Welcome to your Pearson Edexcel Religious Studies March 2025 subject update!
Hello colleagues,
This subject update contains information, news and advice for Edexcel Religious Studies teachers and details of new resources available to support teaching our qualifications.
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 and recording available to view below.
If you're planning to offer our Entry Level Certificate Religious Studies qualification, please fill out the details on the form below and we'll get in touch with you to provide you with the relevant information and support to help you get started.
Teaching Appraisal
This is the fourth 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 develop effective ‘chains of reasoning’.
Students write a response to a 12-mark statement, then exchange their work with a peer. The peer then reviews the answer using a checklist (shown below) and provides an “Even Better If” (EBI) suggestion for improvement.
To access the resource, click below:
We are pleased to release a new pack of exemplars to support teaching GCSE Religious Studies. This pack features a variety of Level 4 (10-12 mark) exemplars from different papers, accompanied by detailed analysis from our principal examiners for GCSE.
These exemplars are sourced from the 2024 exam series. Please note that standardisation is conducted to ensure consistency across series, with the standard set by the senior examining team. You will need your Edexcel Online log in to access the exemplars.
To access the exemplars, click below:
Don't forget to make your summer 2025 entries for International GCSE Religious Studies by 21 March 2025.
Late entries will be charged from 22 March, so make sure that you don't miss this deadline. More information about the entries process can be found below:
The Provisional timetables for Summer 2026 are now available on our Provisional timetables page.
The feedback window will run until Friday 21st March. Please send any feedback to timetables@pearson.com.
If you haven't already, check out our new Facebook group!
Created to give teachers delivering our Religious Studies qualifications a private, professional space to discuss teaching and learning ideas, ask general questions and connect with other Pearson Edexcel RS teachers, the community is run by me, your Religious Studies Subject Advisor.
Click here to join 👉 Facebook
Make sure you're following us on socials to keep up to date with the latest news about our qualifications and services 👇
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’s topic refers to the discovery of a 13th-century fresco in Italy showing Islamic tents used in medieval churches.
This archive of Pearson’s ‘Religious Studies Topic of the Month’ offers a retrospective spanning January to December 2024.
It covers a range of topics aligned with key stages 4 and 5. These resources are designed to engage students, stimulate critical thinking, and provide comprehensive coverage for lesson planning. The series aims to make religious studies relevant and dynamic for the classroom.
The Cogito Education Philosophy Essay competition is now open for entries from students in years 12 and 13.
The essays are meant to be short arguments for a position and should be 500-1000 words long. Students will be examined based upon the strength of their knowledge and persuasiveness of their argument.
Closing date is 1 May 2025.
To find out more, click below:
EthIQa are offering subject-specific events with leading experts in University style lectures.
Throughout the day, students will immerse themselves in university-style lectures, designed to deepen their understanding and knowledge. Additionally, there will be opportunities for students to contribute and provide feedback during a structured debate, fostering an environment of respectful dialogue and the appreciation of diverse perspectives.
Fees: Student £37.50. Staff £37.50 1 free place with every 12 students.
London Tuesday 25 November 2025
Cambridge 8 December 2025
Oxford Tuesday 9 December 2025
To find out more, click below:
Experts from the Faculty of Divinity answer some of the big questions of religion, philosophy and ethics in this series of videos from Cambridge in your Classroom.
Aimed at students aged 14-18, Cambridge in Your Classroom is a joint project by the Faculty of Divinity and the Faculty of Education Religious Studies PGCE course.
Explore Cambridge in Your Classroom videos below:
