GCSE Religious Studies

GCSE Religious Studies provides opportunities for learners to understand more about the world, the religious challenges it faces and their place within it. Following this GCSE course will deepen understanding of religions and their effect on society. It will develop learners’ competence in a wide range of skills and approaches and enable young people to become religiously informed and thoughtful, engaged citizens.

The course will:

Help you develop your knowledge and understanding of religions and non-religious beliefs, such as atheism and humanism.
Develop your knowledge and understanding of religious beliefs, teachings, practices, and sources of wisdom and authority, including through your reading of key religious texts, other texts, and scriptures of the religions you are studying.
Develop your ability to construct well-argued, well-informed, balanced and structured written arguments, demonstrating your depth and breadth of understanding of the subject.
Provide opportunities for you to engage with questions of belief, value, meaning, purpose, truth, and their influence on human life.
Challenge you to reflect on and develop your own values, beliefs and attitudes in the light of what you have learnt and contributes to your preparation for adult life in a pluralistic society and global community.

What will I learn?

Component 1, worth 50% (Year 10/11)

Religious, Philosophical and Ethical Studies in the Modern World.

You will study the following four themes:

Theme 1: Relationships

Theme 2: Life and Death

Theme 3: Good and Evil

Theme 4: Human Rights

Component 2, worth 25% (Year 10, terms 1 & 2) 

Study of Christianity 

You will study the beliefs, teachings and practices of Christianity. 

Component 3, worth 25% (Year 9, terms 2 & 3) 

Study of a World Faith (Buddhism)  

Each component will be assessed by compulsory questions focusing on knowledge, understanding and evaluation of the identified themes. 

This course will be assessed by three exams at the end of Year 11. 

Further information:

For further information in the Religious Studies GCSE Specification: Click Here