Unpack the key changes to the IBDP Environmental Systems & Societies course

The IB Diploma's Environmental Systems and Societies (ESS) curriculum has introduced exciting changes, now available at Higher Level (HL) for the first time. This innovative syllabus emphasizes a concept-based approach, focusing on perspectives, systems, and sustainability.

Key changes include a foundational topic exploring these concepts, a common internal assessment (IA), and a collaborative sciences project, enhancing interdisciplinary learning. The HL course delves deeper into environmental issues through ethical, legal, and economic lenses, offering a broader and more in-depth analysis.

The curriculum promotes networked learning, with guiding questions and structured understandings for each subtopic, enhancing inquiry and connection between concepts. Skills application is now explicitly integrated, emphasizing experimental, technological, and inquiry skills essential for understanding ESS. Engagement activities encourage students to act on environmental issues, potentially inspiring CAS projects and school-wide initiatives. This curriculum revision marks a significant step towards fostering a profound understanding and appreciation of environmental and societal challenges among students.