What is the hardest and easiest IB extended essay subject?

What extended essay subject is the best for IBDP? The IB extended essay is the part of the IB program that many students find challenging. The fact that it holds very high weightage means that students spend a lot of time planning so that they can get it just right and can make it big. When we talk about the IB extended essay subjects, there are several subjects that you can choose from. But the choice depends entirely on what you want and what you think will work out for you best.

According to the latest IB extended essay rubric, there are a whole lot of subject choices in IB that you have available. These include:

• Biology

• Business and management

• Chemistry

• Computer science

• Dance

• Design technology

• Economics

• Environmental systems and societies (Interdisciplinary)

• Film

• Geography

• Global Politics

• History

• Information technology in a Global society

• Literature and performance (Interdisciplinary)

• Mathematics

• Music

• Philosophy

• Physics

• Psychology

• Social and cultural anthropology

• Sports, exercise and health science

• Theatre

• Visual arts

• World religions

• World studies

But you need to choose one for yourself after careful consideration, it needs to be a topic that you can do justice to. So for that reason, you need to spend the most time finding a subject that you can do well. It also depends on your area of interest. You will naturally be able to do well when you are more interested in a specific subject area.

Many a time, students ask what the hardest IB extended essay subject is. The fact is that there are several extended essay subject areas. You need to be one to choose the one you can do justice to. Remember that this forms a huge chunk of your grade, so only careful consideration can allow you to select the best subject.

What might seem like an easy subject for you might be a very challenging subject for someone else.

So that is why you need to be extremely careful when selecting a subject. And choosing a topic for your IB extended essay afterward.

‘Hardest’ and ‘easiest’ are very subjective words, so there is no definitive answer that you will get for this. You need to be the one to decide what you like and which subject you can handle the best.

For example, many people who like research-based essays find subjects like history very easy, but those who are good with numbers would naturally go for an math extended essay. So, it all depends on what you like to do and how you view certain subjects. You need to make a very smart choice depending on what you like to do.

Factors Affecting IB Subject Choices

There are many different subject choices that you have. You need to consider all of these factors when you make a choice. Remember that this is a very important part of the process. So you need to be very smart about it. However, four factors affect these subject choices. These are written and explained here:

Quality of Tuition

You always need some guidance to help you get through things. When you have someone qualified to guide you through every step, you will surely be able to make it big. As you know IB can be quite challenging compared to other diploma programs. So you must always look for the right guidance throughout this time. Find someone who can help you through every step of the way.

Importance of Future Career

Where you wish to see yourself in the near future is also a major factor affecting your subject choices. If you want to see yourself doing big things in the field of analytics, then maybe you could go for something like philosophy or mathematics. When you do something relevant to your field, you can naturally do justice to it.

Personal Strengths

There are some subjects that you are good at. For example, if linguistics is your strength, you will naturally be much better at it than other subjects, same thing to biology, if you believe you are good at it – choice is yours.

So you should always try to use your strengths in the best way. When you do that, you can choose the best subject for you. You can work your way through something easily when you are good at something. It won’t seem like you have to put in that extra effort for that.

Difficulty

If you find a certain subject difficult, you will find it challenging to write an essay on that topic too. So that is something that you should stay away from. Given that the extended essay is a huge part of the IB program, you need to choose something you like. If you find it difficult, it will be very hard to get through it. So, you must choose something that you find easy.

In case you are ready to write a good IB EE, you need to aim for a seven on your extended essay. For that, you need to stay within your comfort zone. It is only when you do that you can do justice to the extended essay topic. Not just that, it allows you to delve more into detail and continue doing what you wish.

Many students find English a perfect option for them. These students choose English because it seems like the best option there is. You don’t have to go much into technical detail with this subject. Not just that, but you can easily pave your way through it. For people who have studied the English language their whole life, this is undoubtedly the ‘easy’ option out there.

To make a smart choice, it is a wise idea to go through several samples of extended essays. That will allow you to understand what extended essays really are like. Try to go through the ones that have gotten a score of 7. When you do that, you will be better able to understand what is expected of you and how deep you have to delve into the topic to score much better. It is all about what you are comfortable with. So you need to make sure that you do your best.

Meanwhile, do you know how long does it take to write an extended essay? Are you ready to spend days and hours on this? Be prepared to leave enough time because you will need to write a 4000 words paper, and, believe me, it’s quite a tough task. Therefore, make sure to select the subject you are interested in from the very beginning.

What is the easiest IB subject?

Research into students’ grades on the IB extended essay has shown that the third group, Individuals and Societies, is very easy to score higher on. Economics seems to be the one where scoring a seven is very easy. It has the highest number of people scoring 7s.

History seems to be rather difficult here since much research is involved. You need to ensure that you take into account all the different perspectives before you finally settle on something. So, for this reason, you must first be very sure about what you want to work on.

Business and management is also a trendy subject choice, mainly because it has a lot of generic content that is added in too. So you must first explore all the different options and then look at several examples of extended essays, only after which you can make a sound choice.

Hardest IB SL Subject

My answer is – Math SL. Why?

• Math at the SL level is challenging because it covers a broad range of topics, from algebra to calculus, and requires a deep understanding of each.
• Real-life example: Think about a startup founder who’s trying to predict their company’s growth over the next year. They’d need to understand functions, sequences, and series to make accurate predictions. Or consider someone trying to optimize the design of a garden, needing geometry to maximize space and aesthetics. It’s not just about crunching numbers; it’s about applying them in real-world scenarios.

Hardest HL Subject in IB

Of course – Physics HL!

• Physics at the HL level dives deep into topics like quantum physics, wave phenomena, and nuclear energy. The concepts are abstract, and the math behind them can be intense.
• Real-life example: Consider an engineer working on the next big tech gadget. They’d need to understand the principles of electromagnetism to ensure the device’s circuits work correctly. Or think about a researcher trying to harness sustainable energy sources. They’d be diving into thermodynamics and nuclear reactions. It’s like being handed the pieces of a complex puzzle and being asked to not only put it together but also explain why each piece fits where it does.

Both subjects demand not just memorization, but a genuine understanding and application of concepts. They challenge students to think critically and solve problems, skills that are invaluable in real life.

How to choose IB EE subjects?

So, at the end of the day, it is you who has to make a brilliant choice. Based on your preferences, you need to think wisely and make a choice. So if you are wondering what IB subject is the hardest or the easiest, try to look inward first to find out what interests you more.

If you do not want to fail your IB EE, you better write on the topic you are interested in. When something interests you more, you will surely be able to do justice to it. Once you decide on the subject, delve deeper into the details to find a research question. That way, you will go from general to specific and will be able to understand things in a much better way.

Should you need assistance with writing your IB extended essay you can always buy an IB EE here. Good luck on your IB extended essay! Your chances of scoring will be higher when you make a smart choice.