subject

(See Extended Essay notebook in library for details or see attachment for full description.)
 * toc**
 * Suggested Subjects with Introductory Guidelines.**

**GROUP 1**
The group 1 extended essay is intended for native speakers (i.e. candidates who could offer the language in question as a language A1). The essay must be written in the language for which it is registered. Candidates studying a group 2 language who are interested in writing about the literature of that language should read //Group 2//, pages 32-37. It is intended that candidates should not submit a group 1 extended essay in their group 2 language. A group 1 extended essay provides candidates with an opportunity to: Creative writing and essays based on language, culture and/or society topics are not currently permissible as group 1 extended essays.
 * study intensively a literary topic which is suitable in nature and scope for discussion in this form
 * engage in personal critical judgement of literature and to compare this, where appropriate, with established critical comment
 * develop the ability to put forward their views persuasively and in a well-structured manner, using a register appropriate to the study of literature.

**GROUP 2**
Candidates may **not** write a group 2 extended essay in a language which they are offering as a language A1 in their diploma. The group 2 extended essay is intended for candidates who are studying a second modern language. The extended essay must be written in the language for which it is registered (the target language). It must be focused on matters related to the target culture. A group 2 extended essay provides candidates with the opportunity to develop their awareness and knowledge of the language studied and their understanding of the culture concerned. This is achieved by enabling candidates to pursue their interest in the language through research based on text (taken to be any meaningful piece of spoken or written language, for example, an article, a book, a play, a poem, a documentary).

**BIOLOGY**
An extended essay in biology provides a candidate with an opportunity to apply a range of skills while researching a topic of personal interest in the field of biology. The biological nature of an extended essay is characterized by a particular biological emphasis within a more general set of scientific criteria.

**CHEMISTRY**
An extended essay in chemistry provides a candidate with an opportunity to investigate personally a particular aspect of the materials of our environment. Such extended essays must be characterized by a particular chemical emphasis within a more general set of scientific criteria.

**GEOGRAPHY**
An extended essay in geography provides a candidate with an opportunity to apply a range of skills in the study of a rural or urban environment. The geographical nature of an extended essay is characterized by an emphasis on spatial processes and the application of geographical theory and techniques.

**HISTORY and HISTORY OF THE ISLAMIC WORLD**
An extended essay in history or history of the Islamic world (for the rest of this section, ‘history’ will be taken to include both subjects) should provide candidates with the opportunity to undertake an in-depth study of a limited topic containing a valid historical question. The words ‘valid historical question’ in the introduction are meant to imply that the topic chosen must lend itself to systematic investigation in line with the published assessment criteria, and must be a topic to do with the human past. An extended essay is an in-depth investigation of a focused issue, and the systematic and disciplined development of an argument or thesis following the conventions of scholarly writing. An extended essay in history is not a narrative exposition, a descriptive composition, a biographical chronicle or a factual report. It is not a requirement for the topic of an extended essay in history to be chosen from the IB history programme, or related in any way to the regional option being studied by higher level candidates. The topic chosen must avoid a focus on the time span of the **last ten years**. One reason for this is that hindsight is seen as important in history; history and current affairs are different. However, history can aid understanding of recent happenings, and some reference in extended essays in history to recent developments and happenings, if relevant and done effectively, can contribute to demonstrating historical understanding. The topic chosen should provide opportunities for some critical analysis of sources. Topics which are entirely dependent on summarizing general secondary sources (such as textbooks and encyclopedias) and topics likely to lead to an essay which is essentially narrative or descriptive in nature should be avoided.
 * Choice of Topic**

**MATHEMATICS**
An extended essay in mathematics enables candidates to demonstrate an appreciation of any aspect of the subject, whether it be: These are just some of the many different ways that mathematics is both enjoyable and useful.
 * the applicability of mathematics to solve real and abstract problems
 * the beauty of mathematics as in, for instance, geometry or fractal theory
 * the elegance of mathematics in the proving of theorems as in, for example, number theory
 * the origin and subsequent development of a branch of mathematics over a period of time, whether it be measured in tens, hundreds or thousands of years
 * the links between different branches of mathematics and the powerful structures that enable many seemingly different problems to be solved by a single theory
 * the way that a branch of mathematics has been born, or has flourished, as a result of technology.

**MUSIC**
Extended essays in music offer the opportunity to undertake research into a topic of particular musical interest for the candidate. The candidate is encouraged to develop and explore in a disciplined and imaginative way a research question appropriate to the subject, and to arrive at a particular and preferably personal conclusion. Music is the primary source material for the extended essay. Particular pieces of music, experienced via recordings, live performances, or concerts should be at the centre of each extended essay in music. The candidate should strive for a coherent verbal analysis and interpretation of one or more pieces of music in relation to the research question. Absolute reliance on textbooks is discouraged and no extended essay in music should be based exclusively on textbooks. They should be consulted in so far as they may stimulate original ideas, provide models of disciplined, structured and informed approaches, and encourage direct and personal involvement with the essay topic.

**PEACE AND CONFLICT STUDIES**
Extended essays in peace and conflict studies provide candidates with the opportunity to undertake an in-depth study of a limited topic in this field. Essays should allow candidates to develop and show research, interpretative and presentational skills. Candidates who are considering registering an extended essay in this subject, which is a school-based syllabus, are strongly advised to study carefully a copy of the syllabus, obtainable from IBCA, before making a final decision. The syllabus gives a clear idea of the scope and content of the subject and will help candidates to decide whether their choice of topic is appropriate.

**PHYSICS**
An extended essay in physics provides a candidate with an opportunity to apply a range of skills while researching a topic of personal interest in the field of physics. The physical nature of an extended essay is characterized by a particular physical emphasis within a more general set of scientific criteria. The extended essay in physics must be a research paper involving an hypothesis or a model, or a critical analysis which demonstrates argumentation, comparison, or the extraction of relevant information or data.

**VISUAL ARTS**
Extended essays in visual arts offer the opportunity to undertake research into a topic of particular interest for the candidate. The candidate is encouraged to develop and explore in a disciplined and imaginative way a research question appropriate to the subject, and to arrive at a particular, and preferably personal, conclusion.

**WORLD RELIGIONS**
Extended essays in world religions provide candidates with the opportunity to undertake an in-depth investigation into a limited topic within the field of world religions. The study should involve imaginative, personal and critical evaluation combined with disciplined and accurate research. Candidates who are considering registering an extended essay in this subject, which is a school-based syllabus, are strongly advised to study carefully a copy of the syllabus, obtainable from IBCA, before making a final decision. The syllabus gives a clear idea of the scope and content of the subject and will help candidates to decide whether their choice of topic is appropriate. World religions comprises a systematic, critical, yet sensitive study of the variety of beliefs, values and practices encountered in religions globally. It adopts a phenomenological approach in which a rigorous attempt is made to maintain objectivity in the analysis and evaluation of religions. In essence, this involves examining and explaining the beliefs, values and practices of a religion by using the language and concepts from within that religious tradition. Any kind of reductionist approach that tries to explain religious phenomena by reducing them to the language and practices of either another religion, or the secular framework of psychology, sociology or history, for example, should be avoided. However, those reductionist approaches may themselves be a topic for study. World religions aims to promote an inquiring, critical and sympathetic approach to the study of religions; to enable students to acquire a substantial knowledge of the beliefs, values and practices of a number of religions; to provide students with an appreciation and understanding of the issues surrounding those beliefs, values, practices and movements in the world today; to provide an understanding of how religions affect people’s lives, and to develop an awareness of the significance for the adherents of each of the faiths studied. In other words, the concern is not just with what the followers of a faith believe and do, but also with an understanding of why they do so, through an appreciation of the form of life and world outlook which they constitute.