The extended essay is the culmination of a long process. You could say that the final product is like the tip of a very deep iceberg. While you 'only' see 3,000 - 4,000 words, hours of research, writing, editing and reviewing lie below the surface. The extended essay is the unique opportunity to demonstrate a range of skills that can be developed in the Language and Literature classroom, from citing sources properly to writing abstracts. By breaking down this large task into smaller, more manageable tasks, we can develop the skills necessary for the extended essay.

The following pages offer exercises that develop the skills related to the extended essay. For example, you can find out more about refining a guiding question so that it is both relevant to the Language and Literature course and focused on a topic or text. Keep in mind that the extended essay cannot be writting in one night, or even in one week. 'Practice makes perfect' as the saying goes. And so, developing these skills requires time and careful planning.