FAQ

The following are some common questions about the Extended Essay and their answers. Please send further questions to Mr. Masoni at bmasoni@scischina.org or to Mr. Smith at jsmith@scischina.org.

Q: Can I write on anything I want? A: IB diploma program candidates are limited in choice because topics have to be tied to a specific subject area and each subject has specific guidelines. Please talk with your advisor or Mr. Masoni or Mr. Smith about how your extended essay will meet these guidelines.

Non-IB diploma program candidates can write on topic of their choice as long as they write an argumentative research based paper. Please see your advisor if you have any questions about what this means for you and for your extended essay project.

Q: What happens if my supervisor leaves? A: Because students are asked to complete most of the work on the extended essay by the end of this year (by June of the junior year), if your advisor leaves it should not substantially impact your extended essay.You will have a new advisor to take you through the final steps of the EE process in the fall.

Q: What if I want to switch supervisors in the middle of the process? A: Choose your advisor carefully at the start. If you do need to change advisors, please see Mr. Smith or Mr. Masoni before you do so. Also please remember that changing topics once you have started the EE is not recommended.

Q: Do I have to write an Extended Essay if I am not an IB Diploma candidate? A: Although the EE is not a requirement for students who are not completing the whole IB Diploma, completing an EE is an SCIS graduation requirement. The EE's of students who are not Diploma candidates may have different requirements in terms of length and topic, but we strongly feel that every student who graduates from SCIS should be able to construct a properly argued and cited research paper. Additionally, beginning in 2013, students who are not Diploma candidates will be able to submit an EE for extra points. Please speak to Mr. Smith or Mr. Masoni for more details.

Q: What happens if I miss an important deadline? A: First of all, ALL deadlines are important. But the severity of your penalty will depend upon the deadline missed. Know that in more severe cases -- when students miss actual submission deadlines -- they will be removed from all after-school activities (including sports), and required to spend every day after school supervised in the library working on the EE.