The role of the EE Supervisor is to mentor, encourage, guide, and verify that the student's work is indeed their own, and that it adheres to the EE standards of the given subject. Generally speaking, the maximum hours of effort from the supervisor should be no greater than five (exclusive of commenting on the draft). 
"An extended essay (EE) in studies in language and literature gives students an opportunity to undertake independent research into a topic of special interest to them within the subject. It is intended to promote advanced research and writing skills, intellectual discovery and creativity.
The essay is open to students who are writing in a language that they would be capable of offering as a language A.
It must be written in the language for which it is registered.
Students must not submit a Group 1 EE in their Group 2 language.
Studies in language and literature EEs are divided into three categories:
Category 1
Studies of one or more literary works originally written in the language in which the essay is presented.
Category 2
Studies of a literary work or works originally written in the language of the essay compared with one or more literary works originally written in another language. (The work originally written in another language may be studied in translation.)
Category 3
Studies in language based on one or more texts originally produced in the language in which the essay is presented. Texts can be compared with a translated text originally written in another language.
"An extended essay (EE) in language acquisition gives students an opportunity to:
develop their awareness and knowledge of the target language they are studying
demonstrate their understanding of the culture associated with their target language.
The essay requires students to carry out research based on:
texts (taken to be any meaningful piece of spoken or written language, eg an article, a book, a play, a poem), or
specific cultural artifacts, eg works of fine art, architecture, films, radio or television programmes, or lyrics from popular music.
The essay is intended for students who are studying a second modern language. It must be written in the language for which it is registered (the target language) and focus on matters related to the target culture.
Students may not write a language acquisition EE in a language that they are studying for their Diploma Programme as language A literature, or language A studies in language and literature.
Students are assessed on the basis of their skills in research and analysis, not their language proficiency.
Language acquisition EEs are divided into three categories:"
Category 1
A specific analysis of the language (its use and structure), normally related to its cultural context or a specific text.
Category 2
An analysis of:
(a) the impact of a particular socio-cultural issue on the form or use of the language, based on an examination of language use
or
(b) a socio-cultural issue, as illustrated through specific cultural artefact(s) from a country/community where the language is spoken.
Category 3
An analysis of a literary type, based on a specific work or works of literature exclusively from the target language.
"An extended essay (EE) in economics provides students with an opportunity to:
undertake in-depth research in economics in an area of personal interest to them
develop research skills
apply economic theory to real-world situations
make inferences based on real-world data
analyse and evaluate the outcomes of their research.
The outcome of the research should be a coherent and structured analytical essay that effectively addresses the particular research question."
"An extended essay (EE) in global politics gives students an opportunity to undertake an in-depth analysis of a significant, contemporary global political issue.
Students should choose a topic that will allow them to demonstrate their:
knowledge
research skills
critical thinking skills.
The outcome should be a substantial, coherent and structured essay that utilizes relevant key concepts, theoretical foundations and approaches to global politics to effectively answer a specific research question.
Global politics is an interdisciplinary subject, reflecting the complex nature of many contemporary political issues. Nonetheless, it has its own theoretical and conceptual frames, terminology, methods and literature. It is essential for students undertaking an EE in global politics to have knowledge and understanding of these. Global politics is not a residual category for essays that do not fit into any other subject."
"An extended essay (EE) in psychology gives students the opportunity to:
investigate in depth a topic of their choice within the subject
develop their skills in research, analysis and evaluation, and communication
increase their understanding of behaviour from a psychology perspective.
Psychology may be defined as “the study of behaviour”. The subject involves studying the behaviours of humans and non-human animals and has a range of specialist terms, methods and literature.
It is therefore essential for students undertaking an EE in psychology to:
have a sound understanding of the subject and its methodologies
choose a topic amenable to psychological investigation and analysis.
Students who have not studied psychology formally should not undertake the EE, unless they can demonstrate that they have sufficient knowledge and understanding of the subject.
Schools where psychology is not taught must be aware that students who submit an EE in psychology with no formal exposure to the subject may compromise their level of achievement."
"An extended essay (EE) in biology provides students with an opportunity to apply a range of skills while researching a topic of personal interest in the field of biology.
Biology is the science that deals with living organisms and life processes. A biology EE should incorporate biological theory and emphasize the essential nature of this subject."
An extended essay (EE) in chemistry provides students with an opportunity to investigate a specific aspect of a material of our environment. The essay must be characterized by a particular chemical emphasis within a more general set of research criteria.
Chemistry is the science that deals with the composition, characterization and transformation of substances. A chemistry EE should incorporate chemical principles and theory, and emphasize the study of matter and of the changes it undergoes.
The outcome of the research should be a coherent and structured piece of writing that effectively addresses a particular research question and arrives at a particular, and preferably personal, conclusion or response to the research question.
An extended essay (EE) in physics should answer a research question in physics through focused, evidence-based argumentation. The evidence may be drawn from the student’s personal experimentation and/or book- and internet-based research. Whichever method of research is adopted, the student must use the principles of physics.
The essay must go beyond simply informing the reader and involve the elements of personal and original thinking.
Assumptions about the essay’s readers
It should be written for an international peer audience, familiar with the Diploma Programme physics course. The essay can therefore refer to any physics from the course without proof or explanation, eg Newton’s laws.
However, material from outside the physics course should be fully explained and referenced where necessary. Students should explain it freshly as it applies to their research question, thereby convincing the reader that they have a genuine grasp of the physics involved.
Students should also explain any culture-specific matters they refer to in the essay in relation to physics, eg cricket or baseball.
An extended essay (EE) in mathematics is intended for students who are writing on any topic that has a mathematical focus and it need not be confined to the theory of mathematics itself.
Essays in this group could belong to one of the following five categories:
the applicability of mathematics to solve both real and abstract problems
the beauty of mathematics—eg geometry or fractal theory
the elegance of mathematics in the proving of theorems—eg number theory
the history of mathematics: the origin and subsequent development of a branch of mathematics over a period of time, measured in tens, hundreds or thousands of years
the effect of technology on mathematics, in forging links between different branches of mathematics, or in bringing about a new branch of mathematics, or causing a particular branch to flourish.
These are just some of the many different ways that mathematics can be enjoyable or useful, or, as in many cases, both. The list above is just for guidance, there is no requirement that essays should fit wholly within one of these categories.
An extended essay (EE) in film gives students an opportunity to undertake an in-depth investigation into a topic in film of particular interest to them.
Students should undertake the study of at least two films/major television works in consideration of their chosen topic.
Complex skills are involved in the interpretation of film. The EE requires students to develop and demonstrate a critical understanding of how and why film texts:
tell stories
create emotional responses
give information.
In the spirit of intercultural understanding, students are encouraged to explore film in an international context.
An extended essay (EE) in theatre gives students an opportunity to:
undertake independent research into a topic in theatre of their choice
apply a range of skills to develop and explore in an imaginative and critical way a focused research question appropriate to theatre
test and validate their research by considering its effect on the practice of the area of theatre they have investigated.
An extended essay (EE) in visual arts gives students an opportunity to undertake research in an area of the visual arts of particular interest to them.
The visual arts are here broadly defined also to include architecture, design and contemporary forms of visual culture.
The outcome of the research should be a coherent and structured piece of writing, with well-integrated and appropriate illustrations, and which effectively addresses a particular research question appropriate to the visual arts.
The research may be generated or inspired by the student’s direct experiences of creating visual artworks, or by their interest in the work of a particular artist, style or period. This might be related to the student’s own cultural context or another cultural context.
Personal contact with artists, curators and other active participants in the visual arts is encouraged, as is the use of local and primary sources.
An EE in world studies gives students the opportunity to undertake an interdisciplinary study of an issue of contemporary global significance.
“Interdisciplinary” in this context refers to research that draws on the methods, concepts and theories of two Diploma Programme subjects. It is strongly recommended that students are undertaking a course of study in at least one of the subjects chosen for their essay.
“Contemporary” in this context refers to events that took place during the student’s lifetime.
Students are required to
identify an issue of global importance
identify a local manifestation of the issue of global importance
develop a clear rationale for taking an interdisciplinary approach and use the conceptual framework and vocabulary of two Diploma Programme subjects.
This provides an opportunity for students to conduct independent interdisciplinary research (not necessarily primary research) that draws on Diploma Programme subjects and integrates them to produce a coherent and insightful analysis of the global issue they choose to investigate.
It should be noted that law and education are not Diploma Programme subjects.
World studies EEs are registered in one of six areas of study: these are not the same as the Diploma Programme subjects. They are:
Conflict, peace and security
Culture, language and identity
Environmental and/or economic sustainability
Equality and inequality
Health and development
Science, technology and society.
