September 2024 Religious Studies subject update | Pearson qualifications

September 2024 Religious Studies subject update

Wed Sep 18 09:18:00 UTC 2024

This update contains useful information, news and advice for Edexcel Religious Studies teachers and details of all our training events running this term.

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Introduction to our new Religious Studies subject advisor

Hello, my name is Jenna Wyatt and I'm excited to introduce myself as your new Religious Studies subject advisor. I am following in the footsteps of Susan Currey, and I look forward to continuing to grow and develop all the wonderful work they have done with you. My role is to support centres in providing the best Religious Studies experience for their students and to represent the teacher and student voice.Prior to joining Pearson, I have worked in mixed state secondary schools since 2019, delivering Religious Studies at Key Stage 3, 4 and 5. In this time, I have mentored ECTs, delivered CPD across schools and worked as an examiner. This diverse range of roles has helped me understand the needs of teachers and I look forward to working with you to support the delivery of Religious Studies.I’m thrilled to be joining Pearson Edexcel and look forward to sharing resources, ideas and working with teachers to support students across all of our Religious Studies qualifications.

Welcome back to school!

We hope your 2024 academic year is off to a great start and are thrilled to introduce a new qualification this year, along with professional development events and teaching resources to enhance your classroom experience. Whether you’re new or experienced, our resources are here to support your success. Let’s make this year fantastic together!

Getting Started Guides:

Our Getting Started Guides are essential for any teacher new to delivering a course, or experienced teachers looking to refresh their knowledge of the key documents and resources available to support the teaching of each of our qualifications.

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Exciting New Development: Pearson’s Entry Level Certificate (ELC) in Religious Studies!

I am pleased to inform centres that Pearson’s new Entry Level Certificate (ELC) for Religious Studies is now available for first teaching, with the first assessment scheduled for Summer 2025. This new qualification is compliant with bishops’ requirements, is designed to be co-teachable alongside their GCSE and aims to provide a comprehensive and accessible pathway for students, enhancing their understanding and appreciation of religious studies.

Pearson Edexcel Entry Level Certificate in Religious Studies (NRS0)
 

Support with ELC
Support Materials and Resources

Live materials are progressing well and will soon be available for schools and Pearson have provided several links to support schools interested in the ELC in Religious Studies, which you can access via the links below:

To support the release of the new Edexcel Entry Level Certificate in Religious Studies we have released a Getting Started Guide. This guide offers an overview of the new qualification, helping teachers familiarise themselves with the content and assessment.

Pearson Edexcel ELC in Religious Studies - Getting started guide

For centres who currently deliver the Pearson Edexcel GCSE (9-1) Religious Studies A qualification (1RA0) we have produced a document that maps the Edexcel Entry Level Certificate in Religious Studies to this qualification. This mapping demonstrates how content aligns between the two qualifications, making it possible to co-teach them effectively.

Curriculum Mapping to GCSE Religious Studies Specification A (1RA0)

Detailed information on the Entry Level Certificate in Religious Studies is found in the Final Specification:

Pearson Edexcel Entry Level Certificate in Religious Studies (NRS0)
 
Support for Non-Pearson centres

In addition to Pearson centres, as we have received interest from those currently offering GCSE Religious Studies through AQA and Eduqas, we are also planning to release a mapping document to help schools explore the potential of offering Pearson’s ELC alongside the GCSE courses from these other boards (a resource will be available soon).

Summer 2024 Exam Insights feedback events

This term we are running a number of training events online in order to gain an insight into the Summer 2024 exams for GCSE and A level Religious Studies on the following dates:

  • GCSE Religious Studies A: Exam Insights May/June 2024- 10th October at 16:00-17:00 BST - Event has passed
  • GCSE Religious Studies B: Exam Insights May/June 2024- 17th October at 16:00-17:00 BST - Event has passed
  • A Level Religious Studies: Exam Insights May/June 2024- 24th October at 16:30-17:30 GMT - Event has passed

Find out more by searching for Religious Studies via our training page. 

Religious Studies assessment and marking training events

In the Autumn term we are running assessment and marking training events for Edexcel GCSE and A Level Religious Studies teachers.

These online events are designed for teachers who wish to familiarise and/or improve their understanding of assessment practices for GCSE and/or A Level Religious Studies.

  • GCSE Religious Studies: Assessment and Marking- 07 November 2024 at 16:30-18:00 GMT - Event has passed
  • A Level Religious Studies: Assessment and Marking- 12 November 2024 at 16:30-18:00 GMT - Event has passed

Find out more and book your place by clicking the links above or searching for Religious Studies via our training page.

Post-Results Services

If you are a centre that wants to learn more about their
centres results, you can use our post-results services.

Post-results services | Pearson qualifications

Grade Boundaries

Grade boundaries identify marks required to achieve each grade. They are set for each exam series to ensure answers of the same quality achieve the same grade across series. These vary year on year due to a range of factors and this is the same for all subjects.  This is expected as each paper is looked at individually based on its questions/answers and the cohort that year.  

Grade boundaries for each paper are set by senior examiners who check the quality of students’ responses at key boundaries.

You can see grade boundaries for each exam series on our website by selecting the appropriate qualification: 

Grade boundaries | Pearson qualifications

The grade boundary documents for each qualification are included below: 

Notional Component Grade Boundaries - June 2024 - GCSE (9-1) (PDF | 421.9 KB)

Grade Boundaries - June 2024 - GCSE (9-1) (PDF | 385.7 KB)

Notional Component Grade Boundaries - June 2024 - International GCSE (9-1) (PDF | 390.3 KB)

Grade Boundaries - June 2024 - International GCSE (9-1) (PDF | 374.7 KB)

Grade Boundaries - June 2024 - International GCSE Modular (9-1) (PDF | 227.4 KB)

Key dates for your diary this term
Date Event Information
26th September 2024 
 		 Review of Marking or Moderation deadline

 After this date you will no longer be able to request a review of marking or moderation through our enquiry about results service.

13th December 2024

Access to scripts deadline

 

After this date you will no longer be able to view your students’ scripts using our free service.

Teaching and Learning Support
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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. This month refers to the Cultural Corps of Korean Buddhism who offer overnight seon meditation sessions at various temples in South Korea. 

Enrichment opportunities

The Ethics cup: For a More Civil Debate

The Ethics Cup is a tournament which involves teams of secondary students discussing ethical issues of public concern.  It’s not a debating competition and isn’t won by proving the opposing side wrong.

Any school, state or independent, experienced or inexperienced, is encouraged to participate, and they make special accommodation for schools that serve less privileged areas. No special classes or clubs need to be organised; there are lots of materials on this site to help get yourself or your students prepared.

The Cup is a project of the Centre for Ethics, Philosophy and Public Affairs, a research centre within the Department of Philosophy at the University of St. Andrews.

The Ethics Cup – University of St Andrews Centre for Ethics, Philosophy and Public Affairs (st-andrews.ac.uk)

To find out more information about The Ethics Cup, their website includes information about tournament venues, aims and how to register. 

Subject advisor

Jenna Wyatt

Religious Studies

Email :
TeachingReligiousStudies@pearson.com
Phone :
+44 (0) 344 463 2535 ( Teaching Services team | Mon - Fri, 9am - 5pm GMT)
Access the Religious Studies community Access the customer support portal Sign up to receive subject advisor updates Book an appointment
Susan Currey
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