IB Extended Essay help

Perhaps you have typed "write my extended essay" or "help with IB extended essay" into a search bar at 11pm. The Extended Essay is the longest piece of academic writing most IB students have ever attempted, and it is easy to get stuck, not because you are not capable, but because you are not sure what "good enough" looks like. This guide explains the most common reasons students get stuck, what you can realistically do to get unstuck, and what kind of help is actually worth pursuing.

Why students get stuck on the Extended Essay

You don't have a focused enough research question

The most common reason IB students stall on their EE is that their research question is too broad to answer in 4,000 words. "What is the impact of social media on mental health?" cannot be answered rigorously in a 4,000-word essay. "To what extent does published research support a causal link between heavy social media use and depressive symptoms in adolescents?" is a question you could actually investigate, from the studies themselves.

If you are stuck, the first thing to do is not to write more but to narrow your question until it is specific enough to answer. Helping you design a focused, manageable research question is one of your supervisor's responsibilities. Book a meeting and come with three versions of your question, each narrower than the last.

You have research but don't know how to structure an argument

Many students have read enough to fill 8,000 words but don't know how to organise it into a coherent argument. The structure that works for almost every EE subject is:

1. Introduction: State your research question, define key terms, outline the scope of your investigation and how you will answer it. (about 300 to 400 words)
2. Background and existing research: Give the reader the context they need and show what published research or criticism already says about your topic. A review of the literature is required in every EE, and it can sit here or run through the body. (about 400 to 600 words)
3. Body: 2-4 focused sections, each making one clear point that advances your answer. Each section presents evidence, analyses it, and connects it back to your research question. (about 2,000 to 2,500 words)
4. Conclusion: Answer your research question directly. State what your investigation showed, acknowledge its limitations, and note what further research would be needed. (about 300 to 400 words)

If you outline your essay to this structure before writing, the blank page problem mostly disappears. You are no longer facing an essay, only sections you have already planned.

You don't know what the examiner wants

Through November 2026 the Extended Essay is marked on five criteria, and from May 2027 on a rewritten set marked out of 30. Many students never read the criteria closely, so they cannot aim their writing at what the examiner is marking. Through November 2026 the criteria are:

• Criterion A: Focus and method (6 marks). Is the research question clear? Is the methodology appropriate for answering it?
• Criterion B: Knowledge and understanding (6 marks). Does the student demonstrate understanding of the subject area and relevant theory?
• Criterion C: Critical thinking (12 marks). Is the analysis developed, original, and connected to the research question? Are conclusions supported by evidence?
• Criterion D: Presentation (4 marks). Is the essay well structured and consistently laid out?
• Criterion E: Engagement (6 marks). Do the reflections on the RPPF show intellectual engagement with the investigation and genuine reflection?

From May 2027 they are Criterion A: Framework for the essay (6 marks), B: Knowledge and understanding (6), C: Analysis and line of argument (6), D: Discussion and evaluation (8) and E: Reflection (4), with Reflection marked on the reflective statement in the RPF. Critical thinking carries 12 of 34 marks under the older set; Discussion and evaluation carries 8 of 30 under the new one. Either way, if you are not sure where your marks are going, start with your analysis sections: are you arguing, or are you describing?

What your EE supervisor can (and can't) do

Your IB Extended Essay supervisor is assigned to give you guidance, but within specific limits set by the IBO. They can:

• Help you narrow and focus your research question
• Advise on appropriate sources and methodology
• Give general feedback on whether your argument is developing well
• Read one full draft and comment on it in writing, without editing it
• Confirm whether your essay is within the required guidelines

They are not permitted to:

• Correct your grammar or edit your writing directly
• Rewrite sections or substantially restructure your argument
• Give you more than one full supervised draft review

This means that after your supervisor's draft feedback, you are largely on your own to make changes, without knowing whether they actually improved each criterion.

What paying someone to write your essay actually costs you

Submitting work written by someone else as your own is academic misconduct under IB regulations. If it is found, no grade is awarded for the EE, and without an EE grade the Diploma cannot be awarded. The IB checks all coursework it receives with text-matching software, and your supervisor, who has seen your drafts and your reflections, has to confirm that the essay is your own work. The risk is not worth it.

Beyond the rule, there is a practical problem: an essay written by someone else leaves you with nothing real to write in the Reflections on Planning and Progress Form (RPPF), and Criterion E (Engagement) is marked on those reflections. From May 2027 the RPF takes its place, and Criterion E (Reflection) is marked on it. Reflections that do not match the essay are hard to write and easy to spot.

What actually works: getting feedback on your own draft

The most useful thing you can do, apart from the work itself, is get criterion-level feedback on a draft you wrote yourself. The difference between a B and an A is usually not "more research" or "better writing". It is knowing which sections are weak on which criteria, and fixing them before submission.

Your supervisor comments in writing on one full draft, and the EE guide says students are not allowed to receive assistance with any aspect of the research, writing or proofreading of the essay beyond that which is permitted through their supervisor. General feedback ("your analysis could be deeper") does not tell you where to make changes; criterion-by-criterion feedback does: "Your Criterion C score is limited because your argument in Section 2 describes the sources rather than analysing them."

If your supervisor agrees, IBLens gives feedback on each criterion for your exam session: what to change and why. It does not write the change for you.

Get criterion-by-criterion feedback on your Extended Essay draft →

Practical tips to get unstuck right now

• Write a terrible first draft on purpose. Set a timer for 90 minutes and write from memory, without checking sources. You cannot edit a blank page. Get something on paper and then improve it.
• Reverse-outline your current draft. Write one sentence summarising each paragraph as it currently exists. If any paragraph does not connect back to your research question, it is probably padding and can be cut or redirected.
• Read the introduction and conclusion back-to-back. They should feel like they belong to the same essay. If the conclusion does not directly answer the question asked in the introduction, something in the middle went wrong.
• Check your word count at the section level. If your background section is 1,200 words and your analysis is 800, you have the proportions wrong. The analysis should be the longest section of the essay.
• Ask your supervisor one specific question. Not "can you read my draft" but "is the methodology in Section 2 appropriate to answer my research question, and why or why not?" Specific questions get specific answers.