IB world religions first assessment 2013; current SL course
Introductory study of five religions: at least two from Hinduism/Buddhism/Sikhism and two from Judaism/Christianity/Islam plus one from either group or Daoism/Jainism/Bahai. In-depth study of two, one from each main group. School records its actual choices.
SL only: Paper 1 75 min 40%, Paper 2 90 min 35%, investigative study 25%. Religion and Society first assessment 2029 is a successor with different concepts and assessment.
Introductory study · Belief, practice and respectful comparison
Academic study describes and interprets religion rather than asking students to adopt a belief.
Compare responses to ultimate questions and forms of practice using accurate sources and attention to internal diversity.
Checked example
One account emphasizes communal celebration, another reflection. Record who speaks, the context and which practice is described.
Compare both with trustworthy information about the selected tradition before drawing a general conclusion.
Limits and practice
Do not rank traditions as more or less advanced or assume one interview represents all adherents.
School-selected five religions need their own detailed content and sources; this lesson teaches comparison, not all doctrines.
What is the most careful conclusion from the two accounts?
Answer: Practice and experience can vary within the same religious tradition.
In-depth study · Sources, meaning and religious practice
In-depth study examines a tradition's beliefs, practices and responses to central questions.
Identify the source's status, interpretation and community context before connecting it to lived experience.
Checked example
Compare a reliable account of a practice with a relevant text and an academic interpretation. Explain where they agree and where local context changes emphasis.
Use precise terms from the selected religion and acknowledge interpretive differences.
Limits and practice
School chooses two in-depth religions under the group rule.
A comparative table of names is not adequate preparation for the extended responses in Paper 2.
What strengthens an account of a religious practice?
Answer: A connection between reliable sources, meanings and lived context, including differences of interpretation.
Investigative study · A bounded religious-studies inquiry
Use an approved question, relevant sources and a clear distinction between evidence and interpretation.
Academic inquiry can use documents or permitted interviews; it does not require participation in worship.
Checked example
Compare the community's public explanation with an academic source and voluntary, consented accounts if the school approves them.
Track attribution and reflect on what access, translation or sample choice limits.
Limits and practice
Do not invent interviews or expose personal religious identity without consent.
This current investigative study is distinct from the future Religion and Society inquiry report and its conceptual framework.
Which step should precede a voluntary interview?
Answer: School approval and informed consent for the focused inquiry.