Choose between subject-focused and interdisciplinary EE pathways
Compare the revised pathways while keeping World Studies advice in its correct cohort.
Start with the assessment session
The revised EE is first assessed in May 2027. It offers subject-focused and interdisciplinary pathways; the former World Studies route is absorbed into the broader interdisciplinary pathway. Students assessed earlier should consult the legacy guide rather than relabel their work using the revised model. Record your session before reading examples. A pathway is a way to investigate the question, not a badge of sophistication. Choose the route whose disciplinary approaches can support the most coherent answer with the resources and supervision available.
Ask what one subject can establish
Write the question and identify the concepts, evidence and methods a single subject would bring. Determine whether they can address the central problem sufficiently. A subject-focused essay may still discuss context involving other fields, but its research approach remains grounded in the chosen subject. An environmental question does not automatically require two subjects. Consider what the investigation actually demands. If one disciplinary approach offers an appropriately focused and analytical route, adding another can create extra work without improving the reasoning.
Identify a genuine need for integration
For an interdisciplinary possibility, explain what each of two eligible DP subjects contributes and what becomes possible when their approaches interact. Two independent mini-essays under one title are unlikely to provide a coherent investigation. Integration develops through research: evidence from one lens may change how you use concepts from the other. Confirm subject availability for the examination session and consult the subject guidance. The revised guide excludes ESS and literature and performance from the interdisciplinary pathway; those cross-disciplinary subjects belong in the subject-focused pathway.
Try a worked pathway comparison
Consider an illustrative interest in public memory represented by a local monument. A subject-focused history investigation might examine evidence about the circumstances of its creation and later interpretation. A potential history-and-visual-arts investigation would need a question for which historical context and analysis of visual form jointly matter, along with suitable methods for both. Simply placing a description of the sculpture after a historical narrative would not establish integration. The student should test which approach can explain the puzzle before choosing a pathway with the supervisor.
Compare practical demands fairly
Make a brief table for your two options: question, required sources, methods, disciplinary knowledge, supervisory support and principal risk. Check whether you have the background to use both approaches responsibly. An interdisciplinary topic can be too broad, just as a subject-focused topic can. Avoid making novelty or perceived difficulty your selection criterion. Consider how you would allocate the essay's limited space to analysis. A route is promising when its demands fit the question and you can explain the connection between evidence, method and conclusion.
Keep old examples in context
Legacy World Studies examples can stimulate curiosity, but their former requirements and labels should not be treated as the revised pathway's rules. Likewise, older language essay categories or assessment totals require a cohort check. Use the official revised guide and your supervisor to confirm eligibility and structure. When adapting an idea, rebuild the research question and method around your own evidence. Keep a written rationale for the pathway decision. This makes later planning clearer and gives you a basis for explaining why your investigation uses its particular disciplinary approach.
Your next-step checklist
Checklist choices stay in this browser.
Official references
This is an original practical guide from IBvia. The examples are illustrative; your subject guide, assessment year and school instructions determine the requirements.
Keep working on your next step
Check your extended essay idea before committing
Test scope, source access and research methods so your EE question has a realistic route to an answer.
Read the guide ↗
Follow an extended essay from question to submission
Build a sequence of research decisions, useful drafts and final checks for an independent essay.
Read the guide ↗