IB ESS · 2021 to 2026

7.2 Energy sources—uses and management

51 past paper questions from 28 papers across 15 exam sessions. See what repeats, then practise the same skills with AI marking.

Starter set across the most-tested skills, with AI marking and model answers.

Generate a custom set

SL archive · 2017 to 2026

7.2 Energy sources—uses and management

Latest exam session: May 2026

questions
questions
papers
papers
exam sessions
exam sessions
By year6micro-topics

Micro-topics in 7.2 Energy sources—uses and management

In syllabus order. The ring is the share of papers each appears in.

  • 16

    7.2.1

    Renewable and non-renewable energy

    9 questions · in 16% of papers

    Rising

    last May 26 P2 TZ3

  • 14

    7.2.2

    Rising energy demand

    10 questions · in 14% of papers

    Rising

    last May 26 P2 TZ1

  • 20

    7.2.3

    How sustainable is each energy source?

    12 questions · in 20% of papers

    Rising

    last May 26 P2 TZ3

  • 24

    7.2.4

    What shapes a country's energy choices

    12 questions · in 24% of papers

    Regular

    last May 26 P1 TZ2

  • 2

    7.2.5

    Intermittent renewables and storage

    1 question · in 2% of papers

    Less common

    last May 26 P2 TZ3

  • 14

    7.2.6

    Energy conservation and efficiency

    7 questions · in 14% of papers

    Rising

    last May 26 P2 TZ3

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 6 micro-topics for the next sitting. Numbers are questions per year.

fewermore

Micro-topic2017201820192020202120222023202420252026
7.2.6Energy conservation and efficiencyRising · last May 26 P2 TZ3
·Energy conservation and efficiency, 2017: 0 questions·Energy conservation and efficiency, 2018: 0 questions·Energy conservation and efficiency, 2019: 0 questions·Energy conservation and efficiency, 2020: 0 questions·Energy conservation and efficiency, 2021: 0 questions1Energy conservation and efficiency, 2022: 1 question·Energy conservation and efficiency, 2023: 0 questions·Energy conservation and efficiency, 2024: 0 questions1Energy conservation and efficiency, 2025: 1 question5Energy conservation and efficiency, 2026: 5 questions
7.2.3How sustainable is each energy source?Rising · last May 26 P2 TZ3
3How sustainable is each energy source?, 2017: 3 questions·How sustainable is each energy source?, 2018: 0 questions·How sustainable is each energy source?, 2019: 0 questions·How sustainable is each energy source?, 2020: 0 questions1How sustainable is each energy source?, 2021: 1 question·How sustainable is each energy source?, 2022: 0 questions·How sustainable is each energy source?, 2023: 0 questions3How sustainable is each energy source?, 2024: 3 questions3How sustainable is each energy source?, 2025: 3 questions2How sustainable is each energy source?, 2026: 2 questions
7.2.1Renewable and non-renewable energyRising · last May 26 P2 TZ3
·Renewable and non-renewable energy, 2017: 0 questions·Renewable and non-renewable energy, 2018: 0 questions·Renewable and non-renewable energy, 2019: 0 questions·Renewable and non-renewable energy, 2020: 0 questions·Renewable and non-renewable energy, 2021: 0 questions1Renewable and non-renewable energy, 2022: 1 question·Renewable and non-renewable energy, 2023: 0 questions2Renewable and non-renewable energy, 2024: 2 questions·Renewable and non-renewable energy, 2025: 0 questions6Renewable and non-renewable energy, 2026: 6 questions
7.2.2Rising energy demandRising · last May 26 P2 TZ1
2Rising energy demand, 2017: 2 questions·Rising energy demand, 2018: 0 questions1Rising energy demand, 2019: 1 question·Rising energy demand, 2020: 0 questions·Rising energy demand, 2021: 0 questions·Rising energy demand, 2022: 0 questions1Rising energy demand, 2023: 1 question·Rising energy demand, 2024: 0 questions2Rising energy demand, 2025: 2 questions4Rising energy demand, 2026: 4 questions

2 more micro-topics with a free account

  • Risingappearing more often in the last two years than before

Free account · no card needed

See the full exam pattern

Every micro-topic in the heatmap and the complete watch list, free with an account.

You come straight back to this page with your set built.

  • With a free account
  • 3 generated sets of 10 past-paper questions, any scope
  • One AI-marked practice set with step-by-step feedback
  • The full exam pattern: every micro-topic and the watch list

Past paper generator

Generate ESS past paper questions

Choose what to revise and build a set in one click. Every question stays whole, so multi-part questions come as they appeared in the exam.

  1. 1Pick any unit, topic or micro-topic
  2. 2Generate whole exam questions from the archive
  3. 3Practise the same skills with AI marking
Loading the generator

Questions on 7.2 Energy sources—uses and management, by exam session

Which papers asked about 7.2 Energy sources—uses and management, and which question numbers. Open a paper to see them highlighted.

Past Paper Generator · Pro

Every 7.2 Energy sources—uses and management question, unlocked

Generate all 51 questions in this topic at once, practise every one with AI marking, and see how each mark is awarded.

  • Every past-paper question in any unit, topic or micro-topic
  • Generate sets of 20 or all questions, as often as you like
  • Unlimited practice with AI marking and worked answers
  • See how every mark is awarded for each question
  • Predicted papers and crash courses built from the same data
Unlock all ESS past paper questions

Used by IB students preparing for Nov 2026, May 2027 and May 2028

From €8.29/mo. 14-day money-back guarantee. Cancel anytime.

Frequently asked questions

Short answers about this page.

Which ESS exam sessions are covered for 7.2 Energy sources—uses and management?

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 28 papers in this archive.

Which 7.2 Energy sources—uses and management topic comes up most?

Energy conservation and efficiency (7.2.6): in 14% of papers, last seen May 26 P2 TZ3. Usually "Suggest", worth about 1.6 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.

What is free and what needs Pro?

Reading this page and the exam pattern is free. A free account generates three sets of ten questions and launches one practice set. Pro opens every question in any scope, sets of twenty or all, and unlimited practice.

Keep going

More ESS exam preparation

  • Every question, by paper

    What each ESS paper tests across all its sittings: the marks by unit and the micro-topics it keeps coming back to.

    Open the paper analysis

  • What comes up most

    Which ESS topics recur in this archive, and which have no matching questions in it.

    See the pattern

  • Mock exams

    Full ESS papers under timed conditions, marked by AI against IB criteria.

    Sit a mock

  • All IB past papers

    Every subject we have classified by topic, with the same exam-pattern analysis.

    Browse subjects

Practise 7.2 Energy sources—uses and management the way it is examined.

Pick any unit, topic or micro-topic, see what repeats, then practise the same skills with AI marking.