February 2023 Religious Studies Subject Update
Welcome to your Pearson Edexcel Religious Studies February 2023 subject update!
Hello colleagues,
I hope you had a fantastic half term break and feel rested and refreshed ready for the new half term! I wanted to take the opportunity to share some useful resources, reminders and links to upcoming events with you. We hope you find them useful!
As always, if you have any questions about anything within this update or about our Religious Studies qualifications, please do get in touch at TeachingReligiousStudies@pearson.com!
Best wishes,
Susan Currey
Religious Studies Subject Advisor
In this update,
- A level 8-mark 'explore' exemplars
- GCSE Religious Studies: Online CPD events
- Upcoming RS conferences
- February Topic of the Month
- Dialogue Journal
- Bible Society resources: GCSE Specification A
- Connect with me on social media
- Become an examiner for GCSE or A level Religious Studies
- EPQ online assessment training
A level 8-mark 'Explore' exemplar answers
We have published a range of 8-mark 'Explore' student answers from the summer 2022 exam series to help exemplify how different levels and marks were awarded. These include answers across the range of papers and show different marks with analysis against the level descriptors.
Nb: You will need your Edexcel Online login details to access 2022 exam materials
| Assessment and Marking | Insight into (d) evaluation questions |
|---|---|
| Monday 13th March 2023 | Wednesday 29th March 2023 |
| (16:00-18:00 GMT) | (16:00-18:00 GMT) |
| Cost: £FREE | Cost: £40 |
| Designed for teachers who want to understand and apply marking principles at GCSE Religious Studies (Specification A & B). | Designed for teachers who want to understand how to teach and assess (d) evaluation questions at GCSE Religious Studies (Specification A & B). |
| Link to Booking Page | Link to Booking Page |
ATCRE National RS Conference 2023
A conference designed for teachers working within Catholic schools focused on 'Delivering the new RE Directory'.
Saturday 11th March 2023
10:00-15:45
ISRSA Conference 2023
A conference designed for RS teachers working within the independent sector focusing on Freedom of Religion and Belief.
Tuesday 21st March 2023
09:15-16:00
February 'Topic of the Month'
Every month, we release an edition of 'Topic of the Month' with the aim of supporting cultural capital and stimulating discussion within the classroom. Each edition ties a current news event to our qualification content and enables students to see the bigger picture of what they are learning and how it relates to the world around them.
Each edition includes a link to an article alongside some key discussion questions to encourage thought around the subject.
Our previous editions can be found on our qualification pages under the 'Topic of the Month' tab:
Our February edition looks at religious expression within Sikhi and restrictions on this within a legal setting.
Dialogue Journal
Dialogue is a journal aimed at supporting A-level Religious Studies and Philosophy. They publish a range of relevant, accesible articles on the Philosophy of Religion, Ethics and Religious Studies by specialists in different fields.
It is an online only resource and subscribers are free to share digital resources with colleagues and students at their school or college. It is published twice a year, in November and April.
The November 2022 edition includes a range of useful articles which can support teaching our Edexcel A level qualification but can also be used to stretch students at GCSE.
Articles include:
- The Trolly Problem: A Virtue-ethical Perspective
- Philosophy’s Long Search for Happiness Jules Evans, practical philosopher and writer. www.philosophyforlife.org
- Evil and Suffering: Classic Approaches and New Horizons Dr Tommy Lynch, Reader in Political Theology, University of Chichester.
- Natural Law Catherine Pepinster, Writer and Commentator on Religion.
- Gender and Society: Back to the Bible Glenn Bezalel, Director of Teaching and Learning, St Helen’s School, London.
- Prayer as Spiritual Networking: A New Answer to an Old Question Dr Elizabeth Burns, Reader in Philosophy of Religion and Programme Director for Bachelor of Divinity, University of London
- The Fine-tuning Argument: Does Physics show God exists? Dr Neil A. Manson, Professor of Philosophy, University of Mississippi.
- The Superficial Appeal of Moral Relativism Dr Piers Benn, Adjunct Professor, Philosophy, Fordham University London Centre
Bible Society resources to support GCSE Specification A
The Bible Society have a range of resources to support some of our GCSE RS Specification A areas of study. They have sources of wisdom student worksheets to support our Christianity, Catholic Christianity and Philosophy and Ethics units.
- Each booklet includes a selection of Bible passages that have been chosen to complement the relevant specification.
- Definitions of key terms and engaging tasks help the students to understand how the Bible informs Christian beliefs and concepts, and equip them with the biblical knowledge they need for their RS exams.
This is an invaluable opportunity to develop your knowledge and understanding of the subject area and assessment process, building your confidence as a teacher and assessor.
Become an examiner with us!
We are starting our examiner recruitment and are looking for specialists who are able to mark GCSE Religious Studies (Specifications A & B), International GCSE Religious Studies and A Level Religious Studies.
Experience/qualifications needed
- You will have one academic year's worth of teaching experience:
a. within the last 8 years
b. within the relevant qualification and subject
- You will have a degree or equivalent
- You will be a qualified teacher
EPQ online assessment training
Do you also teach our Level 3 EPQ qualification?
Pearson Edexcel Level 3 EPQ online training event
Join us for a free online training event with our Chief Moderator who will model the marking process using unseen exemplar materials and explore a range of T&L strategies.
Tuesday 14th March 2023
(16:00 - 18:00 GMT)
Subject advisor
Susan Currey
Religious Studies
