AQA GCSE Religious Studies A guide FAQ (8062)
Guide overview All 15 topics Sample questions Papers and weighting Look inside Questions and answers
AQA GCSE Religious Studies A: questions and answers
Specification 8062. Two sets, because students and parents ask different things.
For students
I only study two religions and four themes. Is the rest wasted?
No. Component 1 is two religions of seven. Component 2 is four themes of eight. That is six of the fifteen topics in the guide.
All fifteen are here because no two schools pick the same six. Work yours and skip the rest. Each is a separate page.
Is Christianity different from Catholic Christianity?
Yes, and they are separate options. AQA treats Catholic Christianity as its own study with its own content, and a school teaching it is not teaching the general Christianity option. Both are in the guide as separate topics.
Which specification am I on, A or B?
This guide is Religious Studies A, 8062, the larger of AQA’s two GCSE Religious Studies specifications. Specification B is 8063 and is structured differently.
The code is on your exam timetable.
Do I need to quote scripture?
You need the sources of authority and what they teach. A named text or teaching supporting a point is credited where the same point without one is not. The guide asks for the source and its content separately.
Do I need views I disagree with?
Yes. The specification asks for divergent views within a religion as well as between religions, and for non-religious views including humanism and atheism.
How long does one session take?
About twenty minutes for one subtopic, all three steps. Topics run from 91 to 140 questions.
Can I do it in my head instead of writing?
Write. Religious Studies marks turn on precise teachings and named sources. The method page sets out the evidence.
Do I still need past papers?
Yes. This guide handles recall. Past papers train the twelve-mark evaluative questions where you weigh views against each other. AQA publishes them free.
For parents
What is this, in plain terms?
A PDF of 1,734 exam-style questions covering all seven religions and all eight themes of AQA GCSE Religious Studies A, with the answers printed after each topic.
My child studies two religions. Why does it cover seven?
Because schools choose any two from seven, and four themes from eight. Carrying all of it is what makes one guide work for every student. A student works six of the fifteen topics.
How do I check it is the right course?
The specification code is on the exam timetable. This guide is AQA 8062, Religious Studies A. AQA also runs 8063, Religious Studies B, which is a different course.
How do I know if it is being used properly?
There should be handwritten answers on paper and three passes over the same questions, and two scores per session to compare.
How much is it compared with a textbook?
£7.00 for all seven religions and all eight themes. A GCSE Religious Studies revision guide is usually £6 to £10 and covers one or two religions.
How much time does it take?
Only six of the fifteen topics are worked, so roughly 50 subtopics at twenty minutes each is about 17 hours across two years.
What else does my child need?
Past papers, free from AQA, and their own notes for anything not yet taught.
AQA GCSE Religious Studies A Active Recall Guide
1,734 questions with their answers, 126 subtopics, one file.