Is there a fixed MYP Individuals and Societies syllabus?

There is an official IB framework, but there is not one fixed worldwide list of case studies that every student must complete. Schools may offer integrated humanities or courses based on disciplines such as history, geography, economics, politics, sociology, psychology, or business management. Teachers select content that supports the required concepts, global contexts, objectives, and assessment criteria. This is why students at different schools may study different countries, conflicts, or environmental issues. Your school’s unit outlines and teacher guidance provide the most accurate list of content for your course.

What are the six global contexts in MYP Individuals and Societies?

The six contexts are identities and relationships, orientation in space and time, personal and cultural expression, scientific and technical innovation, globalization and sustainability, and fairness and development. They are used across the MYP rather than belonging only to Individuals and Societies. A global context gives a unit a real-world lens and helps explain why its content matters. For example, a migration unit may use orientation in space and time to examine movement or identities and relationships to examine belonging. The context is therefore not the topic itself, but the perspective through which the topic is investigated.

What is the difference between MYP humanities and Individuals and Societies?

Individuals and Societies is the IB’s official name for the MYP subject group containing humanities and social-science disciplines. Some schools call their integrated course humanities, social studies, or simply Individuals and Societies. An integrated humanities course may combine history, geography, economics, politics, and sociology within the same units. Other schools teach these as discrete or modular courses while still following the Individuals and Societies framework. The title may differ, but students are assessed through the subject group’s objectives and criteria.

Do I need to memorize every global issue for an MYP assessment?

You should learn the topics and case studies identified by your teacher rather than trying to memorize every possible global issue. Accurate knowledge matters, but MYP assessment also requires you to apply concepts, interpret evidence, examine perspectives, and answer command terms. A small number of well-understood case studies is usually more useful than many examples remembered only vaguely. For each case, know its setting, causes, consequences, stakeholders, evidence, and limitations. You should also be prepared to transfer your understanding to an unfamiliar source or scenario.

How are global issues assessed in MYP Individuals and Societies?

Global issues are assessed through Criterion A: Knowing and understanding, Criterion B: Investigating, Criterion C: Communicating, and Criterion D: Thinking critically. A task may require factual knowledge, a research plan, a presentation, source analysis, or an extended evaluation. Each criterion has a maximum achievement level of 8, although individual tasks do not always assess every criterion. Strong responses use appropriate terminology, relevant evidence, clear organization, and reasoning that addresses the command term. Always check which criterion and strands your teacher has attached to the task.

How can I improve my analysis of a global issue?

Begin with a clear claim that answers the question rather than opening with background information. Support the claim using precise evidence, then explain how that evidence demonstrates a cause, consequence, pattern, or relationship. Include another perspective or a limitation so that your response moves beyond a one-sided description. Finish with a judgment that states which factor is most significant, how far a claim is valid, or under what conditions it applies. Practising this structure with unfamiliar sources will improve both Criterion D performance and your ability to transfer knowledge between global issues.

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MYP Individuals and Societies Global Issues

MYP Individuals and Societies Revision Guides MYP Study Guides

Rachel B.

• 11 Sept 2026•10

MYP Individuals and Societies Global Issues

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MYP Individuals and Societies Global Issues | RevisionDojo

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MYP Individuals and Societies Global Issues

MYP Individuals and Societies Revision Guides MYP Study Guides

Rachel B.

• 11 Sept 2026•10

MYP Individuals and Societies global issues include migration, inequality, conflict, globalization, sustainability, resource use, cultural identity, technological change, and development. However, the IB does not prescribe one identical checklist of topics for every school. Schools select content within a framework of concepts, global contexts, inquiry skills, and assessment criteria.

Consequently, two students may study different examples while developing the same abilities. One class might investigate climate migration in Bangladesh, while another examines displacement caused by drought elsewhere. Both can analyse systems, change, sustainability, perspectives, and evidence.

What is studied in MYP Individuals and Societies?

The IB description of Individuals and Societies states that students investigate historical, geographical, political, social, economic, religious, technological, and cultural factors affecting people, societies, and environments.

Schools may organize the subject as:

Discrete courses, such as history, geography, economics, politics, psychology, sociology, or business management
Modular courses, covering several disciplines in sequence
Integrated humanities, combining perspectives from multiple disciplines

There is therefore no universal MYP Individuals and Societies syllabus containing exactly the same events and case studies. Your school chooses content that supports the subject objectives and connects local and global situations. This flexibility also encourages interdisciplinary learning in Individuals and Societies.

Major global issues commonly studied

Although units vary between schools, most courses return to several broad areas.

Area of inquiry	Possible global issues	Questions students might investigate
Identity and society	Cultural identity, discrimination, gender, belief, minority rights	How do societies shape identity and social norms?
Population and movement	Migration, refugees, urbanization, demographic change	Why do people move, and who is affected?
Power and conflict	Colonialism, war, nationalism, protest, political instability	How do states gain, use, or lose power?
Global economies	Trade, scarcity, labour, production, multinational companies	Who benefits from trade, and who carries its costs?
Development and inequality	Poverty, education, healthcare, development indicators	Why are opportunities distributed unevenly?
Environment and resources	Climate change, energy, water security, pollution	Which responses are environmentally and socially sustainable?
Technology and change	Industrialization, communication, automation, digital inequality	Does innovation reduce inequality or create new problems?

The RevisionDojo MYP Individuals and Societies resource hub covers many of these areas. Nevertheless, your teacher’s unit plan remains the authority for what your class must learn.

How global contexts organize these issues

A global issue is the real-world situation being investigated. A global context is the lens that explains why the learning matters. The official MYP curriculum framework identifies six:

Identities and relationships: identity, communities, rights, and relationships
Orientation in space and time: place, history, migration, and turning points
Personal and cultural expression: beliefs, values, culture, and communication
Scientific and technical innovation: invention, progress, consequences, and responsibility
Globalization and sustainability: interdependence, resources, consumption, and long-term effects
Fairness and development: justice, equality, access, power, and development

One topic can be approached through different contexts. Migration could use orientation in space and time to examine routes and historical causes, or identities and relationships to investigate belonging and integration. The guide to the six MYP global contexts offers further applications.

Concepts applied to global issues

MYP learning emphasizes conceptual understanding rather than isolated facts. Individuals and Societies contributes four key concepts: change, global interactions, systems, and time, place and space.

Related concepts may include causality, culture, power, globalization, scarcity, sustainability, disparity, and perspective. A unit connects its content, concepts, and global context through a statement of inquiry.

For example, “Global trade systems create unequal economic and environmental consequences” is broader than one case study. Students could test it using clothing, food, electronics, or energy supply chains.

What skills are assessed?

The official Individuals and Societies subject brief identifies four equally weighted criteria. Each has a maximum achievement level of 8:

Criterion A: Knowing and understanding -- using terminology and demonstrating factual and conceptual knowledge
Criterion B: Investigating -- creating a focused research question, planning, collecting information, and evaluating the investigation
Criterion C: Communicating -- organizing ideas, selecting an appropriate format, and documenting sources
Criterion D: Thinking critically -- analysing evidence, evaluating arguments, recognizing perspectives, and reaching supported conclusions

Simply knowing that inequality or climate change exists is insufficient. Strong work explains relationships, uses relevant evidence, considers limitations, and reaches a reasoned conclusion. Criterion strands differ by MYP year, so follow the task-specific rubric provided by your teacher.

Worked example: evaluating global trade

Consider the question: Evaluate the claim that the global clothing trade benefits everyone involved.

A descriptive answer might state that trade creates jobs but can expose workers to poor conditions. An evaluative answer goes further by examining how benefits and costs are distributed.

A stronger argument might explain that factories create employment and export revenue, but employment alone does not guarantee improved wellbeing. Wages, safety, hours, and job security also matter. Consumers and international companies may gain from lower prices, while workers or local environments carry greater risks. The claim is therefore only partly valid unless effective labour and environmental protections alter how the system operates.

This reasoning answers the command term, applies systems, considers stakeholder perspectives, and distinguishes economic growth from human wellbeing. The RevisionDojo guide to using case studies in MYP humanities explains how evidence can support causes, consequences, significance, and judgment.

How to revise global issues effectively

Organize each unit around relationships rather than producing a long list of facts. For every issue, record:

Its geographical or historical setting
Important terminology and concepts
Major causes and consequences
At least two stakeholder perspectives
Precise supporting evidence
A limitation, counterargument, or uncertainty
Its connection to the global context and statement of inquiry

Practise different command terms. Describe requires relevant characteristics, explain requires reasons or causal links, analyse requires connected parts or patterns, and evaluate requires a supported judgment.

The MYP Individuals and Societies Questionbank can help you apply knowledge to unfamiliar scenarios. Study Notes and Flashcards support terminology and recall, while Jojo AI can challenge an argument or suggest a contrasting perspective. Write the final response yourself and assess it against the relevant criterion.

Conclusion

MYP Individuals and Societies global issues are not a fixed list. Schools select suitable historical, geographical, political, economic, social, technological, and environmental topics, then teach students to examine them through concepts and global contexts.

Effective preparation combines accurate case-study knowledge with research, source analysis, communication, and critical thinking. RevisionDojo Study Notes can organize content, while the Questionbank and Jojo AI are useful for practising evidence-based explanations and judgments.

Sources and referenced URLs

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