databases have two features to help you find search words as well as topics and sub-topics.
Use the "subject guide search" feature in databases to help you find good search terms. .
Use the "topic finder" to help you find good topics and sub-topics
The NSDL is an open access library of digital content relevant to all aspects of hard and applied sciences.
Writing the Essay
An essay in the sciences requires is more than just generating and presenting data. Analysis of the data is also essential. The main body of the essay should consist of an argument or evaluation based on the data or information presented . You can gather your own data through a variety of methods, or rely on secondary data. You should use graphs, tables, or diagrams to point out the significance of your findings.
You should ensure that the main body of the essay is well structured and has an obvious logical progression. You can use numbered and headed paragraphs to impose a clear structure. Your evaluation should show that you understand the the data they have collected and its significance to the world.
In your analysis, you should also describe and explain the limitations imposed on the research by factors such as
Students should also consider biological limitations such as:
Safety and Ethics in Choosing a Topic
In all cases where human subjects are used as the basis for an investigation, clear evidence of informed consent must be provided in accordance with the IB guidelines.
Some topics may be inadmissible because their means of investigation are unethical. For example, investigations that:
Some topics may be unsuitable because of safety issues. Adequate safety apparatus and qualified supervision is required for experiments involving dangerous substances such as:
Other topics may be unsuitable because the outcome is already well known and documented in standard textbooks.
Website by Lucy Martin, David Faure & Richard Scarr
Updated 16 August 2024
Subscription websites for IB teachers & their classes
Find out more
Disclaimer : InThinking subject sites are neither endorsed by nor connected with the International Baccalaureate Organisation.
Supporting ib educators.
For information about pricing, click here
Download brochure
See what users are saying about our Subject Sites:
Find out more about our Student Access feature:
It is best to help find topics that can be successfully completed by the students themselves. The aim is for students to follow a personal learning pathway. The more they can put their own ideas and skills to the essay process the more internal motivation they will have and the less need there will be for deadlines and pressure from the teacher.Supervisors should try to help the student find the following:
To access the entire contents of this site, you need to log in or subscribe to it.
Alternatively, you can request a one month free trial .
by Antony W
March 13, 2023
Biology Extended Essay is an assignment that requires you to explore biological issue relevant to you and your environment.
Your focus should be on a particular biological emphasis within a broader context of scientific investigation. Given that the focus is on a biological system, you’ll have to make an analytical argument as you write the essay.
In this guide, you’ll learn exactly what you need to know about the IB Biology Extended Essay . Our goal with this lesson is to give you the most important information about the subject so that you can get the assignment done right.
Biology in IB Extended Essay is the examination of living organisms and their life processes. The assignment integrates biological theories and examines the nature of the subject.
While you can approach a Biology EE from varying viewpoints, the treatment of the material used in your investigation must be 100% biological.
The topic you choose to explore in your IB Biology Extended Essay shouldn’t be too broad or too narrow. Make sure you choose a focused topic that’s easy to investigate and easy to explain.
Your teacher expects you to explain how you arrived at your research question, and the best way to do that is to outline the aspects you wish to consider in the essay.
You may also have to formulate one or more hypothesis based on the research question.
The EE guide on the subject recommends that you choose your topics carefully, making sure you refrain from inappropriate topics such as those that are likely to inflict pain, involve the use of dangerous substances, or linked to safety concern.
You should avoid topics whose outcome are either obvious or already well known and documented in textbooks.
You will need to do primary and secondary research for your Biology Extended Essay.
For primary research, you can collect data from fieldwork, surveys, biological drawings, and biological observations.
If you’ve picked topic that requires practical work, you may have to conduct multiple, extensive fieldwork or do lab tests. In such a case, you will have to provide a detailed explanation of the experimental research procedures sued.
When it comes to secondary research, you get data or information from literature.
Some students restate the information they collect from secondary sources, but doing so often adds little or no value to a Biology Extended Essay.
Therefore, the right approach is to analyze the data or information in an original way to add a new dimension and value to your research and to the essay at large.
Whether you do primary research, secondary research, or a combination of both, you need to make sure you have access to enough data or information to answer your research question.
The first step to writing a comprehensive, 4,000-word essay in Biology EE is to use the right scientific techniques to analyze the data you collect during research.
You then have to present your argument or evaluation based on the analysis you’ve completed.
You can include graphs, tables, and diagrams, and make sure you point out their significance in the essay so they’re easy to understand.
As with any other EE, your Biology essay should have a good structure and demonstrate a logical progression. Feel free to use headings and subheadings in the essay because it imposes a concise structure.
Your evaluation of the research questions should demonstrate that you not only understand the results from your experiments but also can explain their significance in a wider academic context.
Since you aren’t sure about what to expect from biological experiments, you may have to account for anomalies or unexpected results in your investigation.
In such a case, you have to provide explanations for the expected outcome and give an alternative explanation for such findings.
The subject also allows you to propose slight or major changes to the hypothesis presented in the essay, in which case you will have to suggest relevant approaches to testing the new changes.
Writing your EE in Biology also requires that you undertake a critical evaluation of the work that you have already done.
The evaluation helps you to identify and explain the limitation of your research by a number of factors including the reliability and validity of statistics, the precision of experimenting equipment and the reliability of sources.
You also need to consider biological limitations of your research. Such limitations are likely to arise from the inability to generalize based on a single form of an organism or problems of control and repeatability when using living organisms in your research.
It’s important to keep in mind that a Biology Extended Essay is not an extension of the Internal Assessment in the same subject. There are a few differences that set the two assignments apart, and it’s important to know them before you start working on the essay.
The student has to analyze the aspects of Biology not covered in the syllabus | The Internal Assessment focuses on the biology aspects taught in the syllabus |
In Biology EE, you have to develop a theoretical framework for the topic you choose to examine | Instead of creating a theoretical framework for the topic, you focus on the application of the methods used to solve a problem |
A student can use primary sources, secondary sources, or both. This means they can base their research on already existing literature | This assignment includes data collection an analysis, which a student can’t base purely on literature review |
The assignment focuses on the ability of an IB student to evaluate scientific arguments. | The assignment assesses the student’s ability to apply scientific methods to solve a biological problem |
Do you need help with your Extended Essay in Biology? Our team of IB experts is here to help you write the 4,000-word essay, even if it’s on a complex topic. You can click here to learn more.
About the author
Antony W is a professional writer and coach at Help for Assessment. He spends countless hours every day researching and writing great content filled with expert advice on how to write engaging essays, research papers, and assignments.
IMAGES
COMMENTS
High scoring IB Biology Extended Essay examples. See what past students did and make your Biology EE perfect by learning from examiner commented examples!
The IB Extended Essay must include the following: A title page. Contents page. Introduction. Body of the essay. Conclusion. References and bibliography. Additionally, your research topic must fall into one of the six approved DP categories, or IB subject groups, which are as follows: Group 1: Studies in Language and Literature.
The extended essay is an independent, self-directed piece of research, finishing with a 4,000-word paper. One component of the International Baccalaureate® (IB) Diploma Programme (DP) core, the extended essay is mandatory for all students. Read about the extended essay in greater detail.
These highlight the diverse range of topics covered by International Baccalaureate® (IB) Diploma Programme (DP) students during their extended essays. Some examples are: “An analysis of costume as a source for understanding the inner life of the character”.
Biology is the science that deals with living organisms and life processes. A biology EE should incorporate biological theory and emphasize why it is relevant today. The topic must relates specifically to biology.
Extended Essay titles and research questions. It is best to help find topics that can be successfully completed by the students themselves. The aim is for students to follow a personal learning pathway.
by Antony W. March 13, 2023. Biology Extended Essay is an assignment that requires you to explore biological issue relevant to you and your environment. Your focus should be on a particular biological emphasis within a broader context of scientific investigation.
An extended essay in biology provides you the student with an opportunity to apply a range of skills while researching a topic of personal interest in the field of biology. The nature of an extended essay in biology is characterized by a particular biological emphasis
All extended essays are marked on a scale from 0 to 34. For each criterion, examiners are instructed to identify the level descriptor that is most appropriate (i.e. the best match) for the extended essay under consideration.
Overview. An extended essay in biology provides you with the opportunity to apply a range of skills while researching a topic of personal interest in the field of biology. Adapted from the IBO Extended Essay Subject Specific Guide for Biology. Choice of Topic.