The WAEC syllabus for Christian Religious Studies (CRS) is vital for candidates preparing to sit for the examination. It provides the aims and objectives, as well as notes and format, for the CRS exam.
Studying the CRS syllabus is essential for effective exam preparation, as it offers guidance on the topics to cover and the concepts to understand.
Attempting exam preparations without referring to the CRS syllabus is comparable to engaging in farm work without the necessary agricultural tools, resulting in decreased productivity.
It is crucial to commence exam preparations by thoroughly engaging with the provided syllabus.
This post also includes recommended textbooks approved by the West African Examination Council (WAEC) to complement your study of Christian Religious Studies (CRS). If you have any questions, feel free to ask in the comment section—I’d love to hear from you.
WAEC Christian Religious Studies (CRS)
At the end of the three-year course of study, the candidate will be expected to;
- have knowledge, understanding and appreciation of the religious, cultural, historical and social background of the biblical materials prescribed to be studied;
- understand the nature of biblical moral lessons in the selected passages/themes from the Bible and the extent of their relevance and possible application to present-day social, political, religious and cultural life and existence;
- identify difficulties involved in the application of healthy attitudes, concepts and skills acquired from the Bible in ensuring peaceful co-existence and national development;
- demonstrate adequate preparation for higher education through critical thinking and independent work.
Scheme of Examination
There will be two papers, Papers 1and 2, both of which will be a composite paper to be taken in one sitting.
PAPER 1: Will consist of fifty multiple-choice objective questions all of which must be answered within 1 hour for 40 marks.
PAPER 2: Will consist of nine essay-type questions. Candidates will be required to answer four questions within 2 hours for 60 marks.
The questions will be arranged in sections as follows:
Section A: Themes from the Old Testament – four questions.
Section B: Themes from the Synoptic Gospels and the Acts of the Apostle – three questions.
Section C: Themes from selected Epistles – two questions.
Candidates will be required to answer four questions in all, choosing at least one question from each section and the fourth question from either Section A or Section B.
The Revised Standard Version of the Bible will be used in the setting of questions.
WAEC CRS Syllabus
Section A
Themes from the Old Testament
| S/N | Contents | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Sovereignty of God God, the Creator God The Controller of the universe | Gen. 1; 2 |
| 2 | Leadership role: a. Joseph b. Moses c. Joshua d. Deborah | Gen. 37; 1-28, 41: 1-57, 45: 1-15 |
| 3 | Parental Responsibility: Eli and Samuel | Judges 4 1 Sam 2: 11-36; 3:1- 18; 4: 10-22; 8: 1-5 |
| 4 | Consequences of Saul’s disobedience | 1 Samuel 15: 1-26; 16: 14-23; 31: 1-13 |
| 5 | Submission to the will of God David’s submission to the will of God David’s sin, repentance and forgiveness | 1 Sam 26; 2 Sam 12: 15-25 |
| 6 | Making Decisions Solomon’s wisdom The unwise decision of Solomon and Rehoboam | 1 Kings 3: 3-28; 4: 29-34; 5: 1-12; 8 1 Kings 9; 15-23; 11: 1-13; 12:1-20 |
| 7 | Supremacy of God Religious tensions during Ahab’s reign Elijah at Mount Carmel | 1 Kings 16: 29-34; 17: 1-7; 18: 1-19 1 Kings 18: 17-46 |
| 8 | Greed and its effects AhabGehazi | 1 Kings 21: 1-29 2 Kings 5 |
| 9 | Religious reforms The reign of King Josiah | 2 Kings 22; 23: 1-30 |
| 10 | Concern for one’s Nation The condition of the nation Response to the state of the nation | 2 Kings 24; 25;1-17 Nehemiah 1; 2: 9-20; 4 Ezra 1; 4; 5: 1-2; 6: 13-22; 7: 1-10 |
| 11 | Faith in God Faith and courage Faith and power | Daniel 3 Daniel 6 |
| 12 | Nature of God (a) True religion and social justice – Amos (b) God’s divine love – Hosea | Amos 2: 6-8; 4; 5: 1-24; 7: 10-17; 8 Hosea 1; 2; 3; 6 |
Section B
Themes from the Synoptic Gospels and the Acts Of The Apostles
| S/N | Contents | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Baptism and Temptation of Jesus The Baptism The Temptation | Matthew 3:13-17 Mark 1: 9-11; Luke 3: 21-22 Matthew 4: 1-11; Mark 1: 12-13; Luke 4:1-13 |
| 2 | The Call and Demands of Discipleship | Matthew 4: 18-25; 8: 18-22; 9:9-13 ; Mark 1: 16-20; 2: 13-17; Luke 5: 1-11; 9: 57-63; 14: 25-33 |
| 3 | Jesus’ Teaching on forgiveness | Matthew 6: 12,14-15; 18:21-35 |
| 4 | The Trials of Jesus Jesus at Gethsemane Peter’s Denials Condemnation of Jesus | Matthew 26:36-56; Mk 14: 32-52; Matthew 26: 69-75; Mark 14: 66-72; Luke 22: 54-62 Matthew 26:47-75 Mark 14: 53-72; Luke 22: 66-71; 23: 1-12 |
| 5 | The Crucifixion, Burial and Resurrection of Jesus Crucifixion and burial The Resurrection | Matthew 27: 32-66 Mark 15: 16-47; Luke 23: 26-56 Matthew 28:1-10 Mark 16: 1-14; Luke 24: 1-35 |
| 6 | Fellowship in the Early Church | Acts 1:15-26; 2:41-47; 4:32-37; 5:1-11; 6:2-6 |
| 7 | The Holy Spirit and the Mission to the Gentiles The Holy Spirit at Pentecost Mission to the Gentiles | Acts 2 Acts 9; 11:1-18 |
| 8 | Opposition to the Gospel Message | Acts 4:1-31; 5:17-42; 6:8-9; 7:1-10; 12:1-24 |
Section C
Themes from selected Epistles
| S/N | Contents | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | The Epistles of James Faith and Works Impartiality Effective Prayers | James 1: 2-27; 2:14-26 James 2:1-13 James 1: 2-8; 5:13-18 |
| 2. | The Epistle of 1 Peter Good Citizenship Christians Living among non-Christians Interpersonal Relationship among Christians | 1 Peter 2:13-17 1 Peter 2:1-25 1 Peter 5:1-11 |
WAEC Recommended Text
SUGGESTED READING LIST/REFERENCES
General
- The Holy Bible (Revised Standard Version)
- New Clarendon Bible Series
- Bright, John: History and Religion of Israel
- Anderson, B. W.: The Living World of the Old Testament
- Kee. H. C. & Young: The Living World of the New Testament
- Cambell, D. B. J.: The Synoptic Gospels
- New Bible Commentary – Cambridge.
Old Testament
- Quarcoopome, T. N. O. : History and Religion of Israel AUP, Ibadan, 1986.
- Dickson, Kwesi i.
- History and Religion of Israel Darton L & T 1968
- From the Institution of the Monarchy to the fall of the Northern Kingdom
New Testament
- Guy, H. A.
- The Life of Christ.
- The Acts of the Apostles
- Pobee, John S: Matthew and Mark for Schools
- Dickson K . A: The Gospel According to Luke (Accra, Asempa Publishers)
- Awolabi Joshua: Simple Approach to Christian Religious Knowledge Elis Association, Lagos 2011
