IBDP World Religions SL
IB Diploma Programme World Religions SL is a rigorous, non-confessional academic course that introduces students to the scholarly study of religion as a global human phenomenon. Offered at Standard Level within IB Group 3 (Individuals and Societies), the course is structured around two interconnected units. Unit 1 establishes the conceptual and methodological foundations of religious studies, exploring how scholars define religion, what functions it serves in human life, and how different academic disciplines — phenomenology, sociology, psychology, anthropology, and feminist theory — illuminate its many dimensions. Students examine sacred texts and oral traditions, religious experience and authority, ritual and practice, ethics and morality, and the relationship between religion and society, gender, and the environment. Unit 2 requires students to undertake an in-depth comparative study of two religions selected from the IB prescribed list: Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, Judaism, Sikhism, or one indigenous religion. For each religion, students investigate its origins and historical development, core beliefs and teachings, sacred texts, practices and rituals, ethical frameworks, and contemporary issues. Crucially, the course demands sustained comparative analysis: students must consistently identify and evaluate similarities and differences between their two chosen traditions across all prescribed elements. The internal assessment is a 2,200-word comparative study in which students independently research a focused question about a specific belief, practice, or text across both religions, drawing on primary and secondary sources to construct a structured scholarly argument. Assessment is through two external examination papers and the internally assessed comparative study. Paper 1 tests knowledge and analysis of Unit 1 themes and both studied religions through structured questions. Paper 2 requires extended comparative essays demonstrating synthesis and evaluation. Throughout, students develop the ability to engage respectfully and critically with diverse religious worldviews, cultivating the intercultural understanding and analytical precision that are hallmarks of an IB education.
210
Minutes
60
Questions
4/7
Passing Score
$173
Exam Cost
Who Should Take This
This course is ideal for IB Diploma students who are curious about the diversity of human religious experience and want to develop rigorous analytical and comparative skills. It suits students planning to study religion, philosophy, history, anthropology, sociology, international relations, or law at university, as well as those who simply want a deeper understanding of the belief systems that shape cultures and societies worldwide. No prior formal study of religion is required — only intellectual curiosity, a willingness to engage respectfully with diverse worldviews, and the commitment to think critically and write analytically about complex human questions.
What's Covered
1Definitions and functions of religion; approaches to the study of religion (phenomenological, sociological, psychological, anthropological, feminist); sacred texts and oral traditions; religious experience and authority; ritual and practice; ethics and morality; religion and gender; religion and society; religion and the environment
2Detailed study of two religions selected from: Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, Judaism, Sikhism, and one indigenous religion. Each religion studied through: origins and historical development, core beliefs and teachings, sacred texts, practices and rituals, ethics and moral codes, religious experience, and contemporary issues
32,200-word comparative study of a religious practice, belief, or text across the two studied religions; use of primary and secondary sources; structured comparative argument; teacher-marked, externally moderated
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Course Outline
1Unit 1: The Study of World Religions — Nature, Purpose, and Methodology 5 topics
Definitions and Functions of Religion
- Define religion using substantive, functional, and family-resemblance approaches, and identify the key characteristics — belief, practice, community, and experience — that scholars use to distinguish religious from non-religious phenomena.
- Explain how religion functions to provide meaning, social cohesion, moral guidance, and psychological comfort, using specific examples drawn from at least two of the prescribed world religions.
- Evaluate the strengths and limitations of different scholarly definitions of religion, discussing whether any single definition can adequately encompass the diversity of human religious experience across cultures and historical periods.
Approaches and Methodologies for Studying Religion
- Describe the phenomenological approach to the study of religion, including the concepts of epoché and empathy, and outline how this method differs from theological and reductionist approaches.
- Explain how sociological, psychological, and anthropological perspectives — including the contributions of Durkheim, Freud, and Geertz — illuminate different dimensions of religious belief and practice.
- Evaluate the contribution of feminist approaches to the study of religion, discussing how gender analysis has challenged traditional interpretations of sacred texts, authority structures, and ritual roles across religious traditions.
Sacred Texts and Oral Traditions
- Identify the major categories of sacred text — scripture, commentary, liturgical text, and oral tradition — and describe how each category functions as a source of authority and guidance within religious communities.
- Explain the processes of canonization, transmission, and interpretation of sacred texts, applying these concepts to specific examples from the two religions studied in Unit 2.
- Compare the role and authority of sacred texts versus oral traditions in two studied religions, discussing how each community determines textual authenticity and resolves interpretive disputes.
Religious Experience and Authority
- Describe the main types of religious experience — mystical, numinous, conversion, and communal — and outline how scholars such as William James and Rudolf Otto have characterized and categorized them.
- Explain how different forms of religious authority — scriptural, charismatic, traditional, and institutional — operate within religious communities, using examples from the two religions studied.
- Evaluate the relationship between personal religious experience and institutional religious authority, discussing how tensions between individual mystical claims and communal doctrinal norms have shaped religious history.
Ritual, Practice, Ethics, and Society
- Identify and describe the main categories of religious ritual — rites of passage, calendrical rites, devotional practices, and pilgrimage — and explain their social and spiritual functions within religious communities.
- Explain how religious ethical frameworks — including deontological, consequentialist, and virtue-based approaches — are derived from sacred texts and traditions, applying this analysis to a contemporary moral issue addressed by both studied religions.
- Discuss the relationship between religion and society, examining how religious institutions have both reinforced and challenged social structures, political authority, and cultural norms across different historical and geographical contexts.
- Evaluate religious responses to environmental ethics and ecological crisis, comparing how the two studied religions draw on their doctrinal and textual resources to construct teachings on human responsibility toward the natural world.
- Discuss how the two studied religions address questions of gender roles, women's religious authority, and gender equality, evaluating the extent to which traditional teachings and contemporary reform movements are in tension.
2Unit 2: In-Depth Study — Religion A (Buddhism) 4 topics
Origins and Historical Development of Buddhism
- Describe the life of Siddhartha Gautama, the historical context of his renunciation and enlightenment, and the founding of the Sangha, identifying the key events that established Buddhism as a distinct religious tradition in ancient India.
- Outline the major historical developments in Buddhism — including the emergence of Theravāda, Mahāyāna, and Vajrayāna schools — and explain the doctrinal and institutional factors that led to these divisions.
- Explain how Buddhism spread across Asia through missionary activity, royal patronage, and trade routes, and analyse how the tradition adapted to diverse cultural contexts in Sri Lanka, China, Japan, and Tibet.
Core Beliefs and Teachings of Buddhism
- Describe the Four Noble Truths and the Eightfold Path, explaining how these foundational teachings diagnose the human condition of suffering (dukkha) and prescribe a practical path toward liberation (nirvāṇa).
- Explain the Three Marks of Existence — impermanence (anicca), suffering (dukkha), and non-self (anattā) — and analyse how these doctrines challenge common assumptions about personal identity and the nature of reality.
- Explain the concepts of karma, rebirth, and dependent origination (pratītyasamutpāda), and discuss how these interconnected doctrines underpin Buddhist understandings of causality, moral responsibility, and the cycle of existence (saṃsāra).
- Compare the Theravāda ideal of the arahant with the Mahāyāna ideal of the bodhisattva, evaluating how each school's soteriological goal reflects different understandings of compassion, wisdom, and the purpose of religious practice.
Buddhist Sacred Texts
- Identify the major Buddhist canonical collections — the Pāli Canon (Tipiṭaka), the Mahāyāna sūtras, and the Tibetan Kangyur — and describe the structure, content, and authority of each within its respective tradition.
- Explain how key texts such as the Dhammapada, the Heart Sūtra, and the Lotus Sūtra function as sources of doctrinal authority, devotional practice, and ethical guidance within different Buddhist communities.
Buddhist Practices, Rituals, and Ethics
- Describe the main forms of Buddhist practice — meditation (samatha and vipassanā), pūjā, pilgrimage, and monastic discipline — and explain how each practice supports the practitioner's progress toward liberation.
- Explain the role of the Three Jewels (Buddha, Dharma, Sangha) and the Five Precepts in structuring the ethical and communal life of Buddhist practitioners, distinguishing between lay and monastic obligations.
- Evaluate Buddhist responses to contemporary ethical issues — including environmental ethics, social justice, and violence — by examining how engaged Buddhism applies traditional teachings to modern social and political contexts.
3Unit 2: In-Depth Study — Religion B (Christianity) 4 topics
Origins and Historical Development of Christianity
- Describe the historical context of the life and ministry of Jesus of Nazareth, the significance of the crucifixion and resurrection narratives, and the emergence of the early Christian community within first-century Judaism.
- Outline the major historical developments in Christianity — including the Council of Nicaea, the Great Schism, the Protestant Reformation, and the Second Vatican Council — and explain how each event shaped Christian doctrine and institutional structure.
- Explain the doctrinal and historical factors that produced the major Christian denominations — Roman Catholicism, Eastern Orthodoxy, and Protestantism — and analyse how denominational diversity reflects different approaches to scripture, tradition, and authority.
Core Beliefs and Teachings of Christianity
- Describe the central Christian doctrines of the Trinity, the Incarnation, atonement, and resurrection, and identify how these doctrines are expressed in the Nicene Creed and other foundational confessional statements.
- Explain Christian understandings of salvation, grace, and eschatology, distinguishing between Catholic, Orthodox, and Protestant theological emphases on faith, works, sacraments, and predestination.
- Evaluate the relationship between faith and reason in Christian thought, discussing how theologians such as Aquinas, Luther, and contemporary liberation theologians have approached the integration of doctrine with human experience and social reality.
Christian Sacred Texts
- Identify the structure and content of the Christian Bible — Old Testament/Hebrew Bible and New Testament — and describe the processes of canonization, translation, and textual transmission that shaped the biblical text.
- Explain the major approaches to biblical interpretation — literal, allegorical, historical-critical, and liberationist — and analyse how different hermeneutical methods produce divergent understandings of Christian doctrine and ethics.
Christian Practices, Rituals, and Ethics
- Describe the major Christian sacraments and liturgical practices — including baptism, Eucharist, prayer, and the liturgical calendar — and explain their theological significance and role in sustaining Christian community and identity.
- Explain how Christian ethical teaching on issues such as social justice, poverty, sexuality, and bioethics is derived from scriptural, natural law, and denominational sources, illustrating with examples from Catholic social teaching and Protestant ethics.
- Evaluate Christian responses to contemporary issues — including secularization, interfaith dialogue, and the role of women in ministry — discussing how different denominations balance doctrinal tradition with the demands of a changing social context.
4Unit 2: Supplementary Prescribed Religions — Overview and Comparative Readiness 4 topics
Hinduism: Core Beliefs and Practices
- Describe the foundational concepts of Hinduism — including Brahman, ātman, dharma, karma, moksha, and the four paths of yoga — and identify the major textual sources (Vedas, Upanishads, Bhagavad Gītā, Purāṇas) that articulate these teachings.
- Explain the diversity of Hindu practice — including pūjā, pilgrimage, festival observance, and the role of the guru — and analyse how the concepts of varṇa and āśrama have historically structured Hindu social and religious life.
Islam: Core Beliefs and Practices
- Describe the foundational beliefs of Islam — tawḥīd, prophethood (nubuwwa), the role of Muḥammad, divine revelation, angels, and eschatology — and identify the Five Pillars as the core framework of Muslim religious practice.
- Explain the authority and structure of the Qur'an and Hadith as sources of Islamic law (Sharī'a) and theology, and analyse the major differences between Sunni and Shia Islam in terms of authority, leadership, and practice.
Judaism: Core Beliefs and Practices
- Describe the foundational beliefs of Judaism — covenant, Torah, monotheism, chosenness, and messianic hope — and identify the major textual sources (Tanakh, Talmud, Midrash) that define Jewish religious life and identity.
- Explain the diversity of Jewish practice and identity across Orthodox, Conservative, Reform, and Reconstructionist movements, and analyse how the experience of diaspora and the Holocaust has shaped contemporary Jewish theology and communal life.
Sikhism: Core Beliefs and Practices
- Describe the foundational beliefs of Sikhism — Ik Onkar, the ten Gurūs, the Gurū Granth Sāhib as living scripture, seva, and the five Ks — and outline the historical development of the Sikh community from Gurū Nānak to the formation of the Khālsā.
- Explain the role of the Gurū Granth Sāhib as the eternal Gurū and central authority in Sikh worship, and analyse how Sikh teachings on equality, service (seva), and the rejection of caste challenge social hierarchies rooted in other South Asian religious traditions.
5Comparative Study Across Religions 3 topics
Comparative Beliefs and Cosmology
- Compare and contrast the cosmological and metaphysical frameworks of the two studied religions, examining their respective understandings of the nature of ultimate reality, the origin of the universe, and the human condition.
- Compare and contrast the soteriological goals and pathways to salvation or liberation in the two studied religions, evaluating the extent to which each tradition's understanding of the human problem shapes its prescribed solution.
- Discuss the eschatological teachings of the two studied religions — including afterlife, judgment, rebirth, and ultimate transformation — evaluating how these beliefs shape adherents' ethical conduct and communal practices in the present life.
Comparative Practices and Community
- Compare and contrast the rites of passage in the two studied religions — including birth, initiation, marriage, and death rituals — analysing how each tradition uses ritual to mark transitions, reinforce identity, and connect individuals to the sacred.
- Compare and contrast the role of communal worship, sacred space, and pilgrimage in the two studied religions, evaluating how these practices construct and sustain religious community, identity, and belonging.
- Evaluate the role of religious leadership and authority structures in the two studied religions, comparing how each tradition legitimizes, transmits, and challenges religious authority across different historical and cultural contexts.
Comparative Ethics and Contemporary Issues
- Compare and contrast the ethical teachings of the two studied religions on a specific contemporary issue — such as war and peace, poverty and wealth, or medical ethics — evaluating the extent to which each tradition's doctrinal foundations lead to convergent or divergent moral conclusions.
- Evaluate how the two studied religions have responded to the challenges of modernity — including secularization, scientific rationalism, and globalization — discussing whether traditional religious frameworks have been adapted, defended, or transformed in response.
- Discuss the approaches of the two studied religions to interfaith dialogue and religious pluralism, evaluating the theological and practical implications of exclusivist, inclusivist, and pluralist positions for interreligious relations in a diverse world.
6Internal Assessment: Comparative Study 2 topics
Research Design and Source Use
- Identify an appropriate and focused research question for the internal assessment that enables a meaningful comparative analysis of a specific belief, practice, or text across the two studied religions, demonstrating awareness of scope and academic feasibility.
- Explain how to select, evaluate, and integrate primary and secondary sources — including sacred texts, scholarly commentary, and ethnographic accounts — into a rigorous comparative religious studies argument of 2,200 words.
Constructing the Comparative Argument
- Construct a structured comparative argument that identifies significant similarities and differences between the two studied religions on the chosen topic, using evidence from primary sources and scholarly literature to support each analytical claim.
- Evaluate the significance of the comparative findings in the internal assessment, discussing what the similarities and differences between the two religions reveal about broader patterns of religious belief, practice, and human meaning-making.
7Assessment Skills and Examination Technique 3 topics
Command Terms and Assessment Objectives
- Identify the IB command terms used in World Religions assessments — including define, describe, explain, analyse, compare, contrast, discuss, and evaluate — and state the specific type and depth of response required by each term.
- Apply the appropriate IB command term conventions to structure responses in Paper 1 and Paper 2, demonstrating the ability to calibrate the depth, scope, and evaluative stance of an answer to the specific demands of each question.
Extended Response and Essay Skills
- Construct a well-structured extended response essay for Paper 2 that presents a clear thesis, develops a sustained comparative argument across both studied religions, integrates specific textual and doctrinal evidence, and reaches a justified evaluative conclusion.
- Evaluate the quality of sample extended responses against the IB World Religions assessment criteria — knowledge and understanding, analysis and evaluation, use of religious terminology, and structure — identifying specific strengths and areas for improvement.
Use of Religious Terminology and Academic Register
- Apply accurate and appropriate religious terminology from both studied religions — including tradition-specific technical terms in their original languages where relevant — to demonstrate precise knowledge and respect for the integrity of each tradition.
- Explain the importance of maintaining a non-confessional, academically objective stance in World Religions assessments, distinguishing between descriptive, analytical, and evaluative modes of writing and avoiding personal religious advocacy.
Scope
Included Topics
- Two core syllabus units: Unit 1 (The study of world religions — nature, purpose, and methodology) and Unit 2 (The in-depth study of two religions selected from the prescribed list: Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, Judaism, Sikhism, and one indigenous religion)
- Unit 1 themes: definitions and functions of religion, religious experience, sacred texts and oral traditions, religious authority, ritual and practice, ethics and morality, religion and gender, religion and society, religion and the environment
- Unit 2 prescribed elements for each studied religion: origins and historical development, core beliefs and teachings, sacred texts, practices and rituals, ethics and moral codes, religious experience, and contemporary issues
- Comparative methodology: identifying similarities and differences across the two studied religions on each prescribed element
- Internal assessment: a 2,200-word comparative study of a religious practice, belief, or text across the two studied religions, using primary and secondary sources
- Four assessment objectives (AO1 knowledge, AO2 application/analysis, AO3 synthesis/evaluation, AO4 use of appropriate skills) and IB command terms taxonomy
- Key conceptual lenses: belief, practice, community, identity, and experience as applied across religious traditions
- Approaches to the study of religion: phenomenological, sociological, psychological, anthropological, and feminist perspectives
Not Covered
- Theology or confessional/devotional study — the course is academic and non-confessional throughout
- Detailed study of more than two religions in Unit 2 (only two are examined per candidate)
- Religious traditions not on the IB prescribed list (e.g. Zoroastrianism, Bahá'í, Jainism) except as brief comparative illustrations
- Advanced academic philosophy of religion beyond the scope of the IB syllabus (e.g. modal ontological arguments, analytic theology)
- Country-specific legal frameworks governing religion beyond illustrative context
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