If you finish the Diploma in 2027, your Extended Essay will be marked on criteria the IB has never graded before. IB teachers and subject specialists coach students in Lausanne, Basel and across Switzerland through the research question, the method and the viva voce, while every word of the essay stays yours. One-to-one online lessons in Central European Time, from £58 (~65 CHF) an hour.
Measuring enzyme activity for Biology and analysing Swiss franc exchange rates for Economics call for different methods. So each EE student works with a tutor who teaches the essay's subject, or both subjects for an interdisciplinary essay.
Oscar
IB specialist
IB Extended Essay Tutor16 years' IB teachingUniversity of Oxford
More recently I was Head of Department for Humanities at Bandung Independent School, again supervising DP History Extended Essays and running the Theory of Knowledge Department. I have taught DP Higher Level History for the past sixteen years, including managing the History Internal Assessments. I am also an International Baccalaureate Examiner and Examination Designer.
My name is Agata. I am a Polish A literature teacher and TOK & EE coordinator and examiner. I have been preparing for the IB Matura exam for over 20 years. My job is also to run workshops for Polish language teachers in the IB system. I received a PhD in humanities and have published numerous articles on Polish language teaching methodology and literary theory. However, my greatest passion is working with young people. In my teaching I focus on an individual approach to each student, I also strive to introduce concepts that are crucial for understanding literature, human being, and the contemporary world. I believe that asking questions and critical thinking are the most important skills that can be learned in school. Personally, I love exploring new places, hiking and the other outdoor activities, meeting new people. I am fascinated by the poetry of Wisława Szymborska, but I also enjoy intelligent humor and satire.
As a prior IB Coordinator, I am also highly experienced with IB regulations. I am an expert in English A courses as well as ToK and the Extended Essay. For decades, I have served as an examiner for both papers as well as the internal assessments in Literature and Language and Literature. I specialize in critical analysis and development of writing skills.
I’m Caterina, an IB graduate with 44 points, now studying International Relations at the London School of Economics and Political Science. I achieved 7s in Higher Level History, Global Politics and English Language & Literature, and Standard Level Spanish B. I have been tutoring IB students for over three years. I teach History, Global Politics, English Language & Literature and Spanish B, as well as Italian ab initio and Italian B, as Italian is my mother tongue. I am also a research assistant at the European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR), where I conduct policy research on Europe and the Americas. My teaching approach is exam-focused and practical. I incorporate past papers, clear strategies for command terms and mark schemes, and provide structured feedback. I also support IAs, the Extended Essay and TOK essays and presentations. I provide timed practice to build confidence and precision. Sessions are interactive and supportive, so students feel comfortable asking questions and shaping how we work together. Together, we will build a study plan tailored to your goals and learning style. Outside of tutoring, I enjoy theatre and film, and having lived in six countries, I try to offer a global perspective in our sessions.
IB Extended Essay Tutor6+ years' IB teachingDurham University
I examine English B HL and Theory of Knowledge and teach both subjects in an international school in Spain. I have taught in the IB system for more than six years but my teaching experience goes back at least 10 more. As an examiner I have an inside line into exactly what the IB are looking for, whether it be in a TOK essay, English B writing or extended essays.
I’m Aparna, an experienced IB Economics and Business Management teacher with over 15 years in international education. I’ve taught across IB schools globally and also serve as an IB Examiner and IA Moderator, giving me deep insight into how students can meet — and exceed — IB assessment expectations. My tutoring style focuses on connecting economic theories and business models with real-world examples, making complex ideas engaging and easy to grasp. I specialize in explicitly guiding students through exam skills for all three IB Economics papers and providing comprehensive support for Internal Assessments and Extended Essays. Each IB paper has its own unique demands, and I help students navigate them with clarity, confidence, and structured strategies that work. Outside the classroom, I’m passionate about exploring cultures through travel, trying out new cuisines, and reading about global markets and innovation.
What changed in the Extended Essay for the class of 2027
The revised Extended Essay, first assessed in May 2027, is marked out of 30 across five criteria instead of the old scheme's 34 marks; the 4,000-word ceiling has not moved. November 2026 is the last session on the old scheme, so no one will see where the new grade boundaries fall until the May 2027 results.
Two further changes shape the planning. An essay is now either subject-focused or interdisciplinary, the second joining two Diploma subjects in place of World Studies, and language essays are no longer split into language A and language B categories. Reflection is now a named criterion, worth 4 marks and judged on what the essay changed in you as a learner. Your supervisor's reflection sessions finish with the viva voce, and you close with a reflective statement of about 500 words. The IB lists these changes on its Extended Essay updates page.
Five criteria, and the question behind each
Revised EE criteria (30 marks), with the IB's guiding questions paraphrased
Framework for the essayDo the question, methods and structure hold the essay together?
6
Knowledge and understandingDo you understand the subject matter your research relies on?
6
Analysis and line of argumentDo you analyse what you present and build an argument from it?
6
Discussion and evaluationDo you discuss your findings and judge the essay critically?
8
ReflectionCan you show what the essay taught you as a learner?
4
Eight of the 30 marks reward discussion and evaluation, more than any other criterion.
How we help
Coaching without editing: what an EE tutor does
Lanterna tutors don't edit Extended Essay drafts: no rewritten sentences, no corrected English, no comments typed into your file. The IB's academic integrity policy treats changes made to your work by anyone else as misconduct, and the penalty falls on you, not on them.
The work happens in conversation. A tutor helps you narrow an interest until 4,000 words can answer it, practises judging sources or designing a small experiment, and keeps asking "why?" until your argument's weakest step is visible, then runs a practice viva. If you use AI tools at any stage, the essay has to say so; our guide on using AI in the IB explains what is acceptable.
Your supervisor's part
A teacher at your school, usually from the essay's subject, supervises. They hold the reflection sessions, comment once on a complete draft without editing it, and next see the finished essay. At the viva voce they confirm to the IB that the work is yours. A tutor prepares you for those meetings; the meetings themselves stay with your supervisor.
The EE in Switzerland
What the essay counts for in a Swiss application
Swiss universities set their minimum scores without the core's bonus points, so the EE grade itself won't carry you over a Swiss threshold; our Theory of Knowledge page explains that rule and why the core still matters.
At one Zurich state school, the Literargymnasium Rämibühl, the Extended Essay also serves as the Matura paper, as our Zurich page describes.
Learn how to write your IB Extended Essay (EE) with 8 expert steps, including mastering the PEEL method and using the marking criteria for a top grade.
Learn how to rewrite your IB Extended Essay draft for perfection. Follow these 5 key revision tips to polish your argument and master the grading criteria.
“Miljan is very well organized, he prepared for me a full plan of how we will work to reach my target grade so I knew what I was doing preparing for my retakes. Additionally, amazing Internal Assessment support, clearly explained what is required and what is not with his feedback and also by providing a tone of materials.”
Maja C., studentCollege Champittet · Class of 2025 · Physics
Grade 6 →to 7
“Mr Akintoye helped me shift my focus on the areas which needed more attention rather than the topics I already felt good in. He helped me realize my mistakes in mock exam papers by grading them together and showing the mind of an examiner.”
Mete K., studentSkagerak International School · Class of 2025 · Mathematics: Analysis & Approaches
“Marlen is exceptionally knowledgeable in the content area, and she is able to break the material down and organize it in a way that promotes learning. Marlen is also able to ask good questions to sort out where the student is struggling, and then identify areas to reteach, or provide more practice opportunities. We have been so lucky to meet Marlen!”
Andria G., parentBritish International School of Boston · Class of 2027 · Chemistry
Extended Essay questions from families in Switzerland
What happens in an Extended Essay lesson if the tutor doesn’t edit?+
You do most of the talking and the tutor asks the questions. One lesson might test whether your research question can really be answered in 4,000 words; another might look at how you weighed two sources that disagree, or rehearse the viva voce. You leave with decisions to make and you make the changes yourself. We never return an edited file, which keeps the essay safely yours.
Can Lanterna match my child with an EE tutor for a Physics or Chemistry essay?+
Yes. A science essay is judged on command of that science as well as on research skills, so it goes to a tutor who teaches it: a Physics essay to a physicist, a Chemistry essay to a chemist. If the essay joins a science with another subject on the interdisciplinary pathway, we look for a tutor comfortable in both. Lessons are online, so the choice is the same wherever in Switzerland you study.
Is the spring of DP1 too early to book EE help?+
No, it is often the most useful moment. Schools typically assign an EE subject and supervisor between February and April of DP1, and most of the research then happens over the summer. Two or three lessons before the holidays, to narrow the question and plan the method, mean you start researching straight away instead of in late August. For the class of 2028, that typically means February to April 2027.
What if my child’s research question stops working halfway through?+
It happens, especially when sources run thin or an experiment gives nothing usable. Before the complete draft goes to the supervisor, a tutor can help you work out whether to narrow the question, change the method or keep going, and what each choice would cost in time. The decision and the rewriting stay with you, and any change of question should be discussed with your supervisor too.
Can a tutor get my child ready for the viva voce?+
Yes. The viva voce is the last reflection session with your supervisor, and reflection now carries 4 of the 30 marks. A tutor runs practice conversations: why you chose the question, what surprised you, what you would do differently. You learn to answer from your own experience of the research, which is exactly what the supervisor is listening for.
How is Extended Essay tutoring priced?+
By the hour, from £58 (~65 CHF), for one-to-one online lessons in Central European Time. Few students need weekly lessons for the whole essay; short blocks at the question stage, during summer research and before the viva are more common. The price tiers on our home page list the options, and a free consultation sets the number of hours to the stage you are at.
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