Best IB ESS tutors in Switzerland & online

IB Environmental Systems and Societies at SL or the new HL, taught one-to-one online by ESS teachers and specialists: unseen case studies for Paper 1, data questions for Paper 2 and your own investigation. For students in Zurich, Basel and the rest of Switzerland, lessons start at £58 (~65 CHF) an hour and take place once school is out, on Central European Time, and this page also explains what ESS means for a Swiss university application.

Expert IB tutors & teachers
700+
Starting price per hour
£58
Avg. ESS grade lift with Lanterna
+1.4
Would recommend us
96%

IB ESS tutors for students in Switzerland

Tell us your level, whether the investigation or the papers need the time, and which other sciences you take; we suggest an ESS tutor who already teaches the post-2024 syllabus.

Scott

Scott

IB specialist

IB ESS Tutor15+ years' teaching

I'm Scott, Currently based in Southern Germany teaching Geography at both MYP and DP (SL/HL), I have also taught TOK and I am an examiner for Environmental Systems and Societies (ESS) since 2011. I'm in my 16th year of teaching. Throughout this time I've also supervised 10 personal projects in MYP and over 50 Extended Essays in a range of DP subject areas. I specialise in joining the dots between concepts and content across the entirety of the respective syllabus. I am an enthusiastic international educator with interests in leading service and experiential learning to develop authentic approaches and attitudes toward a holistic lifelong education beyond the classroom.

  • ESS
  • Geography
  • TOK
  • Extended Essay
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Bhavna

Bhavna

IB specialist

IB ESS TutorFormer DP coordinatorImperial College London

I’m an IB Diploma graduate and former IB DP Coordinator with over a decade of international teaching experience in Singapore, Japan, and the U.S. I completed my undergraduate degree at Imperial College London and my master’s at University College London (UCL) before earning a Distinction-awarded M.Ed. in Educational Leadership and Policy from the University of Adelaide. Since 2017, I have served as an IB Geography Examiner, marking Internal Assessments and Paper 3 exams, and attending standardization meetings with examining heads and lead examiners.

  • Geography
  • ESS
  • Internal Assessment
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Steven

Steven

IB teacher

IB ESS TutorQualified IB teacher12 years' tutoring

I hold a degree in Biological Sciences and currently teach IB Biology in an international school, where I’ve guided students through both the SL and HL syllabi. My students consistently perform above the global average, and I also mentor Extended Essays and Internal Assessments, ensuring students meet top-level criteria with scientific precision and clarity.

  • Biology
  • ESS
  • Internal Assessment
  • Extended Essay
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Greta

Greta

IB graduate

IB ESS Tutor3 years' IB tutoring43/45 IB graduateLSE

I'm Greta, an IB graduate with 43 points who is about to finish a BSc at the London School of Economics (LSE) in International Relations and History. I achieved 7s in History HL (including all 7s on paper 1, 2, and 3), French Language and Literature HL, Environmental Systems and Society (ESS) as well as an A in TOK. I have been tutoring IB students for 3 years but I also have prior experience teaching non-IB syllabuses. I focus on helping students master the exam strategies that proved effective during my own IB experience. Additionally, I support students throughout the IA process, from topic selection to final submission. Outside of tutoring, I am a volunteer English teacher to forcibly displaced people in a refugee center.

  • History
  • French A Lang & Lit
  • ESS
  • Internal Assessment
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Alessandro

Alessandro

IB teacher

IB ESS Tutor14+ years' teaching

I hold a Postgraduate Diploma in Polymer Science and Engineering, a Master’s Degree in Chemistry, and a Bachelor’s Degree in Environmental Industrial Chemistry. Over the years, I have worked extensively with IB programmes and have a deep understanding of grading processes, exam formats, marking schemes, and IA rubric criteria.

  • Chemistry
  • ESS
  • Internal Assessment
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Olympia

Olympia

IB graduate

IB ESS Tutor40/45 IB graduateSciences Po4 years' IB tutoring

I'm Olympia, a French and English IB tutor! I completed the IB in 2023 with 40 points, and I am now studying Politics, History, and Finance at Sciences Po Paris with a year at Cambridge. I achieved a 7 in History HL, 7 in French A SL, 7 in ESS, 6 in Economics HL, and 6 in English A HL- these are all topics that I tutor in. In our tutoring sessions, I adapt to what needs the most practice: exams, the IA, terminology, structuring essays, etc. I have been tutoring IB students for 4 years now, and I also tutor young professionals online. I am a firm believer that 7's in the IB are achievable with the right strategy and study method, which we can work on together. Outside of tutoring, I still study at university and enjoy playing tennis and rowing!

  • History
  • French A Lang & Lit
  • ESS
  • Internal Assessment
Book a free consultation
ESS and Swiss universities

Swiss universities don't count ESS as a science

ESS is not one of the subjects Swiss universities recognise for IB admission, so a diploma in which ESS is the only science does not meet the science category of the Swiss rule. The list published by swissuniversities names Biology, Chemistry and Physics as the sciences and leaves ESS out; the University of Geneva and the University of Lausanne go further and name it among subjects they do not recognise.

The rule asks for six subjects from six categories, and under swissuniversities' wording the elective must also come from its list, so ESS doesn't fill that slot either. A six-subject diploma that includes ESS therefore has five subjects that count. Universities apply the rule themselves, so ask the admissions office of each one you are considering how it reads your exact combination.

ESS remains a sound IB subject, and the rule matters only if a Swiss university is on your list. Check early with your IB coordinator that Biology, Chemistry or Physics is among your six subjects and that the whole set meets the conditions on our Switzerland overview. A finished diploma that misses the rule is not a dead end: the Swiss supplementary exam (ECUS) is the usual route, and ETH and EPFL run entrance exams of their own.

When ESS is the only science on your list

Adding Biology, Chemistry or Physics fills the science category of the Swiss rule. If you pick one up after DP1 has started, a Chemistry or Physics tutor can help you catch up on the content your class has covered.

If ESS was meant to stand in for a humanities subject, Geography is recognised in that category at Swiss universities and shares population and resource topics with ESS.

The course

What the new ESS course asks of you

The course was redeveloped and first taught in 2024, its first exams were sat in May 2026, and it now exists at HL too. Three ideas run through every topic: systems, perspectives and sustainability.

  • Content. A foundation unit, then seven topics: ecology, biodiversity and conservation, water, land, atmosphere and climate change, human populations and urban systems, and natural resources.
  • Paper 1. An unseen case study met in the exam room, with a booklet of sources to interpret and evaluate.
  • Paper 2. Structured questions on data, then longer answers drawing on the whole course.
  • The investigation. A study you design and carry out yourself, marked out of 30 at both levels.

Where students lose marks

Paper 1 rewards reading unfamiliar sources quickly and judging them, which is hard to practise alone. Our tips for studying ESS cover the habits that help, and timed case-study practice with a tutor builds the rest.

Choosing a level

ESS at SL and HL

HL answers have to judge policies and values, not only numbers, and because the level is new there are few past papers to practise from, so specimen papers and teacher-set questions carry more of the load.

On the old SL course in May 2025, half of all candidates finished on a 4 or a 5 and only 5% reached a 7. ESS students tutored by Lanterna average 4.2 at the outset and 5.6 at exam time.

Standard Level

ESS SL

Teaching time
150 hours
Assessment
Paper 1 25% · Paper 2 50% · investigation 25%
Old course, May 2025
22,078 students, mean 4.3
Swiss admission
Not a recognised subject
Higher Level

ESS HL

Teaching time
240 hours
Assessment
Paper 1 30% · Paper 2 50% · investigation 20%
What HL adds
Lenses of environmental law, ethics and economics on every topic
Swiss admission
Not recognised, so it cannot be one of the three HLs the rule asks for
Reviews

What IB families say about their tutors

“Aamukta provided great help with my IA;she gave me good advice on how I could incorporate more OOP elements to meet the criteria better but not too much to overcomplicate the project. She took me from unorganised code plans to code that was actually organised and structured.”
Sophie S., student The Abbey School · Class of 2025 · Computer Science
“I had Joshua Yacoub as my math tutor for more than a year. He brought my grade from 2 to a 7 in no time. He was an absolutely amazing teacher, no one has ever compared to him and no one will, because Joshua can solve any issue that can come up in your lifetime.”
“I had Joshua Yacoub as my math tutor” Mathematics
Grade 3 to 6
“From the very first session, Miljan sought to break down the subject and to identify any difficulties my daughter had. He was always completely available and on hand to us. His lessons were fun and engaging.”
Shelly D., parent St Andrews College · Class of 2026 · Physics

The leading IB tutoring platform, trusted by 20,000+ IB students

ESS lessons are matched to your level and to the new course, at times that suit a Swiss school week.

Free resources

Free guides on science choices and exam wording

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FAQs

ESS tutoring questions from Swiss families

Is an ESS tutor worth it if my child hopes to study at a Swiss university?

Yes, if ESS is on the timetable: its grade still counts towards the IB Diploma, and a weak result there pulls the total down. Just check the subject mix first, because Swiss universities don't count ESS itself (see the section above). If a recognised science is added, we can tutor that alongside ESS.

Can the same tutor teach my child ESS and Biology or Geography?

Often it can. Several of our tutors teach ESS together with Biology or Geography, and one tutor for both keeps case studies and terminology consistent. Mention both subjects at the consultation; if no single tutor fits your levels and hours, we match two.

What help with the ESS investigation is a tutor allowed to give?

A tutor can help you narrow an idea into a question you can answer with data you can actually collect, think through sampling and method, and understand how the 30 marks are awarded. The fieldwork, analysis and writing stay yours under IB rules, as our IA page explains. For ideas, see our 25 ESS investigation ideas.

When do ESS lessons fit into a Swiss school week?

Lessons run after school or at weekends on Central European Time, at a slot you keep each week. Unseen case-study practice for Paper 1 is worth starting well before the May 2027 session, which runs from late April to mid-May; check your school's calendar for the holiday weeks that suit a revision block.

How much do online ESS lessons cost in Switzerland?

From £58 (~65 CHF) an hour, one-to-one, with lower hourly rates on bigger packages. ESS students we have tutored averaged 4.2 before lessons and 5.6 after; that figure is an average across students, not a promise for yours.

My child takes ESS at HL. Will the tutor know the new HL material?

We match HL students with tutors who teach the redeveloped course examined since May 2026, including the HL-only lenses of environmental law, ethics and economics. SL students keep to SL material, so lessons never stray beyond what your paper can ask.

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Length
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Where
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Cost
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