Extended Essay rubric 2026: what are the criteria?
The 2026 Extended Essay uses five criteria worth 34 marks in total. Examiners score each criterion independently, and Criterion C (Critical Thinking) is worth the most marks.
| Criterion | Name | Marks |
|---|---|---|
| A | Focus and method | 6 |
| B | Knowledge and understanding | 6 |
| C | Critical thinking | 12 |
| D | Presentation | 4 |
| E | Engagement | 6 |
| Total | 34 | |
How do Extended Essay marks map to letter grades?
The five criteria produce a mark out of 34. The IB then converts that mark to an A–E grade using numerical boundaries for the relevant examination session. The official guide explicitly notes that those boundaries can change, so this page does not publish one fixed A/B/C/D/E cutoff table as if it applied to every 2026 session.
A
Excellent
B
Good
C
Satisfactory
D
Mediocre
E
Elementary
Where can you find Extended Essay topic ideas?
These subject-based ideas are starting points; an Extended Essay research question must be more specific and scoped to your available resources.
Biology
- Effect of caffeine concentration on Daphnia heart rate
- Antimicrobial properties of common household substances
- Impact of soil pH on root growth in legumes
Chemistry
- Determining the activation energy of the iodine clock reaction
- Comparing vitamin C content across fruit juices using iodometric titration
- Effect of temperature on rate of ester hydrolysis
Physics
- Modelling projectile motion with air resistance
- Investigating how solenoid geometry affects magnetic field strength
- Efficiency of a solar cell under varying light wavelengths
Mathematics
- Modelling the spread of a rumour using logistic growth functions
- Exploring fractal geometry in natural coastlines using the box-counting method
- Investigating Benford's Law in financial datasets
History
- To what extent did economic factors cause the fall of the Weimar Republic?
- How effective was the Allied strategic bombing campaign in undermining German morale 1943–1945?
- To what extent did the Non-Aligned Movement influence Cold War dynamics?
Economics
- To what extent has ride-sharing disrupted the taxi market in [city]?
- How effective has the sugar tax been in reducing obesity in the UK?
- Analysing the impact of minimum wage increases on youth employment in New Zealand
Psychology
- To what extent do social media algorithms reinforce confirmation bias?
- Evaluating the reliability of eyewitness testimony in criminal trials
- How does sleep deprivation affect working memory performance?
English Literature
- How does Kazuo Ishiguro use unreliable narration in 'Never Let Me Go' to explore memory and loss?
- Exploring the treatment of colonial trauma in Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's 'Half of a Yellow Sun'
What questions do students ask about the 2026 EE rubric?
For sessions through November 2026, use the five-criterion, 34-mark model and confirm session-specific requirements in the current IB guide.
What is the Extended Essay graded out of in 2026?
Through the November 2026 session, the five criteria add up to 34 marks. From first assessment May 2027, the rubric changes to a 30-mark model. Check the session before using a rubric table from a sample or forum.
Are Extended Essay grade boundaries fixed?
They can change by examination session. A numerical cutoff copied from an older year is therefore not a permanent A–E rule; use the boundary information for the session you are checking.
What is the word limit for the Extended Essay?
The strict limit is 4,000 words. Text beyond this point is not assessed. The word count includes all body text - introduction through conclusion - but excludes the title page, table of contents, bibliography, appendices, and figure captions.
Is the Extended Essay really as hard as people say?
The difficulty usually comes from keeping the question narrow, finding usable evidence, and sustaining analysis over a long project. Treat the rubric and your actual evidence as the constraint instead of trying to make the topic sound impressive.
What are the biggest Extended Essay mistakes?
The most expensive mistakes are usually structural: a question that is too broad, evidence that is described instead of analysed, weak links between claims and sources, and using guidance from the wrong assessment session.
How much time should I spend on the Extended Essay?
There is no universal hour target that fits every subject or student. Plan around verifiable milestones - viable question, evidence collected, analysis drafted, supervisor checkpoints, revision, and the real school deadline - rather than chasing an arbitrary total.
Can I retake the Extended Essay if it goes badly?
Retake and resubmission arrangements depend on the candidate's status, school, and examination session. Ask your programme coordinator for the current route rather than relying on a forum answer from another session.
Which subject should I write my EE in?
Choose a subject you study (ideally at HL) where you can access evidence appropriate to your question. That may mean original data, primary texts, or raw statistics, but strong secondary research can be the right foundation in some subjects. What matters is that your sources are relevant, understood, analysed, and evaluated rather than used as decoration.
What is the RPPF?
The Reflections on Planning and Progress Form is a 500-word document where you record your thinking across three formal supervisor sessions. It contributes to Criterion E (Engagement, worth 6 marks). Write in first person, describe specific decisions you made and challenges you solved, and be honest about dead ends - authentic reflection scores better than polished narrative.
Can the EE topic overlap with my IA?
Your EE and IA must be distinct pieces of work. You can work in the same broad subject area but the research questions must be different and the work entirely separate. You cannot re-use data, analyses, or sections between them.
Sources & verification
Primary-source references used to verify key assessment facts on this page. Last source check: September 22, 2026.
This page applies only to the 34-mark Extended Essay model used through November 2026. Numerical A–E boundaries are session-specific and are not treated here as permanent constants.
- IB - Extended Essay examiner instructions 2026Primary current examiner instructions for sessions in 2026, including criterion application, the 4,000-word essay limit and the 500-word combined RPPF limit.
- IB - Extended Essay guide: assessment criteria (effective May 2018)Official 34-mark assessment model: Focus and Method /6, Knowledge and Understanding /6, Critical Thinking /12, Presentation /4 and Engagement /6.
- IB - Extended Essay grade descriptorsOfficial A–E qualitative descriptors. The IB states that numerical grade boundaries are subject to change.
- IB - What is the Extended Essay?Official overview confirming the 4,000-word research paper and external assessment on a 0–34 scale.