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Extended Essay - Criteria: Word Limit

Word Count

Extended Essays cannot be more than 4,000 words. Examiners are instructed to not read anything in excess of the word limit.

The 4,000-word limit does include the following:

  • All quoted material
  • Anything in parentheses that is not a citation

The 4,000-word limit does not include the following:

  • Acknowledgments
  • Table of Contents
  • Chapter headings and sub-headings
  • Maps
  • Charts
  • Diagrams
  • Annotated illustrations
  • Tables
  • Equations, formulas, and calculations
  • References (footnotes, end notes, or in-text citations)
  • Bibliography
  • Appendices