IB ESS · 2021 to 2026
Unit 6: Atmosphere and Climate Change
85 past paper questions from 36 papers across 17 exam sessions. See what repeats, then practise the same skills with AI marking.
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SL archive · 2017 to 2026
Unit 6: Atmosphere and Climate Change
Latest exam session: May 2026
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Topics in Unit 6: Atmosphere and Climate Change
In syllabus order. The ring is the share of the marks each one carries.
Exam pattern
How often each micro-topic has been examined, year by year. Each label is explained under the grid.
Does it repeat?
Top 4 of 21 micro-topics for the next sitting. Numbers are questions per year.
fewermore
| Micro-topic | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Mitigation strategies, 2017: 1 question | 2Mitigation strategies, 2018: 2 questions | 2Mitigation strategies, 2019: 2 questions | ·Mitigation strategies, 2020: 0 questions | 1Mitigation strategies, 2021: 1 question | 1Mitigation strategies, 2022: 1 question | 3Mitigation strategies, 2023: 3 questions | 2Mitigation strategies, 2024: 2 questions | 2Mitigation strategies, 2025: 2 questions | ·Mitigation strategies, 2026: 0 questions | |
| ·Climate change and societies, 2017: 0 questions | 1Climate change and societies, 2018: 1 question | ·Climate change and societies, 2019: 0 questions | 2Climate change and societies, 2020: 2 questions | ·Climate change and societies, 2021: 0 questions | ·Climate change and societies, 2022: 0 questions | 2Climate change and societies, 2023: 2 questions | 2Climate change and societies, 2024: 2 questions | 1Climate change and societies, 2025: 1 question | 1Climate change and societies, 2026: 1 question | |
6.4.3The ozone layer | ·The ozone layer, 2017: 0 questions | ·The ozone layer, 2018: 0 questions | ·The ozone layer, 2019: 0 questions | ·The ozone layer, 2020: 0 questions | ·The ozone layer, 2021: 0 questions | ·The ozone layer, 2022: 0 questions | ·The ozone layer, 2023: 0 questions | ·The ozone layer, 2024: 0 questions | 6The ozone layer, 2025: 6 questions | ·The ozone layer, 2026: 0 questions |
| 1Climate change and ecosystems, 2017: 1 question | 1Climate change and ecosystems, 2018: 1 question | 1Climate change and ecosystems, 2019: 1 question | ·Climate change and ecosystems, 2020: 0 questions | ·Climate change and ecosystems, 2021: 0 questions | 1Climate change and ecosystems, 2022: 1 question | 2Climate change and ecosystems, 2023: 2 questions | 3Climate change and ecosystems, 2024: 3 questions | 1Climate change and ecosystems, 2025: 1 question | ·Climate change and ecosystems, 2026: 0 questions |
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Questions on Unit 6: Atmosphere and Climate Change, by exam session
Which papers asked about Unit 6: Atmosphere and Climate Change, and which question numbers. Open a paper to see them highlighted.
May 2026
3 questions across 3 papers
May 2025
9 questions across 6 papers
November 2024
10 questions across 4 papers
May 2024
3 questions across 3 papers
November 2023
4 questions across 3 papers
May 2023
4 questions across 2 papers
November 2022
1 question across 1 paper
May 2022
2 questions across 2 papers
November 2021
2 questions across 1 paper
May 2021
2 questions across 1 paper
November 2020
2 questions across 2 papers
November 2019
1 question across 1 paper
May 2019
3 questions across 2 papers
November 2018
2 questions across 1 paper
May 2018
2 questions across 1 paper
November 2017
2 questions across 2 papers
May 2017
1 question across 1 paper
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Frequently asked questions
Short answers about this page.
Which ESS exam sessions are covered for Unit 6: Atmosphere and Climate Change?
18 exam sessions from 2017 to 2026, the latest May 2026. Every Paper 1 and 2 in every timezone is read and classified in full, which gives 36 papers in this archive.
Which Unit 6: Atmosphere and Climate Change topic comes up most?
Mitigation strategies (6.3.3): in 26% of papers, last seen May 25 P1 TZ3. Usually "Outline", worth about 3.4 marks in a paper that includes it.
Can I see the original question and mark scheme?
No. The wording belongs to the IB. You get the citation, the marks, the command term and the skill tested, plus our own matched practice questions with worked answers and AI marking.
What do "banker", "due" and "rising" mean?
Banker: examined in at least one sitting in four and still appearing. Due: regular before, but absent for the last two exam sessions. Rising: clearly more common in the last two years. Our classification of real papers, not an IB statistic.
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