IB ESS IA Investigation Ideas and Planning Guide

About this resource

Help IB Diploma Environmental Systems and Societies (ESS) students explore investigation possibilities with 275 IA idea entries and a planning and proposal template in one editable Word document.

The guide organises suggested investigations by topic, covering environmental perspectives, ecosystems, biodiversity, water, soil, climate, resources and human populations. Entries pair a possible investigation with a research-question prompt and identify the investigation approach or relevant research skills. Students can compare fieldwork, surveys, database analysis and other environmental research approaches as they consider their interests and available resources.

What is included

• 275 investigation starting points with research-question prompts.
• Introductory guidance on developing an individual investigation.
• A proposal template covering the research question, expected outcome, variables, materials, investigation method, safety, ethics, data collection and analysis, with a teacher approval section.
• One editable DOCX file, rendered as 74 pages including the original cover and planning section.

Why this helps

Use the guide to begin idea discussions, compare possible approaches and organise a proposal before collecting data. The suggestions are broad starting points that students must refine into their own focused investigations with teacher guidance. This resource supplies ideas and planning support; it does not include completed student IAs, experimental datasets or model reports.