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Tools for an Effective Extended Essay in Geography, and for Critical Thinking Writing
Novadene Miller Ph.D.
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Geography Teacher
Institut International de Lancy, Switzerland
6 min read
August 2026
Research is a fundamental component that shapes critical thinking and understanding of theories and concepts that are crucial for inquiry, a critical element in the curricula for all diplomas students need to complete to enter university.
Whether in the domain of humanities or sciences, primary and secondary research is pivotal.
In the International Baccalaureate (IB) programme, students are required to submit mandatory coursework assignments as part of their diploma that pose significant challenges for both educators and students. This article will examine key skills and techniques required to foster successful completion of an Extended Essay in Geography, and by extension World Studies. This framework, however, can be applied to other programmes that require critical thinking and writing.
The International Baccalaureate has clear assessment criteria, with expectations students are required to meet, which for many students are a puzzle rather than functioning as a guideline.
Benefits of Doing an Extended Essay in Geography
Geography provides a framework to examine processes interlinked with the Earth, a unit of analysis to examine the systems that govern the use of ecosystems. Geography offers the advantage of providing a lens to examine the extent to which human activity impacts our environment, in parallel with investigating solutions to both understand and measure whether both systems and policies work.
Areas to Focus On
A fundamental element students often struggle with in Extended Essays is to ascertain whether they are investigating a theory, concept, or inquiry, rather than writing a description of what exists. Extended Essays need to investigate and inquire, producing new layers of critical thinking. This can be achieved by reviewing the methods used in primary research. Geography is built on the use of scientific knowledge that can foster improved decision-making capacity for decision-makers on the use of resources, while measuring whether technical interventions in the use of resources work or not. Extended Essays need to be constructively divided into sections that foster themes of investigation and, by extension, solutions.
Understanding place provides a defining feature in an Extended Essay that distinguishes the study with a personal meaning to the student, which is often neglected. Especially with the rich international tapestry that defines international schools, with rich personal stories attached to places and spaces students have lived, travelled, and are connected to in a myriad of ways. Extended Essays can have such life when students understand the personal history attached to the places they investigate. The investigation of institutions represents human inventions. Extended Essays can therefore be live, dynamic portraits of social practice rather than being seen as a mandatory task to complete, but as a personal contribution to historical development and the building of tools to resolve conflicts linked to the use of resources and redefine patterns of power relationships.
The Extended Essay requires students to be able to illustrate critical thinking skills that provide fresh perspectives linked to the research question and contribute to an area of investigation. Students need to build their capacity to add value to their assessment and provide supporting evidence using both primary and secondary data to support this.
These skills are fundamental to being able to complete written tasks at university. University requires students to write dissertation papers based on analysis collated from primary and secondary data they are required to collect and analyse. This highlights the importance of mastering these skills at high school level.
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