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This guide follows the EE criteria for history: focus and method, knowledge and understanding, and critical thinking. It keeps the essay narrow enough to support real historical analysis rather than broad narrative.
Recommended Length
3,500-4,000 words
Build Timeline
10-12 weeks: proposal, reading, drafting, revision
Anchor Question
Does every section push the research question forward with evidence and analysis?
Want a full playbook format? Read History EE Guide.
Use each criterion as a checklist for revision. Strong drafts make the scoring evidence obvious, not implied.
Examiner focus: This criterion assesses the topic, research question, and methodology.
Top-band move: The essay clearly introduces the chosen topic, establishing the focus. The topic pertains to the human past and holds meaningful significance. The topic adheres to the 10-year rule. The research question is formulated as a question, ensuring focus and suitability for discussion. The range of sources is relevant and appropriate.
Common penalty: The essay introduces a topic, but the focus is unclear, the topic's significance is questionable, the 10-year rule may be violated, the research question is poorly formulated, and the sources are of limited relevance.
Examiner focus: This criterion assesses the context and demonstration of understanding of the topic.
Top-band move: The essay effectively illustrates the student's comprehension of the research question within a broader historical framework. The student showcases their understanding through precise utilization of historical terminology and relevant concepts related to the topic. When necessary, the student offers additional explanations of selected terms or concepts.
Common penalty: The essay provides a limited historical background, demonstrates a superficial understanding of the topic, and uses historical terminology inaccurately or sparingly.
Examiner focus: This criterion assesses research, analysis, discussion, and evaluation.
Top-band move: The student appropriately constructs and presents a specific argument in response to the research question. Arguments are backed by an insightful analysis or consideration of the research material's merits and limitations. The student showcases the ability to extract knowledge from selected sources, analyze it, and employ it to formulate arguments and draw conclusions relevant to the research question. Throughout the essay, discussions consistently revolve around ideas or concepts in line with the research question. The EE reflects a critical and analytical approach rather than a narrative or descriptive one.
Common penalty: The essay presents a weak argument with limited analysis of sources. The discussion is superficial and may stray from the research question. The approach is largely narrative or descriptive.
Examiner focus: This aspect emphasizes the structure and layout of the extended essay.
Top-band move: The essay begins with a title page and a table of contents, adhering to standard formatting conventions. The structure of the essay follows the expected conventions for the topic, ensuring clarity and coherence in the presentation of arguments. Sections and subsections, if included, have informative headings that contribute to the overall organization of the essay without distracting from the main argument. Graphs, figures, or tables are appropriately labeled with numbers and brief descriptions and maintain good graphical quality.
Common penalty: The essay includes some elements of proper presentation, but significant improvements are needed in structure, referencing, and formatting.
Examiner focus: The last criterion analyses the research focus, planning, and process based on submitted reflections.
Top-band move: The RPPF form showcases the individual's progress and active involvement in the writing process. The student outlines the skills acquired during the extended essay writing journey. Challenges faced during the process are described in detail, along with the strategies employed to address them. The document reflects the personal significance and relevance of the work undertaken.
Common penalty: The RPPF provides a limited account of the research process, with superficial reflections on the topic selection, investigative approach, and challenges faced.
Match your draft to the descriptors below to identify the smallest edits that can move you into a higher band.
Points 0
The essay lacks a clear topic introduction, the topic is not related to the human past, violates the 10-year rule, the research question is missing or unsuitable, and the sources are irrelevant.
Points 1-2
The essay introduces a topic, but the focus is unclear, the topic's significance is questionable, the 10-year rule may be violated, the research question is poorly formulated, and the sources are of limited relevance.
Points 3-4
The essay introduces a relevant topic, the research question is formulated as a question, and the sources are generally appropriate. However, the focus could be sharper, and the source selection could be more refined.
Points 5-6
The essay clearly introduces the chosen topic, establishing the focus. The topic pertains to the human past and holds meaningful significance. The topic adheres to the 10-year rule. The research question is formulated as a question, ensuring focus and suitability for discussion. The range of sources is relevant and appropriate.
Points 0
The essay lacks historical background, demonstrates little to no understanding of the topic, and fails to use historical terminology or concepts.
Points 1-2
The essay provides a limited historical background, demonstrates a superficial understanding of the topic, and uses historical terminology inaccurately or sparingly.
Points 3-4
The essay provides a satisfactory historical background, demonstrates a reasonable understanding of the topic, and uses historical terminology and concepts appropriately but with limited explanation.
Points 5-6
The essay effectively illustrates the student's comprehension of the research question within a broader historical framework. The student showcases their understanding through precise utilization of historical terminology and relevant concepts related to the topic. When necessary, the student offers additional explanations of selected terms or concepts.
Points 0
The essay lacks a clear argument, analysis of sources, or discussion related to the research question. It is primarily narrative or descriptive.
Points 1-4
The essay presents a weak argument with limited analysis of sources. The discussion is superficial and may stray from the research question. The approach is largely narrative or descriptive.
Points 5-8
The essay constructs an argument supported by some analysis of sources. The discussion generally revolves around ideas related to the research question. There is some attempt at critical analysis, but it may lack depth.
Points 9-12
The student appropriately constructs and presents a specific argument in response to the research question. Arguments are backed by an insightful analysis or consideration of the research material's merits and limitations. The student showcases the ability to extract knowledge from selected sources, analyze it, and employ it to formulate arguments and draw conclusions relevant to the research question. Throughout the essay, discussions consistently revolve around ideas or concepts in line with the research question. The EE reflects a critical and analytical approach rather than a narrative or descriptive one.
Points 0
The essay lacks a title page, table of contents, or proper referencing. The structure is unclear and disorganized.
Points 1
The essay includes some elements of proper presentation, but significant improvements are needed in structure, referencing, and formatting.
Points 2-3
The essay generally adheres to standard formatting conventions, includes a title page and table of contents, and attempts to structure the essay logically. Referencing is present but may contain errors.
Points 4
The essay begins with a title page and a table of contents, adhering to standard formatting conventions. The structure of the essay follows the expected conventions for the topic, ensuring clarity and coherence in the presentation of arguments. Sections and subsections, if included, have informative headings that contribute to the overall organization of the essay without distracting from the main argument. Graphs, figures, or tables are appropriately labeled with numbers and brief descriptions and maintain good graphical quality.
Points 0
The RPPF is missing or provides minimal information about the research process.
Points 1-2
The RPPF provides a limited account of the research process, with superficial reflections on the topic selection, investigative approach, and challenges faced.
Points 3-4
The RPPF showcases some engagement with the research process, outlining the topic selection rationale, investigative approach, and challenges faced. However, the reflections lack depth and critical self-evaluation.
Points 5-6
The RPPF form showcases the individual's progress and active involvement in the writing process. The student outlines the skills acquired during the extended essay writing journey. Challenges faced during the process are described in detail, along with the strategies employed to address them. The document reflects the personal significance and relevance of the work undertaken.
Step 1
Check that the question is historical, focused, and answerable with the evidence you can realistically access.
Step 2
Use sources that support more than one perspective so the argument can move beyond summary.
Step 3
Let each section make a claim, support it with evidence, and connect it back to the question.
Step 4
Make sure the conclusion follows the argument you actually built, not just the topic you chose.
The question is precise and clearly historical.
Evidence from a range of sources is integrated, not dropped in.
Different perspectives are weighed where they matter.
The conclusion follows the argument, not just the topic.
Write a one-sentence scope statement before the first draft.
Use source evidence to support claims, not replace analysis.
End each section with a sentence that links back to the research question.
The grader evaluates your submission against the active IB criteria for History Extended Essay and returns criterion-level marks with actionable feedback.
Yes. Most students use draft grading to identify weak criteria, revise, and re-check before final submission.
Yes. Teachers can upload multiple files in one batch from the bulk grading route for faster class-wide feedback.
Absolutely. By default, nobody other than you can access your uploaded files, however you may make them shareable to others. Even then, you have full control to delete your files at any moment, and your files are not used to train AI models. More information here.
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