Interdisciplinary EE checklist
An essay can discuss two subjects without using them together. If one section presents one subject, the next presents another, and only the conclusion connects them, check whether the investigation actually needs both. This guide offers a way to inspect that connection in a draft you have written yourself.
World Studies and the May 2027 change
The IB says that World Studies has been absorbed into a broader interdisciplinary pathway for first assessment in May 2027. The new pathway integrates two DP subjects and sits alongside the subject-focused EE. If your exams are in November 2026, use the guidance for that session; do not switch to the new pathway just because you are reading a page published in 2026.
Your supervisor should confirm the pathway and subject combination. For the five assessment criteria, see the May 2027 rubric. The checks below are IBLens revision questions, not extra official criteria.
Check what each subject contributes
Take the research question you already have and write a private note identifying what each subject lets you investigate. Point to the concepts, evidence or methods you actually use in the essay. Naming a subject in the introduction does not establish its contribution to your answer.
- Which part of the answer depends on the first subject?
- Which part depends on the second?
- What would become less convincing or less complete if you removed either one?
If you struggle with the last question, revisit the relevant passages and discuss the scope with your supervisor. Adding another subject label to a mostly finished draft will not solve a missing connection.
Find the places where the subjects meet
Mark the passages where evidence or reasoning from one subject changes how you interpret the other. Then read those passages in order. Can you follow an argument through them, or are they brief linking sentences between two separate investigations?
Check that you explain any differences in what the methods can establish. Evidence that is appropriate for one kind of claim may be insufficient for another. Your discussion should make those boundaries visible rather than treating every source as equivalent support.
Evaluate the combined answer
- Does bringing the subjects together change the answer, rather than merely repeat it in different vocabulary?
- Where do the two perspectives support each other, and where do they leave a tension you need to explain?
- Which limitation of your sources or approach most affects the combined conclusion?
- Does the final answer stay within the scope of the evidence you have actually presented?
Keep your evaluation specific to the investigation. A general statement that interdisciplinary work is valuable tells the reader less than an explanation of what the combination allowed you to see, and what remains uncertain.
Keep the final checks separate
A convincing connection does not replace the ordinary submission checks. Use the EE draft checklist for your question, evidence and final file, the word count guide for the 4,000-word ceiling, and the RPF guide for your own reflection on the process.
Checking this type of EE with IBLens
Ask your supervisor whether an AI check is permitted before using it. In the grader, choose EE, select the relevant exam session and choose “Interdisciplinary or World Studies” as the subject. Make both DP subjects and their connection clear in your own draft: the grader can only respond to what you paste. The free first half lets you inspect the feedback before deciding whether to open the full report for $5. A paid report includes up to 20 re-checks of revisions of the same work within 30 days.
Treat the report as feedback to examine, not confirmation that your subject combination or submission is approved. IBLens does not replace your supervisor or the examiner and does not produce an essay to submit.
Official sources
The pathway and session information comes from the IB's Extended Essay curriculum update and guide for first assessment 2027. Consult your school's current guidance when confirming your own submission.