English B EE

[avident]

My topic is a theme present in the two plays I deal with and so bearing that in mind, I wanted to ask whether I could focus on all the characters in my essay or if i should just stick to the protagonists. My teacher recommended using only the protagonists, but I feel I would get a lot more examples to support my arguments if I used all (and besides the protagonists are the most boring characters ever). Does that spread me too thin, though?

[Sandwich]

Being honest, without a familiarity with the books and characters you mention, it's hard for anybody to say anything. All I would say is that it's very important you get the 4,000 words AND that you answer the question adequately. For an EE you should really be able to say all there is to say which falls under the title you set yourself-- and if the title is too broad, you should thin it down so you can fit it all in. Ultimately it's striking a balance between making sure it's extremely thorough and making sure you have enough information.

If you did go with all the characters, would you then be able to cover it in as much depth? With the Extended Essay it's all about thoroughness and depth

My suggestion would be to really pick out ALL the points you'd want to mention, centring on the main characters only. Once you've got all of them out (and you'd have to do this anyway, so if it's hard work, you're at least saving yourself doing it later) THEN evaluate whether you feel you have enough points, going in depth, to get close to 4,000 words. I suspect you might, if you're doing it in great detail. Then consider your options at that point, as you'll probably never know until then!

Also: you seem to speak exceedingly good english to only be taking it as a B language

[avident]

That was an immensely helpful answer, thank you so much! I've been putting off dealing with the protagonists for a while now, but you are right in that I do have to deal with them sooner or later, so I better start now!

And as for your last point, I do take A2 HL. Unfortunately though, the IB doesn't differentiate between an A2 and a B English EE, so my teacher tends to call it a B English EE. I guess she's alluding to the easiness of the task, but I like to think the EE is as hard and challenging as you make it to be.

[deissi]

Why do you say it's 'unfortunate' not to have an A2 version of the EE. I'd much rather take the easy A in a lang B EE than spend lots of time on a more difficult A2 EE. I shouldn't even use the conditional form, since that's what I did, and I greatly enjoyed getting an A .

To comment on your actual question, you are going too thin if you use many characters. It's okay to refer to them, if it improves your argument, but try concentrating on one or two characters. Bear in mind that IB examiners often just browse through the body of your EE, and if it seems to be fragmented, you'll lose marks. (Therefore, the abstract, the introduction and the conclusion of the essay are the most vital parts.)

[avident]

Well true, but universities might not respect 'easy' grades as much. I'd rather show them I'm able to get an A from an A2 EE.

Thanks for the advice, though!

[sweetnsimple786]

Do universities really care about that, though? In the US, your EE doesn't matter at all unless you make it matter. For example, if you're interested in going into a field and do EE research for that field, you can talk about it in an essay/personal statement/interview and how it's made you more interested in that area or how the EE/research shows your interest and dedication.