The Extended Essay is a compulsory, externally-assessed, piece of independent research into a topic chosen by the student and presented as a formal piece of academic writing. The Extended Essay is intended to promote high-level research and writing skills, intellectual discovery, and creativity while engaging students in personal research. This leads to a major piece of formally presented, structured writing of up to 4,000 words in which ideas and findings are communicated in a reasoned, coherent, and appropriate manner.