IB Docs (2) Team
The extent of extent
Some of the most common essay questions are those that start with the command term “to what extent”. According to the IB curriculum guide, "to what extent" means to “Consider the merits or otherwise of an argument or concept.” For my students and me, this language is pretty vague. So, instead, I recommend that they present a counter-argument and explain why the theory or argument being discussed is stronger or weaker than the counter-argument. The focus of the response is on evaluating the strengths and limitations of an argument compared to other arguments. This is the most difficult of the command terms. However, it is a command term that can only be applied to a limited number of the learning objectives.Decoding the question
First, it is important to learn how to decode questions. Here are a few of the more tricky discuss questions in the curriculum:
- To what extent does genetic inheritance influence behaviour?
- To what extent do sociocultural factors influence abnormal behaviour?
- To what extent does deprivation or trauma in childhood affect development?
- To what extent do biological factors influence the development of obesity?
- To what extent do cognitive factors influence human relationships?
In order to get top marks for a "to what extent" question, you should
- Take a position in the introduction.
- Provide empirical evidence to support your position.
- Discuss the strengths of the argument - do not simply evaluate the research!
- Discuss the limitations of the argument - and potentially show how other arguments or theories may address the short-comings of your argument.
Defining extent
Let’s start with the first question above: To what extent does genetic inheritance influence behaviour? It is not important to say that genetic inheritance influences behaviour "to a great extent" or "to a lesser extent;" however, it is important to recognize the questions that cannot be answered by a genetic argument alone.
What do we need to do before we begin?
- What does research say about the role of genetics in behaviour?
- What are the strengths of the research? What does it clearly explain?
- What are the limitations of the argument? What are the areas of uncertainty?
So, for example, we have evidence from both twin studies and genetic mapping that provides us correlational evidence of the role of genes in behaviour. Studies such as Bouchard and/or Caspi could be used to outline support for the genetic argument.
However, today we know more about epigenetics - that is, gene expression. So, we know that there is an interaction between our genes and the environment which leads to gene expression. This could account for some of the statistics that we see from twin studies. We also know the genetic explanations are not based on single genes, but on combinations of genes. How these genes interaction - in addition to interacting with the environment - is not yet understood.
Another area of uncertainty is the question of the manifestation of a behaviour. Even though depression may have genetic roots, there are different symptoms in different cultures and different eras of history. How does a genetic argument account for this?
Task 1
Now it’s your turn. Below are the other four questions listed above. For each question, think about what information is necessary to write your “to what extent response.” After you have done that, it is time to practice writing your ERQs!
1. To what extent do sociocultural factors influence abnormal behaviour?
What will be the focus of the argument?
What are the strengths of this argument?
What are the limitations of this argument?
Task 2
2. To what extent does deprivation or trauma in childhood affect development?
What will be the focus of the argument?
What are the strengths of this argument?
What are the limitations of this argument?
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