MrKremerScience.com

Welcome to the new Environmental Systems and Societies course!

The International Baccalaureate released a new Environmental Systems and Societies (ESS) syllabus in February 2024. The new ESS syllabus keeps many of the topics and environmental issues from the previous syllabus (released in 2017 but adds some exciting new elements to make the course more engaging and meaningful for students. At the top of the list of changes is that ESS is now available at both Standard Level (ESS SL) and Higher Level (HL) – that’s right, the HL course students and teachers have been asking about for over a decade has finally arrived!

As your teacher, I will guide you through the topics and assessment requirements of the new ESS syllabus, and I’ll share recent developments in environmental science as often as possible, generally via YouTube but also through Instagram and X/Twitter, using the hashtag #IBESS and the handles @mrkremerscience and @bradleymkremer.

Here’s a video of my first review of the new ESS syllabus. Please excuse the silly faces.

ESS course overview

IB ESS is a university-level environmental science course. IB ESS is a fascinating class because it combines biology, chemistry, geography, and sociology in a study of interdependent planet Earth and our role in those interactions. It overlaps with many elements of the humanities (what the International Baccalaureate calls Individuals and societies) such as human populations, geography, economics and global politics.

The issues students encounter in ESS are complex and challenging. For many of the questions raised, there are no right answers. Students will never be taught what to think about environmental issues; instead, students will learn about the interdependence of the various components of our planet and societies to reach their own conclusions.

ESS Practical scheme of work (PSOW)

Environmental science is a practical science. To truly understand the natural world, students must spend time outdoors studying the interactions in nature. Students enrolled in my ESS course will design, carry out, and evaluate investigations into almost every part of the syllabus.

These activities are what we call the Practical Scheme of Work (PSOW), and they will comprise 50 class hours or more each school year. The PSOW deepens students’ grasp of ecological concepts and also gives them the hands-on practice they need for a successful Internal Assessment (IA).

Assessment in ESS

Like most courses in the IB Diploma Programme, students will sit for official examinations at the end of the 2-year course. These exams account for 75% of a student’s final grade in Standard Level ESS and 80% of final grades at Higher Level.

Standard Level ESS exams consist of two papers:

Paper 1 (25% of the final grade)

• 1 hour, 35 marks
• Previously unseen case study based on data in a variety of forms
• Questions require analysis and evaluation of the data
• All questions are mandatory

Paper 2 (50%)

• 2 hours, 60 marks
• Section A (40 marks) is made up of short-answer and data-based questions.
• Section B (20 marks) consists of one structured essays from a choice of two

For a detailed view of assessment in Higher Level ESS, please visit the HL ESS page.

ESS Internal Assessment (IA)

IB ESS student will research, design, carry out, and evaluate an individual investigation into a topic of personal interest. This individual investigation, called the Internal Assessment (or IA) counts for 25% of a student’s final grade in Standard Level ESS and 20% at Higher Level. I will guide students through the research, methodology, treatment of data, experimentation, analysis, conclusion and evaluation of their Internal Assessment. A minimum of 10 teaching hours in the classroom will be dedicated to the individual investigation throughout the 2-year course, most of which will occur during Year 2.

New ESS Syllabus Topics (First Examinations in 2026)

Syllabus topics are listed below. I will publish pages for each subtopic as I assemble them. Subtopics marked with an asterisk are only included in the HL ESS syllabus.

1. Foundations: perspectives, systems, and sustainability
2. Ecology: how ecosystems function
3. Biodiversity and conservation: evolution, threats, conservation measures
4. Water: systems, access, pollution, water security*
5. Land: soil, agriculture, forestry
6. Atmosphere and climate change: causes, mitigation, adaptation
7. Natural resources: use, choices, impact, waste
8. Human populations & urban systems: sustainability, urban environments, air pollution*
9. Higher Level ESS:
   • HL.a Environmental law: rules for resource use, sustainability and justice
   • HL.b Environmental economics: ecological economics, perspectives and sustainability
   • HL.c Environmental ethics: moral responsibility toward the environment

Pages for the current ESS syllabus will remain active through the last exams scheduled for 2025.

Once again, welcome to ESS! Let’s get started!