
IB Extended Essay Lesson 3 – Developing a Strong Research Question (EE Skills | First Assessment 2027)
Ready-to-teach lesson – no prep required
Helps students turn vague ideas into strong, analytical research questions
Builds essential EE skills for high-scoring essays
Lesson Overview
A structured, practical lesson designed to help students develop clear, focused and analytical Extended Essay research questions.
This lesson tackles one of the biggest challenges in the EE process — moving from broad, vague ideas to a viable research question that meets IB expectations for analysis, scope and feasibility.
Aligned with the IB EE Guide (first assessment 2027), it supports students before they formally submit their research question.
What This Lesson Helps Students Do
Students will:
Write focused, analytical research questions
Avoid descriptive, vague or overly broad questions
Understand scope and feasibility for 4,000 words
Apply the “Goldilocks Test” to evaluate ideas
Refine weak questions into strong, viable EE proposals
What’s Included (Everything You Need to Teach the Lesson)
Complete, structured PowerPoint (ready to deliver)
Clear learning objectives
Starter activity: Which Question Works?
Explicit teaching: What makes a strong EE question
Guided practice: improving weak questions
Scope and feasibility guidance
“Research Question Clinic” activity
Plenary: The Goldilocks Test
Homework task to consolidate learning
Subject proposal worksheet
Why This Resource Works
Prevents common EE mistakes early
Reduces overly broad or descriptive questions
Builds analytical thinking and academic rigour
Increases student confidence before supervisor meetings
Saves teachers time reviewing weak proposals
Fully aligned with IB expectations (2027 assessment)
Key Skills Developed
Students will:
Think critically about question quality and structure
Develop analytical and inquiry-based thinking
Evaluate ideas using clear criteria (Goldilocks Test)
Refine and justify research focus
Prepare for successful supervisor feedback
Perfect For
IB Diploma Programme (DP1 students)
EE coordinators and supervisors
Whole-cohort EE skills lessons
Pre-submission research question workshops
Lesson Length
50–60 minutes
Standout Feature
This lesson acts as a “quality filter” for research questions, helping students produce strong, focused proposals and reducing time spent correcting weak ideas later.
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