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Paper 1 is the first examination you'll encounter in your IB World Religions assessments. In this post, we will provide a thorough breakdown of IB World Religions Paper 1, exploring the questions you may encounter and offering valuable tips on how to tackle them effectively.
IB World Religions Paper 1
- Paper 1 accounts for 30% of the final grade.
- Students have 1 hour 15 minutes to complete the assessment.
- The paper is made up of five (of nine possible) stimulus response questions, covering at least three religions.
- Students must select at least one question from each section (A,B,C)
- Each question is worth 10 marks.
- The maximum mark for this examination paper is 50 marks.
A typical Section A question may look the following way:
Hinduism
Study the passage below and answer the questions which follow.
“Happiness comes due to good actions, suffering results from evil actions, by actions, all things are obtained, by inaction, nothing whatsoever is enjoyed. [...] If one’s action bore no fruit, then everything would be of no avail, if the world worked from fate alone, it would be neutralized.”
(a) Describe three key points found in this passage. [3]
(b) Analyse the Hindu concept of varnashramdharma. [7]
A typical Section B question may look the following way:
Christianity
Study the passage below and answer the questions which follow.
“Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you know me, you will know my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him’.”
(a) Identify three teachings in this passage. [3]
(b) Explain how Christians believe they can reach God. [7]
A typical Section C question may look the following way:
Taoism
Study the passage below and answer the questions which follow.
“Their hearts [the hearts of those who seek immortality] must be kind to all things. They must treat others as they treat themselves, and extend their humaneness even to insects. [...] Their hands must never injure life, and their mouths must never encourage evil.”
(a) Identify three principles that are important to Taoists. [3]
(b) Comment on how “non-action” within Taoism is also a form of kindness to nature and to other human beings. [7]
How to succeed in World Religions Paper 1?
In the first part of the question, your job is to describe a specific belief or practice as required by the specific question. Keep it simple, concise and accurate – define it, explain how it’s done, and who does it. Stick to facts – usually there is no need for any analysis here, unless the questions requires so.
The second part usually requires you to engage in some sort of deeper analysis. This is where you show why the belief or practice matters. Link it to core teachings or concepts that you have studied. You may also mention how the belief or practice might differ between groups, regions, or over time. Make sure to use a clear structure, specific examples, and avoid vague statements. Practice with past papers and use markschemes to verify your answers.
We hope you found this post helpful. For more useful materials associated with the IB check out the wide variety of IA, EE and TOK exemplars available at Clastify.
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