Extended Essays Lecture 1

What is the first step in planning your extended essay?

• Accumulating relevant materials

• Conduct a literature review.
• Write an outline.
• Select a supervisor.

What is an important aspect of structuring an essay effectively?

• Focusing on descriptive content instead of analytical

• A detailed conclusion.
• A lengthy introduction.
• Using descriptive headings and subsections

What is an extended essay?

Answer explanation

An extended essay is a piece of original work that communicates a relevant research question and the progress made towards its solution. It can be up to 5,000 words long.

What are the main types of extended essays?

Answer explanation

There are different types of extended essays, including extended (critical) literature reviews, data-oriented essays, and applied studies.

Extended literature reviews involve critically reviewing existing literature on a subject area. Data-oriented essays focus on analyzing and interpreting data to answer a research question. Applied studies involve applying theoretical knowledge to real-world situations. Each type of extended essay has its own unique approach and requirements.

Why should I write an extended essay?

Answer explanation

You should write an extended essay to showcase your knowledge and ability to use and communicate it effectively. It allows you to delve deep into a specific research question and make progress towards its solution. Writing an extended essay also helps you develop critical thinking, research, and writing skills, which are valuable for academic and professional pursuits.

Additionally, an extended essay provides an opportunity to demonstrate your autonomy in decision-making and your ability to structure and present a coherent argument. Overall, writing an extended essay is a valuable learning experience that allows you to explore a topic of interest in depth and develop important skills for your future endeavours.

How should I plan my work?

Answer explanation

You should engage in an iterative planning process. You should start by thinking of a working title and accumulating relevant materials such as articles. Next, you should consider different essay structures and arguments. You should refine these until they are logical, forward-moving, and easy for readers to understand.

You should also consider the essay's macro-structure and micro-structure. The macro-structure includes the title, sections, sub-sections, and paragraphs. You should write this structure explicitly, using a tool such as Word's numbered list facility. Paragraphs, the "atoms" of the macro-structure, indicate steps in the reasoning, and should not generally be longer than two or three pages. The micro-structure, which deals with the composition of paragraphs into sentences, should be considered in conjunction with the macro-structure when considering how to address the essay question.

What can go wrong with the structure of an extended essay?

Answer explanation

There are several potential structural pitfalls to avoid when writing an extended essay. The essay may take too long to get going. Headings should be informative and engaging, rather than dull and generic. For example, "Literature Review: Two Centuries of Academic Incomprehension" is more engaging than "Literature Review".

There should be enough subsections to break up the text; in most cases, no subsection should be longer than two or three pages. Each section needs a clear rationale.

The essay should be analytical rather than descriptive. While some description may be necessary, it should be kept to a minimum. Avoid long, unmotivated, and descriptive historical introductions. For example, instead of a purely descriptive account of the history of widget nationalisation, analyse the reasons behind the policy shifts. The essay should be engaging and easy to read, with a structure that is easy for the reader to follow.

Explain the concept of top-down planning in essay writing.

Answer explanation

Top-down planning in essay writing involves first outlining the macro-structure of the essay, which includes the title, sections (or chapters), subsections, and paragraphs. Then, the micro-structure is addressed, focusing on the composition of paragraphs into sentences and words.

What are three common structural issues that can weaken an extended essay?

Answer explanation

Three common structural issues are: the essay taking too long to get started, dull and uninformative headings, and insufficient subsections.

List five elements of an extended essay that are not included in the word count.

Answer explanation

Five elements excluded from the word count are: title page, acknowledgements, abstract, reference list, and appendices.