S16 E1 The One About GCSE AQA Paper 1
- louisajanesmith
- Sep 2
- 4 min read
Updated: Sep 8
Welcome back to a new school year and a new season of the RE Podcast. Over the summer, I have recorded a series of episodes to support GCSE RE - specifically AQA Islam and Christianity. If you are a student of GCSE RE, or a teacher of GCSE RE who is new to teaching GCSE, or new to AQA, or you are a teacher from another subject teaching GCSE for the first time, then I hope these episodes are really helpful to you to consolidate learning, or prepare for exams if you are a student, or to help you feel more confident if you are a teacher.
This episode offers an overview of Paper 1 - Religious Beliefs and practices, looking at the structure of the exam, how to do the different exam questions as well as some top tips for the exam. PLEASE MAKE SURE YOU HAVE A COPY OF A NEW STYLE EXAM PAPER TO HAND
Each episode after that will offer an overview of the main content and apply them to some key exam questions.
Copies of the exam questions used in the episode are below.
Give one Muslim belief about angels. [1 mark]
Answer 1
Muslims believe that the angel Jibril revealed the Qur’an to Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) on the night of power.
Answer 2
They are made of light.
Explain two ways in which the problem of evil and suffering influences Christians today. [4 marks]
Answer 1
One way is by trying to reduce as much evil and suffering through being good people. This is because they believe evil and suffering is caused by humans. Another way is by being hopeful of an afterlife. This is because they believe that in heaven there will be no more evil and suffering.
Explain two different ways in which Christians work for reconciliation
Explain two different ways pilgrimage is experienced in Iona
Explain two different religious practices Muslims could perform during Ashura
Explain two different ways in which Muslims may perform Salah
Explain two Christian beliefs about sin. Refer to sacred writings or another source of Christian belief and teaching in your answer [6 marks]
Answer 1: 3/6
Christians believe sin is bad for us. It affects people negatively.
Christians believe original sin was the first time God was disobeyed. Adam and Eve ate from the tree. ‘The Lord God sent him out the Garden of Eden.
Answer 2: 6/6
One belief is that sin damages the relationship between God and humans. By disobeying God, Christians get further away from God because sin separates God and humans. In the Bible it says; ‘The Lord God sent him out of the Garden of Eden’. This shows the separation between God and Adam caused by his sin.
Another belief is Adam and Eve committed the original sin – eating from the tree of knowledge of good and evil from which God had told them not to eat. All Christians are now born with original sin.
Explain two Muslim beliefs about prophets. Refer to sacred writings or another source of Muslim belief and teaching in your answer
Answer 1: 3/6
The prophets are special people given a message from Allah to spread.
Another belief is that Mohammed is the final prophet. He was given the Qur’an which is the word Allah and the final book sent. The Qur’an says, Allah is one.
Answer 2: 6/6
One belief is that Allah sends prophets to deliver his message. All prophets share the same message of believing in one God (Tawhid)
Another belief is that Muhammad is the final prophet. He was given the Qur’an which is the word of Allah for Muslims. The Qur’an says Muhammad is the ‘seal of the prophets’. This means there are no more prophets needed as Muslims now have the Qur’an.
Explain two Muslim beliefs about the Qur’an. Refer to sacred writings or another source of Muslim belief and teaching in your answer
Explain two reasons why the Lord's prayer is important to Christians. Refer to sacred writings or another source of Muslim belief and teaching in your answer
Explain two reasons why celebrating Christmas is important to Christians. Refer to sacred writings or another source of Muslim belief and teaching in your answer
Explain two reasons why the Five Pillars of Islam is important to Muslims. Refer to sacred writings or another source of Muslim belief and teaching in your answer
Explain two reasons why the night of power is important to Muslims. Refer to sacred writings or another source of Muslim belief and teaching in your answer
The 12-marker
Belief in the afterlife is the MOST important Christian belief. Evaluate this statement
The most important duty for Christians is to grow the church. Evaluate this statement.
The most important duty for Christians is to grow the church. Evaluate this statement.
There are more similarities than differences between sunni and shia beliefs. Evaluate this statement
For Muslims, the best way to worship Allah is through Sawm (fasting). Evaluate this statement.
Belief in Jesus is all Christians need to be saved from sin. Evaluate the statement.
Conclusion
To summarise, though many agree that Jesus is all that is needed in order to be freed from sin, it is not the only way. The arguments that other factors contribute is just as convincing. While belief in Jesus frees you from the consequence of sin, the evidence suggests Christians need good works to help free their mind from sin, so you need them both together. To say both are equally important is the strongest argument as it comes from a source of authority, it is what Jesus taught through the parable of the sheep and the goats and what Paul taught – faith without works is dead. It is the strongest argument because it makes logical sense as anyone can say they believe but you need to demonstrate your belief in your actions. Therefore, in conclusion, belief in Jesus is NOT all you need to be freed from sin.
SALE method.
S stands for supported by most people,
A stands for Authority - which argument is supported by religious authorities like a holy book or key religious person,
L stands for logical - which argument makes the most sense
E stands for Evidence - which argument is supported by the most evidence OR Ethical - which argument might lead to the most ethical actions
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