OCR GCSE Religious Studies (J625): complete guide to the papers, the two religions and the philosophy and ethics themes

OCR GCSE Religious Studies (specification J625, the Full Course) is a linear course assessed by three written papers 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 a religious worldview to four contemporary philosophy and ethics themes. This page is the index: below is a map of the three papers, the religions and themes, the question pattern, 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 papers

J625 splits the course across two component groups and three papers.

• Component Group 1: Beliefs and teachings and Practices (two papers). You choose two religions from Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Buddhism and Hinduism. Each religion has its own 1-hour paper worth 63 marks (including 3 SPaG marks) and 25% of the GCSE. On this site these are Christianity (J625/01) and Islam (J625/02).
• Component Group 2: Religion, philosophy and ethics in the modern world (one paper). A 2-hour paper worth 126 marks (including 6 SPaG marks) and 50% of the GCSE. It is taken from the perspective of one of the two religions you studied in Component Group 1, covering four themes.

Across the qualification the two assessment objectives are weighted roughly AO1 50% (knowledge and understanding of beliefs, teachings, practices and sources) and AO2 50% (analysis and evaluation of religious and non-religious arguments).

The two religions and the four themes

You take the same two religions through both component groups, and your philosophy and ethics paper is written from the perspective of one of them. The content covered in depth on this site is below.

Christianity: beliefs and teachings (J625/01)

The nature of God and the Trinity, creation and the incarnation, the crucifixion, resurrection and ascension, sin, salvation and atonement, and eschatology and the afterlife.

Christianity: practices (J625/01)

Forms of worship and prayer, the sacraments of baptism and the Eucharist, pilgrimage and the festivals of Christmas and Easter, the role of the Church in the local and worldwide community, and mission, evangelism and reconciliation.

Islam: beliefs and teachings (J625/02)

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 (J625/02)

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

Religion, philosophy and ethics (J625/06 Christian or J625/07 Islamic perspective). Four themes: relationships and families; the existence of God, gods and the ultimate reality; religion, peace and conflict; and dialogue between religious and non-religious beliefs and attitudes.

The skills that run across the course

Every topic, in every paper, is examined with the same fixed five-part question structure, and the marks come from matching your answer to each part.

1. Precise knowledge (AO1). State, describe and explain beliefs, teachings and practices accurately, using the correct specialist terms (the 1, 2, 3 and 6-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. OCR explicitly rewards this.
3. Evaluation (AO2). Answer the 15-mark "Discuss this statement" question with reasoned arguments on both sides, religious and non-religious, and a justified conclusion.
4. Specialist vocabulary for SPaG. The named evaluation question carries the spelling, punctuation, grammar and specialist-terms marks (3 per beliefs-and-practices paper, 6 on the philosophy and ethics paper).

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

How to study OCR 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).
3. Drill the five question types. The 1, 2, 3 and 6-mark questions are marked very differently from the 15-mark evaluation, 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 evaluation question is never a surprise.
5. Bank specialist terms. Accurate vocabulary (Trinity, omnipotent, Tawhid, sanctity of life, just war) earns the SPaG marks on the evaluation question.

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-ocr/religious-studies/syllabus.

For the official specification

OCR publishes the full specification (J625), past papers and mark schemes at ocr.org.uk. Always revise from the current specification and OCR's own past papers, because the question style and the choice of religions and themes are board-specific, and confirm which two religions and which perspective your school follows.