A strange thing happens the night before an EE deadline.
Your argument might be solid. Your evidence might be carefully chosen. But suddenly, you’re negotiating with page numbers, margins, and a table of contents that refuses to behave.
That moment is more than annoyance. It’s a reminder that presentation is the doorway to being taken seriously. These Revision Tips are about making your EE look like an investigation an IB examiner can trust, so your thinking gets the attention it deserves.
Revision Tips checklist: the EE format you should lock in first
If you only have 15 minutes, use this as your “format audit” before you do any more writing.
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Put sections in the correct order (title page, contents, intro, body, conclusion, references, appendices)
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Make the title page minimal and compliant
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Update the table of contents after final edits
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Use a readable font and consistent spacing
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Number pages consistently
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Keep headings consistent and logical
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Use one citation style throughout
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Stay under the 4,000-word maximum (and know what counts)
If you want a longer, criteria-aware walkthrough, pair these Revision Tips with How to Format Your EE According to IB Guidelines.
The correct EE order (and what the word count actually includes)
Your EE should follow this order:
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Title page
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Table of contents
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Introduction
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Body (analysis and discussion)
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Conclusion
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References/bibliography
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Appendices (optional)
Here’s the quiet rule that saves a lot of panic: only the introduction, body, and conclusion count toward the 4,000-word limit. The title page, contents page, references, and appendices are excluded.
If word count is becoming a constant stressor, keep this open while you edit: Mastering the IB Extended Essay Word Count. These Revision Tips work best when you treat trimming as a skill, not a punishment.
Title page: clean, minimal, and compliant
Most students over-design the title page because it feels like the “front cover.” The IB prefers the opposite: a page that’s plain enough to disappear.
In current EE guidance (especially for the 2027 framework), title pages commonly require items like your research question, registered subject, word count, and examination session, and they must avoid identifying information.
Use this focused guide to avoid surprises: EE Extended Essay Title Page: Exactly What to Include (2027).
These Revision Tips are not about perfect aesthetics. They’re about removing anything that makes your work look unofficial or careless.
Table of contents: update it last (then once more)
Your table of contents should come right after the title page and list every major section with correct page numbers.
One practical routine:
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Draft first
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Format headings second
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Generate the table of contents late
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Make final edits
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Update the table of contents again
That extra refresh feels silly until you’ve seen how quickly one paragraph can shift every page number. If your whole EE season feels like juggling, the bigger structure guidance in EE Structure in 2027: The IB Extended Essay Blueprint is worth reading alongside these Revision Tips.
Structure that feels “IB”: introduction, body, conclusion
Formatting isn’t only spacing and fonts. It’s also whether your sections behave like an investigation.
Introduction: context plus a research question that doesn’t wobble
A strong introduction does three jobs:
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Establish context (where your topic sits academically)
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State the research question clearly
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Give a short roadmap of how you will answer it
It should not be a mini-conclusion. It’s the promise of the essay.
A useful self-check from these Revision Tips: if a paragraph can’t explain how it helps answer the research question, it belongs somewhere else.
Body: headings that reflect reasoning, not just topics
Your body should be divided into sections and subsections that push the argument forward.
Try this loop for each subsection:
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Make a claim
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Use evidence
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Analyze what the evidence means
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Link back to the research question
If you’re unsure whether your draft is “analysis” or “description,” RevisionDojo’s Grading tools can help you spot where you’re explaining versus evaluating. And if you need exemplars to calibrate what “good” looks like, the IB Coursework Examples: IA, EE and TOK Exemplars page can anchor your expectations.
Conclusion: answer the research question, then stop
An effective conclusion:
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Restates the research question
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Answers it directly based on findings
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Synthesizes your main insights
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Notes limitations or realistic implications
No new evidence. No new sources. The conclusion is where the essay becomes decisive.
Formatting standards that keep you safe
Different schools have preferences, but examiners reward consistency.
Use these Revision Tips as your baseline:
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Choose a readable academic font (Times New Roman, Arial, Calibri)
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Keep font size at 11 or 12
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Double-space the main text
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Use single spacing for long quotes and references if needed
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Use standard margins (at least 2.5 cm / about 1 inch)
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Add page numbers throughout
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Use a consistent heading hierarchy
If you’ve heard that “presentation marks” changed, you’re not imagining it. But it doesn’t mean formatting stopped mattering. It means it’s judged as part of whether your framework is coherent. This explanation is clarifying: Why the Presentation Criterion Was Removed from the EE.
Citations and bibliography: pick one style and commit
Every source you quote, paraphrase, or borrow an idea from must be cited consistently, using one recognized style (APA, MLA, Chicago).
These Revision Tips are simple but powerful:
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Choose a style early
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Cite as you write, not at the end
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Keep a running source log (author, page, link, and what it contributed)
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Make sure every in-text citation has a matching bibliography entry
If your EE is consuming your time and your exam prep is slipping, build a boundary. Keep your daily exam loop alive using RevisionDojo’s Questionbank, Study Notes, and Flashcards, then return to the EE in time-boxed blocks. A calm system beats heroic effort.
You can also browse IB Extended Essay Guides when you want subject-specific expectations without hunting through random advice.
Closing: formatting is the calm you can control
The EE is long enough that everyone has a moment of doubt. Formatting is one of the few parts you can fully control, even when motivation dips. It’s also the part that quietly protects your work from being misunderstood.
Take these Revision Tips, run the checklist, and make your EE easy to read. Then shift your energy back to what earns marks: argument, evidence, and evaluation.
When you want the whole IB workflow in one place, RevisionDojo is built for it: Questionbank practice to keep exam technique sharp, Study Notes and Flashcards for fast recall, AI Chat to unblock confusion, Grading tools to tighten coursework drafts, Predicted Papers and Mock Exams for timed realism, a Coursework Library for exemplars, and Tutors when you need a human strategist. Formatting gets you through the door. A strong system gets you across the finish line.