Let me be upfront. You're going to use AI. I know it, your teachers know it, the IB knows it. The question isn't whether you'll use it — it's how.
"Hey ChatGPT, write me an extended essay about social media and voter psychology."
"Here's my rough research question. What are the weaknesses in how I've framed this? What would an examiner push back on?"
AI is not your writer. It's your thinking partner. The second you let AI write your EE, you lose everything that makes an A-grade essay — your voice, your originality, your authentic engagement.
The Golden Rules
Never Paste AI Output
Never paste AI output directly into your EE. Ever. Not even a sentence. It's yours or it's nothing.
Start With YOUR Ideas
Don't go to AI with a blank slate. Always bring your draft, your thinking, your attempt first.
Challenge AI Back
AI is confident even when it's wrong. Question its suggestions. Apply your own judgment.
Your RPPF = Your Process
Your RPPF should reflect YOUR journey. Not "I asked ChatGPT and it gave me this."
Stage 1: Brainstorming & RQ Refinement
This is where AI is honestly the most useful. Not to give you a research question — but to stress-test the one you already have.
Prompt 1: Finding Your Niche From Your Interests
When to use: You have a broad interest but no idea how to turn it into an EE topic.
I'm an IB student starting my Extended Essay. I'm interested in [YOUR INTEREST — e.g., video games, fashion, basketball, cooking]. My strongest HL subjects are [YOUR HL SUBJECTS].
Don't give me a research question. Instead, give me 5 creative angles where my interest could intersect with my strongest subject(s) in a way that's specific enough for a 4,000-word research paper. For each angle, explain what makes it interesting and what kind of data or analysis might be possible.
Prompt 2: RQ Stress-Test
When to use: You have a draft RQ and want it torn apart before your supervisor does.
Here's my draft Extended Essay research question: "[YOUR RQ]"
Act as an experienced IB Extended Essay examiner. Evaluate this RQ against these specific concerns: 1. Is it too broad? If so, what specifically makes it too broad? 2. Is it researchable within 4,000 words with sources a high school student can access? 3. Does it allow for analysis and evaluation, or does it just invite description? 4. What would you expect to see in the essay that answers this question? 5. Give me 3 more focused versions of this RQ that would score higher.
Prompt 3: The "So What?" Test
When to use: You want to know if your RQ has enough depth.
My Extended Essay research question is: "[YOUR RQ]"
Ask me "so what?" five times — each time digging deeper into why this research matters, why anyone should care, and what new understanding it could contribute. After the five "so whats," tell me whether my RQ has enough depth for a 4,000-word research paper or if I need to rethink it.
Stage 2: Research & Finding Sources
Prompt 4: Source Decoder
When to use: You found a dense academic paper and can't understand what it's actually saying.
I'm researching for my IB Extended Essay on [YOUR TOPIC]. I found this passage in an academic paper:
"[PASTE THE PASSAGE]"
Explain this in plain English. Then tell me: 1. What is the core argument or finding? 2. How might this be relevant to my research question: "[YOUR RQ]"? 3. What are the limitations of this claim?
Prompt 5: Finding Gaps in Your Research
When to use: You've done your EE Dump and want to check if you're missing anything.
I'm writing my IB Extended Essay. My RQ is: "[YOUR RQ]"
Here are the main topics and sources I've gathered so far: [PASTE YOUR EE DUMP SUMMARY — just the subtopics and key points]
What significant angles or perspectives am I missing? What would an examiner expect to see that isn't covered here? Are there any obvious counterarguments or limitations I should address?
Prompt 6: Generating Search Terms for Google Scholar
When to use: You've exhausted your obvious search terms and can't find more sources.
I'm searching Google Scholar for sources for my Extended Essay. My RQ is: "[YOUR RQ]"
I've already searched for: [LIST YOUR SEARCH TERMS]
Generate 10 alternative academic search terms I haven't thought of. Include specific theoretical frameworks, methodologies, or related concepts that might lead me to relevant papers. For each term, briefly explain what kind of source it might surface.
Note
NEVER ask AI to give you sources, citations, or references. It will make them up and they will look real. Every single source in your EE must be something YOU found and verified yourself on Google or Google Scholar.
Stage 3: Structuring & Outlining
Prompt 7: Testing Your Structure Against the Criteria
When to use: You've drafted your EE structure and want to check it hits all the assessment criteria.
I'm writing my IB Extended Essay. Here's my current structure:
[PASTE YOUR SECTION OUTLINE]
Evaluate this structure against the IB EE assessment criteria: - Criterion A: Knowledge and Understanding - Criterion B: Application and Analysis - Criterion C: Synthesis and Evaluation - Criterion D: Communication
For each section, tell me: 1. Which criterion/criteria does it primarily address? 2. Is there any criterion that isn't being covered enough? 3. Are there any sections that seem redundant? 4. What's missing?
Prompt 8: Flow and Logic Check
When to use: You want to make sure your argument builds logically.
Here's the section-by-section breakdown of my Extended Essay:
[LIST EACH SECTION AND WHAT IT COVERS]
Does this order make logical sense? Would a reader moving from section 1 to the final section follow a clear, building argument? If not, suggest a better order and explain why.
Stage 4: Reviewing & Critiquing Your Drafts
This is where AI becomes incredibly powerful. Using it as a tough critic BEFORE you submit.
Prompt 9: The Examiner Simulation
When to use: You've written a section or your full draft and want honest, brutal feedback.
You are a senior IB Extended Essay examiner with 15 years of experience. You've graded thousands of essays and you have zero patience for mediocrity.
Here is a section from my Extended Essay:
"[PASTE YOUR SECTION]"
My research question is: "[YOUR RQ]"
Grade this section against the EE criteria and give me: 1. What grade band would this fall in (A/B/C/D/E) and why? 2. The three biggest weaknesses 3. Specific sentences or paragraphs that are weak and WHY they're weak 4. What's missing that an examiner would expect to see 5. One thing that's actually done well (if anything)
Do not be nice. Be accurate.
Tip
This is the single most valuable prompt in this entire module. "Do not be nice. Be accurate." forces AI to actually critique instead of giving you participation trophy feedback.
Prompt 10: Description vs Analysis Checker
"[PASTE YOUR SECTION]"
Highlight every sentence that is purely descriptive (just stating facts or summarising sources) versus analytical (evaluating, comparing, drawing conclusions, making original arguments).
What percentage of this section is description vs analysis? For the descriptive parts, show me how I could transform each one into analysis.
Prompt 11: Academic Tone Audit
Review this section of my Extended Essay for academic tone:
"[PASTE YOUR SECTION]"
Identify any instances of: casual language, first person where it shouldn't be, vague claims without evidence, repetitive phrasing, or sentences that sound like they were written for a blog rather than an academic paper.
For each instance, quote the problematic phrase and give me a more academic alternative. But don't make it sound robotic — it should still be clear and readable.
Stage 5: RPPF Reflection Writing
Prompt 12: Reflection Brainstorm
When to use: You need to write your RPPF reflection but don't know where to start.
I'm writing my RPPF (Reflections on Planning and Progress Form) for my IB Extended Essay. Here's what happened during my EE process so far:
[DESCRIBE YOUR JOURNEY — challenges, changes, discoveries, frustrations]
Don't write my reflection for me. Instead, ask me 10 specific questions about my experience that would help me write a more thoughtful, detailed reflection. Focus on: intellectual growth, challenges overcome, methodology decisions, and how my thinking evolved.
Note
Do NOT let AI write your RPPF for you. Your RPPF reflection should be 100% your own words describing your real experience. Use AI to help you think about what to include — not to generate the text.
The Right Mindset
Think of AI like a gym buddy. A gym buddy doesn't lift the weights for you — if they did, you wouldn't get stronger. They spot you, push you to do one more rep, and tell you when your form is off. That's exactly how AI should work in your EE process.
- Don't ask AI to paraphrase your sources for you. That's YOUR job. If you can't put a source in your own words, you don't understand it well enough to use it.
- Don't use AI to "improve" or "rewrite" your paragraphs. The moment AI touches your actual writing, it's no longer your EE. Use it for feedback and critique, then make the improvements yourself.
- Screenshot nothing, learn everything. The point of using AI is to learn and improve your thinking, not to create shortcuts you can screenshot.
Key Takeaways
- AI is your thinking partner, not your writer — like a gym buddy who spots you
- Always start with YOUR ideas — bring your drafts and thoughts first
- Use the 12 prompts across 5 stages: brainstorm, research, structure, review, RPPF
- Never paste AI output into your EE — use it to think better, not copy answers
- The prompts force AI to critique and challenge — never to write for you