The Extended Essay is Evolving: What We Know About the 2025 Changes

The International Baccalaureate (IB) has officially begun unveiling significant updates to the Extended Essay (EE) framework, set to take effect from August 2025. While the core essence of the EE — fostering independent inquiry and academic writing — remains intact, several structural and assessment-related transformations will redefine how students approach the process and how educators guide them.

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Whether you are an IB Coordinator, an Extended Essay Coordinator, or a Supervisor, these changes will directly affect your practice. They will shape how students engage with research, how we scaffold their learning, and how essays will ultimately be assessed. Here’s a detailed breakdown of what has been shared so far.

Two Research Pathways: A More Flexible Approach

Perhaps the most notable change is the introduction of two distinct research pathways within the Extended Essay structure. This adjustment opens up exciting possibilities for students, especially those with interdisciplinary interests.

1. The Interdisciplinary Pathway This pathway enables students to integrate knowledge, perspectives, and methods from two IB subjects to examine complex global issues. In essence, this resembles the former World Studies Extended Essay but now becomes a fully integrated option within the mainstream EE framework. Students who often found themselves torn between subject boundaries will now have the flexibility to weave together disciplines in meaningful ways.
2. The Subject-Focused Pathway This is the traditional route most of us are familiar with — where students select a single IB subject and develop their essay within that disciplinary lens.

This dual-pathway model not only makes the EE more inclusive and adaptable but also encourages students to engage with research in a way that reflects the interconnectedness of knowledge in the real world.

The Refined Assessment Criteria: Simplified and Streamlined

A significant improvement in the new framework is the revision of the assessment model. While the familiar five-criterion structure (A–E) remains, the criteria have been redefined for greater clarity, consistency, and coherence. Here's how the new criteria look:

Criterion	Focus	Marks
A	Framework for the Essay (Research question, methods, and structure)	6
B	Knowledge and Understanding (Subject-specific integration)	6
C	Analysis and Line of Argument (Critical thinking and argumentation)	6
D	Discussion and Evaluation (Interpretation of findings and research evaluation)	8
E	Reflection (Personal and academic reflection)	4

What’s Different — and Why It Matters

• Separation of Analysis and Evaluation Previously bundled under Criterion C, the skills of building an argument (analysis) and evaluating findings (evaluation) are now assessed independently. This is a welcome change as it will help both students and supervisors clearly distinguish between these two vital components of academic research.
• The Disappearance of the Presentation Criterion Criterion D, previously dedicated to presentation, has been absorbed into Criterion A (Framework). This shift places more emphasis on the essay's structural integrity rather than merely formatting details, which should reduce the common confusion surrounding formatting's weight in assessment.

The Role of Reflection: Leaner but Deeper

Reflection retains its place in the EE, albeit with a reduced mark allocation — down from 6 marks to 4. However, this is not a reduction in importance. Criterion E will now focus more explicitly on how students:

• Develop research and academic skills.
• Engage thoughtfully with challenges and setbacks.
• Adapt their approach through the research process.

Rather than a mere recount of "what happened," students will be encouraged to produce reflective statements that critically examine how they grew — both intellectually and personally. For supervisors, this shift signals an opportunity to place even greater emphasis on fostering meaningful metacognition during the three reflection sessions.

Revamped Support Materials: The Change We’ve Been Hoping For

One of the most anticipated improvements is the promise of updated support materials for both students and supervisors. According to the IB, we can expect:

• Targeted essay exemplars for both interdisciplinary and subject-specific pathways.
• Self-paced learning modules tailored for supervisors to better understand the nuances of the updated framework.
• Enhanced guidance on crafting arguments, engaging in analysis, and improving evaluative commentary — historically challenging aspects of the EE for students.

Additionally, the subject-specific guidance will be restructured. Rather than providing narrowly focused, subject-by-subject manuals, the IB is moving towards more general subject group guidance. For example, instead of separate guides for Economics, Business Management, and Geography, there may be a consolidated Individuals & Societies EE Guide. This could offer students more flexibility and open-endedness in framing their research questions — a development worth watching as more details emerge.

Why These Changes Matter

In summary, the upcoming changes to the Extended Essay, effective September 2025, introduce new research pathways, refine the assessment criteria with a clearer distinction between analysis and evaluation, adjust the focus of reflection, and promise updated support materials potentially structured by subject group. While full details and resources are still forthcoming from the IB, these known changes suggest a move towards greater flexibility and clarity. Coordinators and supervisors should prepare to familiarize themselves with the new framework and guidance materials as they become available to effectively support students through this evolved research process.

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