AQA GCSE Religious Studies

Specification at a glance

This qualification is linear. Linear means that students will sit all their exams at the end of the course.

There are two assessed components. Students must take assessments in both Component 1 and Component 2 in the same exam series.

Subject content
Component 1: Philosophy of religion and ethics
Component 2: Study of religion and dialogues

2A Buddhism
2B Christianity
2C Hinduism
2D Islam
2E Judaism

Assessments

Component 1: Philosophy of religion and ethics
What's assessed

Section A: Philosophy of religion
Arguments for the existence of God
Evil and suffering
Religious experience
Religious language
Miracles
Self and life after death.
Section B: Ethics and religion
Ethical theories
Issues of human life and death
Issues of animal life and death
Introduction to meta ethics
Free will and moral responsibility
Conscience
Bentham and Kant.
How it's assessed

Written exam: 3 hours
100 marks
50% of A-level
Questions

Section A: Philosophy of religion – two compulsory two-part questions, each worth 10 marks and 15 marks.
Section B: Ethics and religion – two compulsory two-part questions, each worth 10 marks and 15 marks.
In both sections, questions may span more than one topic. In each two-part question, the first part tests AO1 and the second part tests AO2.

Component 2: Study of religion and dialogues
What's assessed

Section A: Study of religion – for each faith option (2A–2E) the following topics are covered:

Sources of wisdom and authority
God/gods/ultimate reality
Self, death and the afterlife
Good conduct and key moral principles
Expression of religious identity
Religion, gender and sexuality
Religion and science
Religion and secularisation
Religion and religious pluralism.
Section B: The dialogue between philosophy of religion and religion.

How religion is influenced by, and has an influence on philosophy of religion in relation to the issues studied.

Section C: The dialogue between ethical studies and religion.

How religion is influenced by, and has an influence on ethical studies in relation to the issues studied.

How it's assessed

Written exam: 3 hours
100 marks
50% of A-level
Questions

Section A: Study of religion – two compulsory two-part questions, each worth 10 marks and 15 marks relating to the religion chosen. Questions may be set that span more than one topic. In each two-part question, the first part tests AO1 and the second part tests AO2.

Section B: The dialogue between philosophy of religion and religion – one unstructured synoptic question from a choice of two (25 marks).

Section C: The dialogue between ethical studies and religion – one unstructured synoptic question from a choice of two (25 marks).

(from the official website)