Extended Essay

The extended essay is an independent, self-directed piece of research, culminating in a 4,000-word paper. As a required component, it provides:

• practical preparation for the kinds of undergraduate research required at tertiary level
• an opportunity for students to engage in an in-depth study of a topic of interest within a chosen subject.

Emphasis is placed on the research process:

• formulating an appropriate research question
• engaging in a personal exploration of the topic
• communicating ideas
• developing an argument

Exactly what subject areas IB Diploma students have taken to writing their Extended Essays on are excitingly diverse. This year's students have undertaken research and extended essay writing on the following topics - among others:

• A mathematical analysis of bellringing
• the nature of allegory in C.S.Lewis' The Chronicles of Narnia
• 'Disappearing worlds?' The effects of globalization on the Penan tribe of Sarawak.
• the roles and representations of women in the films of Pedro Almodovar
• how has the clarinet's physical developments affected the style of the pieces written for it in the Romantic period?
• what has enabled Shepherd Neame, Britain's oldest brewer, to remain in business for over three hundred years and consistently make a profit for the last thirty?
• are distributed computing systems environmentally friendly?
• what role do genetics play in the onset of Bipolar Disorder?
• to what extent is the human genome an asset to our modern society in terms of the positive and negative consequences of such a project?
• how has Japanese art influenced Western artists of the late 19th century and early 20th century?
• which of seven different types of liquid soap kill E. coli colonies grown on agar jelly plates most effectively?