The IB World Religions SL internal assessment (IA) is an investigative study of an aspect of religious experience, practice or belief among individual adherents or a group. It contributes 25% of your final grade and requires a written analysis of 1,500-1,800 words, marked by your teacher and moderated by the IB.
You investigate a focused question about lived religion, rather than simply describe a religion’s teachings. You may study any religion, including one outside the nine covered by the syllabus. Approximately 20 teaching hours are allocated to the investigation.
Begin with preliminary research, then formulate a narrow research question and choose methods that can answer it. For example, “How does participating in langar express equality among members of a particular British Sikh gurdwara?” connects a specific community’s practice with its beliefs.
Suitable methods include interviews, observation of worship, visits to sacred places, investigation of religious artifacts, or a study using a range of sources. A common misconception is that interviews or visits are compulsory: a source-based investigation is also permitted.
Your analysis must use these five compulsory headings:
| Compulsory heading | What to demonstrate |
|---|---|
| Rationale and preliminary research | Explain your focus and analyse relevant preliminary sources. |
| Plan for study | State your research question, scope and methods. |
| Summary of significant findings | Explain findings in relation to your question and plan. |
| Critical reflection and evaluation | Evaluate findings, methods, assumptions, limitations and possible future research. |
| References and compliance with format | Provide consistent references and meet the required format. |
Represent participants’ beliefs accurately, acknowledge diversity within the religion, maintain confidentiality, and obtain permission to reproduce interview material.
For assessment, critical reflection and evaluation carries 10 of the available 30 marks. Explain how your investigation developed your understanding and assess the reliability of your evidence. Description alone is insufficient. Keep within 1,800 words: assessment stops at that limit, and exceeding it also affects format marks.