Explore explanations, case studies and exam-practice ideas for Environmental Systems and Societies. Use the articles below to build understanding, then bring the topics you find difficult to an individual lesson.
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What is actually ESS? Environmental Systems and Societies is an introduction to environmental science, which overlaps significantly with the IB Geography syllabus. It is science applied to ideas presented in geography, economics, and TOK.We’ll study how different people around the world perceive and respond to various...
When writing a ESS IA, it is important that your work fits into IB requirements and rules. One of these rules is ESS IA word count. Many students ask me what is/isn’t included in the word count and that is why I decided to share...
Reviewed 4 October 2026 · Current ESS SL and HL course, first assessment 2026.IB ESS IA survey topics should lead to a focused question about an environmental issue and a clearly defined population. A survey can investigate reported attitudes, knowledge or behaviour, but it is...
When it comes to the ESS topic: “Soil” there are many interesting investigations that students can undertake.ESS IA soil topics include: • Measuring soil’s buffer capacity • Pollution in soil • Measuring soil’s pH • Soil’s salinity • Fertility of the soil • Measuring diversity of soil organisms • Soil erosion • Soil...
The Discussion, evaluation and conclusion of the ESS IA is composed of several aspects....
The data collection and processing of the ESS IA is composed of several aspects....
The planning part of the ESS IA is composed of several aspects....
Local and global materialThe course requires the study of environmental systems and societies at a range of scales from local to global, but the teaching of the course should be rooted in the local environment. There are many references in the syllabus to the local...
Systems approach The system approach is central to the course and has been employed for a number of reasons. The very nature of environmental issues demands a holistic treatment. An environmental system functions as a whole and the traditional approach of science tends to overlook this...
Sometimes students have a problem when it comes to addressing their ESS IA topics.Too general All these are far too broad and global and cannot be addressed within the ESS IA to meet the criteria. Avoid such general titles. • Tourism in Costa Rica • Global dimming • Oceans...