What does Theme A Relationships and families cover?

It covers the nature and purpose of marriage, cohabitation and same-sex marriage, divorce and remarriage, the purpose of families and the roles of parents and children, gender equality and gender roles, human sexuality including homosexual relationships, sex before and outside marriage, and the use of contraception and family planning.

How are the thematic studies assessed?

The four themes are examined on Paper 2 of AQA GCSE Religious Studies A. Students answer questions on four themes from a choice, each worth 24 marks, following the 1, 2, 4, 5 and 12 mark pattern. Answers must include religious teachings, usually from Christianity and one other religion.

Which religions are used in the thematic answers?

Students refer to the beliefs and teachings of Christianity and at least one other religion they have studied, most often Islam. Contrasting views within and between religions are rewarded, especially in the 12 mark evaluation questions.

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Theme A: Relationships and families overview - AQA GCSE Religious Studies A

An overview of Theme A, Relationships and families, for AQA GCSE Religious Studies A (8062), covering marriage, divorce, the family, gender roles, sexuality and contraception.

Generated by Claude Opus 4.86 min readTheme AUpdated 2026-06-02

Reviewed by: AI editorial process; not yet individually human-reviewed

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

Theme A: Relationships and families is one of the thematic studies examined on Paper 2 of AQA GCSE Religious Studies A (8062). It applies religious teachings to marriage, family life, gender and sexuality.

What the theme covers

Marriage and divorce: the purpose of marriage, cohabitation, same-sex marriage, and attitudes to divorce and remarriage.
Families and gender roles: the purpose of the family, parents and children, and gender equality and roles.
Sexuality and contraception: sex before and outside marriage, homosexuality, and contraception and family planning.

How it is assessed

Theme A is one of the four themes answered on Paper 2. Questions follow the 1, 2, 4, 5 and 12 mark pattern and require religious teachings from Christianity and usually Islam, with contrasting views in the evaluation question.

How to study it

For each issue, learn the traditional and liberal positions in Christianity and Islam, with a teaching or quotation for each. Practise contrasting two views and writing balanced 12 mark answers with a justified conclusion.

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)