The best free IB ESS resources for the 2026 syllabus
Last updated: 15 October 2026. Written by an IB ESS tutor who has used most of these with students.
You can get surprisingly far in IB Environmental Systems and Societies without paying for anything. Here is what is free, what it is good for, and how to combine it.
1. Your school's materials (start here)
- The ESS subject guide and past papers: ask your teacher. They have the official guide, specimen papers and markschemes for the 2026 syllabus.
- Kognity: if your school uses it, you already have a full ESS digital textbook. Ask your teacher for a login.
2. FirstHandIB free tools
- All of subtopic 1.1 (Perspectives) free: video lessons on environmental value systems and perspectives, the foundation for the whole course.
- Interactive practical skills tools: quadrat sampling, the Lincoln index, Simpson's reciprocal diversity index, kite diagrams, climate graphs and interpreting r and R². These are the calculations and graphs students most often lose marks on.
- Free cheat sheets, starting with How to answer EVS evaluation questions: command terms, the ecocentric to technocentric spectrum, a 5-step answer structure and a worked example.
3. Revision Village free questions
Revision Village makes part of its ESS question bank free, with markschemes and video solutions, which is a good way to test yourself once you know a topic.
4. RevisionDojo free plan
RevisionDojo's free plan includes a limited allowance of notes, flashcards and questions across IB subjects.
5. Save My Exams
Some Save My Exams ESS revision notes are free to read. Check that the page you are on matches the 2026 syllabus.
How to use free resources well
- Learn first, then test. Watch or read a topic, then do questions on it the same week.
- Mark yourself honestly against markschemes and write down why you lost each mark.
- Build your own case study list, one or two named examples per topic, and keep it on one page.
- Practise the command terms. Most lost marks in long answers come from describing when the question says evaluate or discuss.
When it is worth paying
Free resources rarely give you two things: content explained properly from the start and feedback from a real person. If you are behind, or your IA is due, that is where a paid option helps. FirstHandIB packages start at €39 (Review), with Investigate at €79 including a live 45-minute IA review call with Lynette, plus written notes afterwards, and Master at €99 early bird until 31 December 2026.
FAQ
What is the best free IB ESS resource? Your teacher's past papers and markschemes, combined with free interactive practice tools (such as FirstHandIB's practical skills tools) and free question bank questions (such as Revision Village's free tier).
Are there free IB ESS flashcards? Several platforms offer limited free flashcards. Making your own from the syllabus understandings is also one of the most effective ways to revise.
FirstHandIB is independent and not affiliated with or endorsed by the IBO. Information about other providers is based on their public websites as of 15 October 2026.