REFLECTIVE STUDIES
Course: Religious Studies
Level: GCSE AQA
Course Content
If you’re a deep thinker and love a debate, this is the course for you! In this course we will delve into issues that are relevant to your world today, providing students with a forum to voice your own opinion and learn about the opinions of other cultures and social groups. Students will study the relationship between religion and life in the UK and the global community.
Component 1: The study of religions: beliefs, teachings and practices
Christianity:
Students will analyse the common and divergent views within Christianity in the way beliefs and teachings are understood and expressed will be included throughout. Students may refer to a range of different Christian perspectives in their answers including Catholic, Orthodox and Protestant. By analysing how rich the religion is students will have an opportunity to debate the nature of the different traditions.
Islam:
Students will study the common and divergent views within Islam in the way beliefs and teachings are understood and expressed will be included throughout. We will refer to a range of different Muslim perspectives in our answers, including those from Sunni and Shi’a Islam. Students will have opportunity to debate the key concepts of Islam while linking it to the key themes outlined in Component 2.
Component 2 – Thematic studies
- Relationships and families
- Religion and life
- Religion, crime and punishment
- Religion, human rights and social justice
Assessment
Students will sit 2 examinations at the end of Year 11.
Component 1 – 50% of the final GCSE grade and it is a 1h 45m exam.
Component 2 – 50% of the final GCSE grade and it is a 1h 45m exam.
Progression
Students may progress to study A Level Religious Studies or Philosophy. The cross curricular skills developed in this course (such as empathy, debating, team work and evaluating situations) are highly valued by educators and employers. There are a number of careers that look for these skills such as medicine, nursing, social work, law and many more.