The Research Question as an Organizing Device

I want to begin this week's newsletter by expressing my sincere appreciation to Avan, Andrea, Mariana, and the entire leadership team at The KAUST School in Saudi Arabia, where I had the pleasure of spending three wonderful days working with their faculty this past week.

Thank you for the trust, the collaboration, the laughs, the excellent dinners, and all of the focused, serious work and preparation that went into our time together.

Our overarching goal was to empower Supervisors to feel calm, confident, and clear about the new Extended Essay guidance for the Class of 2027.

As many schools around the world head toward providing feedback on the official drafts of the Extended Essay, I thought I would take a moment to touch on something we talked a lot about at KAUST...

How can we help students in the Class of 2027 strengthen their Extended Essay drafts, particularly when it comes to developing a clear, sustained Line of Argument that meets the expectations of Criterion C?

I think one of the most helpful things we can do is to think about the Research Question as an organizing device for the Extended Essay.

And what do I mean by that?

Well, the Research Question can be leveraged in two ways. First, as an organizing device for the actual essay itself, and, secondly, as an organizing device for the student's entire Extended Essay research process.

Let me explain a little bit about both.

The Research Question as an Organizing Device for the Essay

The most important thing to realize about this approach is that it comes directly from the Mark Scheme.

This is not something derived from other sources or general best practices about how to write an effective research paper.

No. It comes right from the Mark Scheme.

And why is that important?

Because, as you know if you've been reading my newsletters over the last couple of years, the Mark Scheme is the audience for the paper.

The Mark Scheme is the audience we want to make happy.

For our purposes today, let's focus on Criterion A and Criterion C, and more specifically, the relationship between the Research Question, the Line of Argument, and Research Methods.

First, let's consider how the IB defines the Research Question:

A clearly stated and focused question that guides the investigation and will be answered within the scope of the essay.

The key words? Clearly stated. Focused. Guides. Answered.

Essentially, the Extended Essay is 4,000 words to answer one particular question.

Now, consider the IB's definition of a Line of Argument:

A logical progression of ideas that begins with the Research Question, where each point builds on the previous one and leads to well-supported conclusions.

If the Line of Argument begins with the Research Question, then shouldn't we be able to anticipate what needs to be included in the essay simply by examining that question?

And that's precisely the idea.

By breaking the Research Question into its essential components, we can anticipate what the paper needs to explain, analyze, and evaluate, creating the foundation for a sustained Line of Argument.

Let's look at three examples from across the IB curriculum.

From Group 6 - The Arts and IB Theatre

To what extent is Frantic Assembly successful in portraying jealousy through physicality in their 2023 production of Othello by William Shakespeare?

Four key elements emerge: Frantic Assembly, jealousy, physicality, and Othello.

The essay needs to connect these elements through evidence and analysis, ultimately evaluating how successfully physicality communicates jealousy in the production.

From Group 1 - Language A

How effectively does Wilde both present and critique social expectations in The Importance of Being Earnest?

Three key elements emerge: The Importance of Being Earnest, social expectations, and how Wilde both presents and critiques those expectations.

The essay needs to identify the expectations, analyze how Wilde portrays them, and evaluate how effectively he critiques them.

From Group 3 - Individuals and Societies and History

To what extent was the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 caused by the political reforms of Mikhail Gorbachev?

Four key elements emerge: the collapse of the Soviet Union, Gorbachev's political reforms, causation, and to what extent.

The essay must examine the relationship between these elements and evaluate the relative importance of Gorbachev's reforms compared with other contributing factors.

Notice how, in each example, the Research Question provides a clear indication of what we should anticipate finding in the essay.

Now, let's add Research Methods from Criterion A.

The IB defines Research Methods as:

The approaches and procedures used to gather and analyze evidence to answer the Research Question. These methods must be clearly explained and effectively applied.

Research Methods include the sources, tools, techniques, primary and secondary data, and other approaches needed to gather and analyze evidence.

When we connect the Research Question, the Line of Argument, and Research Methods, we have a clear, coherent framework for organizing the essay, grounded directly in the Mark Scheme.

The Research Question as an Organizing Device for the Process

But here's what I find particularly fascinating.

The Research Question isn't simply an organizing device for the essay itself.

It can also organize the student's entire Extended Essay research process.

And this was one of the most important realizations that emerged from our work together at KAUST.

I believe the formulation of the Research Question is now, more than ever, one of the most critical moments in the Extended Essay process.

And who should be working with the student when they formulate their Research Question?

The Supervisor. Directly. From the beginning.

This is why I now believe students should be paired with their Supervisors before finalizing their Research Question.

By breaking the Research Question into its essential components, the student and Supervisor can anticipate what evidence will be needed and develop a clear roadmap for the research process.

Imagine a Research Question with four essential elements. If a student identifies four strong pieces of evidence related to each element, they could potentially have 16 pieces of evidence upon which to build their analysis and Line of Argument.

Of course, the number isn't the important thing.

The important thing is that the student now has a clear sense of direction, knowing what they need to investigate, what evidence to gather, and how that evidence will ultimately help answer the Research Question.

And this has important implications for two cohorts of students.

For the Class of 2027, Supervisors can use this framework to evaluate current drafts, provide more focused feedback, and develop greater confidence in their predicted grades.

For the Class of 2028, we have an opportunity to improve the entire process by pairing students with Supervisors earlier and using the Research Question to guide their research from the beginning.

The result? A clearer, more intentional, Mark Scheme-based process that helps students earn the marks their work deserves, with as little unnecessary friction as possible.

And that is one of the most valuable insights I'm taking away from my time at The KAUST School. I'm incredibly grateful to its exceptionally talented faculty and leadership team for the camaraderie, the collaboration, and all of the thoughtful, focused work we accomplished together over three wonderful days.

See you next week.

What Else I’m Working On...

Nobel Algarve Almancil - I'm super excited to be traveling to Nobel Algarve Almancil school in Portugal to work with their IB faculty on the Extended Essay. We’ll spend an entire day day focused on strengthening supervision, building greater consistency across the school, and creating clearer systems to support students throughout the process.

​Effectively Supervising the Extended Essay in Any Subject- November 7th, 2026 - Once again, this workshop is filling up early this year. It is focused and practical workshop is designed to help teachers confidently navigate the updated Extended Essay framework for the Class of 2027. Together, we’ll explore what’s changed, what’s stayed the same, and how to effectively guide students through both the Subject-Focused and Interdisciplinary pathways.

In-Person Professional Workshops - If your school would like a tailored training on the updated Extended Essay guidelines, we’d love to help—onsite at your campus or live online—just send me an email at brad@bradcartwright.com and we’ll work together to make it happen. ​

Brad Cartwright​
1,800+ IB Educators Trained | 650+ IB Schools | 120+ Countries
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Source Note: Definitions of the Research Question, Line of Argument, and Research Methods, along with the Language A and History example Research Questions, are drawn from the Extended Essay Subject Guide (2025).