Research Essay 01

How to Choose a Subject/Topic

The first step in conducting a research essay, is to select a subject. Think carefully about this, as
choosing the right subject could help you prepare for your Extended Essay, TOK Essay & HL Subject
areas.

Available Subjects:
At ISC, we are offering eight main subjects from
which you can choose a research Essay.
• English (Mr Igo & Ms Ever & Ms Vanessa)
*If you really want to avoid any of these subjects,
• Economics/Geography (Mr Stamper)
then you have another (more difficult) option,
• History & Philosophy (Mr O’Brien & Ms Clara)
you can speak to Mr O’Brien about undertaking
• Art (Ms Otsuka)
another subject. This requires much more specific
• Portuguese (Ms Rocha & Mr Sanches)
research skills, and may require you to create an
• World Studies (Mr Hendricks)
individual research plan.
• Issues in Science (Ms Matsui & Mr Poersch)

Picking Potential Topics:

On your Subject Selection Form, you will have to pick two potential subjects; The first one is your first
preference. The second one is your back-up.
It is not enough however, to simply select a subject; You will also need to choose a list of topics that you
find interesting. It is from these topics that you will create a research question (each subject supervisor
will have a list of back-up questions too).

EXAMPLE: Research Essay 01

The Process: Subject/Topic Selection Form

1. Fill out the Subject Selection Student Name: Bilbo Baggins

form below. Include both
preferences and THREE potential Subject Area: History
(First Preference)
topics for each preference.
Potential Topic 1: Joan of Arc
2. Take your subject selection
form to the relevant Subject
supervisors, ask them to sign off Potential Topic 2: Women Pirates (15th-17th Centuries)
on your subject choice (they don’t
have to accept you- so come
prepared!)
Potential Topic 3: Spiderman Comics

3. Return the signed subject Subject Supervisor Mr O’Brien

Selection form to Mr O’Brien. (Signature)

You need to have this completed

by the due date set on Google Subject Area: English
(2nd Preference)
Classrooms.
Potential Topic 1: Newspeak in 1984 (George Orwell)
You don’t want to be chasing
teachers to sign off your subject
choices just before the deadline,
Potential Topic 2: Gender Roles in Magazines (Video-Gaming)
so do it early!
Potential Topic 3: Text-speak and Number Codes (Wechat & QQ)

Subject Supervisor Mr Igo

(Signature)
Research Essay 01
Subject/Topic Selection Form
Student Name: Vincent Mondin

Subject Area: World Studies

(First Preference)

Potential Topic 1: Belarusian & Russian athletes Participation in competitions

Potential Topic 2: Brazil’s issue with taxing and tributes

Potential Topic 3: Jake Paul’s recent chaos with fights

Subject Supervisor Leon Hendricks

(Signature

Subject Area: English

(Second Preference)

Potential Topic 1: The Outsiders (S.E. Hinton)

Potential Topic 2: the importance of old english literature to today’s

Potential Topic 3: How real and important events can stimulate writers to have book ideas.

Subject Supervisor Ever Souza

(Signature)