Key term
AQA GCSE Religious Studies A 8062
BuddhismReligion
Topic overviewThe life of the BuddhaThe Dhamma and the Three Marks of ExistenceThe human personality and human destinyThe Four Noble TruthsThe Eightfold Path and the Threefold WayPlaces of worship, puja and devotional practiceMeditation: samatha, vipassana and visualisationDeath, mourning and Buddhist festivalsKamma, rebirth, compassion and loving kindnessThe five precepts and the six perfections
ChristianityReligion
Topic overviewThe nature of God and the problem of evilThe Trinity and the role of Word and Spirit in creationThe incarnation, crucifixion, resurrection and ascensionSin, salvation and atonementResurrection, judgement, heaven and hellForms of worship and prayerBaptism and the meaning of sacramentHoly Communion and the EucharistPilgrimage, Christmas and EasterThe Church in the local and worldwide community
Catholic ChristianityReligion
Topic overviewThe Trinity and the Nicene CreedCreation, human dignity and stewardshipThe incarnation and redemptionLife after death: judgement, heaven, hell and purgatoryThe sacramental nature of reality and the sacraments of initiationThe eucharist and the sacraments of healing and servicePrayer, the Lord's Prayer and popular pietyPilgrimage and the Catholic funeral riteCatholic social teaching and loving our neighbourMission, evangelism and Catholic agencies
HinduismReligion
Topic overviewBrahman and the three features of the divineThe Tri-murti, the deities and avataraMatter, maya and Hindu cosmologyAtman, samsara, karma and mokshaDharma, the four aims and personal virtuesPlaces and focuses of worshipForms of worship: havan, puja, arati and darshanDiwali, Holi and pilgrimageThe four paths of yogaHindu environmental projects and charities
IslamReligion
Topic overviewTawhid and the six articles of faithThe nature of God: mercy, justice and AdalatAngels, predestination and human freedomAkhirah: resurrection, judgement, heaven and hellRisalah, the holy books and the imamateShahadah, the Five Pillars and the Ten Obligatory ActsSalah and its significanceSawm and zakah: fasting and almsgivingHajj: the pilgrimage to MakkahJihad and the festivals of Islam
JudaismReligion
Topic overviewThe nature of God and the ShekhinahThe Messiah, judgement and life after deathThe Covenant with Abraham and the Covenant at SinaiThe mitzvot, free will and key moral principlesThe synagogue and its featuresPublic worship, the Amidah and prayer in the homeShabbat in the home and the synagogueTenakh, Talmud and the dietary lawsBrit Milah, Bar and Bat Mitzvah, marriage and mourningRosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur and Pesach
SikhismReligion
Topic overviewThe Mool Mantar and the nature of GodGod as Creator and God's relationship with creationHuman life, the Sikh virtues and living as a gurmukhKarma, rebirth and the aim of muktiThe equality of all, sewa and the sangatThe gurdwara and its religious featuresPrayer in the home, nam japna and the akhand pathLangar and the gurdwara in the Sikh communityFestivals and visiting historical gurdwarasBirth and naming, Amrit Sanskar and the Five Ks
Theme A: Relationships and FamiliesTheme
Theme B: Religion and LifeTheme
Theme C: The Existence of God and RevelationTheme
Theme D: Religion, Peace and ConflictTheme
Topic overviewPeace, justice, forgiveness and reconciliationViolence, violent protest and terrorismReasons for war: greed, self-defence and retaliationThe just war theoryHoly war and religion as a cause of conflictNuclear weapons and weapons of mass destructionPacifism, peace-making and the victims of war
Theme E: Religion, Crime and PunishmentTheme
Theme F: Religion, Human Rights and Social JusticeTheme
Theme G: St Mark’s Gospel: The Life of JesusTextual studies
Topic overviewJohn the Baptist, the baptism and the temptationEarly miracles and the rejection at NazarethCaesarea Philippi and the transfigurationPassion predictions, true greatness and BartimaeusThe Last Supper and GethsemaneThe trials, the crucifixion and the empty tombThe titles of Jesus and the authority of Mark's gospel
Theme H: St Mark’s Gospel as a Source of Religious, Moral and Spiritual TruthsTextual studies
Topic overviewThe parables of the KingdomEntering the Kingdom: children, wealth and the greatest commandmentJesus and those his society rejectedFaith, giving and devotionThe call and mission of the disciplesThe cost of discipleship, and failureThe commission, and the authority of Jesus' teaching today
Theme B: Religion and Life
- 7 subtopics
- 21 things to know
- Paper 2
- Paper 2, one of the four themes chosen
What Theme B: Religion and Life covers
Theme B: Religion and Life is examined in Paper 2, Thematic studies — one of the four themes chosen, marked out of 24. It covers the origins of the universe, stewardship, dominion and the value of the world, the use and abuse of the environment, the use and abuse of animals, the origins of human life: creation and evolution, sanctity of life, quality of life and abortion and euthanasia, death and life after death.
Where it is assessed
Paper 2
Thematic studies — one of the four themes chosen.
Check the AQA specification ↗The 7 subtopics
Each one has its own page.
- The origins of the universeThe subtopic covers creation ex nihilo in Genesis and the Qur'an, literal and non-literal readings, the Big Bang theory and the age of the universe, Christian responses to it, the humanist view, and whether science and religion conflict.Open →
- Stewardship, dominion and the value of the worldThese questions explain dominion and stewardship with the Genesis texts, Psalm 24 on who owns the earth, awe and wonder, the Muslim idea of the steward and the mizan, judgement for care of the earth, and non-religious reasons.Open →
- The use and abuse of the environmentStudents learn renewable and non-renewable resources, types of pollution, climate change, Pope Francis's teaching, conservation and the pull of economic growth, Qur'anic teaching on waste, and the humanist case for action.Open →
- The use and abuse of animalsThe subtopic covers animal experimentation, UK law and the three Rs, religious and non-religious arguments for and against testing, the Buddhist objection, vegetarianism, halal and kosher slaughter, and factory farming.Open →
- The origins of human life: creation and evolutionThese questions explain the creation of humans in Genesis and the Qur'an, the imago Dei, evolution and Darwin, creationism and intelligent design, how Christians relate evolution to God, and the humanist view.Open →
- Sanctity of life, quality of life and abortionStudents learn the sanctity and quality of life with biblical support, UK abortion law and viability, Christian arguments for and against abortion, double effect, the Islamic position, pro-life and pro-choice cases, and humanist views.Open →
- Euthanasia, death and life after deathThe subtopic covers voluntary, non-voluntary, active and passive euthanasia, assisted suicide and UK law, Christian and Islamic teaching, hospices and palliative care, and Christian, Muslim and humanist views of life after death.Open →
What you need to know
Answer each one before you reveal it.
Your recallNot started
Key term
What do sanctity of life and quality of life each mean?
Key term
What are the differences between voluntary and non-voluntary, and between active and passive, euthanasia?
Numbers
What is abortion, and what does the law in Great Britain allow?
Key term
What does the term creation ex nihilo mean?
Key term
Define stewardship.
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Define animal experimentation.
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What does Genesis 1:27 teach about human beings?
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What does Genesis 1:1 say about the beginning of the universe?
Key term
Define dominion.
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Define natural resources.
Numbers
What law controls animal experiments in the UK?
Key term
What does Genesis 2:7 say about how the first man was made?
Key term
Define euthanasia.
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How long does the Genesis account say creation took?
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What does Genesis 1:28 say about human beings and the earth?
Key term
Explain the difference between renewable and non-renewable resources.
Key term
What are the three Rs in animal research?
Key term
What is meant by the imago Dei?
Key term
Define sanctity of life.
Key term
Explain the difference between voluntary and non-voluntary euthanasia.
Take Theme B: Religion and Life further
The same content, four other ways.
Commonly confused
Pairs that lose marks when they are blurred together.
Dominion vs Stewardship
Dominion: authority over creation. Stewardship: responsibility for creation on God's behalf.
Sanctity of life vs Quality of life
Sanctity of life: the belief that life is holy because God gives it. Quality of life: a judgement about how good a life is.
Creationism vs Intelligent design
Creationism: reading Genesis literally. Intelligent design: arguing from complexity without naming Genesis.
Questions from this topic
Each one with the model answer underneath.
- 1
What does the term creation ex nihilo mean?
Model answer
Creation ex nihilo means creation out of nothing. Christians who use the phrase teach that God made the universe without using any existing material.
- 2
What does Genesis 1:1 say about the beginning of the universe?
Model answer
Genesis 1:1 states that in the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Christians read the verse as making God the source of everything that exists.
- 3
How long does the Genesis account say creation took?
Model answer
The Genesis account describes six days of creation. God rests on the seventh day in Genesis 2:2.
- 4
Explain the difference between a literal and a non-literal reading of Genesis 1.
Model answer
A literal reading treats the six days as six real days of creation. A non-literal reading treats the account as poetry teaching that God is the creator.
- 5
What is meant by the Big Bang theory?
Model answer
The Big Bang theory states that the universe began from a single extremely hot, dense point. Space has been expanding ever since.
- 6
State roughly how old scientists believe the universe to be.
Model answer
Scientists date the universe at about 13.8 billion years old.
What is inside Levo
Six ways to work the same material.
Theme B: Religion and Life revision questions
- What does Theme B: Religion and Life cover in AQA GCSE Religious Studies A?
- 7 subtopics: the origins of the universe, stewardship, dominion and the value of the world, the use and abuse of the environment, the use and abuse of animals, the origins of human life: creation and evolution, sanctity of life, quality of life and abortion and euthanasia, death and life after death. Each one has its own page with questions and model answers.
- How is Theme B: Religion and Life organised?
- By the AQA 8062 specification, subtopic by subtopic, so it matches the order you are taught it in.
Every question in Theme B: Religion and Life, on a schedule.
Attempt a question from memory, write the correct version, then attempt it again. Levo records the jump between your first attempt and your last, and brings each question back on the day you are due to forget it.
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