Rather than presenting invented example essays — which risk teaching you to imitate surface features without the genuine thinking behind them — this guide breaks down the specific, verifiable patterns that A-scoring Extended Essays consistently share, based directly on the official assessment criteria, so you can apply the same standards to your own draft.
They Have a Precise, Well-Scoped Research Question
A-scoring essays almost always have a research question narrow enough to explore in genuine depth within 4,000 words, with a clear analytical angle rather than a purely descriptive one. See our full guide on writing a strong Extended Essay research question for exactly what this looks like in practice across different subjects, including worked examples of weak versus strong questions.
They Analyze Rather Than Describe, Consistently Throughout
Under the Critical Thinking criterion — the single most heavily weighted of the five assessment criteria — A-scoring essays consistently show genuine analysis and evaluation throughout the full body of the essay, not description followed by a token evaluative paragraph tacked on near the end. Structure plays a direct role in this too: see our guide on avoiding a narrative structure in History EEs for a pattern about analytical versus descriptive writing that genuinely applies well beyond History specifically.
They Engage Seriously With Counterarguments and Genuine Limitations
Rather than presenting a single, uncomplicated conclusion as though the question had one obvious answer, top-scoring essays genuinely grapple with alternative interpretations, conflicting evidence, or real limitations in their own method or available sources — and crucially, let that engagement meaningfully shape and refine the final conclusion, rather than treating it as a formality inserted for the sake of appearing balanced.
They Follow a Clear, Deliberate Structure Where Every Section Earns Its Place
Structure isn’t a formality in a strong Extended Essay — it’s how the argument is actually built and communicated. See our full Extended Essay structure breakdown for exactly how each section should do a specific, deliberate job, rather than following a template mechanically without understanding why each part exists.
They Show Genuine, Specific Reflection in the RPPF
The Reflections on Planning and Progress Form is assessed under the Engagement criterion, and top-scoring essays show authentic, specific evidence of how the student’s thinking genuinely developed and responded to real challenges during research — not a generic, could-apply-to-anyone account of “what I did and when.”
They Cite and Reference With Genuine Care
A-scoring essays consistently show meticulous, consistent referencing throughout, not just in a token bibliography at the end — every direct source of evidence or idea is properly attributed, reflecting genuine academic rigor rather than an afterthought completed at the last minute before submission.
Why We Don’t Publish Fabricated “Example Essays”
Invented example essays risk teaching you to copy surface features — specific phrasing, a particular structural template — without the genuine research, curiosity, and critical thinking that actually earns marks, and can create false confidence about what examiners are genuinely rewarding. Understanding and directly applying the actual criteria, as outlined throughout this guide, is a more reliable and honest path to a strong essay than imitating an example you can’t verify is genuinely representative.
Final Tip
Rather than searching for example essays to imitate, take the official EE criteria descriptors for each of the five criteria and go through your own current draft against each one specifically, section by section — this is a more direct, and ultimately far more effective, way to identify exactly where your own essay genuinely needs to improve before submission.