where the analysis marks live.

A strong Economics research question names the product, the place and the period; carries a clear theoretical frame (elasticity, market structure, externalities, intervention); has evidence you can realistically obtain; and uses “to what extent” phrasing that forces a judgement. Normative questions (“is capitalism better than socialism?”) and textbook-chapter questions (“what are the causes of inflation?”) leave nothing to investigate and nothing to evaluate.

Examples of Strong Research Questions

To what extent did the UK sugar levy change the pricing and product range of soft drinks sold by major supermarkets?
To what extent does the ride-hailing market in one city behave as the oligopoly model predicts?
To what extent has competition from low-cost airlines reduced fares on a single short-haul route?

Assessment Criteria and Common Mistakes

Criterion A — Focus and method (6 marks) rewards a bounded question and a credible research design: what data, from where, over what period, analysed with which models. Criterion B — Knowledge and understanding (6 marks) rewards models chosen because they fit the case. Criterion C — Critical thinking (12 marks), the highest-weighted, rewards analysis of evidence through theory, evaluation of the theory’s assumptions, alternative explanations considered, and honest treatment of the data’s limitations. Criterion D — Presentation (4 marks) covers structure, labelled figures and referenced data sources. Criterion E — Engagement (6 marks) is assessed through the RPPF reflections. Diagrams must be adapted to your market and explicitly used in the analysis — generic textbook figures that are never mentioned again earn nothing.

Common mark-losers in Economics EEs: no data at all; generic diagrams never connected to the market being studied; descriptive journalism without models; whole-economy scope that cannot be investigated in 4,000 words; unexamined assumptions; and confident conclusions that mixed evidence cannot carry.

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