IB Diploma Programme Environmental Systems and Societies — Full Course Resources

Coverage. All nine topics of the current DP ESS syllabus are addressed across 78 lessons — from foundational perspectives and systems thinking through ecology, biodiversity, water, land, atmosphere, natural resources, and human populations, to the HL lenses in environmental law, economics, and ethics. Each topic is framed by relevant key concepts and approached through the interconnected social and ecological dimensions that define ESS as an integrated discipline.

How the lessons work. Each lesson follows a clear teaching arc — surfacing prior thinking, developing the core theory or concept, structured skills practice, and an applied or evaluative task — with explicit learning objectives, command-term focus, and ATL skill links. Every lesson ships with a lesson plan, a student worksheet, and a mark scheme, giving teachers a complete, ready-to-teach package for SL and HL students alike.

Assessment-ready. Lessons build progressively toward the demands of the ESS external assessments and the internal assessment, with exam-style questions, data-response practice, and evaluation tasks aligned to the assessment objectives throughout. HL lessons extend analysis into environmental law, economics, and ethics, preparing students for the additional depth required at Higher Level.