These new IB ESS Case Studies have been designed for you to apply your knowledge and understanding of Environmental Systems & Societies in challenging Paper 1-style contexts. Each Case Study provides you with a range of materials about a country or region and a set of questions of varying levels of difficulty. A complete mark scheme and a sample answer allow you to see how required concepts and terminology could be compiled into a good response. The Case Studies are organised into themes related to humans or nature. Our team of experienced IB ESS teachers and examiners have created these Paper 1 Case Studies of different lengths and difficulties to suit a range of revision needs.

Original Paper 1-style case studies designed to enhance your skills in analysing data. With varying lengths, difficulty levels, and themes, you can select the ideal practice material for Paper 1 at any point in your ESS course.

Develop your understanding in IB ESS SL using custom-built flashcards, perfect for quick study sessions on desktop or mobile app.

Environmental Systems and Societies

Analyse the successes of efforts around the globe to save biodiversity.

Biodiversity & Conservation

Investigate the components that make our planet habitable.

Soil, Water, and Atmosphere

Examine how energy, matter and species interact in ecosystems over time.

Ecology

Structure and function of nature and its conservation

Nature

Consider human resource management and the possibilities for sustainable use.

Resource Use

Reflect upon the variety of waste we produce and its effect on our surroundings.

Pollution

Delve into the diverse causes, effects and solutions to what may well be humanity’s biggest challenge yet.

Climate Change

Think about our growing population and the food it needs.

Human Population & Food

Human populations and their needs, with a look at how this affects our planet

Humans

These new IB ESS Case Studies have been designed for you to apply your knowledge and understanding of Environmental Systems & Societies in challenging Paper 1-style contexts. Each Case Study provides you with a range of materials about a country or region and a set of questions of varying levels of difficulty. A complete markscheme identifies the ESS concepts and terminology required to achieve the marks and a sample answer allows you to see how this could be compiled into a good response. The Case Studies are organised into themes taken from the Environmental Systems and Societies SL concepts: four themes focusing on nature and four on humans. All the Case Studies are written in a Paper 1-style; our team of experienced IB ESS teachers and examiners have created both full-length and shorter examples as well as three levels of difficulty to suit a range of revision needs.

Original Case Studies to train the skills in analysing and evaluating data that you need for Paper 1. 

2025

2024

2023

2022

2021

Past Paper Solutions

Foundations of ESS

Historical Influences, EVS, Anthropocentric, Ecocentric, Technocentric

Environmental Value Systems

System Diagrams, Storages, Flows, Transfers, Transformations, Open & Closed Systems, Models

Systems & Models

Laws of Thermodynamics, Conservation of Energy, Negative & Positive Feedback Loops, Stability, Resilience, Tipping Point

Energy & Equilibria in Systems

Sustainable Development, Natural Resources, Capital, and Income, Goods, Services, EIA, Ecological Footprint (EF)

Sustainability

Non-Point & Point Source, Persistent, Biodegradable, Acute, Chronic, Primary, Secondary, DDT, Pollution Management

Ecosystems & Ecology

Habitat, Biotic & Abiotic Factors, Interactions, S-Curve, J-Curve, Limiting Factors, Carrying Capacity

Species & Populations

Respiration, Photosynthesis, Food Chains, Trophic Levels, Ecological Pyramids, Bioaccumulation, Biomagnification

Food Webs & Energy

Solar Radiation, Net, Gross, Primary, and Secondary Productivity, Maximum Sustainable Yield, Carbon & Nitrogen Cycles

Productivity & Nutrient Cycles

Tricellular Model, Biome Shift, Habitat, Species, and Genetic Diversity, r- & K-Strategists, Pioneer & Climax Community

Biomes, Zonation, and Succession

Investigating Ecosystems

Species, Habitat, and Genetic Diversity, Species Richness & Evenness, Diversity Index

Biodiversity

Natural Selection, Survival of the Fittest, Speciation, Plate Tectonics, Mass Extinctions

Evolution & Extinction

Habitat Destruction, Invasive Species, Pollution, Overharvesting, IUCN Red List, Conservation Status, Tropical Biomes

Threats to Biodiversity

NGOs, Conventions, Protected Areas, Habitat & Species-Based Conservation, CITES, Flagship & Keystone Species, Zoos

Conservation of Biodiversity

Water & Aquatic Food Production

Hydrological Cycle, Aquifer, Glacier, Ice Cap, Evaporation, Precipitation, Freshwater, Saltwater, Ocean Conveyor Belt

Water Cycle & Oceanic Circulation

Supply, Access, Irrigation, Reservoirs, Desalination, Aquifers, Rainwater Harvesting, Conflict

Freshwater Resources

Marine, Freshwater, Phytoplankton, Whales, Wild Fisheries, Fish Stocks, Aquaculture, Maximum Sustainable Yield

Aquatic Food Production

Eutrophication, Dead Zones, Plastic, Runoff, Sewage, Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD), Indicator Species, Biotic Index

Water Pollution

Soil & Terrestrial Food Production

Soil Profile, Leaching, Erosion, Sand, Silt, Clay, Loam, Soil Texture Triangle

Soil Structure & Systems

Farming, Fertilisers, Pesticides, Yield, Food Waste, Food Choices, Subsistence & Commercial Farming, Vegetarianism

Terrestrial Food Production

Fertility, Deforestation, Grazing, Monoculture, Erosion, Desertification, Salination, Terracing, Marginal Lands

Soil Degradation & Conservation

Atmosphere

Natural Greenhouse Effect, Troposphere, Stratosphere, Clouds, Albedo

Atmospheric Structure & Function

Hole in Ozone Layer, UV radiation, CFCs, Aerosols, Montreal Protocol, Skin Cancer, Phytoplankton

Stratospheric Ozone

Urban Pollution, Primary & Secondary Pollutants, Soot, Nitrogen & Sulfur Oxides, Tropospheric Ozone, Thermal Inversion

Photochemical Smog

Fossil Fuels, Acid Rain, Nitrogen & Sulfur Oxides, Wet & Dry Deposition, Direct & Indirect Effect, Lime

Acid Deposition

Climate Change & Energy Production

Fossil Fuel, Carbon Dioxide Emissions, Renewables, Nuclear, Energy Security & Strategy, Energy Efficiency & Conservation

Energy Choices & Security

Enhanced Greenhouse Effect, Greenhouse Gases (GHGs), Methane, Global Temperature, Extreme Weather Events, Sea Level Rise

Climate Change - Causes & Impacts

Greenhouse Gas Emissions, Geo-Engineering, Carbon Sinks, Flood Defences, Desalinization, CDR, UN-REDD, CCS, IPCC

Climate Change - Mitigation & Adaptation

Human Systems & Resource Use

Births, Deaths, Fertility, CBR, CDR, TFR, DT, NIR, Population Pyramids, Demographic Transition Model (DTM)

Human Population Dynamics

Renewable & Non-Renewable Natural Capital, Sustainable Use, Value of Natural Capital

SDW, Non-Biodegradable, Plastic, Landfill, Incineration, Recycling, Composting, Circular Economy

Solid Domestic Waste

Extending Carrying Capacity, Ecological Footprint (EF), Limits to Human Population Growth

Human Population Carrying Capacity

Paper 1

Paper 2

Mock Exam Set 1

Mock Exam Set 2

Mock Exam Set 3

Mock Exam Set 4

Mock Exam Set 5

SL - 2025

Paper 2B

Getting Started! You’re on your way to building a strong foundation for IB ESS. At this level you will practice simply structured questions about basic concepts and skills.

Level 1

Keep going! Level 2 contains questions that help you recall more details about basic concepts. Some Paper 1-style questions are included at this level.

Level 2

You’re making real progress! As you encounter more complex questions, you will need more detailed knowledge to answer questions from Paper 1 and Paper 2. Keep up the practice!

Level 3

Great job! Level 5 contains the first extended response question from Paper 2 and some questions on more advanced content. You can do this!

Level 4

Excellent work! From this level on you will be challenged with two full data based questions from Paper 2. You will need critical thinking and the use of examples to back up your analysis in longer questions.

Level 5

Incredible work! You are on your way to mastery of advanced concepts and have a wide range of examples to support your answers. This level continues with complex questions from Paper 1 and Paper 2. Keep it up!

Level 6

Topic 1 All

Sustainable Development, Natural Resources, Capital and Income, Goods, Services, EIA, Ecological Footprint (EF)

Topic 2 All

Foods Webs & Energy

Key, Sampling, Biomass, Quadrat, Capture-Mark-Recapture, Lincoln, Species Richness & Diversity, Simpson, Abiotic Factor

Topic 3 All

Topic 4 All

Topic 5 All

Topic 6 All

Urban Pollution, Secondary Pollutant, Nitrogen & Sulfur Oxide, Soot, Tropospheric Ozone, Thermal Inversion

Enhanced Greenhouse Effect, Greenhouse Gases (GHGs), Sea Level Rise, Global Temperature, Methane, Extreme Weather Events

Soil, Water and Atmosphere

Cities

Specimen Exams 2026

Foundation

Values, Surveys, Worldviews, EVS, Environmental Movement

Perspectives

System Diagrams, Open & Closed Systems, Gaia, Feedback Loops, Equilibrium, Tipping Point, Model, Emergent, Resilience

Systems

Development, Justice, Inequalities, Indicators, Footprint, Biocapacity,  SDGs, Planetary Boundaries, Doughnut, Circular

Classification, (A)biotic, Carrying Capacity, Limiting Factors, Population Growth, Sampling, Lincoln, Habitat, Keystone

Species to Ecosystems

Photosynthesis, Respiration, Thermodynamics, Food Chain & Web, Trophic Level, Productivity, Pyramids, Non-Biodegradeable

Energy & Biomass

Weather, Tricellular Model of Atmospheric Circulation, Ocean Currents, Global Warming, Biome Shift

Climate & Biomes

Stores, Sinks, Sources, Carbon Cycle, Carbon Sequestration, Fossil Fuels, Ocean Acidification

Biogeochemical Cycles

Transects, Environmental Gradient, Sere, Climax Community, Primary & Secondary Succession

Zonation & Succession

Natural Selection, Speciation, Richness & Evenness, Simpson's Reciprocal Index, Habitat, Species and Genetic Diversity

Biodiversity & Evolution

Direct & Indirect Threats, Invasive Species, IUCN Red List, Tragedy of the Commons

Human Impact on Biodiversity

Species- & Habitat-based, ex & in situ, CITES, CBD, Flagship & Keystone Species, Edge Effect, Corridor, Rewilding

Conservation & Regeneration

Water

Hydrological Cycle, Glaciers, Groundwater, Evapotranspiration, Precipitation, Run-off, Infiltration, Steady State

Water Systems

Water Security, Stress, Scarcity and Conservation, Dams, Rain, Desalination, Wetlands, Water Footprint, Citizen Science

Water Access & Use

Sewage, Run-off, Oil Spills, Plastic, Water Quality Index, Biochemical Oxygen Demand, Eutrophication

Phytoplankton, Macrophytes, Trawling, Ghost Fishing, Max. Sust. Yield, Collapse, MPA, Aquaculture, UNCLOS, Seals, Whales

Aquatic Food Systems

Land

Soil Profile, Horizon, Texture, Weathering, Erosion, Leaching, Nitrogen, Phosphorus, Potassium, Sand, Silt, Clay, Humus 

Soil

Farming, Crops, Livestock, Food Waste, Distribution and Security, Green Revolution, Fertilisers, Soil Conservation, Diet

Agriculture & Food

Atmosphere & Climate Change

Tricellular Model, Greenhouse Effect, GHGs, Solar Radiation

The Atmosphere

Carbon Dioxide, Enhanced Greenhouse Effect, Global Warming, Biome Shift, Resilience, Albedo, Methane, Planetary Boundary

UV Radiation, Mutation, Cancer, Sunburn, Cataracts, ODSs, CFCs, Ozone Holes, Montreal Protocol, Planetary Boundary

Global Action, Decarbonisation, National Adaptation Programmes of Action (NAPA)

Natural Resources

Natural Capital & Income, Goods, Services, Ecosystem Services, Renewable, Value, Dynamic, Resource Security

Renewable, Fossil Fuels, Nuclear, Intermittency, Storage, Consumption, Choices, Conservation, Efficiency

Energy Sources

SDW, E-Waste, Food, Biohazardous, Pollution, Prevent, Restore, Landfill, Incineration, Recycle, Export, Energy, Compost

Solid Waste

Human Populations & Urban Systems

Births, Deaths, Migration, TFR, DT, NIR, Life Expectancy, Growth, Age-Sex Pyramids, Demographic Transition Model (DTM)

Human Populations

Urbanisation, Population Density, Buildings, Infrastructure, Rural-Urban Migration, Suburbanisation, Urban Land Use

Urban Systems & Urban Planning

Primary Pollutants, Nitrogen Oxides, Sulfur Dioxide, Carbon Monoxide, Particulate Matter, Fossil Fuels, Acid Rain

Urban Air Pollution

Tools & Inquiry

Dichotomous Keys, Quadrats, Transects, Lincoln, Abiotic Factors, Surveys, Sampling, Diversity, Populations, Biomass

Experimental Techniques

Designing Investigations, Processing Data, Concluding and Evaluating

Investigations

Calculations, Graphs, Scatter Plot, Box & Whisker Plot, Kite Diagram, Statistics, Simpson's, Lincoln, NIR, Doubling Time

Mathematical Tools

Water Security, Scarcity and Conservation, Dams, Rainwater, Desalination, Wetlands 

Phytoplankton, Macrophytes, Trawling, Ghost Fishing, Maximum Sustainable Yield, Collapse, MPAs, Aquaculture

Soil Profile, Horizon, Texture, Weathering, Erosion, Leaching, Nitrogen, Phosphorus, Potassium, Sand, Silt, Clay, Humus

Topic 7 All

Topic 8 All

All Tools & Inquiry

Calculations, Interpretation of Data, Statistics, Simpson's, Lincoln, NIR, Doubling Time

IB Environmental Systems and Societies SL

Questionbank

Case Studies

Practice Exams

Past Papers

Flashcards

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