The IB World Religions SL examinations are available in English, French, and Spanish. Your school registers you for an examination language, and you normally complete both Paper 1 and Paper 2 in that language.
How the examination language works
The World Religions guide states that the course is available for examination in the three IB working languages. The language selected at registration determines the language of the examination questions and the language expected in your answers.
| Examination language | What this means |
|---|---|
| English | The questions are provided in English, and responses are written in English. |
| French | The questions are provided in French, and responses are written in French. |
| Spanish | The questions are provided in Spanish, and responses are written in Spanish. |
This applies to both external assessment components. Paper 1 contains stimulus-based questions on the introductory religions, while Paper 2 contains essay questions on the in-depth religions. World Religions is an SL-only subject, so there is no separate HL language arrangement.
A common misconception is that studying the course in one language automatically allows you to choose another language when you enter the examination room. In fact, your examination language must be confirmed through your school’s IB coordinator during registration. School teaching language and official examination registration are related but are not interchangeable choices on the day of the exam.
Religion-specific terms such as dukkha, tawhid, b'rit, and mukti should still be used accurately regardless of the examination language. Define or gloss technical vocabulary where appropriate, then use it consistently.
Exam technique
Prepare using resources in your registered examination language so that you recognize command terms quickly. In Paper 1, respond directly to Explain; in Paper 2, construct a reasoned argument using precise terminology, contextualized examples, and developed evaluation.