Is my EE too far away from the subject to receive a passing grade?

[atracy13]

My EE is a Bio based EE and revolves around the concept of BMI, which has obvious ties to biology, but a large portion of my paper is just analysis and comparison of data. Is this too mathematical? Or should it be okay to at least get a D?

[atracy13]

I keep seeing different things online saying that the main way to fail the EE is by not having it fit your topic so I was just curious and slightly worried about the answer.

[SAzhar]

From Criterion C for the Biology EE: "The way in which the investigation is written will depend very much on whether or not the essay is based on experimental work performed by the student. For essays that are based on data taken from written sources, the student should explain clearly how the data has been selected and should comment on its reliability. For experimental work, sufficient information on the methodology should be provided to allow the work to be repeated. Students should demonstrate that they understand the theory behind any techniques or apparatus used. They are also expected to show an awareness of any limitations or uncertainties inherent in their techniques and apparatus."

Also: "If the data are analysed statistically, the student must clearly show understanding in the body of the essay of: why that particular measure or test was chosen; how it was applied; what the results mean in this context. If graphs are used, they must be correctly selected and drawn to illustrate key elements of the analysis. They should only be included if they improve communication. Students must analyse and present their data in such a way that they support and clarify the argument leading to the conclusion. Students must make a special effort to maintain a reasoned, logical argument that focuses on the research question. Essays that attempt to deal with a large number of variables are unlikely to be focused and coherent. A clear and logical argument can be achieved by making repeated reference to the research question and to the hypotheses derived from it."

While I don't think that your EE will be mistaken for a Math EE, it might be considered unfocused if you didn't connect your data back to your research questions and whatever theories were involved. Not sure how much I can say though; I had a History EE. Hope this helped!

 

[atracy13]

5 hours ago, SAzhar said:

From Criterion C for the Biology EE: "The way in which the investigation is written will depend very much on whether or not the essay is based on experimental work performed by the student. For essays that are based on data taken from written sources, the student should explain clearly how the data has been selected and should comment on its reliability. For experimental work, sufficient information on the methodology should be provided to allow the work to be repeated. Students should demonstrate that they understand the theory behind any techniques or apparatus used. They are also expected to show an awareness of any limitations or uncertainties inherent in their techniques and apparatus."

Also: "If the data are analysed statistically, the student must clearly show understanding in the body of the essay of: why that particular measure or test was chosen; how it was applied; what the results mean in this context. If graphs are used, they must be correctly selected and drawn to illustrate key elements of the analysis. They should only be included if they improve communication. Students must analyse and present their data in such a way that they support and clarify the argument leading to the conclusion. Students must make a special effort to maintain a reasoned, logical argument that focuses on the research question. Essays that attempt to deal with a large number of variables are unlikely to be focused and coherent. A clear and logical argument can be achieved by making repeated reference to the research question and to the hypotheses derived from it."

While I don't think that your EE will be mistaken for a Math EE, it might be considered unfocused if you didn't connect your data back to your research questions and whatever theories were involved. Not sure how much I can say though; I had a History EE. Hope this helped!

 

Any sort of reassurance is fine by me, thanks!