Free topical revision checklist for IB DP Geography SL & HL. Includes core, options, HL extension, and IA/fieldwork requirements. Track confidence (1–5) for 2026 exams. Rate your confidence (1–5), track review dates, then export as CSV or print.
| Topic | Sub-topic | Resources | Confidence (1–5) | Last reviewed | Next review |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Core theme: Population distribution — changing population | Population distribution and density; patterns and anomalies | Topic resources | |||
| 1. Core theme: Population distribution — changing population | Population change: fertility, mortality, natural increase | Topic resources | |||
| 1. Core theme: Population distribution — changing population | Migration: push/pull factors; internal vs international flows | Topic resources | |||
| 1. Core theme: Population distribution — changing population | Population pyramids and demographic transition model (DTM) | Topic resources | |||
| 1. Core theme: Population distribution — changing population | Population policies: pro/anti-natalist; evaluation and ethics | Topic resources | |||
| 1. Core theme: Population distribution — changing population | Gender, education and development links | Topic resources | |||
| 1. Core theme: Population distribution — changing population | Case studies: data, maps and comparison across contexts | Topic resources | |||
| 2. Core theme: Global climate — vulnerability and resilience | Climate system basics; carbon cycle overview | Topic resources | |||
| 2. Core theme: Global climate — vulnerability and resilience | Evidence and drivers of climate change (natural vs anthropogenic) | Topic resources | |||
| 2. Core theme: Global climate — vulnerability and resilience | Impacts: environmental, economic and social; uneven vulnerability | Topic resources | |||
| 2. Core theme: Global climate — vulnerability and resilience | Climate justice and responsibility | Topic resources | |||
| 2. Core theme: Global climate — vulnerability and resilience | Mitigation strategies: energy transition, carbon pricing, technology | Topic resources | |||
| 2. Core theme: Global climate — vulnerability and resilience | Adaptation strategies: infrastructure, planning, ecosystem-based approaches | Topic resources | |||
| 2. Core theme: Global climate — vulnerability and resilience | Resilience and disaster risk reduction; evaluation and trade-offs | Topic resources | |||
| 2. Core theme: Global climate — vulnerability and resilience | Case studies: interpreting climate data and comparative analysis | Topic resources | |||
| 3. Core theme: Global resource consumption and security | Resource consumption patterns; ecological footprint | Topic resources | |||
| 3. Core theme: Global resource consumption and security | Water security: supply/demand, pollution, governance | Topic resources | |||
| 3. Core theme: Global resource consumption and security | Food security: availability, access, utilisation, stability | Topic resources | |||
| 3. Core theme: Global resource consumption and security | Energy security: supply mix, geopolitics, transition risks | Topic resources | |||
| 3. Core theme: Global resource consumption and security | Nexus thinking: water-food-energy interdependence | Topic resources | |||
| 3. Core theme: Global resource consumption and security | Sustainability strategies; circular economy ideas | Topic resources | |||
| 3. Core theme: Global resource consumption and security | Case studies across development contexts; evaluation | Topic resources | |||
| 4. Optional themes (choose your taught options) | Freshwater: drainage basins, flooding, management (Option) | Topic resources | |||
| 4. Optional themes (choose your taught options) | Oceans/coasts: processes, management, hazards (Option) | Topic resources | |||
| 4. Optional themes (choose your taught options) | Geophysical hazards: tectonics, impacts, risk reduction (Option) | Topic resources | |||
| 4. Optional themes (choose your taught options) | Leisure/tourism/sport: demand, impacts, management (Option) | Topic resources | |||
| 4. Optional themes (choose your taught options) | Food and health: nutrition transition, disease, strategies (Option) | Topic resources | |||
| 4. Optional themes (choose your taught options) | Urban environments: urbanisation, planning, sustainability (Option) | Topic resources | |||
| 4. Optional themes (choose your taught options) | Option exam skills: case-study selection, data response, evaluation | Topic resources | |||
| 4. Optional themes (choose your taught options) | Confirm your taught options (SL/HL route) with your school | Topic resources | |||
| 5. HL extension (HL only) | Power, places and networks | Topic resources | |||
| 5. HL extension (HL only) | Human development and diversity | Topic resources | |||
| 5. HL extension (HL only) | Global risks and resilience | Topic resources | |||
| 6. Internal Assessment (IA) — fieldwork checklist | Research question and hypotheses linked to geographic theory | Topic resources | |||
| 6. Internal Assessment (IA) — fieldwork checklist | Methods: sampling, data collection, and ethical/safety considerations | Topic resources | |||
| 6. Internal Assessment (IA) — fieldwork checklist | Analysis: appropriate graphs/maps/statistics and interpretation | Topic resources | |||
| 6. Internal Assessment (IA) — fieldwork checklist | Conclusion and evaluation: limitations and improvements | Topic resources |
Tip: Pair this checklist with past paper practice and spaced repetition. Always confirm exact assessment components (SL/HL, options) with your school’s IB DP route for the 2026 exam session.
Quick answers about this free revision checklist, how to use it for exam prep, and how it relates to the official syllabus.
This revision checklist mirrors the official IB DP Geography syllabus for the 2026 examination series. Every topic and sub-topic on the page is taken from the published syllabus document, so working through the list in order gives you full coverage of what your exam can assess. It covers both Standard Level (SL) and Higher Level (HL) topic expectations. For the authoritative version, always cross-check with the latest syllabus PDF on your exam board's website before your final revision push.
The number of top-level topic groups varies by subject, but you can see the exact count on this page — each major heading in the checklist corresponds to one syllabus topic group, and each row below it is a syllabus-level sub-topic. Use the confidence column (1–5) to flag which sub-topics need more work, and re-score yourself weekly to track real progress instead of guessing.
16–20 weeks of consistent revision is realistic for IB DP — work through one topic per week alongside ongoing past-paper practice and Internal Assessment polish. Use this checklist to plan your weeks: filter by topics you have rated 1–3 and spend your first revision block there. Subjects with heavy practical or extended-writing components (e.g. sciences, English) need more past-paper time in the final block than the topic-by-topic phase.
Revise in roughly the order the syllabus lists the topics — exam boards build later topics on earlier ones, so taking them in syllabus order avoids gaps. Once you have rated every topic, switch to weakest-first: filter the checklist by confidence ≤ 2 and prioritise those topics in your next study block. This is more effective than re-revising topics you already score 4–5 on.
You can find past papers and mark schemes via Tutopiya's Past Paper Finder and on your exam board's official site. Once you have rated each sub-topic on this checklist, attempt past-paper questions on your weakest topics first — practising under timed conditions is the single best predictor of exam performance, more so than re-reading notes.
Use the Download CSV or Print PDF button at the bottom of the checklist. CSV opens in Excel, Numbers or Google Sheets so you can sort by confidence and re-arrange revision order. The PDF is print-ready for offline use. A free Tutopiya account is required for download — this also unlocks the matching topic resources, notes and worked examples on the Learning Portal.
Yes, the checklist itself is free — you can view, score and re-score every topic on this page without an account. The CSV / PDF downloads and access to matching Tutopiya Learning Portal resources require a free account. There is no payment required at any point; teachers and parents can also use this checklist freely with their students.
Yes. The topics and sub-topics on this page are drawn from the current 2026 IB DP Geography specification published by your exam board. Exam boards occasionally tweak weighting or assessment structure mid-cycle, so do a quick sanity-check against the official syllabus PDF when you start your revision and again 4 weeks before the exam.