What Happens if You Fail Your Extended Essay? (Quick Answer!)

May 19, 2023

fail extended essay

We’ve written dozens of Extended Essay in the last 90 days, and we understand how long and intense the project can be. You have to choose a topic, conduct preliminary research, develop a research question, and spend at most 40 hours writing the report. But what happens if you fail the Extended Essay?

You won’t earn the IB diploma if you fail an Extended Essay. Students who get E in both and Theory of Knowledge and Extended Essay get the fail mark, which means they wasted two years in the program. Also, note that you can’t get the diploma if you get an N in any of the EE subjects.

Fortunately, failing the Extended Essay isn’t the end of the world. You will have the opportunity to repeat the entire project in the same registered subject – or you can choose to focus on a completely different subject altogether.

How Many Points Do I Need to Pass Extended Essay?

You need a score of 14 to 20 points, which is equivalent to a C in the IB EE grading descriptors, to pass the Extended Essay.

Here’s a table with more information:

Score

Grade

Description

0-6

F

Indicates insufficient effort or not meeting requirements

7-13

D

Below average performance

14-20

C

Pass

21-27

B

Above average performance

28-34

A

Excellent performance

As you can see, a score between 7 and 13 indicates below average performance, while a score between 21 and 27 indicates above average performance. Anything between 27 and 34 earns an excellent grade.

However, a score between 0 and 6 indicates that the student did not put in enough time and effort, resulting in insufficient output. It is important to note that an E in any Extended Essay subject means a fail.

Get Professional Writing Help

If you're finding it challenging to choose a subject and topic for your Extended Essay and don't know where to start, we're here to help you.

Our team of Extended Essay writers can create a custom EE on any subject by following all the requirements to a tee.

Our goal is simple. We’re here to help you choose a suitable topic, organize the structure of your assignment, and write the paper for you. 

You can use the paper you get from us to understand your subject and topic and as reference to help you write the final draft of your Extended Essay.

Why Do Many IB Students Fail Extended Essay?

Students may fail their Extended Essay (EE) for various reasons.

One common reason is that they fail to submit their EE or fail to fulfill the assignment's requirements.

In some cases, students purposely fail to do original research and instead submit plagiarized work at the last minute.

Students, supervisors, mentors, and teachers all agree that it's hard to fail an EE unless one plans to do so.

Even getting at least 24 points in the EE and a D on the Theory of Knowledge essays can still earn you the IB diploma, an indication that it’s difficult to fail the EE.

However, it's essential to note that there are instances where failing the EE is quite easy.

For example, students may fail to follow the EE rubric correctly, exceed the word count in one subject, plagiarize the assignment, or lack proper guidance on the EE leads to an automatic failure of the assignment.

How Does IB Grade Extended Essays?

The table below is a summary on how IBO grades the Extended Essay projects: 

Criterion

Description

Points

A: Focus and Method

It examines your selected topic, the research question, and the methodology used.

6

B: Knowledge and Understanding

This criterion valuates if you’ve used the right concepts and approach to demonstrate an understanding of the issue and its disciplinary perspective.

6

C: Critical Thinking

Examines to what extent you’ve applied critical thinking skills to evaluate your research question.

12

D: Presentation

Evaluates the extent to which your academic writing skills help with effective communication.

6

E: Engagement

Focuses only on the 500-word reflection and evaluates how engaging your research question and research process were.

6

Frequently Asked Questions

1. How Many Points Do I Need to Pass EE?

You need at least 24 points to pass the IB Extended Essay.

Note that 24 is the minimum threshold set by IB for the subject. Therefore, if you score anything below 24, you won’t get a diploma.

2. Can I Redo an Extended Essay?

IB gives you the opportunity to redo an Extended Essay, but do keep in mind that you will only have one attempt to repeat the assignment.

You can work on the same registered subject or you can chose a different IB subject altogether.

We strongly recommend that you aim to get at least a 24 in your second attempt. Also, you must do your best to get a 7 in ToK essay if you want to earn the IB diploma.

3. Is a 3 a Fail in IB?

The IBO grades work from 1 to 7 with the exception of EE and ToK, which they grade by letter.

We should state clearly that it’s impossible to score only a 1 in IB, unless you do nothing. A 45 would be a pass and, subject wise, a 3 or below is a fail.

You should check out our article on the complexity of the IB program to learn more.

4. How Good Does an Extended Essay Have to Be?

Your Extended Essay, regardless of the subject you choose, has to meet the requirements of the assignment to stand out as good enough.

We know that there is a lot you can say when writing an Extended Essay. However, you can only score the best points if you stick to the EE guidelines.

You need to ensure you structure your essay correctly so that you stay on point throughout the writing process.

About the author 

Antony W is a professional writer and coach at Help for Assessment. He spends countless hours every day researching and writing great content filled with expert advice on how to write engaging essays, research papers, and assignments.

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