IB Diploma Programme Environmental systems and societies, SL and HL
SL and HL papers
Both levels sit Paper 1 (an unseen case study) and Paper 2 (short answers, data and structured essays). HL has more time, more content and the three HL lenses.
Standard level (SL)
Paper 1: case study 1 h, 25% of the grade.
Data in a variety of forms on a specific, previously unseen case study; questions on analysing and evaluating that data. All questions are compulsory.
Paper 2: short answers and structured essays 2 h, 50% of the grade.
Section A: short-answer and data-based questions. Section B: structured essay questions, with a limited amount of choice.
Internal assessment: individual investigation 25% of the grade.
An open-ended investigation: the student gathers and analyses data to answer their own research question, and writes a report of at most 3,000 words. About 10 hours of class time. Marked by the teacher and moderated by the IB.
Exams, data skills and the investigationTopic 1Topics 2 to 8
366 questions at SL, with worked calculations and feedback on written answers against levels built on the IB's assessment objectives.
Higher level (HL)
Paper 1: case study 2 h, 30% of the grade.
As at SL: data on a previously unseen case study, all questions compulsory, with more time.
Paper 2: short answers and structured essays 2 h 30 min, 50% of the grade.
As at SL: Section A short-answer and data-based questions; Section B structured essays with a limited choice. HL answers draw on the HL content and the three HL lenses.
Internal assessment: individual investigation 20% of the grade.
The same task as SL: a report of at most 3,000 words on the student's own research question.
Exams, data skills and the investigationTopic 1Topics 2 to 8The HL lenses
458 questions at HL, with worked calculations and feedback on written answers against levels built on the IB's assessment objectives.
The individual investigation
The internal assessment is the same task at SL and HL: an open-ended investigation in which you gather and analyse data to answer your own research question, written up as a report of at most 3,000 words. It takes about 10 hours of class time, counts for 25% at SL and 20% at HL, and is marked by your teacher and moderated by the IB.
It is your own work, so the course does not practise or write it. The skills unit covers the parts a strong report needs: a focused research question, a method, data handling, analysis, a conclusion and an evaluation.