Key Stage 4

Time Allocation: Religious Education is studied for three hours per week, which fulfils the requirements of the Bishops’ Conference.

Grouping: Mixed ability classes

Exam Board: AQA Specification B

Course Content: GCSE RE is an interesting, challenging and thought-provoking course, which encourages students to deepen their understanding of the Catholic faith as well as the faiths of others. The course is divided into three components: Catholic Christianity, Judaism and Thematic Studies. These components give students the opportunity to discuss controversial and sensitive issues, such as euthanasia, the sanctity of life and equality in a safe environment where constructive debate is encouraged. Students will develop their evaluation and referencing skills and familiarise themselves with highly sophisticated texts, including the Catechism of the Catholic Church, the Tenakh, Pope John Paul II’s ‘Theology of the Body’ among others. They will then be able to use these sources of religious authority to help them understand fundamental religious teachings, before applying them to modern day life, comparing religious and secular views. Prior to starting the GCSE course, students will complete a unit of work in Philosophy and a unit of Islam. Below is a summary of the KS4 content: 

Formative Assessment:

Students will be assessed at the end of each topic. Their assessment paper will follow the structure of AQA exams to build familiarity. Students will also complete common task assessments midway through topics to check progress and understanding.

Summative Assessment:

There are three elements to the final assessment of this course:

Paper 1 (50%): Catholic Christianity

Paper 2 (50%): Judaism (25%); Thematic Studies (25%)

Both assessments will take place at the end of Year 11.

Skills Profile: What skills will a GCSE RE student have?

As a student of RE you will be able to discuss sensitive topics respectfully, expressing ideas and supporting them with evidence from sources of authority. You will also be continuously seeking to link religious beliefs and practices to modern society, and applying religious concepts to recent events. As you build on your written and verbal communication skills, you should be making efforts to incorporate the use of religious language within your responses.

Career opportunities:

Many students go into further study, teaching or careers in a wide variety of fields. Students learn a wide variety of skills through religious studies, like critical thinking, clear academic writing, problem solving and analysis of social and historical trends. These lend themselves to any number of different jobs.

For this reason, students go on to work as journalists, politicians, accountants, police officers, interior designers; the spectrum of possibilities is almost limitless. A substantial percentage of theology graduates train for a career in law. The ethical aspect of theology lends itself to a career in the third sector, and many graduates end up working for charities and non-governmental organisations, either with a religious mission or without.

Famous Subject Specialists:

Jack Gleeson (actor, Game of Thrones): Philosophy and Theology

Theo James (actor, Divergent trilogy): Philosophy

Katy Brand (writer, comedian): Theology

Ricky Gervais (comedian): Philosophy

Justin Vernon (musician, Bon Iver): Religious Studies

Maggie Gyllenhaal (actress, White House Down): Eastern Religions and Philosophy

Martin Luther King Jr (civil rights activist): Theology

For more information, please contact Miss Boland (Curriculum Leader) or any member of the RE department. In addition, you can refer to the AQA website https://www.aqa.org.uk/subjects/religious-studies/gcse/religious-studies-b-8063