What does the Christianity Practices unit cover?

It covers forms of worship (liturgical, non-liturgical and informal), private worship and prayer, the sacraments of baptism and the Eucharist, the festivals of Christmas and Easter, the role of the local and worldwide Church, and Christian mission, evangelism and charitable work.

How is the Practices unit assessed?

Christianity Practices is examined in Paper 1 alongside Christianity Beliefs. It follows the same 1, 2, 4, 5 and 12 mark question pattern, and the 12 mark question asks for an evaluation of a statement with arguments for and against and a reference to a source of religious authority.

Why does the unit focus on the local church and charity?

AQA wants students to see how belief turns into action. The role of the Church includes practical work such as food banks and street pastors, and Christian charity includes agencies such as Christian Aid and CAFOD, showing how Christians put love of neighbour into practice.

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Christianity: Practices overview - AQA GCSE Religious Studies A

An overview of the Christianity Practices unit for AQA GCSE Religious Studies A (8062), covering worship, prayer, the sacraments, festivals, the role of the Church and charity.

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What the unit covers
How it is assessed
How to study it
For the official specification

This unit, Christianity: Practices, is the second Christianity section on Paper 1 of AQA GCSE Religious Studies A (8062). It examines how Christians live out their faith through worship, sacraments, festivals and service to the community.

What the unit covers

Forms of worship: liturgical, non-liturgical and informal worship, and the place of private worship.
Prayer: set prayers such as the Lord's Prayer and informal prayer.
Sacraments: baptism (infant and believers') and the Eucharist, with denominational differences.
Festivals: the meaning and celebration of Christmas and Easter.
The role of the Church: the local church in the community (food banks, street pastors) and the worldwide Church.
Mission and charity: evangelism, reconciliation and the work of Christian aid agencies.

How it is assessed

Christianity Practices is one section of Paper 1. Questions test knowledge of practices and require you to explain their meaning and importance, ending with a 12 mark evaluation question that uses a source of authority.

How to study it

For each practice, learn what it is, how it is done, why it matters, and how denominations differ (for example Catholic and Protestant views of the Eucharist). Link practices back to beliefs, and learn named examples such as Christian Aid and street pastors.

For the official specification

AQA publishes the full specification, past papers and mark schemes at aqa.org.uk. Always revise from the current specification and AQA past papers.

Sources & how we know this

AQA GCSE Religious Studies A (8062) specification — AQA (2016)