12 Dec IB ESS Paper 2: SL & HL Format and Essay Practice
Reviewed 4 October 2026 · Current ESS SL and HL course, first assessment 2026.
IB ESS Paper 2 preparation should match your level and the current assessment format. Practise short answers, data-based questions and structured essays, rather than using the timing and question choices from the previous SL course.
IB ESS Paper 2: current SL and HL format
| Feature | SL | HL |
|---|---|---|
| Duration | 2 hours | 2 hours 30 minutes |
| Total marks | 60 | 80 |
| Final subject weighting | 50% | 50% |
| Section A | 40 marks: short-answer and data-based questions | 40 marks: short-answer and data-based questions |
| Section B | 20 marks: one structured essay from two choices | 40 marks: two structured essays from three choices |
Source: official IB ESS guide. Follow the instructions on your paper and use the appropriate current course materials. The previous article described two essays chosen from four; that is not the current SL/HL choice structure.
Prepare for Section A
Read the command term, the context and the available marks before writing. Use units in calculations and refer to the relevant evidence in data questions. Explain a process when asked to explain, rather than listing vocabulary.
When comparing values, make the comparison clear. When interpreting a pattern, distinguish the observation from an explanation and consider the limits of the evidence. A relationship in a graph does not by itself prove causation.
Choose and plan your Section B response
Read every part of a structured essay before choosing. A familiar topic heading is not enough if you cannot address the specific questions. SL students choose one essay; HL students choose two according to the current format above.
Make a brief plan around the command term and the issue being asked about. Select relevant processes, examples and evidence. For an evaluative response, weigh the relevant strengths, limitations or perspectives and reach a supported judgment rather than adding an unrelated list of advantages and disadvantages.
Use the applicable current markscheme and descriptors with your teacher. Do not treat the older nine-mark bands or an old “quality and clarity” bonus as universal rules for every current response.
A practical writing routine
- Identify exactly what the question asks.
- State a relevant point using precise ESS terminology.
- Explain the process or reasoning linking the point to the question.
- Use a suitable example or evidence where relevant.
- For discussion or evaluation, consider context, trade-offs and limitations.
- Give a conclusion supported by the argument when the task requires one.
This is a planning aid, not a compulsory paragraph formula. A conclusion alone does not automatically earn a mark, and a named example is useful only when its relevance is explained.
Original practice: urban transport
Discuss the environmental and societal trade-offs of restricting private cars in a city centre. This is an original learning prompt, not an IB examination question or an assessed exemplar.
Plan relevant processes such as emissions and changes in transport demand. Consider access, cost and different perspectives, and identify what evidence you would need to assess outcomes. Avoid inventing results or assuming all cities would respond in the same way. HL students can develop relevant connections through environmental law, environmental and ecological economics, and environmental ethics.
Use older papers carefully
Older questions can still help you practise a relevant process, command term or data skill. Check syllabus relevance before using them, and do not use the old full-paper structure as a current mock. Read our ESS past-paper practice guide and complete SL and HL exam overview.
Improve Paper 2 answers in your ESS lessons
Bring a question, your response and teacher feedback to Marija Maletz. In online ESS SL and HL lessons, you can work on data interpretation, command terms, essay planning and explaining relevant evidence. Target a specific weakness, then practise a similar task to check your progress.
For case-study preparation, read our Paper 1 practice guide. No tutoring method guarantees a grade; useful feedback helps you understand and improve your own work.
Need help applying this to your ESS work?
Explore online IB ESS tutoring for SL and HL with Marija Maletz or request a free 20-minute trial. Bring your level, the question or topic you find difficult, and your availability.
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