IB Prospectus 2027 - Flipbook - Page 24
Environmental Systems & Societies (ESS)
(available at SL only)
This group 4 course provides students with a sound understanding of the
interrelationship between environmental systems and societies and a greater
appreciation of pressing environmental issues that they will inevitably come
to face. The ESS course combines teachings of Biology, Geography, Ecology,
Environmental Science, Chemistry and even Physics and uses a teaching
approach that allows students to evaluate the scienti昀椀c, ethical and sociopolitical aspects of these issues.
It covers a range of environmental issues we encounter today from climate
change and global warming to pollution, as well as investigating ecosystems
and biomes like tropical rainforests and deserts, to studying biodiversity and
endangered species. ESS also examines the human population on Earth, where
it lives and the key demographic characteristics of it whilst looking into main
anthropogenic in昀氀uences in local and global aspects.
The course is particularly relevant to
students who enjoy scienti昀椀c study but do
not require a core science for HE or career
pathways, combining natural sciences
with ethical, philosophical and political
analysis it aims to foster an international
perspective, awareness of local and
global environmental concerns and an
understanding of the scienti昀椀c methods.
Previous titles for Internal Assessments include:
• To what extent does Gross National Income (GNI) per capita in昀氀uence end user food waste?
• To what extent does human activity on a public footpath in Sevenoaks impact biodiversity in
the surrounding ecosystem?
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