IB World Religions Syllabus + Topics

Key takeaway – Hinduism focuses on liberation from samsara through the fulfilment of dharma and different spiritual paths, with karma shaping the process of rebirth.

Islam

Islam presents human life as a responsibility to submit to the will of God. The guide emphasizes that without divine guidance, humans may stray from the path of prescribed and prohibited actions. Religious life therefore involves recognizing God's oneness, following revelation, and practising the obligations set out within Islam. The afterlife is also central, with moral conduct and obedience to God connected to judgment, paradise, and punishment. You will examine:

• Tawhid, or the oneness of God

• Submission to God's will

• Muhammad as prophet

• The Qur'an

• Belief in God, scriptures, angels, jinn, and the afterlife

• Janna, or paradise

• Jahannam, or hell

• The teachings and sayings associated with Muhammad

• The Five Pillars of Islam

• Moral obedience and repentance

Key takeaway – Islam centres on submission to God, divine guidance, and living according to revealed obligations, with belief and practice closely connected.

Jainism

Jainism sees human beings as trapped in samsara because the soul accumulates karma and remains tied to the material world. Liberation requires a disciplined process of purification and detachment. The guide places particular emphasis on non-violence, asceticism, and strict ethical conduct. Jainism therefore offers a distinctive understanding of salvation in which the individual seeks to free the soul from karmic burden and reach a state of pure consciousness. You will examine:

• Jiva, or soul

• Ajiva, or the material world

• Samsara

• Karma

• Moksha

• Mahavira

• Ahimsa, or non-violence

• The Five Great Vows

• Asceticism

• Kevala, or pure omniscient consciousness

• The Twelve Great Vows for monks and nuns

Key takeaway – Jainism emphasizes liberation through non-violence, self-discipline, and freedom from karmic attachment to the material world.

Judaism

Judaism places strong emphasis on the relationship between God and the Jewish people and on living according to God's commandments. Unlike some traditions that focus heavily on what happens after death, the syllabus notes that Judaism gives particular attention to religious observance in this life. Human beings possess free will and must continually choose between good and harmful inclinations, with religious life guided by covenant, Torah, and mitzvot. You will examine:

• Creation in the image of God

• Free will

• Yetzer ha-ra and yetzer ha-tov

• Covenant

• Torah

• Mitzvot

• The Shema

• The idea of the Chosen People

• The Messianic Age

• Olam Ha-Ba, or the world to come

• Living according to God's will

Key takeaway – Judaism emphasizes covenant, commandments, moral choice, and faithful living in the present world, alongside hope for a future Messianic age.

Sikhism

Sikhism examines the human condition through the struggle between ego-centred living and a life focused on God. According to the syllabus, human beings fail to recognize the divine presence because they are distracted by maya, ego, and destructive tendencies. Liberation involves becoming gurmukh, or God-centred, and living according to the teachings of the Gurus through prayer, honest work, service, and spiritual discipline. You will examine:

• Maya, or illusion

• Haumai, or ego-centredness

• Jot, the divine spark

• The five vices

• Manmukh and gurmukh

• Karma and rebirth

• Sach khand, the realm of truth

• Guru Granth Sahib

• Nam japna

• Honest work

• Sharing wealth with those in need

• Sewa, or selfless service

Key takeaway – Sikhism focuses on overcoming ego, becoming God-centred, and combining devotion with honest living and service to others.

Taoism

Taoism presents a very different understanding of the human condition from traditions that emphasize sin or salvation. The guide explains that Tao, or the Way, represents the original nature of reality, while human problems arise because people interfere with the natural balance of existence. The goal is therefore not to reach a distant destination, but to rediscover harmony with the Tao through simplicity, balance, and non-interference. You will examine:

• Tao, or the Way

• Harmony with nature

• Wu-wei

• Yin and yang

• Ch'i, or life force

• Balance

• Contemplative living

• The idea that everything flows from and returns to Tao

• Reconciling opposites

Key takeaway – Taoism focuses on living in harmony with the natural order, reducing unnecessary interference, and restoring balance between opposing forces.

Part 2 – In-depth Studies

For Part 2, you study two religions in considerably greater depth. These must be selected from:

• Group 1 – Hinduism, Buddhism, Sikhism 

  or

• Group 2 – Judaism, Christianity, Islam

Approximately 40 hours are recommended for each religion. The guide recommends that the two in-depth religions also come from the five studied in Part 1, although this is not compulsory. The emphasis shifts from broad introductory knowledge to analysis. Each religion is examined through its own key concepts, but both are studied using the same five themes. Historical, social, political, and cultural context should be considered, although the main emphasis is on contemporary practice and the diversity that exists within religious traditions.

Theme 1 – Rituals

This theme examines the practices through which religious beliefs are expressed and reinforced. You will study:

• Lifetime rituals and rites of passage

• Worship

• Festivals

• Gender and ritual

• Society and ritual

You may consider the purpose of rituals, their relationship with doctrines or founding figures, and the ways they influence communal identity and everyday life. The syllabus also asks you to consider how ritual changes according to social, political, cultural, and gender contexts.

Key takeaway – Rituals show how beliefs become repeated actions that shape identity, community, and everyday religious life.

Theme 2 – Sacred Texts

This theme focuses on the authority and interpretation of religious texts. You will study:

• Composition

• Collation

• Development

• Interpretation

• Language

Important questions include who has the authority to interpret sacred texts, how texts are connected to key religious figures, and how translation or changing interpretations may affect authority.

Key takeaway – Sacred texts are important not only because of what they say, but because different communities understand their authority and interpretation in different ways.

Theme 3 – Doctrines and Beliefs

This theme explores the main teachings that shape religious worldviews. You will study:

• Origins of doctrines

• Statements of belief

• Eschatology

• Cosmogony and cosmology

• Religious authority

• Schools of thought

You will also investigate whether doctrines unite or divide religious communities and how they are reflected through rituals, leadership, art, architecture, and everyday practice.

Key takeaway – Doctrines provide the intellectual foundations of a religion, but different interpretations can create important variations within the same tradition.

Theme 4 – Religious Experience

This theme looks at religion from the perspective of lived experience. You will study:

• Individual and collective experience

• Conversion

• Reaffirmation

• Meditation

• Worship

• Prayer

• Gender and religious experience

You may also examine the role of music, singing, dance, biography, and testimony in shaping or expressing religious experience.

Key takeaway – Religious Experience focuses on what religion feels like and means to individual believers and communities, rather than only what official doctrines state.

Theme 5 – Ethics and Moral Conduct

The final theme examines how religious beliefs influence moral choices and responses to contemporary issues. The guide recommends using no more than three case studies, each focusing on a different national or international issue. Possible topics include:

• War and conflict

• Medical ethics

• Human rights

• Animal rights

• Marriage and divorce

• Food

• Religious dress

• Freedom of expression

You are expected to consider the interaction between religious and secular perspectives, including situations where religious teachings and legal systems may conflict.

Key takeaway – Ethics and Moral Conduct asks you to apply religious teachings to real contemporary controversies and evaluate how moral principles operate in practice.

Part 3: Investigative Study

The final component is the Investigative Study, which gives you the opportunity to independently research an aspect of religious experience, practice, or belief. The investigation should ideally involve direct engagement where appropriate. This might include:

• Visiting a place of worship

• Interviewing a religious adherent

• Observing a religious practice

• Participating in an appropriate activity

• Using primary and secondary sources

The guide emphasizes the importance of a clear research question, appropriate methodology, and balanced representation of religious beliefs and practices. Your final written analysis is 1,500–1,800 words and follows five required sections:

• Rationale and preliminary research

• Plan for study

• Summary of significant findings

• Critical reflection and evaluation

• References and compliance with format

The investigation should demonstrate that you can critically reflect on what your research revealed. You should also evaluate your sources and methods, explain whether your research question was successfully addressed, and consider how the project changed or deepened your understanding of religious beliefs or experiences.

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