Before you submit your Extended Essay, run through this checklist. These are the things examiners immediately notice — and most of them take under 15 minutes to fix. This checklist is built from the same system used to score 32/34.
Research Question
Key Takeaways
- RQ uses "to what extent" or "how" — forces evaluation, not just description
- RQ is answerable within 4,000 words (not a PhD thesis)
- RQ is researchable — you have actual sources that address it
- RQ appears on the title page and is consistent throughout the essay
- RQ has been approved by your EE supervisor
Title Page
Key Takeaways
- Includes: essay title, research question, subject, word count, and session (e.g., May 2026)
- Does NOT include: your name, school name, or candidate number
- No decorative elements, borders, colours, or images
- Centred and clean — looks like an academic journal cover page
Structure and Organisation
Key Takeaways
- Table of contents with correct page numbers (use auto-generated TOC)
- All required sections present: Introduction, body sections, Conclusion
- Headings are consistent in style (all H1s match, all H2s match)
- Logical flow: each section builds on the previous one
- Introduction ends by setting up the approach, conclusion directly answers the RQ
Content and Analysis
Key Takeaways
- Every section primarily answers the research question — no purposeless content
- Analysis-to-description ratio: significantly more analysis than description
- Every analytical claim is supported by cited evidence
- All frameworks introduced in methodology are applied in the analysis
- Counterarguments or limitations are acknowledged and addressed
- Conclusion synthesises findings and directly answers the RQ
Formatting
Key Takeaways
- Font: Times New Roman, 12pt throughout
- Spacing: double-spaced throughout (except block quotes and bibliography)
- Margins: 1 inch (2.54cm) on all sides
- Page numbers: top right, starting from first content page
- Alignment: left-aligned (not justified)
- Paragraph indentation: first line 1.27cm using Tab, not spacebar
Citations and Bibliography
Key Takeaways
- One citation style used consistently: either MLA or footnotes — never both
- In-text citations placed after closing quotation mark, before period
- Every in-text citation has a matching entry in the bibliography
- Bibliography is alphabetical by author's last name
- Hanging indent format (first line flush left, subsequent lines indented)
- Double-spaced throughout bibliography
- No sources listed that weren't actually cited in the essay
Word Count
Key Takeaways
- Word count is between 3,500 and 4,000 words
- Word count includes: introduction, body sections, conclusion
- Word count EXCLUDES: title page, table of contents, bibliography, appendices, footnotes
- Word count is stated accurately on the title page
Figures, Tables, and Visuals
Key Takeaways
- Every figure is labelled (Fig 1, Fig 2...) with a brief description
- Every table is labelled (Table 1, Table 2...) with a brief description
- Each visual is referenced in the text before or after it appears
- All visuals have a source cited (including self-created ones: "Author's own calculations")
- No visuals included that aren't directly referenced in the analysis
Academic Integrity
Key Takeaways
- All sources cited — every fact, statistic, and argument that isn't your original idea
- No text generated by AI in any part of the essay
- No content copied from essay banks (Clastify, Prezi, other students)
- All paraphrasing properly cited — not just word-swapped from the original
- Turnitin similarity under 15-20% (ask supervisor to check before final submission)
Final Read-Through
Note
Do this once, before you submit. Read your entire essay aloud or have someone else read it. You will catch: "it's" vs "its" errors, typos and autocorrect mistakes, sentences that don't make sense, inconsistencies between sections. This takes 15-20 minutes. It is the easiest mark protection available to you.
Tip
Specifically check for: consistent use of the same company/person/concept names throughout, consistent capitalisation of proper nouns, consistency between what you promise in your methodology and what you actually deliver in your analysis.
Key Takeaways
- Formatting check: 5 minutes — font, spacing, margins, page numbers
- Citations check: 10 minutes — one style used, every citation has a bibliography entry
- Word count check: 2 minutes — between 3,500 and 4,000, stated on title page
- Read-through: 15-20 minutes — catch typos and inconsistencies
- Total pre-submission check: under 30 minutes. Do not skip it.