IB World Religions SL allocates 50 teaching hours to Part 1, 80 teaching hours to Part 2, and 20 hours to the internal assessment. Together, these make up the course’s total of 150 teaching hours.
These are the IB’s recommended teaching allocations. They describe how the course is organized, rather than the amount of independent revision each student should complete.
| Course component | Teaching hours | What you study |
|---|---|---|
| Part 1: Introduction to world religions | 50 | Five religions through the three fundamental questions |
| Part 2: In-depth studies | 80 | Two religions through key concepts and five themes |
| Part 3: Internal assessment | 20 | An individual investigative study of religious experience, practice or belief |
In Part 1, the allocation works out at approximately 10 hours per religion. Your five religions must include at least one from each syllabus column: Hinduism, Buddhism and Sikhism; Judaism, Christianity and Islam; and Taoism, Jainism and the Bahá'í Faith. Each is explored through the questions “What is the human condition?”, “Where are we going?” and “How do we get there?”
Part 2 allows approximately 40 hours per religion. You study two religions from different columns of the six eligible traditions: one from Hinduism, Buddhism and Sikhism, and one from Judaism, Christianity and Islam. The five themes are rituals, sacred texts, doctrines/beliefs, religious experience, and ethics and moral conduct.
The internal assessment is an investigative study, supported by preliminary research and a focused research question. Its 20-hour allocation includes preparation, investigation and writing, rather than writing alone.
A common misconception is that teaching hours equal assessment weightings. They differ: Paper 1 contributes 30%, Paper 2 contributes 45%, and the internal assessment contributes 25% of the final grade.
For exam preparation, use the hours to understand the expected breadth and depth. Prepare Part 1 for stimulus-based explanations and Part 2 for analytical essays.