Grade 10 · Extended Writing and Formal Speaking · Extended Essays and Presentations
Planning and Drafting an Extended Research Essay
Take a research question through outline, evidence table, draft and revision to a 1000-word essay.
Learning objectives
- Write a research question with a defensible scope
- Build an evidence table before drafting
- Revise structurally before proofreading
Common Core ELA alignment
W.9-10.1
Write arguments to support claims with clear reasons and relevant evidence, acknowledging alternate or opposing claims. Grades 9–10 emphasis: sustain a line of analysis across complex texts, using precise evidence and a formal academic register.
W.9-10.5
Develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting or trying a new approach. Grades 9–10 emphasis: sustain a line of analysis across complex texts, using precise evidence and a formal academic register.
W.9-10.7
Conduct short research projects to answer a question, drawing on several sources and generating additional related, focused questions for further investigation. Grades 9–10 emphasis: sustain a line of analysis across complex texts, using precise evidence and a formal academic register.
MYP criteria
- Criterion B — Organizing
- Criterion C — Producing text
- Criterion D — Using language
ENGAGE
Why long essays fail
Extended essays rarely fail on grammar. They fail because the question was too broad, the evidence was gathered while drafting, and the revision was only proofreading.
Think about it
- Which of the three has caught you before?
- What would you change first?
EXPLAIN
A four-stage process
| Stage | Output | Test before moving on |
|---|---|---|
| Question | One question with scope, place and time | Could you answer it in 1000 words with three sources? |
| Evidence table | Rows of source, finding, quality, use | Do you have evidence against your view? |
| Outline | Paragraph claims in argument order | Does each claim advance the answer? |
| Draft and revise | Full draft, then structural revision | Would deleting any paragraph improve it? |
Structural revision comes first
- Read only your topic sentences in order; they should form a coherent argument alone.
- Move or merge paragraphs before fixing sentences.
- Cut any paragraph that repeats a point already made.
- Proofread last, on paper or read aloud.
Coherence devices
- Signposting: This section examines ...
- Logical connectives: consequently, by contrast, more significantly.
- Repeated key terms rather than synonym hunting.
Careful
Word count is not an argument. A 1000-word essay with one developed line of reasoning beats 1500 words of listed sources.
EXPLORE
Diagnose an outline
- Para 1: What is homework?
- Para 2: History of homework.
- Para 3: Study A says homework helps.
- Para 4: Study B says homework does not help.
- Para 5: My opinion.
Think about it
- Which paragraphs are description rather than argument?
- Rewrite the outline as five claims that build one answer.
MYP_PRACTICE
Criterion B, C and D task
Produce a full package for a 1000-word research essay: research question, evidence table with at least four sources including one counter-source, an outline of paragraph claims, the drafted essay with in-text citations, and a reference list.
- Test the question against the 1000-word limit.
- Complete the evidence table before writing any prose.
- Revise structurally using the topic-sentence read-through.
- Proofread last.
EXIT_TICKET
Check yourself
Think about it
- State your research question and its scope.
- Which counter-source will you engage with?
Interactive practice · evidence table
Build your evidence table
Complete one row per source, including at least one that argues against your position.
Columns
Your answer
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Key vocabulary
- Scope
- The boundaries of a question in place, time and subject.
- Evidence table
- A pre-drafting grid of sources, findings and intended use.
- Structural revision
- Reordering, merging and cutting paragraphs before sentence editing.
- Coherence
- The quality that makes an argument easy to follow across paragraphs.
Practice questions
0/2 correct
Level 1 · Criterion B
Which paragraph in the sample outline is weakest as an argument step?
Level 2 · Criterion D
What should structural revision come before?
MYP criterion tasks
Level 3 · Criterion B
Rewrite the outline as five paragraph claims that build one answer.
Reflect & track
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