[meittarn]

Any people here taking Environmental systems and societies?
What did you guys think ?

[Ellieelephant]

The first exam I failed terribly. Seriously, I don't know what went wrong with me, as soon as I got in there my brain turned to jelly it was significantly harder than what I thought it would be.
Thankfully, the second paper went sooo much better, hopefully that will bring my grade up a bit! :/

[patcake]

I found it allright. ESS at my school has been a bit of a pisstake. Our teacher doesn't even know the syllabus, or the stuff he's meant to be teaching us, and for some time we didn't actually have a teacher at all, so my knowledge was accumilated through reading the course companion during the easter half term, which actually helped a lot!

[meittarn]

Paper one was relatively good compared to previour years.
And I was blessed with a pretty good teacher even though this was the first year ESS was taught at our school but paper 2 was brutallll
such a random case study, and weird essay topics like Gaia concept - not even in the syllabus!
I also had to learn a lot from the course companion - SO MUCH INFO

[Heeck]

I believe the exams went well but the Gaia question in paper 2 was a bit random .

[saachi]

Yeah I took EVSS, Paper 1 was unexpectedly hard (don't laugh please) but EVSS is a vague subject so it's really hard to either fail or do exceptionally well on. That's why, in the past 3 years, nobody in the world has gotten a 7 in this subject

Paper 2 was good though. I liked the Gaia question, I analysed the theory in my TOK essay so it was a bit easier for me! I watched Animal Planet the night before (a program on the Amazon rainforest was showing) and managed to use it as a case study for how biodiversity differs in rainforests and deserts. These random things help quite a bit in EVSS.

Our teacher didn't know the syllabus either, in many disorganized schools it's mostly a self taught subject because so few people take it seriously. I wouldn't like to be overconfident (seeing as the results are yet to come out!) but I'd say it's an easy 6 or at least a 5, in any case.

[meittarn]

Yeah I really want a 6 but I know i missed crucial points and its ok - usually paper 1 is the harder one but it also counts less so thats good paper 2 went well.
I feel IB had high expectations because they had similar courses to ESS before like Ecosystems and Society so maybe thats why it was pretty hard in the past 3 years.
I swear so many case studies for this class its kind of insane. I did rainforest and desert too for the biodiversity/productivity question
Im so happy I was blessed with a good teacher. I think IB should prepare teachers more on how to teach this if in your schools it felt like almost self taught

[nerdyy]

(Original post by saachi)
That's why, in the past 3 years, nobody in the world has gotten a 7 in this subject

Are you kidding me? Ahh this is the first year it's been taught at my school and they portrayed it as an easy subject :C

[meittarn]

(Original post by nerdyy)
Are you kidding me? Ahh this is the first year it's been taught at my school and they portrayed it as an easy subject :C

I think the content is easy but IB asks the questions in a weird way to try and trick you and the markschemes are very specific.
Like if you don't have "over time" or "sustainably" in an answer = no points.
But you will be fine don't worry there are a ton of videos on youtube that helped me - NicheScience and a lot of people here are predicted 6/7 so you'll be fine

[michellee615]

Hey i was reading some threads and saw that you were talking about the ESS may 2012 TZ2 exam? I have my trials in a week and im pretty sure we're using that paper, i was wondering if you could help me out and tell me what you remember was on the exam etc?? you would actually be a life saver!!! thankyouuu in advance! xxxxxxxxxxxx

[maivi.dang]

(Original post by nerdyy)
Are you kidding me? Ahh this is the first year it's been taught at my school and they portrayed it as an easy subject :C

it is indeed easy. basically everything is common sense. but the answers have to be SO SO detailed and if you miss only a work then you could lose points for one whole question. so when you revise try to highlight lots of important words. and use the markschemes themselves to revise. that's what i did and it worked well i think

[TrysBaldai]

DO NOT TAKE IT , it is waste of time and universities will think u are incapable of doing science

[saachi]

(Original post by TrysBaldai)
DO NOT TAKE IT , it is waste of time and universities will think u are incapable of doing science

It's still a soft option for someone who's already decided on a non- science university course. And naturally, someone who's pursuing a science- related degree will not take it. Universities do not care about your extra, non- degree related IB subjects. All they want are the relevant subjects taken at Higher Level and completed to a high standard and an overall score- which ESS helps you get much easier than, say, Physics would.

[Cake Faced Kid.]

Saw the name of the thread and immediately thought 'Irritable bowel syndrome'





I'll leave...

[saachi]

(Original post by Cake Faced Kid.)
Saw the name of the thread and immediately thought 'Irritable bowel syndrome'





I'll leave...

Hahaha! IBS are also my father's initials But you realise it's ESS, as in Environmental Systems & Societies, right?

[Cake Faced Kid.]

(Original post by saachi)
Hahaha! IBS are also my father's initials But you realise it's ESS, as in Environmental Systems & Societies, right?

Yes I do,

[ctl]

(Original post by TrysBaldai)
DO NOT TAKE IT , it is waste of time and universities will think u are incapable of doing science

Terrible advice

Granted the university doesn't mind and it's not needed by your course, I see no reason to take a harder subject like Physics for example

If you aren't going to need science for your degree, I see no reason to not take ESS and get a better grade for less work...

[saachi]

(Original post by ctl)
Terrible advice

Granted the university doesn't mind and it's not needed by your course, I see no reason to take a harder subject like Physics for example

If you aren't going to need science for your degree, I see no reason to not take ESS and get a better grade for less work...

Yeah, exactly what I said. ESS is a lifesaver for non- science students.