GCSE

RELIGIOUS STUDIES
Feedback on the 2023 exams

Post-event booklet (marked student responses with level/marks and commentaries)

Published: Autumn 2023

The content of this training course contains no reference to future exam content as far as we know at the
time of production.

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 Contents Page

Key area 1: Reading the question 4

Key area 2: Understanding and using specialist terms 10

Key area 3: Using sources of religious authority 16

Key area 4: AO2 questions 21

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Key area 1: Reading the
question
8062 paper 2A, Question 1.4
Explain two religious beliefs about the role of children within the family.
Refer to sacred writings or another source of religious belief and teaching in your answer.
[5 marks]

Mark scheme – generic content

Generally, all religions see children as having a duty to obey their parents which is part of showing
respect to them/respect should be shown in return for their parents’ love and commitment to
them/many religions see children has having roles within the family such as helping out with
chores/looking after siblings/learning about their religious faith/participating in religious practices
eg. being taught their religion, taking part in worship/they continue the family and traditions/care for
parents (in old age)/bring joy and happiness to parents, etc.

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Low-level response
Student A

Commentary
This student hasn’t read the question carefully and in the first part of the answer, has explained
parental responsibilities to their children. The first quotation isn’t found in the Gospels and the
second doesn’t relate to any teaching of Jesus to children.
2 marks

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Low-level response
Student B

Commentary
This student has also not read the question carefully. It is more about the role of parents and the
purpose of children rather than their role.
0 marks

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8062 paper 16 Question 1.3
Explain two ways in which belief in charity influences Jews today.[4 marks]

Mark scheme content

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High-level response

Student A

Commentary
This student has made two developed points. Good use of specialist terms.
4 marks

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High-level response
Student B

Commentary
This student’s answer is fairly brief, but nevertheless has done what was required. There are two
developed points, each showing the influence of the belief in charity on Jewish lives.
4 marks

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Key area 2: Understanding and
using specialist terms
8063 paper 1 Question 1.3
Explain two ways in which belief in the ‘Real Presence’ of Christ influences Catholics. [4
marks]

Mark scheme content.

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Low-level response
Student A

Commentary
This student has given one explanation of the Real Presence but has not given an influence.
1 mark

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Low-level response
Student B

Commentary
This student does not appear to understand the term ‘Real Presence’ but the second point gives
an influence that does relate to it, so has been credited.
1 mark

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8062 paper 11, Question 1.4
Explain two reasons why the Four Sights were important to Siddhartha Gautama (the
Buddha).
Refer to sacred writings or another source of Buddhist belief and teaching in your answer.
[5 marks]

Mark scheme content.

• The First Sight: the Buddha saw a frail old man / his first real experience of old age / this sight
showed the Buddha impermanence (anicca) and suffering (dukkha).
• The Second Sight: the Buddha saw someone lying in the road in agony / his first real
experience of illness / his first real experience of sickness / illness becomes a reality of life for
the Buddha / illness shows impermanence (anicca) and suffering (dukkha).
• The Third Sight; The Buddha saw a dead man carried through the streets in a funeral
procession / his first real experience of death / he realised that death comes to everyone / if
someone was born, they would go through the process of growing older, illness, suffering and
death / there was no escape, even for kings.
• The Fourth Sight; a different sight to the other three; a holy or religious man / the Buddha saw a
man dressed in rags and carrying an alms bowl / the man had a peaceful expression on his face
/ the Buddha felt inspired to be like this holy man and to become a wandering truth–seeker / this
was perhaps the beginning of the Buddha’s quest to search for the answer to the problem of
why people suffer and how to stop that suffering, etc.

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High-level response
Student A

Commentary
This student shows sound understanding of several specialist terms, using them appropriately.
4 marks

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High-level response
Student B

Commentary
This student also showed understanding through appropriate use of some specialist terms.
4 marks

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Key area 3: using sources of
religious authority
8062 paper 15 Question 1.4
Explain two Muslim beliefs about the Day of Judgement.

Refer to sacred writings or another source of Muslim belief and teaching in your answer. (5
marks)

Mark scheme content.

Sources of authority might include:

• ‘On couches of well-woven cloth they will sit facing each other.’ (Qur’an 56:15)
• ‘They will dwell amid scorching wind and scalding water in the shadow of black smoke,
neither cold nor refreshing.’ (Qur’an 56:42-44).
• On the Day faces will turn white and faces will turn black. As for those whose faces turn
black, [to them it will be said], ‘Did you disbelieve after your belief? Then taste the
punishment for what you used to reject.’ (Qur’an 3:106)
• ‘On the Day of Resurrection Allah will hold the whole earth and fold the heaven with His
right
hand and say, ‘I am the King: where are the kings of the earth?’ (hadith)

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Less successful response
Student A

Commentary
This student has given and explained two beliefs about the Day of Judgement. A quotation has
also been given, but can’t be credited as it was not attributed to a source of authority.
4 marks

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Less successful response
Student B

Commentary
This student has given two developed points about the Day of Judgement, but there’s no reference
to any source of authority.
4 marks

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8062 paper 2A, Question 4.4
Explain two reasons why some religious believers choose to work for an organisation that
helps victims of war.
Refer to sacred writings or another source of religious belief and teaching in your answer.
(5 marks)

Mark scheme – generic content

High-level response
Student A

Commentary
This student has made two developed reasons and has included a quotation which has been
correctly attributed to the Bible.
5 marks

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High-level response
Student B

Commentary
This student has made developed reason from Christianity and Buddhism. The quotation to
support the first reason is correctly attributed to St Mark’s Gospel.
5 marks

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Key area 4: AO2 questions
Levels of response for marking AO2 questions

8062 paper 13, Question 2.5

‘Following a set structure of worship is the best way for a Christian to get close to God.’
Evaluate this statement.
In your answer you should:
• refer to Christian teaching
• give reasoned arguments to support your statement
• give reasoned arguments to support a different point of view
• reach a justified conclusion (12 marks)

Mark scheme content.

Arguments in support
• Worship that follows a set pattern or routine becomes very familiar to worshippers / becomes a
tradition over centuries / so they can hope to understand God by repeating the routine and
meditating about its meaning.
• The liturgy will generally be led by a priest, and what the priest says and does will help
worshippers to understand God / for example in the Catholic Mass, worshippers will become used
to the Eucharistic Prayer which uses the words of Jesus at the Last Supper / which helps them to
understand that Jesus died in order to save humanity from sin.
• Liturgy enables people in any country to feel part of worship even when language is unfamiliar.

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• The Lord’s Prayer is generally used in structured worship, and it contains many pointers to how
Christians might understand God, for example: that God’s name is sacred, and that God requires
Christians to forgive others who have sinned against them / also the prayer closes with the
statement that the kingdom, power and glory all belong to God.
• Some may refer to the different understandings of the bread and wine in the Eucharist, for
example those in which the bread and wine are literally Jesus’ body and blood and those in which
they express spiritual truths about God / in either case worshippers may experience Jesus as a
living presence / gain insight into the nature of God, etc.

Arguments in support of other views

• Liturgical worship may be contrasted with non-liturgical, informal worship / where understanding
God is more personal.
• For example house churches are Christian groups who meet to worship in private homes / since
they believe that this form of worship is more in tune with the practices of early Christians / where
believers hope to understand God through informal (or less formal) prayer and worship.
• Members of house churches and other groups may share their own understanding and inspiration
/ and many believe that the Spirit is present at such meetings to inspire people to understand
God’s wishes.
• In such meetings, people might pray aloud / to share what they think/understand about God /
conversely Quaker worship is mainly silent / since different groups have different beliefs about how
to understand God.
• Some groups will share their own preferred readings and interpretations of the Bible / since many
believe that God can be understood in different ways / and that this understanding depends on
how a passage strikes the reader.
• Some aim to understand God through private / informal prayer / since again, this is seen as a
more personal attempt to understand God / in which the worshipper can ask God for gifts such as
healing or inspiration.
• Some churches aim to reproduce the disciples’ experience of the Spirit at Pentecost / so may
sing, dance and speak in tongues in order to understand God in a direct sense / where the
emotional impact can produce a variety of different behaviour such as music, dance, calling out /
this kind of worship is known as ‘charismatic’ (‘led by the Spirit’) / and in the Pentecostal Churches
worshippers will worship like this in large arenas where there will be a ‘laying on of hands’ to effect
cures through God’s power.
• Some will use both liturgical and non-liturgical worship / there does not have to be a divide
between the two / and much may depend on the situation of the worshipper / understanding God is
not just where the worshipper approaches God, but also where God enters the life of the
worshipper.
• Some might argue that no one can fully understand God / but they may experience God better
with one form of worship or another.
• Some might refer to actions Christians might take to draw closer to God outside of set structures
of worship / such as engaging with charitable volunteering or other community work in line with
Jesus’ teachings, etc.

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Low-level response

Student A

Commentary
This student makes three simple points: praying more, going to church more often and then getting
closer to God. The answer repeats the wording of the question many times, but there’s no
development of the points made. It is a Level 1 answer.
3 marks

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Low-level response
Student B

Commentary
This student has made two points, each of which has slight development. The answer is therefore
just into Level 2.
4 marks

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8062 paper 13, Question 1.5
‘Belief in Jesus is all that Christians need to be saved from sin.’ Evaluate this statement.
In your answer you should
• refer to Christian teaching
• give reasoned arguments to support your statement
• give reasoned arguments to support a different point of view
• reach a justified conclusion (12 marks)

Mark scheme content

Arguments in support
• All that Christians need to do to be saved from sin is to believe in/have faith in Jesus / Paul talks
about this in Romans 3–5 / everybody is saved who has faith in Jesus (3:20–26) / they are
treated as righteous because they believe.
• Christians are not justified by works (what they do) / nobody can earn righteousness and
be saved / being saved from sin is not a matter of bargain or sale.
• The sin of Adam and Eve separated humans from God / so that all humans inherit the original
sin of Adam and Eve / Jesus atoned for the sins of humanity by his sacrifice on the cross / but
this does not mean that people can earn a place in heaven by doing good works / because
they will always fall short of the standard set by Jesus / however, God loves humanity, and
salvation is
offered as a gift.
Salvation comes through God’s grace and the Spirit / even though humans will always fall short of
the standards set by Jesus / but Christians believe that grace is not earned but is given by the
presence of the Holy Spirit in their hearts / and by this they will be saved.
Paul concludes that ‘All are justified freely by God’s grace through the redemption that came by
Jesus’, etc.

Arguments in support of other views

If belief and grace were everything needed for Christians to be saved from sin, then everybody
would be saved / but the Bible makes it clear that this is not the case / the Parable of the Sheep
and the Goats, for example, makes it clear that those who do not live by God’s commands will
go to hell (Matthew 25:31–46) / to be saved, something more is needed.
Grace and Spirit are not themselves a certain way of being saved / good works are needed /
meaning that Christians should obey God’s commands as well as they are able.
Since Christians can never be perfect, God’s grace is what allows them to be saved even when
they have sinned / so long as they repent and try to follow God’s commands in the future.
If belief in Jesus were the only requirement for Christians to be saved / then they could break
some or all of God’s commands and still go to heaven.
Christians therefore need both faith and works to be saved from sin / this is what the Letter of
James says (2:14–26) / if a fellow human being lacks food or clothing and someone says they
love them but they do not feed or clothe them, that is useless / faith without works is dead / just
as a body without spirit is dead, faith without works is also dead.
Some Christians believe that baptism is needed to be saved from sin, etc.

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High-level response
Student A

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Commentary
This student has given a reasoned consideration of different views, with some references to
religion applied to the issue. Although it displays excellent knowledge and excellent understanding,
to move up to top of Level 4, the answer would need to be more obviously evaluative with the
content they are writing – you see this style of evaluation more clearly in the conclusion, and this
would have needed to be more consistently present through the answer to be top Level 4.
10 marks

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High-level response
Student B

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Commentary
This student has given reasoned consideration of different points of view, and there are some
examples an attempt at evaluation – for example, at the end of the first paragraph, so therefore
their bond and relationship with God will be strong’; at the end of the second paragraph, so the
belief it washes a person from original sin would be meaningful and would mean…’; and in the
conclusion, as I feel Christians should believe in many things to be saved from sin, and they should
also show their faith to prove it’. It is just into Level 4, but to be strongly into Level 4 [11 or 12
marks] it needed to be ‘a well-argued response’. It needed more depth in the points with greater
evidence of religion applied to the issue, and needed to have more evidence of ongoing evaluation.
10 marks

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Notes

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