IB World Religions — Study Hub
Your complete study hub for IB World Religions (SL). Free notes, flashcards, and exam-style practice for all nine Part 1 traditions, all six in-depth studies, and the internal assessment — every tradition described as its own adherents describe it, with the terms they use.
What is IB World Religions?
IB World Religions is a Group 3 (Individuals and Societies) subject, available at Standard Level only. It is a systematic, analytical and empathetic study of the beliefs, practices and experience of living religious traditions — not a course in comparing religions to decide which is right. The guide asks you to understand each tradition as its own adherents understand it, using that tradition’s own vocabulary, and to place contemporary practice in its historical, social and cultural context.
The course has three parts. Part 1, "Introduction to world religions", surveys nine traditions — Hinduism, Buddhism and Sikhism; Judaism, Christianity and Islam; Taoism, Jainism and the Bahá’í Faith — each through the same three fundamental questions: what is the human condition, where are we going, and how do we get there? Your school studies five of the nine, at least one from each of the three groups, but Paper 1 sets a question on every one, so Aimnova covers all nine.
Part 2 is the in-depth study. Six traditions are offered (Hinduism, Buddhism, Sikhism, Judaism, Christianity and Islam) and your school studies two, each examined through the same five themes: rituals, sacred texts, doctrines and beliefs, religious experience, and ethics and moral conduct. Part 3 is the internal assessment — a 1,500–1,800 word investigative study of the religious experience, practice or belief of a group or of individual adherents, which may be about any religion, not only the ones you study. Aimnova covers all nine introductory traditions, all six in-depth studies and the IA.
Subject Group
Group 3
Available Levels
SL only
Teaching Hours
150
Exam Papers
Paper 1 · Paper 2 · IA
IB World Religions Assessment
Paper 1 — Introduction to world religions
30%1 hour 15 minutesNine questions — one on each of the nine introductory traditions, arranged in three sections. You answer five, with at least one from each section. Every question gives a short stimulus passage and then asks part (a), worth 3 marks, for knowledge of a belief, practice or term, and part (b), worth 6 marks, which since May 2017 always uses the command term "explain". The paper totals 45 marks.
Paper 2 — In-depth studies
45%1 hour 30 minutesFourteen essay questions in two sections — two on each of the six in-depth traditions, plus one open-ended question in each section that can be answered from any tradition you have studied. You answer two, each from a different section, and each essay is marked out of 15 against markbands A–E for a total of 30 marks. The markbands reward focused knowledge, the tradition’s own terminology, and a sustained, evidenced argument.
Internal assessment — Investigative study
25%A 1,500–1,800 word investigative study of an aspect of the religious experience, practice or belief of a group and/or of individual adherents — a visit to a place of worship or a museum, a study of artefacts, attendance at an act of worship, an interview, or work from a range of sources. It is marked out of 30 across five criteria: rationale and preliminary research (8), plan for the study (3), summary of significant findings (6), critical reflection and evaluation (10), and references and format (3).
IB World Religions Syllabus — Nine Traditions, Six In-Depth Studies & the IA
Unit 1: Introduction to world religions
Unit 2: Hinduism in depth
Unit 3: Buddhism in depth
Unit 4: Sikhism in depth
Unit 5: Judaism in depth
Unit 6: Christianity in depth
Unit 7: Islam in depth
Unit 8: Exam skills and the IA
Free IB World Religions Study Resources
Study Notes
Topic-by-topic notes for all nine traditions, the six in-depth studies and the IA
Flashcards
Spaced repetition for key terms, texts, festivals and figures — spelled and glossed correctly
Question Bank
Paper 1 part (a) and (b) practice and Paper 2 essays, by tradition and theme
Exam Skills
The post-2017 paper structure, the command terms and the Paper 2 markbands
Revision Guide
A tradition-by-tradition breakdown and a revision timeline
Command Terms
IB command term definitions
Frequently Asked Questions about IB World Religions
How is IB World Religions assessed?
There are two written papers and an internal assessment. Paper 1 (1 hour 15 minutes, 30%) is on the introductory study of world religions: nine questions in three sections, of which you answer five including at least one from each section, each with a 3-mark part (a) and a 6-mark part (b), for 45 marks. Paper 2 (1 hour 30 minutes, 45%) is the in-depth study: fourteen essay questions in two sections, of which you answer two from different sections, each marked out of 15 for 30 marks. The internal assessment (25%) is a 1,500–1,800 word investigative study marked out of 30.
Is IB World Religions available at Higher Level?
No — World Religions is a Standard Level course only, with 150 teaching hours. There is no HL extension and no third paper. That makes it a common choice as a sixth subject or as the SL subject in Group 3, and it means every student sits the same two papers and the same internal assessment.
Which religions do I have to study?
For Part 1 your school chooses five of the nine introductory traditions — Hinduism, Buddhism and Sikhism; Judaism, Christianity and Islam; Taoism, Jainism and the Bahá’í Faith — with at least one from each of those three groups. For Part 2 your school chooses two of the six in-depth traditions (Hinduism, Buddhism, Sikhism, Judaism, Christianity, Islam), one from each of two groups. Paper 1 sets a question on all nine and Paper 2 on all six, so Aimnova covers every tradition rather than a subset — ask your teacher which ones your school has chosen and revise those.
What changed in the May 2017 amendments?
The mark totals changed, but not the weightings. Paper 1 part (b) went from 7 marks to 6, so the paper total fell from 50 to 45, and from May 2017 part (b) always uses "explain" as its command term. Paper 2 moved from six markbands (A–F) to five (A–E), each essay is now marked out of 15 rather than 20, and the paper totals 30 rather than 40. Paper 1 is still worth 30%, Paper 2 45% and the IA 25%. If you are working from an older revision guide or a pre-2017 markscheme, check the mark structure before you use it.
How do I get a 7 in IB World Religions?
Answer with the tradition’s own vocabulary and be precise with it: a Paper 2 essay that says "the Guru Granth Sahib" and explains what Sikhs hold about it scores where one that says "the Sikh holy book" does not. Attribute beliefs rather than asserting them — write what adherents hold, teach or practise. Learn the command terms and match your effort to them: "outline" is not "explain", and "evaluate" needs a judgement you have argued for. For Paper 1, budget your time so all five answers are written; for Paper 2, plan a line of argument before you start and support each point with a specific text, ritual, figure or contemporary example.
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Notes, flashcards, and AI-marked practice for the Paper 1 introductory traditions, the Paper 2 in-depth studies and the internal assessment, all aligned to the IB World Religions guide.
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