Extended Essay Englsih Group 1. A summary of some key points.

EXTENDED ESSAY GROUP 1 - Treatment of the topic -Categories 1 and 2–Literature:

·         Literary works often address, for example, philosophical, political or social questions.

·         However, the major focus of the essay should be the literary treatment of such questions.

·         The literary works should not be a pretext for interdisciplinary study and should not be treated simply as documentary evidence in a discussion of philosophical, political or social issues.

·         Students should always consider how the texts work as literature, dealing with aspects such as the effects they achieve, the devices they use and the way they are written.

·         Students should not use the extended essay solely as a vehicle for their own thoughts but, after providing careful analysis of the author’s ideas, should present their personal views on the way the author has treated the subject.

·         There should be a compromise between building on the wisdom of more experienced critics and introducing new personal elements. The mere reiteration of the views of established literary critics will not result in a successful extended essay.

·         Essays that attempt to interpret literary works as reflections of the writer’s life are rarely successful, tending to produce reductive readings based on second-hand information. Biographical topics should thus usually be avoided.

Criterion C: investigation -  the range of resources includes, in the first place, the primary texts being studied (and, possibly, other writings by the author(s) in question, such as essays, journals and letters) and, less importantly, secondary sources such as published criticism on those texts. The correct planning of an essay should involve interrogating secondary sources in light of the research question, so that the views of critics are used to support the student’s own argument, and not as a substitute for that argument.

 It may thus be helpful for a student to challenge a statement by a critic instead of simply agreeing with it. In a literary context, the data gathered is principally the evidence the student finds in the primary text(s) to support the argument of the essay. If students make use of internet-based sources, they should do so critically and circumspectly in full awareness of their potential unreliability. Examples of how to focus your research question:

How to craft a focused RESEARCH QUESTION FROM A GENERAL TOPIC.

*  TOPIC  “Religion in the Wuthering Heights”.

RESEARCH QUESTION “Religious imagery in Wuthering Heights”

*TOPIC  Jane Austen’s novels

Research question - “What are the role and the significance of dance in Pride and Prejudice and Emma?”

*Topic  Themes in Emily Brontë’s and Emily Dickinson’s poetry.

Research question  - “How is the subject of death treated in selected poems by Emily Brontë and Emily Dickinson?”

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The full EE GUIDE CAN BE DOWLOADED HERE 

http://library.tedankara.k12.tr/IB/IB_Extended_Essay_guide.pdf