Extended Essay: History

The topic must:

• focus on the human past (at least 10 years ago)
• be worthy of study
• lend itself to systematic investigation in line with the published assessment criteria.

Ten-year rule

Essays that focus on events of the past 10 years are not acceptable, as these are regarded as current affairs, not history. Any essay that does so will be compromised across several criteria.

It is not a requirement for the topic to be chosen from the Diploma Programme history course, but it must be acceptable to the supervisor.

It should provide an opportunity for critical analysis of source material, and not depend on summarizing general secondary sources (such as textbooks and encyclopedias). Such an approach is likely to produce an essay that is essentially narrative or descriptive.

The topic chosen must be suitable for effective treatment within the 4,000-word limit. Essays that cover many aspects of history, or a long time period, are unlikely to prove successful.

Narrowing the scope of the essay:

• is a crucial step in helping to ensure that the essay has a clear focus
• allows students to demonstrate detailed and specific historical knowledge, understanding and critical analysis.