Welcome to your Pearson Edexcel Religious Studies February 2025 subject update!
Hello colleagues,
I hope the term is going well and you’re making good progress towards getting ready for the May/June 2025 exam series. Have a lovely half term break when it arrives.
This subject update contains information and advice on 2025 entry deadlines, our GCSE mock and moderation service and much more.
As always, please do get in touch with me if you have any queries or I can help with anything.
Best wishes,
Jenna Wyatt
Religious Studies Subject Advisor
On 9 January, we ran an online training session for teachers wishing to deliver the ELC in Religious Studies for the first time.
The session discussed the specification content and requirments, support available, useful tips and advice on delivery from our trainer.
For those who were unable to join us for the ELC event, we have the slides available to view below.
Teaching Appraisal
This is the third in a series of resources which will be released in the coming months to support teaching GCSE Religious Studies.
This teaching resource helps GCSE Religious Studies students improve their ability to construct a convincing argument. One student creates an argument for or against a question, and another student asks challenging questions to help strengthen and refine the argument.
To access the resource, click below:
Just a reminder that we are offering a mock marking and moderation service for GCSE Religious Studies.
The Pearson Edexcel Mocks Service can help your students gain vital insight into the examination process, while saving you valuable time. These services will be using the amended level descriptors to give you the opportunity to see how questions perform under the new criteria.
These services are currently available to order now for the following most popular papers:
Specification A: Paper 1A, Paper 2F, Paper 3A
Specification B: Paper 1B, Paper 2C
This link takes you to the mock marking webpage
How does the Mock service work?
This PDF gives a step-by-step explanation of the mock marking service process
The minor erratum relating to topic 2E (Hinduism), Section 1 Beliefs and Teachings (page 37) can be viewed below:
GCSE Religious Studies A - minor erratum to topic 2E (Hinduism)
This is the fifth in a series of 'Spotlight' resources, which are designed to provide additional support for areas of our A Level Religious Studies specification.
In this resource, we explore topic 6.1 (d) Replica Theory.
It is now possible to make entries for the Summer 2025 exam series.
The deadline for making entries for the Summer 2025 examination series is 21 February 2025 for UK qualifications.
The deadline for international qualifications is 21 March 2025.
After these dates late entry fees may be charged. Please note that your exams officer will have their own internal deadlines in order to get the information necessary to make entries.
International qualification entry codes can be found in the information manual, page 22 for Religious Studies:
International GCSE - Pearson Qualifications Information Manual 2024/25
UK A-Level Religious Studies entry codes can be found in the information manual, pages 41-44:
2 - A Level and AS Level - Pearson Qualifications Information Manual 2024/25
UK GCSE Religious Studies entry codes can be found in the information manual below, pages 24-32:
5 - GCSE - Pearson Qualifications Information Manual 2024/25
ELC Religious Studies entry code is below:
NRS0
We want to hear from you! Your feedback is important to us, so we’d love to hear your thoughts about our monthly Subject Advisor Updates.
🤳 Take our short survey and share your thoughts before 14th February to be in with the chance of winning a £20 Amazon voucher*.
Complete the survey now 👉 Survey
Make sure you're following us on socials to keep up to date with the latest news about our qualifications and services 👇
Pearson Edexcel on Facebook
The Provisional timetables for Summer 2026 will be available on our Provisional timetables web page from Monday 3 February.
Provisional Timetables for Summer 2026
Every month, we release an edition of 'Topic of the Month' with the aim of supporting cultural capital and stimulating discussion within the classroom.
This resource 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.
This month refers to the Manitoba premier’s proposal to include prayers from
various faith traditions in the Legislature’s opening prayer.
To support the teaching of our Religious Studies qualifications, there are a range of educational clips available on the Educational Recording Agency website.
The Educational Recording Agency offer clips of television and radio recordings from the BBC, C4 and C5, divided by curriculum areas.
A-Level Religious Studies groups are invited to join Andrew Davison, Regius Professor of Divinity at the University of Oxford, for a live Q&A on Wednesday 5 March 2025 at 2.00pm.
The lecture, discussing the Theology of Artificial Intelligence, will be available to watch online from Monday 17 February with a live Q&A following on Wednesday 5 March.
Duration: Lecture: 50 mins; Live Q&A: 40mins (this will also be recorded if unable to make the live event)
Cost: £48 per class. Includes private links to the lecture and Q&A and the opportunity to submit questions in advance.
You can find out more and register at: A level RE Masterclass | Westminster Abbey
The leadership scholarship programme provides opportunities for emerging RE/RVE/RME leaders to expand and deepen their reflections on educational leadership in the subject, through receiving mentoring, structured challenges, research insights, inspirational networking events, and experience of professional development delivery.
Applications for the 2025-27 Leadership Scholarship Programme will close 21 March 2025.
Culham St Gabriel's will be holding a webinar on Thursday 13 February 4.30-5.30pm to help teachers interested in making an application to the Leadership programme understand what the programme offers.
