IB Diploma Programme Geography: Subject Overview

IB Diploma Programme Geography is a dynamic subject firmly grounded in the real world, focusing on the interactions between individuals, societies and physical processes in both time and space. It sits at the intersection of the physical and social sciences, drawing on both scientific method and social-science analysis rather than belonging neatly to only one. The course seeks to identify trends and patterns in these interactions, and investigates how people adapt and respond to change, evaluating actual and possible management strategies associated with it — moving beyond description toward genuine evaluation of what has been tried, what has worked, and what alternatives might be considered. Geography describes and helps explain the similarities and differences between different places, at a variety of scales and from different perspectives — from the highly local (a single fieldwork site) to the genuinely global (climate systems, international migration), and this range of scale is a deliberate, recurring feature of the syllabus rather than incidental to any one topic.

How it’s assessed

DP Geography is assessed differently at Standard Level and Higher Level, both in the number of papers sat and in how much weight each carries. SL students sit two written papers: Paper 1 examines two elective geography themes chosen by the school and is worth 35% of the final grade, while Paper 2, covering the core geography topics common to all students, is worth 40%. HL students sit a third paper in addition: their Paper 1 (covering three, rather than two, elective themes) is also worth 35%, Paper 2 is worth 25%, and Paper 3 – an HL-only paper on global interactions, requiring more extended, synoptic answers – adds a further 20%.

Exam length also differs by level. SL students are given one hour thirty minutes for Paper 1 and one hour fifteen minutes for Paper 2; HL students have two hours ten minutes for the longer Paper 1 and the same one hour fifteen minutes for Paper 2, reflecting the extra elective theme HL students study within Paper 1 specifically. Paper 3, sat only by HL students, runs for one hour plus five minutes of reading time and carries a maximum of 28 marks.

Alongside the written papers, every DP Geography student completes an internally assessed fieldwork investigation, worth 25% at SL and 20% at HL — a slightly lower proportional weighting at HL, reflecting that HL students’ total assessment is spread across an additional paper. Students formulate their own geographic research question, collect primary data during fieldwork, apply appropriate geographic techniques to analyse that data, and write up their findings as a report that draws reasoned, evidence-based conclusions. Because the investigation is built around data the student has collected themselves, no two students’ fieldwork reports address quite the same question, even where several students investigate a similar theme or location — a deliberate feature of the design that keeps the investigation grounded in each student’s own genuine inquiry rather than a standardised task completed identically by an entire class.

The elective themes examined in Paper 1 are chosen by each school from options set out in the syllabus, so the specific topics a Marlbridge student sits in their Paper 1 exam depend on which options their school has taught – something worth clarifying with a school’s geography department well before study begins in earnest. Two Marlbridge students at different schools could therefore sit entirely different Paper 1 questions despite both studying “DP Geography,” which is why generic revision material assuming a fixed set of elective themes should always be checked against a student’s own school’s actual teaching.

Core versus elective content, at a glance

Component	Content basis	Weighting (SL / HL)
Paper 1	Elective themes, chosen by the school (2 at SL, 3 at HL)	35% / 35%
Paper 2	Core geography topics, common to all students	40% / 25%
Paper 3	Global interactions, HL only	— / 20%
Internal assessment	Fieldwork investigation	25% / 20%

Paper 2’s core content is the one part of the syllabus every DP Geography student studies identically, regardless of school — a genuine constant across an otherwise flexible course, which is part of why it carries the single largest weighting at SL.

Why HL adds a paper rather than simply lengthening the existing ones

HL students face a genuinely different assessment structure from SL students, not just a longer version of the same one: they study an additional elective theme in Paper 1, sit an entirely separate Paper 3 focused on global interactions with more extended, synoptic questions, and see Paper 2’s weighting drop from 40% to 25% to make room for Paper 3. This design reflects the DP’s broader approach to HL sciences and social sciences, where higher demand usually means additional, distinctly structured assessment rather than simply more time on the same exam.

How the fieldwork investigation connects to classroom learning

The internally assessed fieldwork investigation is designed to apply the analytical techniques and geographic concepts taught in the classroom to a genuine, student-formulated research question — it is not a separate, disconnected piece of coursework. A strong investigation typically draws directly on techniques and concepts covered in whichever elective themes and core topics a student has studied, using the investigation as an opportunity to apply that classroom learning to primary data collected firsthand, rather than treating fieldwork as an isolated skill practised only once.

Source

International Baccalaureate Organization, Geography subject brief (Diploma Programme), 2017.