Home » NECO Syllabus » This NECO Christian Religious Studies (CRS) exam syllabus is designed to guide you through your Christian religious Studies and prepare you for the NECO exam. It is designed that by the end of your three years in Senior Secondary School, you would have gained a deep understanding of the religious, cultural, historical, and social contexts of the Bible. Here’s what you can expect to learn:
Study the Bible’s Context: You’ll be studying the religious, cultural, and historical backgrounds of the biblical materials covered in the syllabus. This will make you understand the stories, people, and events in the Bible.
Learn Moral Lessons: You’ll study selected passages and themes from the Bible to learn about biblical moral teachings. You will be taught how these lessons can be relevant to today’s world, impacting our social, political, religious, and cultural lives.
How to address Real-World Challenges: It’s not always easy to apply what we learn to real life, especially when it comes to complex issues. This course will help you identify these challenges and offer insights into how biblical concepts can contribute to peaceful co-existence and national development.
The NECO Christian Religious Studies exam is made up of two papers: Paper 1 and Paper 2. You’ll take both papers in one sitting,
Paper 1: Multiple-Choice Questions
In Paper 1, you’ll be given 50 multiple-choice questions to answer. You need to answer all 50 questions within 1 hour. This section is worth 40 marks, so each question carries less than one mark. This part of the exam is designed to test your general knowledge of key themes, stories, and concepts from the Bible.
Paper 2: Essay Questions
Paper 2 is a bit different. It has nine essay questions, but you only need to answer four of them. You have 2 hours to complete this section, and it’s worth 60 marks. The questions are divided into three sections:
Section A: Section A questions will be set from the Old Testament Themes. This section has four questions. You’ll be required to answer at least one question from this section.
Section B: Section B questions will be set from the themes from the Synoptic Gospels and the Acts of the Apostles: There are three questions here. You also need to answer at least one question from this section.
Section C: this section’s question will be set from the themes from Selected Epistles: This section has two questions. Again, you must answer at least one from here.
For the fourth question, you can choose from either Section A or Section B, depending on where you feel most versed in.
The Revised Standard Version (RSV)
When preparing for the exam, keep in mind that the questions will be based on the Revised Standard Version of the Bible. This is the standard text used for setting the exam questions.
| CHRISTIAN RELIGIOUS STUDIES | |||
| SN | TOPICS | OBJECTIVES | |
| 1 | The Sovereignty of God | 1.1 God, the Creator 1.2 God, the Controller of the universe | Gen. 1; 2 |
| 2 | Leadership roles | 2.1 Joseph 2.2 Moses 2.3 Joshua 2.4 Deborah | Gen. 37; 1-28, 41: 1-57, 45: 115 Exodus 1;2;3;4:1-17;5: 1-5, 2223; 6: 28-30, 7; 1-7; 14;32: 1- 14 Numbers 13:1-33; 14: 1-19 Numbers 27: 15-23 Joshua 1: 1-9 |
| 3 | Parental Responsibility | Eli and Samuel | 1 Samuel 15: 1-26; 16: 14-23; 31: 1-13 |
| 4 | Consequences of Saul’s disobedience | (a) David’s submission to the will of God 1 Samuel 26; (b) David’s sin, repentance and forgiveness 2 Sam 12: 15-25 | |
| 5 | Submission to the will of God | 5.1 David’s submission to the will of God 5.2 David’s sin, repentance and forgiveness | (a) Solomon’s wisdom 1 Kings 3: 3-28; 4: 29-34; 5: 112; 8 (b) The unwise decision of Solomon and Rehoboam 1 Kings 9; 15-23; 11: 1-13; 12:1-20 |
| 6 | Making Decisions | 6.1 Solomon’s wisdom 6.2 The unwise decision of Solomon and Rehoboam | (a) Religious tensions during Ahab’s reign Kings 16: 29-34; 17: 1-7; 18: 1-19 (b) Elijah at Mount Carmel 1 Kings 18: 17-46 |
| 7 | Supremacy of God | 7.1 Religious tensions during Ahab’s reign 7.2 Elijah at Mount Carmel | (a) Ahab :1 Kings 21: 1-29 (b) Gehazi :2 Kings 5 |
| 8 | Greed and its effects | 8.1 Ahab 8.2 Gehazi | 2 Kings 22; 23: 1-30 |
| 9 | Religious reforms | The reign of King Josiah | 2 Kings 22; 23: 1-30 |
| 10 | Concern for one’s Nation | 10.1 The condition of the nation 10.2 Response to the state of the nation | (a) The condition of the nation: 2 Kings 24; 25;1-17 (b) Response to the state of the nation Nehemiah 1; 2: 9-20; 4 Ezra 1; 4; 5: 1-2; 6: 13-22; 7: 110 |
| 11 | Faith in God | 11.1 Faith and courage 11.2 Faith and power | (a) Faith and courage :Daniel 3 (b) Faith and power Daniel 6 |
| 12 | Nature of God | 12.1 True religion and social justice – Amos 12.2 God’s divine love – Hosea | (a) True religion and social justice – Amos Amos 2: 6-8; 4; 5: 1-24; 7: 1017; 8 (b) God’s divine love – Hosea Hosea 1; 2; 3; 6 |
| SECTION B: Themes from the Synoptic Gospels and the Acts Of The Apostles | |||
| 1 | Baptism and Temptation of Jesus | 1.1 The Baptism 1.2 The Temptation | (a) The Baptism Matthew 3:13-17 Mark 1: 9-11; Luke 3: 21-22 (b) The Temptation 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 | 4.1 Jesus at Gethsemane 4.2 Peter’s Denials 4.3 Condemnation of Jesus | (a) Jesus at Gethsemane Matthew 26:36-56; Mk 14: 32-52; (b) Peter’s Denials Matthew 26: 69-75; Mark 14: 66-72; Luke 22: 54-62 (c) Condemnation of Jesus Matthew 26:47-75 Mark 14: 53-72; Luke 22: 66-71; 23: 1-12 |
| 5 | The Crucifixion, Burial and Resurrection of Jesus | (a) Crucifixion and burial (b) 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 | (a) The Holy Spirit at Pentecost (b) 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 | |
| (a) Faith and Works James 1: 2-27; 2:14-26 (b) Impartiality James 2:1-13 (c) Effective Prayers James 1: 2-8; 5:13-18 | |||
| SECTION C Themes from selected Epistles | |||
| 1 | The Epistles of James | (a) Faith and Works (b) Impartiality (c) 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 | (a) Good Citizenship (b) Christians Living among non-Christians (c) Interpersonal Relationship among Christians | 1 Peter 2:13-17 1 Peter 2:1-25 1 Peter 5:1-11 |
| 3 | The Holy Spirit and the Mission to the Gentiles | 7.1 The Holy Spirit at Pentecost 7.2 Mission to the Gentiles | |
GENERAL
1. The Holy Bible (Revised Standard Version)
2. New Clarendon Bible Series
3. Bright, John: History and Religion of Israel
4. Anderson, B. W.: The Living World of the Old Testament.
5. Kee. H. C. & Young: The Living World of the New Testament
6. Cambell, D. B. J.: The Synoptic Gospels
7. New Bible Commentary – Cambridge.
OLD TESTAMENT
8. Quarcopom T.N.O History and Religion of Israel AUP, Ibadan, 1986
9. Dickson Kwesie
i. History and Religion of Israel Darton L&T 1968
ii.From the institution of monarchy to the fall of the Northern Kingdom.
NEW TESTAMENT
10. Guy, H.A -The Life of Christ – The Acts of the Apostles
11. Pobee, John S Matthew and Mark for Schools.
12. Dickson K .A The Gospel According to Luke (Accra, Asempa Publishers)
13. Awolabi Joshua Simple Approach to Christian Religious Knowledge Elis Association ,Lagos 2011.
The exam covers a wide range of biblical themes and stories. Questions from the Old Testament, Synoptic Gospels, the Acts of the Apostles, and selected Epistles will be set.
There are two parts to the exam: Paper 1 and Paper 2. Paper 1 is a multiple-choice section with 50 questions that you have to answer in 1 hour. Paper 2 has nine essay questions, but you only need to answer four, and you have 2 hours to complete them. Each paper has a different scoring system, in which Paper 1 is worth 40 marks and Paper 2 is worth 60 marks.
No, you can’t use your own Bible during the exam. However, it’s important to know that the questions are based on the Revised Standard Version (RSV) of the Bible. So, when you’re studying, make sure you’re using the RSV to prepare.
You should choose your questions by picking the ones you can answer confidently. Since you only need to answer questions with at least one from each section.
You have to understand the themes of the stories in the syllabus before you sit for this exam. To understand the themes, you should also study the syllabus to know which topic to focus on. You can try summarizing key stories or themes in your own words, and think about how they apply to contemporary issues.
It depends on your current level of knowledge and your study habits. Consistency is key, so you can utilize your regular study time and focus on different parts of the syllabus. You could spend more time on sections you find difficult and less on those you know.
The essay questions will be graded based on how well you understand the question by in depth explanation, the clarity of your writing, and your ability to explain biblical themes. You should support your answers with biblical references where possible to earn more marks.
