Mastering Your IB Economics EE: The Ultimate Guide and Topic Ideas

IB Economics Step-By-Step EE Guide

Free Preview

📚 Welcome to Your IB Economics Extended Essay Guide!

Hello, future economic masterminds!

Welcome aboard this EE adventure — where supply meets demand, incentives battle constraints, and your brain muscles get a full workout!

This guide is your step-by-step map to mastering the Economics Extended Essay (EE) — no guesswork, no aimless wandering, and definitely no boring lectures. Each section is like a checkpoint on your journey, helping you stay focused, efficient, and (dare I say?) maybe even have a little fun along the way.

🛤️ How This Guide Flows:

Step 1–2: We start strong by helping you choose the right topic and craft a sharp research question — because a good beginning is half the battle won.
Step 3–4: Next, you’ll plan your research and conduct your secondary research like an economic detective on the case.
Step 5: Then, it’s time to analyze and evaluate your data, connecting all those dots using real economic theories and models.
Step 6: Along the way, you’ll seek feedback and reflect — because great essays aren’t built in isolation, and growth is part of the journey.
Step 7–8: You’ll structure and write your essay — organizing your brilliance into a clear, powerful paper that examiners will love to read.
Step 9–10: Finally, we’ll format and finalize it so it looks as good as it reads, and then reflect on everything you’ve learned (because yes, you will have grown smarter, faster, and stronger by the end).

🚀 Quick Pro Tips:

Follow the steps in order — each one sets you up for the next.
Use the checklists at the end of each step — they’re your personal quality control.
Stay flexible — sometimes a tiny pivot in your research can save you loads of time later.
Remember: You’re not just writing an essay. You’re becoming a young economist who knows how to think critically, argue persuasively, and back up claims with solid data.

🎯 Final Thought:

The goal isn’t just to survive your EE — it’s to nail it with style and smarts. You’ve got this. And if in doubt, just remember: supply yourself with effort, demand some excellence, and watch the magic happen.

Let’s get started!

Choosing Your Economics EE Topic 🎯

Picking your Economics EE topic is a lot like choosing the perfect pair of shoes:
You want something you can walk in for a long time and something that’s going to look awesome.

You’ll be spending serious time with this topic, so it needs to actually interest you — and it has to fit into the IB Economics syllabus (so you already know the basics!).

🧠 What to Keep in Mind:

Stick to something recent: Your topic should focus on something that happened within the last five years.
(Old-school history lovers, I’m sorry — but Economics is all about the now!)
Scan the syllabus: Think back to your classes.
- What parts made you pay extra attention?
- Did you love learning about microeconomics (small markets)?
- Was macroeconomics (big-picture economy) more your thing?
- Maybe you loved international trade or issues about development in poorer countries?
Find inspiration: News stories, articles, even personal experiences can spark a brilliant topic idea!

🎯 How to Narrow It Down:

Think about zooming in with a camera.
If you’re interested in “international trade,” don’t just stop there — that’s way too big!
Instead, zoom in:
➡️ “How have steel tariffs affected car prices in the US since 2018?”
The more specific your topic, the easier it is to find good data and do smart analysis.

💡 Super Important:

Your EE isn’t just about describing stuff like “supply” and “demand.”
You need to apply real economic concepts to real-world situations.
You’ll be analyzing, evaluating, and showing you understand how and why things happen in economics.

📊 A Quick Data Reality Check:

Before you commit to your topic, make sure:

There’s enough reliable information (studies, government reports, real statistics).
You’re not stuck with vague opinions or guesswork.
Solid data = a strong EE. Weak data = major struggles later. 🚫

🚫 One Last Warning:

Don’t just recycle your Internal Assessment (IA) topic!
Your IA is based on news articles.
Your EE is your chance to go deeper — with more analysis, more research, and more freedom.

📝 Final Checklist:

Before you move on, make sure your topic:

Is connected to the IB Economics syllabus ✅
Focuses on something that happened in the last five years ✅
Zooms in on a clear, specific angle ✅
Leaves you room to analyze and evaluate ✅
Has plenty of good data and sources ✅
Isn’t just a copy of your IA ✅
Is manageable in 40 hours and under 4,000 words ✅

Choose smart, and you’ll make the rest of your EE journey way easier — and way more fun! 🚀

Developing Your Research Question 🎯

Alright, you’ve picked your Economics EE topic — nice job!
Now it’s time to set your GPS: your research question.
Without a good question, you could easily wander off course and get totally lost. 🧭

🧠 What Makes a Great Research Question?

It’s super focused:
➡️ Don’t ask something massive like “How does government intervention affect growth?”
➡️ Instead, zoom in:
➡️ “To what extent did the introduction of a sugar tax in Country X between 2019 and 2023 alter consumer behavior and local sugar-product sales?”
See the difference? Specific = manageable.
It requires economic thinking:
Your question should demand that you apply theories and models (like supply and demand, elasticity, market failure, etc.).
If you can answer it with just “yes” or “no” — it’s too simple!
It’s the right size:
- Too broad = you’ll drown trying to cover everything. 🌊
- Too narrow = you’ll run out of things to say. 🪫
  Find that “Goldilocks Zone” where it’s just right for 4,000 words.

🧩 How to Come Up With Your Question:

Look at what interests you from class, the syllabus, or even real-world news.
Ask:
➡️ “Do I know enough theory and background to work with this?”
➡️ “Is this definitely Economics (and not Business or Psychology)?”
Check your data early:
If you can’t find real, recent data on your topic, rethink it now!
(You can’t write a serious economics essay without solid stats.)

🔄 Be Ready to Adjust:

Your first idea might not be perfect — that’s normal!
As you start digging into research, you might need to tweak your question.
Smart students stay flexible and refine their question if better angles show up.

✅ Quick Research Question Checklist:

Ask yourself:

Is my question clear and specific?
Does it require economic theory and analysis?
Can I answer it properly in 4,000 words and 40 hours?
Is it about events or data from the past five years?
Do I have enough reliable data to work with?

If you can tick ✔️ all five, you’re ready to move on!

🎯 Final Tip:

Your research question is the heartbeat of your EE. Spend time getting it right now — and the whole essay will be a lot easier (and stronger) later!

Oh no! You dont have access but…