IB Extended Essay planner (first assessment 2027)
Put in your school's deadline and get a week-by-week EE timeline with the three reflection sessions, a research question check, and a word counter for the 4,000-word essay and the 500-word reflective statement. Questions only, never essay content, so the work stays yours.
1. Your timeline
Schools set their own internal deadlines, usually months before the IB's. Use yours, and check every date with your supervisor and DP coordinator.
2. Research question check
3. Word count
The IB sets an upper limit of 4,000 words for the essay and 500 words for the reflective statement. What counts (for example, whether headings, tables, equations, citations and the bibliography are included) is set out in the guide: check with your supervisor before trimming. This counter simply counts every word you paste.
What changed for May 2027 (and what didn't)
The new extended essay guide was published in February 2025, with first assessment in May 2027. The headline facts, from the IB's own pages:
- Two pathways: subject-focused (one DP subject) or interdisciplinary (two DP subjects). World studies has been folded into the interdisciplinary pathway.
- Still up to 4,000 words.
- Three reflection sessions with your supervisor: an initial one, an interim one once a significant amount of research is done, and a final viva voce after you hand the essay in. They're recorded on the Reflection and Progress Form (RPF).
- One reflective statement of up to 500 words, written after the viva voce and assessed under criterion E.
- New criteria, 30 marks in total: see the table below.
- Language A and B categories have been removed.
| Criterion | Guiding question (IB wording) | Marks |
|---|---|---|
| A: Framework for the essay | Do the research question, research methods and structural conventions provide an effective framework? | 6 |
| B: Knowledge and understanding | Does the student demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the subject matter? | 6 |
| C: Analysis and line of argument | Does the student analyse the information and produce a line of argument? | 6 |
| D: Discussion and evaluation | Does the student discuss the findings and evaluate the essay? | 8 |
| E: Reflection | Does the student evaluate the effect of the EE learning experience on them as a learner? | 4 |
Source: IB, DP extended essay updates. Not affiliated with or endorsed by the International Baccalaureate.
How the timeline is worked out
The planner spreads the standard stages across the time you have: choosing a topic and supervisor, the initial reflection session, refining the question and planning, research, the interim reflection session, a complete first draft, supervisor comments on that draft (supervisors can comment on one complete draft), revising on your own, final checks, and submission. The viva voce and your reflective statement follow submission. Shares of time are our planning choices, not IB rules; move dates to match your school's calendar.
Using AI on your EE
The new guide includes clearer guidance on AI and ethical research. Your school's academic integrity policy decides what's allowed. A sound rule of thumb: AI can question you, but the ideas, analysis and every word you submit must be yours, and any use must be acknowledged the way your school requires. A tutor that asks rather than writes fits that rule better than one that drafts for you.
Also for IB students: the free TOK May 2027 Socratic question deck and the IB May 2027 exam countdown. More tools: learn.askpoppy.ai.
Want a thinking partner for your EE? Ask Poppy is an AI tutor you talk or type to. It asks what you already know and gives one hint at a time instead of handing you the answer, and it remembers where you left off. Free for 30 messages a day; unlimited use is optional ($3.99/week or $9.99/month in the US store). Like any AI, it can make mistakes.
Free, 30 messages a day · iPhone, iPad and Mac. (Disclosure: this free tool is made by the Ask Poppy team.)
Questions
What changed in the IB Extended Essay for 2027?
For first assessment in May 2027 there are two pathways (subject-focused and interdisciplinary), new criteria A to E worth 30 marks in total, one reflective statement of up to 500 words assessed under criterion E, and no categories in Language A and B essays.
How long is the Extended Essay?
Up to 4,000 words. The reflective statement on the Reflection and Progress Form is up to 500 words.
How many reflection sessions are there?
Three: an initial session, an interim session once a significant amount of research is done, and a final viva voce after the essay is handed in.
Can I use AI for my Extended Essay?
Your school's academic integrity policy decides. The 2027 guide includes clearer guidance on AI. As a rule of thumb, ideas, analysis and every word you submit must be your own, and any AI use must be acknowledged as your school requires.