Eduqas GCSE Religious Studies Route A (C120): complete guide to the three components, Christianity, Islam and the four themes

Eduqas (WJEC) GCSE Religious Studies Route A (specification C120, the Full Course) is a linear course assessed by three written exams at the end of Year 11. There is no coursework. The course has two halves: you study two religions in depth for their beliefs, teachings and practices, then apply religious and non-religious worldviews to four contemporary philosophical and ethical themes. This page is the index: below is a map of the three components, the religions and themes, the a, b, c, d question ladder, and the exam skills that run across the whole course. On this site the two religions are Christianity and Islam, the most widely taught route.

The three components

Route A splits the course across three exams.

• Component 1: Religious, Philosophical and Ethical Studies in the Modern World. A 2-hour paper worth 50% of the GCSE. It has four parts, one per theme: relationships, life and death, good and evil, and human rights. Each theme is studied from religious and non-religious perspectives (including Humanism).
• Component 2: Study of Christianity. A 1-hour paper worth 25% of the GCSE, covering Christian beliefs and teachings and practices.
• Component 3: Study of a World Faith. A 1-hour paper worth 25% of the GCSE. You study one faith from Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam, Judaism or Sikhism; on this site it is Islam (beliefs and teachings and practices).

Across the qualification the two assessment objectives are weighted AO1 50% (knowledge and understanding of beliefs, teachings, practices and sources) and AO2 50% (analysis and evaluation of religious and non-religious arguments). SPaG is worth 5% of the total and is assessed on Components 1 and 2.

The two religions

You study Christianity for Component 2 and Islam for Component 3, each split into beliefs and teachings and practices. The content covered in depth on this site is below.

Christianity: beliefs and teachings

The nature of God and the Trinity, creation and the incarnation, the crucifixion, resurrection and ascension, sin, salvation and the afterlife, and the problem of evil and suffering.

Christianity: practices

Worship, prayer and the sacraments, baptism and the Eucharist, pilgrimage and celebrations (Christmas and Easter), the role of the local church, and the worldwide church and mission.

Islam: beliefs and teachings

Tawhid and the nature of Allah, the six beliefs of Sunni Islam and the five roots of Shia Islam, Risalah (prophethood) and the holy books, angels and predestination (Al-Qadr), and Akhirah (the afterlife).

Islam: practices

The Five Pillars and the Ten Obligatory Acts, the Shahadah and Salah, Sawm and Zakah, Hajj, and jihad and the festivals.

The four themes (Component 1)

Component 1 is the largest paper and applies worldviews to contemporary issues. On this site it is studied from Christian, Islamic and non-religious (including Humanist) perspectives.

• Issues of Relationships. Marriage, divorce, family, gender equality and human sexuality.
• Issues of Life and Death. The origins of life, the value and sanctity of life, abortion, euthanasia and the environment.
• Issues of Good and Evil. Crime and punishment, the aims of punishment, forgiveness, and suffering and evil.
• Issues of Human Rights. Human rights and responsibilities, prejudice and discrimination, social justice and the use of wealth.

The skills that run across the course

Every section, in every component, is examined with the same fixed four-part question ladder, and the marks come from matching your answer to each part.

1. Precise knowledge (AO1). Define, describe and explain beliefs, teachings and practices accurately, using the correct specialist terms (the a 2-mark, b 5-mark and c 8-mark questions).
2. Sources of wisdom and authority. Support points with named sources: Bible verses and the teachings of Jesus, or Qur'an references and hadith. Eduqas explicitly rewards this in the c and d questions.
3. Evaluation (AO2). Answer the 15-mark d question with reasoned arguments on both sides, religious and non-religious, and a justified conclusion.
4. Specialist vocabulary for SPaG. The 15-mark d answers carry the spelling, punctuation and grammar marks on Components 1 and 2, so write in accurate continuous prose with correct technical terms.

Browse the module overviews for the content and the dot-point pages for each topic.

How to study Eduqas Religious Studies

Religious Studies rewards detailed knowledge and disciplined argument in equal measure.

1. Learn beliefs with their sources. A belief you can anchor in a named source (a verse, a teaching, a hadith) is worth far more than a vague one.
2. Compare within and between religions. Note where Christians or Muslims agree and where they diverge (for example Catholic and Protestant views, or Sunni and Shia practice), and note common and divergent views within each faith.
3. Drill the four question types. The a, b and c questions are marked very differently from the d question, so practise each against the mark scheme.
4. Build both-sides arguments. For every ethical issue, prepare reasoned arguments for and against, including non-religious and Humanist views, so the d question is never a surprise.
5. Bank specialist terms. Accurate vocabulary (Trinity, incarnation, Tawhid, sanctity of life, just war) earns the SPaG marks on the evaluation answers.

The modules, dot point by dot point

Each module has an overview guide, dot-point answer pages and a quiz. Browse the full set at /gcse-eduqas/religious-studies/syllabus.

For the official specification

Eduqas publishes the full specification (C120), past papers and mark schemes at eduqas.co.uk. Always revise from the current specification and Eduqas's own past papers, because the question style and the choice of world faith and themes are board-specific, and confirm which world faith and which options your school follows.