May 2024 Religious Studies subject update

JCQ reminders around malpractice

Did you know that the most common form of candidate malpractice every exam series is the possession of a mobile phone?

According to data published by Ofqual, possession of a mobile phone accounted for 44.5% of all cases of student malpractice - 2,180 cases - in the summer 2023 series. This was an increase on the 1,825 cases seen in the summer 2022 series.

The JCQ awarding bodies have set out the agreed sanctions for the different types of candidate malpractice, including for possession of a mobile phone. These can be found in Appendix 6 of the JCQ Suspected Malpractice Policies and Procedures. You can see that the sanctions for possession of a mobile phone are severe, because we need to maintain the security and integrity of our exams:

• mobile phone in the candidate’s possession but no evidence of being used by the candidate – loss of marks
• mobile phone in the candidate’s possession and evidence of being used by the candidate – disqualification

We really want to see a reduction in this form of malpractice, which has such a significant impact on so many candidates. Please ensure that you’ve taken the following steps to help your learners avoid committing malpractice:

• clear communication to learners and their parents about items prohibited in exams, including mobile phones
• clear publication and display of the JCQ exam room posters
• sharing the JCQ Preparing to sit your exams infographic with learners and their parents
• having a member of your centre’s Senior Leadership Team (SLT) deliver a pre-exam series assembly, to clearly explain the expectations of learners and the exam rules
• ensuring you have in place, and learners know about, a process for the safe collection and storage of their mobile phones during exams
  

2024 Exam Timetables

Help your students feel as prepared as possible for the upcoming exam season.

In addition to all the support you provide, both Ofqual, JCQ and Pearson have a range of information to help inform and guide your students during this busy time. Please take a look at the information we’ve summarised below and pass it on to your students.

Support from Ofqual

The Ofqual Student Guide 2024 provides students with information about this year’s arrangements for GCSE, AS and A level qualifications, and explains what support is in place when taking exams and assessments.

Read the Ofqual Student Guide 2024 below:

Support from JCQ

The JCQ has a range of information and support for students – from coursework and onscreen exams to written exams, along with a checklist for exam day.

Take a look at all the support JCQ have to offer for students - see link below

Support from Pearson

As the revision season is now fully under way and students begin to turn their focus towards the summer exam series, we’d like to share our Getting ready for exams guide that includes some top tips and advice including:

- preparing for exams
- what happens on exam day
- where to find further support
- what happens once exams are over.

Take a look at the guide below and please pass it on to your students 

For those new to GCSE Edexcel or considering switching to us, we will also be running a 'New to Edexcel' event which introduces our different specifications to you.  

Video: Brief overview of the AS and A Level Religious Studies qualification

This video provides an overview of our AS and A Level Specifications for Religious Studies, exploring the paper structure, the content and the assessment structure.