The rationale and preliminary research section should justify your investigation, state its focus as a research question, and analyse relevant background evidence from a justified range of sources. In the IB World Religions SL investigative study, this section is assessed under Criterion A, worth eight marks.
What to Include
Your rationale explains why this particular aspect of religious belief, practice or experience deserves investigation. Personal interest can establish your starting point, but it must lead to an academically meaningful focus on lived religion.
| Element | What it should demonstrate |
|---|---|
| Rationale | Why you selected the focus and how it can deepen understanding of religious belief, practice or experience. |
| Research question | A clear, narrowly focused question about identifiable adherents or a community. |
| Preliminary research | Relevant background knowledge, accurate religious terminology and awareness of internal diversity. |
| Justified sources | Why your selected range of sources is relevant, credible and appropriate to the question. |
| Analysis of evidence | How the evidence supports your focus, identifies different interpretations or reveals an issue requiring investigation. |
How to Develop the Evidence
For example, a question might investigate how langar expresses equality at a named British gurdwara. Define langar, the meal freely available to anyone, and sewa, altruistic service, then explain how Sikh teachings connect these practices to equality.
Use relevant Sikh explanations alongside academic scholarship. Explain each source's contribution and consider its perspective: an official account may explain ideals, but it cannot establish how every participant experiences them. This provides a reason to investigate contemporary practice rather than assume doctrine and behaviour always coincide.
A common misconception is that preliminary research means writing a general history of the religion or listing sources. Instead, select and analyse evidence directly relevant to your question.
Assessment Technique
For Criterion A, prioritize a well-developed justification, a justified range of sources and analysed supporting evidence. Keep detailed procedures for the separate Plan for study section; do not present anticipated findings as established conclusions.