Key Stage 4
PRE at GCSE
GCSE Religious Studies at Newark Academy aims to deepen and extend our students’ interest in the study of religion in relation to a range of key local, national and international issues. Building on their KS3 studies, GCSE enables students to further develop their core knowledge and skills in RS. Students will examine the significance and impact of religious traditions through their key sources, practices, and ways of life. Thus, students are enabled to develop informed personal responses to a range of current moral and ethical issues including crime, war and animal rights.
AQA Religious Studies A
Paper 1: Religion
Christian Beliefs e.g. Jesus, Salvation, afterlife and creation story
Christian Practice e.g. prayer, pilgrimage, food banks and street pastors
Sikh Beliefs e.g. Guru Nanak, Mool Mantra, karma and liberation
Sikh Practices e.g. Gurdwra, Diwali, Amrit, Langar and seva
Paper 2: Themes
Religion and Life e.g. how the world began, abortion, euthanasia, life after death and animal testing
Existence of God and Revelation e.g. Design argument, evil and suffering, Revelation and enlightenment
Religion and Peace and Conflict e.g. war, holy war, WMD and peace
Religion and Crime and Punishment e.g. why people commit crimes, how to punish people, which is the best way, death penalty and corporal punishment
How students will be assessed
Students will be assessed throughout the year on each unit of work as it is completed. They will also sit extended assessments covering more than one unit of work to mirror the GCSE exam.
The examination board is AQA and consists of two separate papers (each is 1 hour 45 minutes). There is no coursework component.
For more information on Religious Studies A please visit www.aqa.org.uk
What it can lead to
GCSE RS can help support students on their journey to A Level studies, and is particular good preparation for further study in Philosophy, English, Psychology and Sociology.
A qualification in RS provides excellent training for a variety of careers including law, business, journalism, medicine, politics and the arts. RS helps students to become well-informed and independent thinkers, able to critically analyse and interpret information and to develop reasoned and informed arguments on important ethical and moral topics.