Practice 4.1 Water systems with authentic IB Environmental systems and societies (ESS) exam questions for both SL and HL students. This question bank mirrors Paper 1, 2 structure, covering key topics like ecosystems, human impact, and sustainability. Get instant solutions, detailed explanations, and build exam confidence with questions in the style of IB examiners.
Paper
Level
Question 1
SL & HLPaper 2
1.[4]
Describe two methods for conserving water in agricultural systems.
Question 2
SL & HLPaper 2
1.[4]
Describe the global distribution of water on Earth using percentages.
Question 3
SLPaper 2
Figure 1:
1.[2]
Identify one transfer and one transformation process shown in Figure 1.
2.[2]
Outline how urbanization could impact two of the storages in Figure 1.
3.[3]
Runoff from agricultural land may lead to excess nutrients entering water bodies. Outline one indirect measure of organic pollution.
4.[1]
Runoff from agricultural land can result in excess nutrients entering water bodies. State one management strategy that could control the release of agricultural runoff.
Question 4
SL & HLPaper 2
1.[4]
Describe two factors that influence the rate of infiltration in a drainage basin.
Question 5
SL & HLPaper 2
1.[3]
Describe the concept of a watershed and its importance in water resource management.
Question 6
SLPaper 2
1.[4]
Outline four ways urbanization may influence processes in the hydrological cycle.
2.[7]
Hydropower is a resource that can be exploited from rivers. Discuss how the value of this resource to a society may vary over time.
3.[9]
To what extent are water scarcity issues better addressed through behavioral interventions than through technological development?
Question 7
SL & HLPaper 1
Analyse the following graph showing annual precipitation and evapotranspiration for a region:
1.[2]
Explain the implications of this pattern for water resource management.
Question 8
SLPaper 2
1.[4]
Explain the process(es) where a species evolves over time to gain a higher tolerance to hotter climates or higher temperatures.
2.[9]
When addressing environmental issues, mitigation strategies can be seen as ecocentric and adaptation strategies as technocentric.
With reference to named strategies addressing global warming, to what extent is this view valid?
Question 9
SL & HLPaper 2
1.[3]
Explain the difference between surface runoff and baseflow in a river system.
Question 10
SL & HLPaper 2
Explain how the following human activities can impact the water cycle:
1.[2]
Urbanization
2.[2]
Deforestation