The assessment rule summarized above is based on the IB: Environmental systems and societies curriculum updates (2026) ↗. Check the official version for your assessment session.
What changed in the ESS investigation?
The new course is available at SL and HL. Students may collaborate in a small group on methods if their independent or dependent variables differ, or the individual qualitative or quantitative data collected is unique. The report and its evidence remain each student's own. A shared measurement procedure is not permission to present another student's measurements as personal data.
Scientific investigation
Define the environmental outcome, data collection design, controls, analysis and genuine limitations.
Perspectives criterion
Explain a concrete disagreement over a strategy, whose priorities diverge, and why the disagreement changes possible outcomes.
Worked perspectives map: restoring a damaged wetland
Invented learning scenario: A local council proposes restoring a wetland and limiting vehicle access beside it. These are hypotheses to research, not verified interviews or measured outcomes. The map tells you which claims need actual evidence.
| Perspective | Possible value | Evidence required |
|---|---|---|
| Affected group | Residents near a proposed wetlands restoration area. What local benefits or costs would they reasonably consider? | Household access records, public engagement evidence or interviews where appropriate |
| Environmental viewpoint | Ecologists monitoring biodiversity. Which changes in species composition and water quality count as success? | Species observations, sampling methods and published ecological evidence |
| Economic viewpoint | Businesses affected by access restrictions. Who pays for temporary limitations, and who gains in the longer term? | Documented costs, operating schedules and alternative-site evidence |
| Policy viewpoint | Local government or responsible authority. What legal obligations and public-resource constraints matter? | Applicable policy, consultation records and documented resource allocation |
Connect the disagreement to an outcome
An ecological objective could favour longer closures to protect nesting habitat, while residents might depend on the access route. The impact is not only that “people disagree”: it is that restricted access could change support, compliance, or which restoration measures remain politically feasible. Confirm these mechanisms in your own investigation instead of repeating this hypothetical as fact.
Do not mistake perspectives for opinions alone
Avoid “some people support it and others do not.” Identify who holds each perspective, the basis for their priorities, an evidence-backed tension between them and the plausible effect on environmental or social outcomes. Cite genuine data and sources, and confirm the current teacher-approved investigation rules.
Sources and verification
Primary-source references for this article, checked 12 October 2026. Rules and admission policies can change; confirm the current version for your assessment session or university course.
- IB: Environmental systems and societies curriculum updates (2026) ↗
Official new IA criterion on perspectives and their impact on outcomes, unique student data, and 3,000-word individual report.
- IB: ESS course overview ↗
Interdisciplinary subject context and approaches.
Independent student guidance, not an official IB publication. Ask your school coordinator to confirm policies relevant to your circumstances.