maturk Posted August 13, 2014 Report Share Posted August 13, 2014 Hey IB lads, I just started IB1 and my teachers and peers are already working/deciding on EE subjects and their topics. I'm really lost right now because I don't even know what subject I want to do the EE in. Some of my peers are already reserving teachers as their EE moderators and I'm scared I will be one of the last ones to get one which results in less time with my moderator. My subjects are Math HL, Physics HL, Psychology SL, English A L&L SL, Finnish B HL, and Chemistry SL. 1. Do you guys have any tips on choosing an EE subject and then a topic? 2. Are there any trends like "English A EEs do worse" or "Experimental EEs are impossible to get an A in" that I'm unaware about? (I don't know anything ) 3. Are there any subjects/topics or mistakes I should be very cautious about in choosing my subject and topic? 4. Is it also a good idea to do an EE in a subject that you don't take? My teacher said that you could actually do this. I could do one in Philosophy or even History if I wanted. Thanks in advance survivors Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ossih Posted August 13, 2014 Report Share Posted August 13, 2014 Hi! Err, straight of the bat, I'd discourage doing math. I guess it depends, I dunno. I love math and I thought a math extended essay would be the natural choice. I searched for ages though trying to find a topic that interested me. I read books such as 100 Ancient Problems of Elementary Mathematics and no avail. I went through IMO questions and still no luck So I eventually gave up. It's just that, finding a topic to write an 'essay' in 'math' (already sounds wrong) is really hard. You need a lot of personal initiative, and keep your fingers crossed that you can find a solution. A personal anecdote, one of the biggest math freaks at my school, was predicted an A in his EE with a full on all his criteria. He ended up with a B though. Math EE's tend to be hard. Sciences EE's are quite popular. As long as you choose sophisticated enough questions, with real inquiry rather than just something for an EE, you should be fine My personal story is that I decided to do mine in economics. It's an ongoing process. I scrapped my first idea, but I've gathered some data on my second! If you need any more help, questions and stuff, feel free to message me And hey, you really shouldn't fret about it just yet. Ask your seniors what timetable helped them and see if that suits you. 2 Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
flinquinnster Posted August 14, 2014 Report Share Posted August 14, 2014 In terms of choosing an EE subject, you should really be looking at a subject you personally enjoy and think you are good at. Generally, this tends to be one of your HL subjects. Having said that, it is possible to do an EE in one of your SL subjects - or even in an IB subject you don't do. However, generally if you aren't taking the subject (at HL) then you probably aren't as familiar with the demands of that subject, so usually the advice is to do the EE in a subject at HL. Indeed, some schools will only allow you to do an EE in a subject you take at HL, so find out your school's policy! Choosing a topic comes after you decide a subject. If you don't have particular interests in the subject you've chosen, then do some reading (in journals/books/online) to get some idea of what you'd be interested enough in to write a 4000-word essay. Using EE statistics to determine what subject to write it in is quite an imprecise and unreliable art. However, based on what I've heard and random scanning of IB statistics, there are some trends. I think that generally Group 1 (English) subjects tend to do quite well, though since I did my EE in English I'm a bit biased. Group 3 (social sciences/humanities) subjects are the most popular, but I think that they don't tend to do as well. I'm honestly not sure about Group 4 (science) essays, but I gather that if you choose a topic well, that you can do well. Group 5 (maths) does tend to have a reputation for being fiendishly difficult to do well in, and the statistics do back it up! Our school actually told us Maths HL students (all 3 of us) not to do an EE in that subject - of course you can do it in Maths, but as Ossih has mentioned be warned! Choosing an EE subject and topic can seem quite daunting, but I honestly think that the best way to go is to go for something you think is interesting, because it is agony to write 4000 words about something you're not passionate about! Good luck. 2 Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daksiin Posted September 8, 2020 Report Share Posted September 8, 2020 I am thinking about doing my EE on ITGS, can i get an A in it Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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