Page 18 - IGCSE/GCSE Pupils - 2026

Religious Studies
(Philosophy, Ethics and Religion)
The unexamined life is not worth living.
– Socrates
It Is better to be a human being dissatisfied than a pig satisfied.
– John Stuart Mill
Man Is condemned to be free.
– Jean-Paul Sartre
I am the way, the truth and the life.
– Jesus
Are we free to make our own decisions and to choose to do either good or evil? At what point does valuable human life begin? What gives life meaning? Is violence ever justifiable, including capital punishment? What happens after we die? These are just some of the many questions explored in the Edexcel iGCSE specification.
This course equips pupils with a measure of ethical, philosophical and religious literacy vital to understanding history and culture, as well as contemporary issues of national and international significance. It encourages and supports informed, independent thinking on a wide range of issues such as the origins of the universe and humanity, abortion, euthanasia, divorce, the use of weapons of mass destruction, equality and social justice.
Paper 1, Beliefs and Values, contains four parts and is worth 60% of the final marks:
» Section 1: The » Universe, Creation and
Section 3: Peace and Conflict
the Place of Human Beings
» Section 2: Life and Death
» Section 4: Rights, Equality and Social Justice.
Paper 2, The Religious Community, is worth the remaining 40% of the marks:
» Section 1: Origins and » their Impact on the
Section 2: Celebration and Pilgrimage
Community
» Section 3: Worship and Practice.
IGCSE/GCSE CURRICULUM INFORMATION