LEVEL: available ONLY at Standard level.
LENGTH: ESS is an anticipated subject, which means that it is completed in one year. Students sit for the exam at the end of DP1 (year 11).
RECOMMENDED BACKGROUND: A grade of B or higher in Year 10 science, mathematics, English, and humanities.
PATHWAYS: University or TAFE, in particular courses in environmental management.
Environmental systems and societies (ESS) is an interdisciplinary course offered only at standard level (SL). This course can fulfill either the Individuals and Societies or the Sciences requirement. Alternatively, this course enables students to satisfy the requirements of both subject groups simultaneously while studying one course.
ESS is firmly grounded in both a scientific exploration of environmental systems in their structure and function and in the interactions of societies with the environment. The course requires a broad skill set and includes the ability to perform research and investigations and to participate in discussions. Students are encouraged to develop solutions from a personal, community and global scales. Through the exploration of cause and effect, the course investigates how values interact with choices and actions, resulting in a range of environmental impacts. Students develop an understanding that the connections between environmental systems and societies are diverse and dynamic. The complexity of these interactions challenge those working towards understanding the actions required for effective guardianship of the planet and sustainable use of shared resources.
The themes of wetlands, biodiversity, soil degradation and human resources use will cover the topics of:
Topic 1 — Foundations of environmental systems and societies
Topic 2 — Ecosystems and ecology
Topic 3 — Biodiversity and conservation
Topic 4 — Water and aquatic food production systems and societies
Topic 5 — Soil systems and terrestrial food production systems and societies
Topic 6 — Atmospheric systems and societies
Topic 7 — Climate change and energy production
Topic 8 — Human systems and resource use
Assessment
| SL |
Internal Assessment |
| Individual Investigation This component is internally assessed by the teacher and externally moderated by the IB at the end of the course. A conversation with the teacher, based on a visual stimulus, followed by discussion based on an additional theme. (30 marks) 25% |
External Assessment |
| Paper 1: Case Study Exam | 1 hour Students will be provided with a range of data in a variety of forms relating to a specific, previously unseen case study. Questions will be based on the analysis and evaluation of the data in the case study. All of the questions are compulsory. The questions test assessment objectives 1, 2 and 3. 25% |
| Paper 2: Short answers and structured essays Exam | 2 hours Paper 2 consists of two sections, A and B. Section A (25 marks) is made up of short-answer and data-based questions. Section B (40 marks) requires students to answer two structured essay questions from a choice of four. Each question is worth 20 marks. The questions test assessment objectives 1, 2 and 3. 50% |