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Geography is a dynamic subject that allows you to explore the interrelationships between people, places, and the environment. Whether you are looking at urban patterns or physical landscapes, keep reading for our suggestions on how to write an extended essay that will meet the IB rubric outlined in the official IB EE guide for first assessment in 2027.
Geography EE Criteria and Checklist
You can receive as many as 30 points for your extended essay based on the following criteria:
Criterion A: Framework for the essay - 6 points
This criterion evaluates whether your research question, chosen research methods, and structural conventions provide an effective foundation for your geographical inquiry. In Geography, your framework must be clearly stated and focused, ensuring the topic is manageable within the 4,000-word limit. You need to explain the suitability of your specific research methods, the tools used to collect data, and how they connect to the overall methodology or rationale of the subject. Effective structure in Geography often includes the use of maps, diagrams, and tables to illustrate spatial patterns, all of which must be clearly labelled and referenced within your text.
For a maximum of 6 points:
Frame your research question to focus on a specific, locatable geographical area or case study rather than a broad, general region.
Explicitly define your primary data collection tools, such as infiltration tests, beach profiles, or land-use mapping, and explain why they are the best fit for your specific site.
Include a "Methodology" section that details exactly how, when, and where you collected your data so that another researcher could replicate your fieldwork.
Ensure every map you include features essential cartographic elements: a clear title, a scale, a north arrow, and a comprehensive legend or key.
Organize your essay with informative subheadings that follow a logical geographical argument, such as "Data Presentation," "Data Analysis," and "Evaluation".
Criterion B: Knowledge and understanding - 6 points
To score well here, you must demonstrate a deep grasp of the geographical subject matter and the academic context of your research. This involves the accurate and consistent application of subject-specific terminology to show you understand the underlying concepts. You are expected to use relevant research materials, which for Geography includes a mix of primary fieldwork data and secondary sources like census data, academic journals, or specialized maps. Your understanding is also shown through how effectively you use key geographical concepts to frame your investigation.
For a maximum of 6 points:
Consistently use technical geographical terms, such as "calcification," "urban heat island," or "drainage density," to demonstrate professional subject knowledge.
Explain the theoretical models or geographical laws (like the Burgess model or Bradshaw model) that underpin your specific investigation.
Incorporate secondary sources like government reports, census data, or meteorological records to provide a broader context for your local fieldwork findings.
Use and correctly define key geographical concepts such as "place," "space," or "sustainability" as the core ideas around which your research is built.
Synthesize information from different sources into your own words, avoiding over-quoting to ensure your own understanding of the topic is evident.
Criterion C: Analysis and line of argument - 6 points
This criterion focuses on your ability to break down geographical data into essential elements to reach relevant findings. You must maintain a clear, sustained reasoned thread that logically connects your research question to your data analysis and final conclusions. In Geography, this involves processing your data through appropriate techniques, which might include statistical tests, mathematical transformations, or the creation of thematic maps. Every point of analysis must be backed by evidence from your research and lead the reader toward a convincing answer to your research question.
For a maximum of 6 points:
Process your raw fieldwork data using appropriate geographical techniques, such as drawing cross-sections, scatter graphs with lines of best fit, or flow maps.
Maintain a clear line of argument by using transitional sentences that explain how each set of data helps answer your original research question.
Apply statistical analysis where appropriate to determine the strength of correlations or the significance of your findings rather than just describing trends.
Focus your analysis strictly on addressing the research question, setting aside peripheral information that does not support your central argument.
Establish mini-conclusions at the end of major sections to summarize what you have discovered so far and how it links to the next part of your essay.
Criterion D: Discussion and evaluation - 8 points
This criterion requires a balanced review of your findings in a wider geographical context. You must discuss the significance of your results, weighing them against established geographical theories or secondary research. Evaluation is crucial; you need to honestly appraise your methodology, identifying specific strengths and limitations, such as the impact of weather conditions during fieldwork or the reliability of a small sample size. Finally, you should summarize your findings into a final conclusion that considers broader implications and notes any unresolved questions.
For a maximum of 8 points:
Compare your primary fieldwork results with established literature to discuss how typical or unusual your findings are.
Critically evaluate your fieldwork methodology by identifying specific sources of error, such as equipment limitations or sampling bias, and their impact on your results.
Discuss your findings from multiple perspectives, considering how different stakeholders (e.g., local residents, developers, or environmentalists) might interpret the same geographical issue.
Provide a summative conclusion that directly answers your research question based only on the evidence you have presented in the essay.
Propose specific, realistic improvements or extensions to your research that could address the limitations you identified during your evaluation.
Criterion E: Reflection - 4 points
This criterion assesses your personal growth and the research process based on a 500-word reflective statement on the Reflection and Progress Form (RPF). You should evaluate how the experience has impacted you as a learner, providing specific examples of how you responded to challenges or how your perspective changed. Reflection should show evidence of "transfer of learning" and explain how skills like data management or critical thinking can be used in other contexts. These reflections are written after three mandatory sessions with your supervisor, including a final viva voce interview.
For a maximum of 4 points:
Use your Researcher’s Reflection Space (RRS) to log specific challenges faced during fieldwork, such as difficulty accessing a site or equipment failure, and how you solved them.
Reflect on how your understanding of a geographical concept evolved from your initial brainstorm to the final analysis of your data.
Detail exactly how the skills you acquired, such as using GIS software or conducting ethical interviews, will benefit you in future university studies or life.
Explain how changes in your perspective during the research process, such as realizing the complexity of a local issue, impacted your final decision-making.
Discuss the impact of the three mandatory reflection sessions and how your supervisor's prompts helped you refine your geographical inquiry.
We hope you found this post helpful in learning more about the IB Geography criteria. For more useful materials associated with the IB, check out the wide variety of IA, EE and TOK exemplars available at Clastify and other guides available on our blog.
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