Slide 1
Environmental Systems and Societies
- IB Diploma Programme · Group 3 or Group 4
- Standard Level · 150 hours
- Year 11 2027 – Year 12 2028
- Group
- Interdisciplinary — may count as Group 3 (individuals and societies) or Group 4 (sciences)
- Level offered
- Standard Level (SL)
- Teaching hours
- SL: 150 hours
- IB syllabus
- Current DP syllabus, first examined 2026
Course description
Environmental systems and societies (ESS) is an interdisciplinary course combining methodologies and knowledge from both the sciences and individuals and societies. Students develop a scientific approach through the study of environmental systems, alongside understandings and methods from individuals and societies subjects as they study sustainability issues in social, cultural, economic, political and ethical contexts.
Because of its interdisciplinary nature, ESS may satisfy either the sciences or the individuals and societies requirement, giving students the flexibility to study an additional subject from any other group.
Course structure
- Foundations: perspectives, systems, sustainability
- Ecology
- Biodiversity and Conservation
- Water
- Land
- Atmosphere and Climate Change
- Natural Resources
- Human Populations and Urban Systems
- HL lenses (HL only): environmental law; environmental and ecological economics; environmental ethics
Students who should consider this course
This course suits students with a strong interest in environmental and sustainability issues who want to combine scientific inquiry with social, economic and ethical analysis, and is useful preparation for further study in environmental science, geography, sustainability, policy or related fields.
Assessment at a glance
| Component | SL % | HL % |
|---|---|---|
| Paper 1 — Case study data analysis (external) | 25 | 30 |
| Paper 2 — Short-answer, data-based and essay questions (external) | 50 | 50 |
| Individual investigation (internal) | 25 | 20 |
External examinations
External assessment is sat in the November session. The internally assessed individual investigation is an open-ended task in which the student gathers and analyses data to answer their own research question, reported in a maximum of 3,000 words.
Subject presentation
Slide 2
What is ESS?
- An interdisciplinary course that combines the methods of the sciences with the perspectives of individuals and societies.
- You study environmental systems scientifically — measuring, modelling and analysing — and you study sustainability issues in their social, cultural, economic, political and ethical contexts.
- It can count as your science or as your humanities subject, which frees up a slot to study something else.
Slide 3
Three foundations
- Perspectives — how worldviews, values and ethics shape the way people see environmental issues.
- Systems — thinking about the environment as connected systems with inputs, outputs, flows, feedback and tipping points.
- Sustainability — measuring and managing the use of resources so that they last.
Slide 4
What you will study
- Ecology — populations, communities and ecosystems.
- Biodiversity and conservation.
- Water — freshwater and marine systems, pollution and management.
- Land — soils, food production and land use.
- Atmosphere and climate change.
- Natural resources — energy, minerals and their management.
- Human populations and urban systems.
Slide 5
Practical work and the individual investigation
- Fieldwork and laboratory work run throughout the course — sampling, measuring and modelling real environments.
- Individual investigation (internal assessment, 25% at SL): you design your own research question, collect and analyse data and report your findings in up to 3,000 words.
Slide 6
How you are assessed
- Paper 1 (25%) — data analysis based on an unseen case study.
- Paper 2 (50%) — short-answer, data-based and essay questions.
- Individual investigation (25%) — internal assessment, moderated by the IB.
- External papers are sat in the November session.
Slide 7
Links to the DP core
- Theory of Knowledge — how do we know what is sustainable? How do values shape environmental knowledge?
- Extended Essay — ESS supports a data-driven research essay on a local environmental question.
- CAS — environmental service and outdoor activity link directly to the course.
Slide 8
Where it can lead
- Environmental science, ecology and conservation
- Geography, urban planning and sustainability
- Environmental policy, law and economics
- Agriculture, resource management and renewable energy
Slide 9
Is ESS for you?
- You care about environmental issues and want to understand them properly, not just hear about them.
- You like a mix of fieldwork, data and discussion.
- You want a science that also lets you write and argue.
- Speak to the Science or HSIE Department with any questions before you make your selection.
Prepared from the IB Diploma Programme Environmental Systems and Societies subject brief (2024 guide, first assessment 2026) and the Academy’s IBDP handbook.