EM Syllabus Content
EM Syllabus Content
Syllabus overview
Content overview
The syllabus is divided into nine topics which have been designed to develop an understanding of both the natural
and the human environment:
1 Rocks and minerals and their exploitation
2 Energy and the environment
3 Agriculture and the environment
4 Water and its management
5 Oceans and fisheries
6 Managing natural hazards
7 The atmosphere and human activities
8 Human population
9 Natural ecosystems and human activities.
Assessment overview
All candidates take two papers. Candidates will be eligible for grades A* to G.
Externally assessed
Assessment objectives
The assessment objectives (AOs) are:
Candidates should be able to demonstrate knowledge and understanding, in familiar and unfamiliar contexts, of:
•• phenomena, facts, definitions, concepts and theories
•• vocabulary, terminology and conventions
•• technological applications with their social, economic and environmental implications.
Candidates should be able, in words or using other forms of presentation (e.g. graphical or numerical), in familiar
and unfamiliar contexts, to:
•• locate, select, organise and present information from a variety of sources
•• translate information and evidence from one form to another
•• manipulate numerical data
•• interpret and evaluate data, report trends and draw inferences.
Total 100
Paper 1 Paper 2
3 Subject content
This syllabus gives you the flexibility to design a course that will interest, challenge and engage your learners.
Where appropriate you are responsible for selecting suitable subject contexts, resources and examples to support
your learners’ study. These should be appropriate for the learners’ age, cultural background and learning context as
well as complying with your school policies and local legal requirements.
Case studies
The curriculum gives teachers the opportunity to select their own case studies to illustrate the content.
Teachers should select appropriate examples where specified. The same case study can be used to illustrate more
than one topic as long as it gives candidates the opportunity to study an example of appropriate content.
Candidates are encouraged to integrate appropriate information from their case studies into their answers.
Expected knowledge
Candidates should be able to identify and name the world’s continents and oceans:
•• Africa, Antarctica, Asia, Europe, North America, Oceania and South America
•• Atlantic Ocean, Pacific Ocean, Indian Ocean, Arctic Ocean and Southern Ocean.
6.3 Flooding
Candidates should be able to: Further guidance and exemplification:
•• describe and explain the causes of flooding •• heavy rainfall, prolonged rainfall, snowmelt
•• land relief
•• saturated soil, compacted soil
•• deforestation, cultivation and urbanisation
•• storm surges, tsunamis
•• rise in sea level through climate change
6.4 Drought
Candidates should be able to: Further guidance and exemplification:
•• describe and explain the causes of drought •• lack of rain caused by prolonged high pressure
•• effect of El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO)
and La Niña on ocean temperatures and
evaporation
•• effect of climate change
8 Human population
8.1 Human population distribution and density
Candidates should be able to: Further guidance and exemplification:
•• identify where people live in the world •• population density
•• population distribution
9.3 Deforestation
Candidates should be able to: Further guidance and exemplification:
•• describe and explain the causes and impacts of •• causes: timber extraction and logging,
deforestation subsistence and commercial farming, roads and
settlements, rock and mineral extraction
•• impacts: habitat loss, soil erosion and
desertification, climate change, loss of
biodiversity and genetic depletion
Gathering of data
Candidates should be able to:
•• formulate aims and hypotheses
•• design questionnaires that can be oral or written to gain information from an individual or a group of
individuals (consideration should be given to factors influencing the successful design of questionnaires, e.g.
layout, format of questions, the appropriate wording of questions and the number of questions. The practical
considerations of conducting a questionnaire, e.g. the sampling methods, pilot survey and location of survey
should also be discussed)
•• design a simple experiment using suitable controls
•• understand and evaluate random and systematic sampling techniques.