Environmental Systems & Societies

Note: This is a transdisciplinary course (Groups 3 and 4).

*The ESS specification is being updated for first teaching in September 2024.  It will also offer a Higher Level pathway.  More details to follow*

The course aims to provide students with a coherent perspective on interrelationships between environmental systems and societies, one that enables them to adopt an informed personal response to the wide range of pressing environmental issues that they will inevitably come to face. Students’ attention will be constantly drawn to their own relationship with their environment and the significance of choices and decisions they make in their own lives.

The programme comprises seven topics:

• Foundations of environmental systems and societies

• Ecosystems and Ecology

• Biodiversity and conservation

• Water and aquatic food production systems and societies

• Soil systems and terrestrial food production systems and societies 

• Atmospheric systems and societies

• Climatic change and energy production 

• Human systems and resource use

The course is assessed by a combination of 2 external examinations which are weighted 75%.  Internal Assessment - Practical/field work – makes up the remaining 25%.

There are two papers.  Paper 1 which is a question paper based on a named case study and Paper two which involves long answer questions and essay questions.

Internal assessment/Coursework: Practical/fieldwork is normally completed at the end of the Summer term Year 12/first term of Year 13.