March 2023 Religious Studies Subject Update
Welcome to your Pearson Edexcel Religious Studies March 2023 subject update!
Hello colleagues,
I hope the Spring Term is running smoothly for you! I wanted to take the opportunity to share some useful resources, reminders and links to upcoming events. This month, we have a range of new exemplar answer resources to share 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,
- GCSE 12-mark (d) evaluation exemplars: Exploring answers across levels
- A level 12-mark 'Assess' exemplar answers
- GCSE CPD event: Insight into (d) evaluation questions
- March 'Topic of the Month'
- Resources from International GCSE training events
- Teaching and Learning Survey
- Ofqual Student Guide 2023
- Become an examiner with us
GCSE 12-mark (d) evaluation exemplars
'Exploring answers across levels'
We have published two resources to exemplify differences between different levelled responses on (d) evaluation questions. Each resource includes four answers that were awarded across the four levels, responding to the same question. Each answer incudes analysis to explain why it achieved that level and how it could improve.
Nb: You will need your Edexcel Online login details to access 2022 exam materials
A level 12-mark 'Assess' exemplar answers
We have published a range of 12-mark 'Assess' 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 mark range with analysis against the level descriptors.
Nb: You will need your Edexcel Online login details to access 2022 exam materials
| Insight into (d) evaluation questions |
|---|
| Wednesday 29th March 2023 |
| (16:00-18:00 GMT) |
| Cost: £40 |
| 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 |
March '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 March edition looks at the Hindu festival of Holi.
International GCSE Module 1: Introduction event resources
The 'International GCSE Module 1: Introduction' online training event ran on Tuesday 7th February 2023. The resources for this event can be found at the link below.
International GCSE Module 2: Assessment and Marking
The 'International GCSE Module 2: Assessment and Marking' online training event ran on Tuesday 21st February 2023. The resources for this event can be found at the link below.
Religious Studies Teaching and Learning Survey
Thank you to everyone who provided feedback in the GCSE & GCE Religious Studies 2021-2022 T&L Customer Feedback Survey. The survey has closed now but, I’d like to congratulate respondents 14, 96, 100 and 103, who were randomly selected to receive a £25 Amazon voucher! You should have received an email notifying you of your success.
It was lovely to receive such a wealth of responses and get the chance to obtain some great feedback from our centres!
Please look out for future surveys in our subject updates and social media posts for further opportunities to provide feedback!
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 continuing our examiner recruitment and are looking for specialists who are able to mark GCSE Religious Studies.
We would particularly welcome applications for those wanting to mark Specification A:
- Paper 1A: Catholic Christianity
- Paper 3A: Catholic Christianity
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
Subject advisor
Jenna Wyatt
Religious Studies
