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Every interdisciplinary extended essay must be situated within one of the five IB interdisciplinary frameworks. These frameworks guide the conceptual direction of the investigation and help students articulate how their research question sits within a broader set of ideas.
The framework does not replace disciplinary knowledge. Instead, it provides a lens through which the student can organise and connect the two subjects.
Power, Equality, Justice
Power, Equality, Justice
This framework examines how power operates, how societies distribute resources and rights, and how fairness is constructed and contested. It is suited to topics that involve authority, governance, representation or social structures.
Key concepts
Power, inequality, legitimacy, fairness, representation, discrimination, conflict, rights.
Typical topic areas
Distribution of political or economic power
Social inequality or exclusion
Human rights
Representation in culture or media
Historical shifts in authority
Suitable subject pairings
History and Global Politics
Economics and Global Politics
Philosophy and Global Politics
Visual Arts and Global Politics
Psychology and Global Politics
Possible research question directions
How artistic or visual representation reinforces or challenges power structures
How political decisions influence economic inequality
How historical shifts in power affect contemporary policy decisions
Self check
Can you explain clearly whose power, what form of inequality or what aspect of justice your question addresses?
Culture, Identity, Expression
Culture, Identity, Expression
This framework explores how individuals and communities express meaning, create identity and construct cultural narratives. It is suited to topics involving artistic work, language, performance or representation.
Key concepts
Identity, meaning, representation, symbolism, narrative, expression, creativity.
Typical topic areas
Cultural identity and representation
Artistic communication
Textual or visual narratives
Performance and meaning making
Suitable subject pairings
Visual Arts and Literature
Visual Arts and Global Politics
History and Theatre
History and Film
Philosophy and Literature
Psychology and Literature
Possible research question directions
How visual or literary forms construct identity
How performance or film represents cultural memory
How narrative techniques influence public understanding
Self check
Can you name the cultural or expressive mode you are analysing and explain how each subject helps you interpret it?
Movement, Time, Space
Movement, Time, Space
This framework investigates change, mobility and relationships across time and place. It suits studies involving migration, spatial patterns, technological change or historical processes.
Key concepts
Change, continuity, mobility, scale, environment, temporal and spatial patterns.
Typical topic areas
Migration and borders
Urban development
Spatial patterns of change
Technological or scientific processes over time
Suitable subject pairings
Geography and Global Politics
Geography and Biology
Geography and Economics
History and Global Politics
Biology and Physics
Possible research question directions
How environmental change alters biological or social systems
How migration patterns reshape communities or political relations
How scientific processes unfold across time or space
Self check
Does your question involve movement, change or spatial relationships, and can both subjects analyse these meaningfully?
Evidence, Measurement, Innovation
Evidence, Measurement, Innovation
This framework focuses on how we collect evidence, measure phenomena and create new solutions. It suits research grounded in scientific, mathematical, technological or analytical approaches.
Key concepts
Evidence, measurement, modelling, innovation, methodology, systems, design.
Typical topic areas
Scientific and mathematical modelling
Design and engineering
Analytical evaluation
Measuring social, physical or economic processes
Suitable subject pairings
Physics and Design Technology
Biology and Chemistry
Biology and Physics
Mathematics and Economics
Business Management and Design Technology
Possible research question directions
How physical or chemical principles explain biological processes
How modelling can evaluate economic behaviour
How design choices improve efficiency or user experience
Self check
Is your question dependent on evidence, measurement or analysis that requires both subjects to contribute distinct methods?
Sustainability, Development, Change
Sustainability, Development, Change
This framework examines long term development, environmental concerns, social transformation and human interactions with natural or constructed systems.
Key concepts
Sustainability, development, transformation, systems, resources, long term change.
Typical topic areas
Environmental change
Development and social transformation
Resource use
Long term structural change in societies or ecosystems
Suitable subject pairings
Geography and Biology
Geography and Economics
History and Global Politics
Biology and Physics
Business Management and Design Technology
Possible research question directions
How development policies affect environmental outcomes
How physical or biological processes contribute to long term change
How design innovations influence sustainable practices
Self check
Can you show clearly which long term process or form of change your research question investigates?
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