IB Environmental Systems and Societies SL - 2025
IB Environmental Systems and Societies SL is an interdisciplinary course in which students learn about the natural world around us and study the effects of our use of natural resources. This builds an understanding of the environmental issues that humanity faces and will allow students to make informed decisions on sustainable approaches in their personal and professional lives. The resources below are for examinations in 2025 or earlier.
Course Structure and Content
SL ESS students examine a variety of topics about nature and about humans, namely: Foundations of ESS, Ecosystems and Ecology, Biodiversity and Conservation, Water and Aquatic Food Production Systems, Soil Systems and Terrestrial Food Production Systems, Atmospheric Systems, Climate Change and Energy Production, and Human Systems and Resource Use.
This theoretical base is supported by practical investigations which culminate in a larger individual practical investigation that is 25% of the final grade. The external exams at the end of the course make up the rest.
Exams at the end of the course consist of two papers. Paper 1 is a case study of an hour in which students are presented with information in a variety of forms about a geographical area. The questions ask them to interpret the data and apply their knowledge from the course. ESS Paper 1 is 25% of the final grade. ESS Paper 2 consists of data interpretation questions, short answer questions and extended response questions and is 50% of the final grade.
An Interdisciplinary Course
IB Environmental Systems and Societies is interdisciplinary, with knowledge and skills from both IB Group 3 (Individuals and Societies) and IB Group 4 (Sciences) subjects. It can count as a Group 4 or Group 3 subject, or even as both, allowing students to study an extra course from any of the IB subject groups.
Tips for Success
- Foundation topics are crucial. Each topic is about systems, feedback loops, sustainability, pollution, and the views of different environmental value systems. Make notes for each of these for each topic.
- Study key terms. The ESS course spans a wide range of concepts that require specific terminology. Our RV videos highlight the key terms and the Flashcards feature will help you review them on the go.
- Practice your skills. Use the RV ESS Case Studies and the data-based questions (DBQ) to practice interpreting data. Try the extended response questions (ERQ) to practice planning and writing answers for the 9-mark essays.
Revision Village Environmental Systems and Societies has a range of tools to help you practice what you need, when you need. The multiple choice questions allow you to recall details from the syllabus and practice interpreting data. The Case Studies collection includes short and full exam-length practice for Paper 1. The data-based questions, short answer questions and essay questions prepare you for Paper 2. A team of expert IB Environmental Systems and Societies teachers created the questions and provided markschemes, sample answers and explanation videos to help you succeed in the subject.