IB Environmental Systems and Societies Course Information
Through studying environmental systems and societies (ESS), students will be provided with a coherent perspective of the interrelationships between environmental systems and societies; one that enables them to adopt an informed personal response to the wide range of pressing environmental issues that they will inevitably come to face. The teaching approach is such that students are allowed to evaluate the scientific, ethical and socio-political aspects of issues.
Students will be able to study this course successfully with no specific previous knowledge of science or geography. However, as the course aims to foster an international perspective, awareness of local and global environmental concerns and an understanding of the scientific methods, a course that shares these aims would be good preparation. During the course, students will study eight different units. The most important aspect of the ESS course is hands-on work in the laboratory and/or out in the field.
Key features of the curriculum and assessment models
- Available only at standard level (SL) as a 2 year course.
- The minimum prescribed number of hours is 150.
- 120 hours core content.
- 30 hours Practical scheme of work (labs, field work, Internal Assessment).
- A hands-on approach to the course delivery is emphasized.
- Students are assessed both externally and internally.
- External assessment consists of two written papers. Paper 1 is a Case Study worth 25% of the final grade and takes 1 hour. Paper 2 is 50% of the final grade and takes 2 hours to complete. It consists of short answers and structured essays. These assessments account for 75% of final grade.
- Internal assessment accounts for 25% of the final assessment is a written report of a research question designed and implemented by the student. It is designed to take approximately 10 hours.
| Syllabus Components | Year 1 vs. Year 2 |
|---|---|
|
1. Foundations of environmental systems and societies.
2. Ecosystems and ecology.
3. Biodiversity and conservation.
4. Water and aquatic food production systems and societies.
5. Soil systems and terrestrial food production systems and societies.
6. Atmospheric systems and societies.
7. Climate change and energy production.
8. Human systems and resource use. |
Year 1 we follow the AP Environmental
Science curriculum. We will add in some Theory of Knowledge (TOK) and spend time each week performing practical work (labs). You will sit for the AP.
Environmental Science Exam in May
Year 2 we spend time spiraling back to topics, looking at world perspectives on environmental issues, and performing individual research through the Internal
Assessment (IA). You will sit for the 2 papers for IB at the end of the year. |