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The Mark Scheme for the New Extended Essay
Part 3 of 5
September 15, 2025
This is part three of our five-part Monday Morning Series on the new guidelines from the IB on the Extended Essay. As you know, this series is based on the deep dive experience that you can have in our Effectively Supervising the New Extended Essay workshop on November 8th via Zoom. If you would like to join us, we’d love to host you.
All right, here we go. Let’s take a look at the new Mark Scheme.
The New Mark Scheme
The new Mark Scheme is now out of 30 marks instead of 34.
Several criteria have changed significantly. In fact all of them with the exception of Criterion B.
And here’s something really helpful—all of the criteria now include a guiding question.
These questions provide clarity for us as Supervisors and for students, making it much easier to understand what needs to be done to reach the top markband.
Let’s walk through each criterion in detail.
Criterion A: Framework for the Essay (6 marks)
This criterion assesses three key things: the research question, the research methods, and the structure of the essay.
The structure here refers to the structural conventions of the subject area—how well the student organizes their essay in a way that reflects academic practice in that discipline.
In the old mark scheme, this was part of Criterion D (Presentation). That has now been removed from D and placed into Criterion A, where it fits more naturally.
The guiding question is: Do the research question, the research methods, and the structural conventions followed provide an effective framework for the essay?
If a student consistently articulates their research question, uses appropriate methods, and applies the structural conventions of the subject well, they can earn five or six marks here.
Criterion B: Knowledge and Understanding (6 marks)
Criterion B is largely unchanged from the old version.
It evaluates how well the student demonstrates knowledge of the subject matter in which they are writing.
Specifically, it looks at three things:
- The use of the knowledge they learned with us in class
- The use of proper terminology relevant to the subject.
- The use of proper concepts and how effectively they are applied.
The guiding question is: Does the student demonstrate the knowledge and understanding of the subject matter being used in their research?
This criterion rewards essays that are rooted in the student’s DP subject, using terminology and concepts consistently and effectively throughout.
Criterion C: Analysis and Line of Argument (6 marks)
This is one of the most exciting changes.
Criterion C now focuses on analysis and what the IB calls the line of argument.
Analysis requires students to move beyond description to interpret evidence and generate relevant findings.
The line of argument is new, and I think it’s fantastic.
This is where the IB is explicitly asking...
Is the essay clear, cohesive, and easy to follow? Does the student sustain a logical argument that connects their research question, their evidence, and their conclusion? In other words, have they written a paper that flows?
The guiding question is: Does the student analyze the information presented in the essay and produce a coherent line of argument?
This makes Criterion C not only about whether students can analyze but also about whether they can write an essay that reads smoothly and convincingly.
I love this new element.
Criterion D: Discussion and Evaluation (8 marks)
This criterion has been completely restructured.
It now looks at two major components:
- Discussion: Is the discussion of the findings balanced? Are the findings fully supported by appropriate evidence?
- Evaluation: Is the evaluation effective, and does the student explicitly identify both the strengths and the limitations of their work?
The inclusion of the word limitations is important!
It makes it clear that evaluation cannot just be about the strengths of their argument. A top-mark essay must also explain the limitations of the research, the data, or the method.
I love this. And for those of us who've been around for awhile, finally some clarity on the inclusion of limitations.
The guiding question is: Does the student discuss the findings and evaluate the essay?
This is worth eight marks, making it the single largest criterion.
Criterion E: Reflection (4 marks)
Criterion E has been renamed Reflection, and it is worth four marks.
It assesses the student’s ability to evaluate their learning experience, and it places a heavy emphasis on growth.
The reflection must include specific examples, and it must show how the experience has changed the student’s perspective as a learner and thinker.
The IB even lists examples of what growth might look like:
- Drawing on experiences or insights that shape future thinking.
- Explicit examples of how skills learned can transfer to other contexts in the future.
- Explaining how a change in perspective has impacted decision making.
The guiding question is: Does the student evaluate the effect of the Extended Essay learning experience on them as a learner?
Pretty cool, and some easy marks for a student to earn with good guidance from us.
Grade Descriptors
Finally, the grade descriptors.
These are the qualitative descriptions of what an Extended Essay looks like at each grade level, from A through E.
They are used by senior examiners to set grade boundaries each session, and they should guide us as Supervisors when we predict grades.
You can find them on page 115 of the subject guide.
They describe what an A essay looks like, what a B essay looks like, all the way down to E.
Definitely required reading. Repeatedly, actually.
My Thoughts and Takeaways...
- Clarity at Last. Moving structure into Criterion A and separating evaluation into Criterion D creates a much clearer, more logical scheme.
- Line of Argument. I love this addition. It rewards students for writing essays that are cohesive, fluid, and easy to follow.
- Explicit Evaluation. The focus on both strengths and limitations makes evaluation much clearer for students—and for us as Supervisors.
- Reflection with Purpose. Criterion E may only be worth 4 marks, but the emphasis on growth and transfer of learning gives it real meaning.
- Descriptors Matter. When it comes to predicted grades, the descriptors on page 115 are gold. That’s where we should be looking.
That’s a lot of change, but I also feel like it’s a lot of clarity for us.
And I’m really excited about this new Mark Scheme and the clarity that it provides for us.
I hope you enjoyed reading this. And of course, don’t forget, you can join us on November 8th in our Effectively Supervising the New Extended Essay workshop via Zoom. This has been our most popular workshop for the past two years, and we expect demand to be big this year as well.
Remember also that if your school is sending five or more teachers, there are group discounts available. All you need to do is send me an email and I’ll help you get that set up.
Next week we will be back on Monday with a deep dive look at the new Subject-Specific Guidance, which have been completely revamped for the new iteration of the Extended Essay. It’s pretty fascinating what they did.
Have a great week.
Brad
Book a Custom Training for Your IB Faculty - If your school would like a tailored training on the updated Extended Essay guidelines, we’d love to help—onsite at your campus or live online—just send me an email at [email protected] and we’ll work together to make it happen.
Effectively Supervising the New Extended Essay - November 8th, 2025 - This focused and practical workshop is designed to help teachers confidently navigate the updated Extended Essay framework for the Class of 2027. Together, we’ll explore what’s changed, what’s stayed the same, and how to effectively guide students through both the Subject-Focused and Interdisciplinary pathways.
Brad Cartwright
Educator | Speaker | Workshop Leader | Course Creator