IB Geography: the syllabus, exam papers and the fieldwork IA
A guide to IB Geography: the core and optional themes, HL vs SL, the exam papers, the HL extension on global interactions and the fieldwork-based Internal Assessment.
IB Geography is a group 3 subject bridging the natural and social sciences: it studies the interactions between people, places and environments at scales from local to global. Its marks reward the geographic perspective — thinking across scale, place and process — applied to real examples. Success in the Diploma Programme comes from precise case studies and clear evaluation. For one-to-one support see IB Geography tutoring.
Syllabus structure
The course combines geographic themes/options (such as freshwater, urban environments, hazards or oceans) with a compulsory core on global change (population, climate and resource security). HL students add an extension on global interactions covering power, networks and human/physical global processes.
HL vs SL
SL students study the core and a set number of options; HL students take more options and the global interactions extension, examined in an additional paper. HL therefore demands both wider option coverage and synthesis across global processes.
The exam papers
- Paper 1 — options: structured and extended questions on the chosen themes, built on case studies.
- Paper 2 — core: shorter data-response and an extended answer on global change.
- Paper 3 (HL) — global interactions: an extended-response paper demanding synthesis and evaluation.
The fieldwork Internal Assessment
The Geography IA is a fieldwork report based on primary data the student collects. A strong IA has a focused, location-specific question, a sound methodology and analysis that links data back to geographic theory. Weak IAs collect data with no clear question or fail to connect results to concepts.
What earns marks
- Specific case studies: named, detailed examples with figures beat generic description.
- Think across scale: connecting local evidence to regional and global processes is the geographic skill being marked.
- Evaluate in extended answers: the top band requires judgement, not just explanation.
- Interpret data precisely: Paper 2 rewards accurate reading of graphs, maps and statistics.