GCSE Religious Studies - XtremePapers

GCSE

Edexcel GCSE

Religious St udies Unit s H-P

This Examiners’ Report relat es t o Mark

Scheme Publ icat ion code: UG 018231

Summer 2006

Examiners’ Report

Edexcel is one of t he leading examining and awarding bodies in t he UK and

t hroughout t he world. We provide a wide range of qual if icat ions including

academic, vocat ional , occupat ional and specif ic programmes for employers.

Through a net work of UK and overseas of f ices, Edexcel ’ s cent res receive t he

support t hey need t o help t hem del iver t heir educat ion and t raining programmes t o

learners.

For furt her informat ion please cal l our Cust omer Services on 0870 240 9800, or visit

our websit e at www.edexcel.org.uk.

Summer 2006

Publ icat ions Code UG 018231

Al l t he mat erial in t his publ icat ion is copyright

© Edexcel Lt d 2006

Contents

Chief Examiner’ s Report 2006. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

Principal Examiner’ s Report on Unit H - 5575 (100%), 5576 (80%). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

Principal Examiner’ s Report on Unit I - 5577 (100%), 5578 (80%). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Principal Examiners Report on unit J - 5579 (100%), 5580 (80%) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Principal Examiner’ s Report on Unit K – 5581 (100%), 5582 (80%) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Principal Examiner’ s report on Unit L 5583 (100%), 5584 (80%) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Principal Examiner’ s Report on Unit M - 5585 (100%), 5586 (80%) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

Principal Examiner’ s Report on Unit N - 5587 (100%), 5588 (80%). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

Principal Examiner’ s Report on Unit O - 5589 (100%) 5590 (80%) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

Principal Examiner’ s Report on Unit P - 5591 (100%), 5592 (80%) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

Principal Moderat or’ s Report . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

St at ist ics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

Chief Examiner’s Report 2006

Religious St udies cont inues t o increase it s ent ry at GCSE level whilst maint aining t he

overal l level of performance.

Despit e t wo comment s in previous report s, Sect ion 5 in t he examinat ion cont inues t o

under-perform in al l unit s. Cent res are reminded t hat t his sect ion is wort h 23 marks and

t herefore should be given special at t ent ion in t eaching, in revision and in t he

examinat ion. Cent res are reminded t hat in bot h t he 100% examinat ion and 80%

examinat ion, t he Qual it y of Writ t en Communicat ion is assessed in Sect ion 5 only. Qual it y

3 is awarded only t o candidat es who use a formal st yle of writ ing t ypif ied by t he use of

sent ences and paragraphs and by not using bul let point s or slang.

Cent res are reminded t hat in t he evaluat ion quest ions candidat es are expect ed t o put

forward t wo point s of view wit h at least t wo reasons for each point of view. To reach

level 4, t hey are also expect ed t o show clearly eit her which point of view t hey consider

t o be t he st ronger, or why t hey consider bot h point s of view t o be equal ly val id.

Quest ions on dif ferent at t i t udes have cont inued t o cause problems for some candidat es.

If a quest ion refers t o dif ferent at t i t udes, candidat es must refer t o at least t wo at t i t udes

t o gain t op marks. GCSE Religious St udies, as wel l as t he Nat ional Framework for RE at

key st age 3, expect s candidat es t o be aware t hat t here are dif ferent at t i t udes wit hin a

rel igion. Candidat es should t herefore be t aught t hat not al l members of a fait h wil l have

t he same at t it udes. The adj ect ives ‘ most ’ , ‘ many’ and ‘ some’ are part icularly useful

here, e.g. ‘ most Christ ians are against divorce’ , ‘ some Musl ims are against divorce’ ,

‘ many Hindus are pacif ist s’ .

GCSE Rel igious St udies Unit H-P 1

Examiners’ Report

Summer 2006


Examiners’ Report

Summer 2006

Principal Examiner’s Report on Unit H - 5575 (100%), 5576

(80%)

Unit H had anot her increase in t he ent ry. The year on year growt h of Unit H is a

st rong indicat ion t hat t he cont emporary cont ent of t he specif icat ion remains

popular wit h cent res and candidat es. The st andard of performance was similar t o

last year.

Section 1

This sect ion was general ly wel l answered, al t hough many candidat es had problems

wit h Q1(c) on Christ ians using t he Bible t o make moral decisions because of t en

t hey wandered of f t o ‘ conscience’ and ‘ most loving t hing t o do’ . Those who did

give reasons in Q2(c) rarely went beyond ‘ t hrowing t he money changers out of t he

t emple’ and ‘ give t o Caesar what is his’ . Many candidat es gave very good answers

t o Q1(d) where t hey explained wit h good reasons t he Brit ish mult i-fait h societ y and

t he need t o be fair t o al l rel igious bel iefs. The maj orit y of candidat es had l i t t le

problem wit h Q1(a) and Q2(a).

Section 2

Principal Examiner’s

Feedback

Candidat es general ly answered t his sect ion wel l , showing a st rong int erest in t he

environment and animal right s. However, some candidat es gave confused answers

on t he Greenhouse Ef fect , of t en confusing it wit h t he hole in t he Ozone layer. Bot h

quest ions Q3(b) and Q4(b) were answered very wel l indicat ing an int erest in caring

for t he environment and t he problems creat ed if people don’ t . Quest ion Q3(c) was

less wel l answered because candidat es gave descript ions on animal t est ing rat her

t han reasons for having dif ferent at t i t udes t o animal right s. Q4(c) t hrew up t he

same problem as previous examinat ions. A signif icant number of candidat es have

st i l l not been t aught t hat Greenpeace is not a rel igious organizat ion. However,

many cent res have t aken not ice of previous report s and carried out product ive

research on rel igious organisat ions caring for t he environment . The evaluat ion

answers produced some very t hought ful insight s int o bot h animal welfare and

st ewardship.

Section 3

Some candidat es found problems wit h Q5(a) and Q6(b) where t hey were unsure of

t he word reconcil iat ion. This result ed in considerable rhet oric wit h l i t t le

signif icance. Q6(c) was answered wel l , showing an int erest in why people are

against bul lying. Of t en t hey went on t o explain why bul l ies do what t hey do.

Quest ion Q5(c) highl ight ed t he same problem as Q4(c) where candidat es insist on

using Greenpeace as a rel igious organizat ion. Q5(d) generat ed long and det ailed

answers wit h val id reasons and dif ferent viewpoint s concerning arguing wit h t heir

parent s. Answers for Q5(b) demonst rat ed good knowledge of t he condit ions for a

‘ j ust war’ .

Section 4

Crime and Punishment was t he best answered sect ion on t he paper wit h t he

except ion of Q7(a) and Q8(b). Candidat es need t o refer t o t he glossary t erms more

of t en during revision. Also, most candidat es who answered Q8(b) referred t o Islam

in t heir answer and gave descript ions of punishment s for various crimes rat her t han

t eachings on j ust ice.

Section 5

Quest ion 9 was much more popular t han quest ion 10, but t hose who at t empt ed

quest ion 10 gave very good answers showing a good underst anding of rel igious and

scient if ic cosmologies. Quest ion Q9(c) was part icularly wel l answered as candidat es

had very def init e views on genet ic engineering and appreciat ed t hat ot her people

would not agree wit h t hem. Q9(b) was eit her answered very wel l or very poorly.

Candidat es eit her underst ood infert i l i t y t reat ment s in a rel igion ot her t han

Christ ianit y or had no idea. Q9(a) produced answers at eit her level 2 or level 3.

Most candidat es were aware of some at t it udes t o t ransplant surgery.


Examiners’ Report

Summer 2006


Examiners’ Report

Summer 2006

Principal Examiner’s Report on Unit I - 5577 (100%), 5578

(80%)

Unit I has maint ained it s number of candidat es t his year. Performance by

candidat es was at a similar st andard t o t hat of previous years. Despit e comment s in

previous report s about t he misunderst anding in candidat es’ minds bet ween Church

and church, t here seemed no evidence t his year t hat t here was any improvement

in underst anding t he dif ference.

Section 1

Q1 was general ly wel l answered alt hough a signif icant minorit y of candidat es wrot e

about t he Salvat ion Army for Q1(c). Most candidat es were able t o achieve level 3

on Q1(b). Some candidat es did not underst and what t he Trinit y is in Q1(d).

Quest ion 2 also was general ly wel l answered wit h many candidat es achieving level

3 for Q2(b). Some t hought ful answers were given for Q2(d).

Section 2

Quest ion 3 was general ly wel l answered alt hough some weaker candidat es wrot e

about t he Roman Cat hol ic Church in Q3(c). There was some t hought ful

considerat ion of t he argument s in Q3(d). Quest ion 4 however was not so wel l

answered, chief ly because of t he misunderst anding bet ween Church and church. It

is import ant t hat candidat es real ly underst and t he dif ference.

Section 3

This sect ion was also general ly wel l answered. Q5(b) had some good level 3

answers alt hough a sizeable minorit y obviously didn’ t underst and t he t erm ‘ non-

l it urgical ’ . Q5(c) was mainly very wel l answered wit h many candidat es reaching

level 4. In Q6(b), many candidat es were unable t o dist inguish bet ween bel ievers’

bapt ism and infant bapt ism. Q6(c) was general ly wel l answered, part icularly by

t hose who answered f rom a specif ical ly Roman Cat hol ic st andpoint . Bot h

evaluat ions produced some t hought ful answers.

Section 4

This sect ion, as in previous years, was not so wel l answered as t he ot her sect ions.

It would appear t hat t oo many candidat es do not know t he Sermon on t he Mount

very wel l , al t hough t he t wo quest ions on t he Ten Commandment s, Q7(b) and Q8(c)

were general ly quit e wel l answered. In Q7(c) t here was a lack reference t o t he

t eaching of Jesus ot her t han ‘ love t hy neighbour’ – which was of t en not clearly

l inked t o service. Q8(b) was general ly poorly answered and Q8(d) of t en failed t o

get beyond t alking about prej udice.

Section 5

Quest ion 10 general ly t ended t o be answered much bet t er t han Q9. Q9(a) of t en

produced level 4 answers but Q9(b) mainly produced purely descript ive answers

wit hout explaining t he feat ures t hey wrot e about . Q10(a) was general ly wel l

answered, of t en port raying visit s candidat es had made t o rel igious communit ies.

Q10(b) however, revealed a surprising lack of underst anding of t he nat ure of t he

cont emplat ive l i fe. Q9(c) and Q10(c) again produced some t hought ful answers.

Principal Examiners Report on unit J - 5579 (100%), 5580

(80%)

Unit J has had a much larger ent ry t han in previous years mainly f rom Cat hol ic

Cent res and t here is obviously some excel lent t eaching t o t he specif icat ion t aking

place. New cent res would be wel l advised t o ensure t hat t heir st af f at t end Edexcel

in service t raining so t hat t hey are aware of t he demands of t he dif ferent t ypes of

quest ions. Candidat es found it dif f icul t t o answer some of t he quest ions because of

t he specif ical ly rel igious t erms t hat were used t he glossary def init ions used are

available t o download f rom t he Edexcel web sit e and candidat es should be famil iar

wit h t hem.

Section 1

Q1 (b) Most candidat es were able t o answer t his quest ion and t he maj orit y gained

maximum marks because of t heir famil iarit y wit h t he apost les creed. Q1(c) caused

many problems due t o candidat es not underst anding what salvat ion is t his is in t he

specif icat ion and quest ions wil l be asked regularly. Q1(d) most candidat es were

able t o at t empt t his quest ion and good answers were t hose t hat referred t o t he

t eaching of t he Church, poorer answers gave a personal response and did not

consider an alt ernat ive.

Q2 (a) Most candidat es knew t heir glossary def init ions very wel l or l ist ed t he part s

of t he Trinit y for ful l marks. Q2 (b) Candidat es were able t o answer t he quest ion

bel iefs about God but t his was specif ical ly l inked t o t hose about t he fat herhood of

God, many candidat es lost marks when t hey st art ed describing t he at t r ibut es of

God. Q2 (c) was answered part icularly wel l and candidat es achieved high marks for

Bible references t hat were explained and l inked t o t he quest ion it was less wel l

answered by candidat es who gave knowledge based answers (of t en simple a Bible

reference – Love t hy Neighbour) and were unable t o explain why it was import ant

for Christ ians. In Q2 (d) many candidat es ably discussed whet her t he crucif ixion

was a wast e based on t he idea of salvat ion alt hough some candidat es were unable

t o f ind an opposit e argument .

Section 2

In Q3 and Q4 candidat es lost marks because of t heir confusion bet ween Church and

church. It is import ant t hat t hey are t aught t he dif ference bet ween t he t wo and

are aware t hat t his should make a dif ference t o t he way t hey answer a quest ion. In

Q3 (b) candidat es produced knowledgeable answers and t he quest ion caused no

real problems. In Q3(c) some candidat es failed t o be aware of Church as t he body

of Christ and described Cat hol ic churches (sect ion 5); some did not know what

Cat hol ic meant , t his meant t hat many candidat es did not choose t o answer t his

sect ion. However, t hose t hat chose t o answer i t were able t o produce good answers

and many were aware of t he shared fait h of al l Christ ian churches. Q3 (d) produces

good wel l-answered answers most ly including opposit e views and personal opinions.


Examiners’ Report

Summer 2006

In Q4 (b) t here were some excel lent answers f rom t hose candidat es who knew t he

quest ion was about t he Church candidat es who t alked about a church were l imit ed

t o level 2 Q4(c) some candidat es produced very wel l explained answers wit h

evidence given f rom bibl ical and canonical sources. In poorer answers candidat es

did not know what cel ibacy meant and waf f led about why it is import ant t o have

priest s Q4 (d) many candidat es did not answer about t he Church and again t alked

about churches making t he quest ion more dif f icult for t hemselves and as such

gained lower marks.

Section 3

In Q5(b) a surprising number of candidat es included Shrove Tuesday and Ash

Wednesday in Holy Week as t his is a clear area for st udy it should be looked at

careful ly by cent res. Many candidat es gained ful l marks for t his quest ion, how it is

celebrat ed however a few merely described what Jesus did rat her t han answering

t he quest ion and so gained no marks. In Q5(c) good answers were t hose t hat were

able t o give a number of reasons why t he Mass is import ant rat her t hat describe

what happens in Mass Q5 (d) was wel l answered many referred t o t heir own

conf irmat ion and used t heir reasons for receiving t he sacrament , which were

int erest ing t o read. However it was a pit y t hat many candidat es did not give a

conclusion in t heir answer and as such l imit ed t heir marks t o Level 3.

In Q6 (b) candidat es who chose t his quest ion were able t o give clear concise

answers and usual ly gained maximum marks In Q6(c) candidat es were able t o

describe what Lent is but many were unable t o explain why it is import ant cent res

should remind candidat es t hat c) quest ions require reasons rat her t han fact s Q6 (d)

was answered very knowledgably on t he whole and produced int erest ing personal

opinions about what t rue Cat hol ics real ly are.

Section 4

In Q7 (b) t his quest ion should have been st raight forward. However many candidat es

ignored eit her t he fact i t was about t he t en commandment s or t hat it was about

showing respect for God and described t hose t hat showed respect for each ot her

which resul t ed in incorrect answers. Q7 (c) produced some excel lent answers and

many candidat es were able t o give bibl ical examples t o show why Christ ians should

serve ot hers, t here were some answers which were purely knowledge based but

t hese were a t iny minorit y. Q7 (d) proved very popular wit h candidat es who

answered wel l and wit h good alt ernat ive examples – including RE t eachers - t hat

should be fol lowed.

Q8 (b) proved dif f icult for some candidat es who were unable t o remember which

t eaching are in t he Sermon on t he Mount or described t he t eaching in t he sermon

rat her t han t hat which was specif ical ly about money. Q8 (c) A wel l answered

quest ion by t hose who referred t o t he last seven of t he Ten Commandment s. Q8 (d)

was answered wel l and produced wel l t hough out answers.


Examiners’ Report

Summer 2006

Section 5

Q9 (a) was usual ly answered wel l , and most candidat es were able t o describe a

number of roles/ funct ions of t he church. Some candidat es were l imit ed t o t he Mass

and ot her Sacrament s and cent res should ensure t hat candidat es are famil iar wit h

t he act ivit ies t hat t ake place in Church out side of formal celebrat ions. Q9 (b) was

most ly answered wel l al t hough some candidat es merely described t he inside of a

church and did not explain why t he various feat ures were needed. The best

answers were given by candidat es who underst ood t he symbolism of t he various

feat ures as wel l as t he use of t hem. Q9(c) was general ly answered wel l but usual ly

in a one sided way, many candidat es did not real ise t hat t his was about al l

denominat ions praying t oget her and discussed privat e vs. col lect ive prayer and t his

t hey found dif f icul t .

Q10 was not as popular as Q9 alt hough it produced excel lent answers f rom t he

candidat es who had been prepared for it . Q10 (a) many candidat es described t he

Benedict ines or t he Missionaries of Charit y, al t hough some candidat es st ruggled

and used unaccept able answers such as t he SVP or CAFOD. In Q10 (b) most answers

were very good and were able t o explain t he reasons for choosing a cont emplat ive

l i fest yle. Q10(c) was usual ly answered wel l wit h references t o t he bible f rom more

able candidat es, poorer answers result ed f rom candidat es giving one sided answers

or running out of t ime.

Candidat es are advised t o ensure t hat t hey t ake t he ful l 30 minut es given on t his

sect ion and because marks are awarded for qual it y of writ t en communicat ion on

sect ion f ive it is a good idea t o begin answering t he paper wit h t his sect ion.


Examiners’ Report

Summer 2006


Examiners’ Report

Summer 2006

Principal Examiner’s Report on Unit K – 5581 (100%), 5582

(80%)

Once again, t he ent ry for t his year represent ed a very wide spect rum of abil i t y, and

examiners were part icularly pleased t o mark some excel lent script s showing t he ful l range of

knowledge, underst anding and skil ls expect ed at t his level. Cent res do need t o not e

however, some of t he int roduct ory remarks f rom previous report s which set out some of t he

weaknesses seen in t he maj orit y of script s, and for which candidat es cont inue t o need help

and guidance. These are, in part icular, t he need t o show awareness of an alt ernat ive

viewpoint in (d) quest ions, and t o not e t hat t he alt ernat ives wil l of t en be f rom wit hin t he

Musl im communit y; and t he need t o be famil iar wit h reasons why Musl ims hold part icular

views and bel iefs in answering quest ions which ask for an explanat ion, namely (c) quest ions

in Sect ions 1 t o 4 and (b) quest ions in Sect ion 5. Candidat es who merely give descript ions

rat her t han present ing reasons, wil l not progress beyond level 1 in t hese quest ions.

Section 1

Principal Examiner’s

Feedback

Most of t he quest ions in t his sect ion were answered clearly and t horoughly, for example

Q1(c) about t he import ance of Akhirah for Musl ims. However, for weaker candidat es t his was

an example of how some merely described what t he bel ief is, rat her t han giving reasons for

it s import ance wit hin Islam. Where candidat es approach a quest ion in a way which dif fers

f rom t hat ant icipat ed in t he mark scheme, examiners wil l view t he answers sympat het ical ly,

and where t he answer represent s a val id int erpret at ion of t he quest ion, it wil l be marked

posit ively. For example, in Q1(b) about bel iefs in t he power of Al lah, many candidat es

included a wide variet y of charact erist ics of Al lah, such as Tawhid. Where t hey showed t hat

t his could be seen as an aspect of t he power of Al lah, t hey were credit ed accordingly. The

(d) quest ions produced t hought ful and l ively discussions, especial ly Q1(d), where many

candidat es showed a percept ive awareness of t he t ension bet ween predest inat ion and

f reewil l .

Section 2

More able candidat es found t his sect ion st raight forward, but ot hers st ruggled in part icular

wit h Q3(b) and Q4(c) where knowledge and underst anding of t he Shi’ ah t radit ion was of t en

l imit ed and f requent ly inaccurat e. Q3(c) was very wel l answered by t he maj orit y of

candidat es, but a signif icant minorit y t reat ed t his as a knowledge quest ion and gave

det ailed descript ions of what Musl ims do t o show respect for t he Qur’ an, rat her t han why

t hey do so. A variet y of approaches were used in response t o Q3(d), some focusing on t he

word ‘ perfect ’ , ot hers on ‘ for everyone’ , in relat ion t o t he example of t he Prophet , bot h

perfect ly accept able approaches t o t he issue. Similarly, dif ferent but val id approaches were

t aken t o Q4(d).

Section 3

This should have been a st raight forward sect ion of t he paper for al l candidat es but ,

surprisingly, many confused Id-ul-Fit r wit h Id-ul-Adha (Q5(b), a number merely described t he

process of giving zakah, rat her t han explaining how it cont ribut es t o a sense of unit y in t he

ummah (Q5(c); ot hers described some of t he rit uals of t he haj j wit hout showing how t hey

are l inked wit h t he prophet s of Al lah (Q5(c). There were however some excel lent answers t o

bot h Q5(d) and Q6(d), many showing a percept ive underst anding of t he role and purpose of

prayer in Islam, and of t he principles of Islamic spirit ual it y, including niyyah, and l inking

t hese wit h t he concept of ibadah in relat ion t o al l t he f ive pil lars.

Section 4

The t wo descript ive quest ions, Q7(b) and Q8(b) were general ly answered ful ly and in det ail –

some of t he det ail unnecessari ly elaborat e given t hat t he t ask in bot h cases required only an

‘ out l ine’ , not a det ailed descript ion. Q7(c) and Q8(c) present ed more dif f icult ies, wit h many

simply describing t he great er j ihad wit hout showing how it ‘ might af fect t he way a Musl im

l ives’ , and describing how t he shahadah is repeat ed at birt h and deat h, wit hout relat ing it t o

t he idea t hat t he whole of l i fe, f rom st art t o f inish, belongs t o Al lah. The (d) quest ions in

t his sect ion were general ly rat her less wel l answered t han in ot hers, lacking clear discussion

about t he appl icat ion of Shari’ ah in a non-Islamic cont ext . There were, nonet heless, a few

excel lent answers, especial ly t hose showing how Shari’ ah law can be fol lowed, in spit e of

t he cont ext of a societ y wit h apparent ly secular, capit al ist values.

Section 5

The overwhelming maj orit y of candidat es answered Q9, and general ly did so t horoughly and

accurat ely. There was, however, a dist inct ion bet ween t hose who simply l ist ed and

described t he various feat ures of a mosque, and t hose who gained t he higher marks by

showing how each feat ure is l inked wit h prayer, as t he quest ion asked. Likewise, t here was

a dif ference bet ween t hose who described t he roles of t he imam in a Sunni mosque and

t hose who showed how t hese roles are l inked t o leadership of t he communit y. Most

candidat es were able t o present al t ernat ive views about how far a mosque is essent ial for

worship (c). The few who at t empt ed Q10 were general ly not wel l informed about t he Suf i

t radit ion.


Examiners’ Report

Summer 2006

Principal Examiner’s report on Unit L 5583 (100%), 5584 (80%)

5583

The 100% ent ries varied considerably in abil i t y but t here was evidence t hat

candidat es had general ly been t aught careful ly and in accordance wit h t he

specif icat ion, al t hough some did st i l l not pay enough at t ent ion t o or spend enough

t ime upon t he ext ended writ ing in sect ion f ive. Some responses in sect ion f ive

were very short . In addit ion some candidat es did not always give a personal

response in t he (d) evaluat ion sect ions nor did t hey give an alt ernat ive or

cont rast ing posit ion which reduced t he levels t hey could achieve.

5584

The 80% ent ries were on t he whole excel lent , showing clearly t hat t he candidat es

had been prepared careful ly and some had an obvious and st at ed personal Jewish

fait h. Sadly t here were a small number of candidat es who scored no marks at al l

and for some reason had not writ t en anyt hing. Clearly t hough, t he maj orit y had

been t aught in l ine wit h specif icat ion requirement s and underst ood t he t ypes of

responses required. Some had also been t aught r igid answer out l ines.

St ronger candidat es could respond by giving more t han one at t it ude and could

explain why and how various t opics are import ant in Judaism. Weaker candidat es

st ruggled wit h key words and were confused by dif ferent fest ivals and rit uals,

t ending t o writ e rat her bland, non specif ic responses gaining very low levels or

none at al l .

Section 1

In sect ion one (bel iefs and values) candidat es were st ronger in t heir response t o Q1

t han t hey were t o Q2. Q2(c) seemed t oo complicat ed for t hose candidat es for

weaker candidat es. This sect ion was not as wel l answered t he ot hers.

Section 2

In sect ion t wo (communit y and t radit ion) candidat es did in Q3(c) and Q4(b) Bot h

evaluat ive quest ions provoked an int erest ing and wel l informed response. Some of

t he weaker candidat es had problems wit h t erms Talmud and Mishnah.

Section 3

In sect ion t hree (worship and celebrat ion) st ronger candidat es did very wel l , of t en

gaining high levels and writ ing much more t han was necessary. Some weaker

candidat es were confused by t he t echnical t erms and names and did not perform as

wel l , possibly because t hey were unsure of what t hey knew about each fest ival.


Examiners’ Report

Summer 2006

Section 4

In sect ion four (l iving t he Jewish l i fe) candidat es general ly did very wel l . Al l

abil i t ies gave good responses t o Q7(b) and Q8(b), al t hough bot h (c) part quest ions

t ended t o be answered very descript ively.

Section 5

Sect ion f ive was general ly done very wel l . Q9 (The Synagogue) seemed more

popular t han Q10 (The Holocaust ). Many candidat es answered t he Holocaust

quest ion primarily f rom a hist orical basis.


Examiners’ Report

Summer 2006

Principal Examiner’s Report on Unit M - 5585 (100%), 5586 (80%)

All quest ions on t his paper were t ackled and t here was no obvious imbalance bet ween

quest ions in any sect ion. It would appear t hat t he t endency which has exist ed in t he past for

st udent s f rom some cent res t o writ e at lengt h about t he t opic ment ioned in a quest ion

wit hout addressing t he quest ion it self was much less prevalent t his year. Quest ions relat ing

t o varna and cast e issues were answered in exact ly t he same way as ot her quest ions – t his

has not always been t he case in t he past .

Section 1

Q1 was general ly very wel l answered and popular. Answers for (b) were of t en less obj ect ive

t han ant icipat ed and ref lect ed underst anding of t he personal bel iefs of candidat es rat her

t han t he range of underst andings of moksha wit hin Hinduism.

Q2 el icit ed some very good answers, al t hough part (c) was of t en answered by l ist ing t he

charact erist ics of t he t hree gunas rat her t han specif ical ly answering t he quest ion.

Section 2

Q3(c) was t he quest ion which ref lect ed t he fact t hat some cent res are not , as yet , t ut oring

t heir st udent s in accordance wit h t he advice so f requent ly given by Edexcel more t han any

ot her. Here t he various at t ribut es of t he various varnas were very f requent ly discussed at

t he expense of answering t he quest ion.

In Q4(c) lengt hy summaries of t he st ory of t he Bhagavad Git a were common, but t hey of t en

missed t he point of t he quest ion and did not earn high marks. Good qual it y answers which

focussed on t he quest ion st ood out clearly. The (d) part of t he quest ion produced some

excel lent and t hought ful answers.

Section 3

Rat her surprisingly Q5(b) was f requent ly answered in t erms of ‘ why’ Hindus go on

pilgrimages rat her t han out l ining what Hindus might do while on pi lgrimage. This, again,

highl ight s t he import ance of making st udent s famil iar wit h t he board’ s guidel ines regarding

hoe t o approach t his exam.

Q6 was general ly very wel l answered.

Section 4

Q7 and Q8 were equal ly popular and were general ly very wel l answered. It is wort h not ing,

however, t hat some st udent s did not seem t o know t he dif ference bet ween or

charact erist ics of t he various ashramas which compromised t heir abil i t y t o answer Q7(b) and

Q8(c).

Section 5

Q9 and Q10 seemed equal ly popular and t here was l i t t le evidence of confusion or ambiguit y

in answers. This is somet hing of a change f rom previous years where answers relat ing t o t he

Hindu Place of Worship have been not iceably more popular t han t hose relat ing t o Respect

for Life.


Examiners’ Report

Summer 2006

Principal Examiner’s Report on Unit N - 5587 (100%), 5588

(80%)

The ent ry for Unit N doubled t his year. There was also a pleasing improvement in t he level

of performance. It seems t hat candidat es f rom new cent res had been bet t er prepared for

t he demands of t he examinat ion.

Section 1

This sect ion was general ly answered wel l wit h candidat es demonst rat ing good knowledge

and underst anding of spirit ual l iberat ion and t he nat ure of God. They were not as f luent in

answering t he quest ion on t he equal st at us of men and women. A signif icant number of

candidat es did not progress f rom bot h men and women performing sewa in t he langar. The

candidat es who did bet t er underst ood t he t eachings of t he Gurus. Self -cent redness (haumai)

present ed a chal lenge t o some candidat es who did not move on f rom a basic descript ion of

t he t erm.

Section 2

Some candidat es st ruggled t o go beyond def ining Kaur and Singh on Q4(c). Ot hers gave very

good descript ions of t he import ance of t he names but fai led t o give reasons for t hat

import ance. The same sit uat ion occurred wit h Q3(c). A signif icant number of candidat es

gave wrong informat ion concerning Guru Angad’ s cont ribut ions in t he development of

Sikhism. The remainder of Sect ion 2 was wel l answered wit h most candidat es giving good

reasons wit h viewpoint s for t he evaluat ion quest ions. Q3(b) and Q4(b) were of t en answered

wit h event s and cont ribut ions made by Guru Gobind Singh.

Section 3

Worship and Celebrat ion was bet t er answered t han any ot her sect ion on t he exam. There

were few problems wit h bot h quest ions. Some candidat es gave Hindu answers for Q5(c)

wit hout referring t o Sikhism. However, most candidat es gave answers t hat indicat ed a ful l

underst anding of why Sikhs celebrat e melas wit h good examples.

Section 4

This sect ion highl ight ed only t wo areas of concern, t hat of ‘ privat e devot ion’ and ‘ why

symbols are import ant ’ . Many candidat es did not underst and t he quest ion concerning Sikh

privat e devot ion. Answers out l ining t he amrit ceremony were of t en given. Answers for why

symbols are import ant , rarely progressed beyond describing t he Nishan Sahib or t he 5 K’ s. It

must be point ed out t hat descript ion answers given when reasons are required cannot go

beyond level 2. The evaluat ion quest ions, wit h few except ions, were very wel l answered

part icularly Q8(d).

Section 5

Quest ion 9 is undoubt edly t he most popular quest ion of t his sect ion and t herefore t he most

popular of t he whole exam. A signif icant number of candidat es who did at t empt quest ion 10

confused Khal ist an wit h Kart arpur. Q10(c) was poorly answered wit h very few val id reasons

for dif fering opinions. Quest ion 9 was not only t he most popular but t he best answered. Most

candidat es achieved ful l marks for Q9(a) and level 2 or higher for Q9(b) and Q9(c).


Examiners’ Report

Summer 2006

Principal Examiner’s Report on Unit O - 5589 (100%) 5590

(80%)

As is usual ly t he case, t he candidat es who have chosen/ been ent ered for t his paper t end t o

be very wel l prepared indeed or very obviously poorly prepared. Most marks are eit her very

high or rat her low. As such most quest ions have been answered very wel l indeed. Wit h t he

except ion of t hose l ist ed below t he quest ions worked wel l and produced int erest ing and

appropriat e answers. As in previous years, because of t he diverse nat ure of Buddhism, some

responses which gained good marks were not ant icipat ed by t he mark scheme.

Section 1

This sect ion was very wel l answered indeed. Q1 and Q2 were equal ly popular. Some st udent s

confused t he wheel of exist ence wit h t he Noble Eight fold Pat h in Q2(b).

Section 2

Q3 was not ably less popular t han Q4 and when chosen was of t en answered wit h vagueness.

Very few st udent s seemed t o know much about how t he Dhammapada is used by Buddhist s

and most ly j ust suggest ed t hat it must be import ant because it is a sacred script ure. Few

st udent s seemed t o know much about t he t ant ra.

Q4 was a popular quest ion which produced a lot of high qual it y answers.

Section 3

Q5 was general ly very wel l answered by t he maj orit y of st udent s, al t hough part (c) was

f requent ly answered by describing what happens at Wesak rat her t han explaining why t he

fest ival is import ant in Buddhism.

In a very similar way Q6 was general ly wel l answered but part (c) was somet imes answered

by l ist ing various iconographic meanings of various Bhudda rupas inst ead of explaining why

t here are many dif ferent rupas. Some st udent s did not appear t o know what Vassa was and

were unable t o respond t o part (d) meaningful ly.

Section 4

Q7 and Q8 were equal ly popular and wel l answered by most candidat es. A lot of st udent s

answered Q7(c) by l ist ing t he Five Precept s, which was not st rict ly necessary but most of

t hese gained a good mark because of t he comment ary which accompanied t he l ist .

Section 5

Q9 was popular but a l i t t le less f requent ly answered t han Q10. Bot h were general ly very wel l

answered. The evaluat ion (d) quest ions in part icularly el icit ed high qual it y answers f rom

many st udent s. The (b) part or bot h Q9 and Q10 were wel l answered but could have been

dealt wit h sl ight ly bet t er if more st udent s had resist ed t he t empt at ion t o l ist t ypes of

worship and accept able occupat ions respect ively and concent rat ed on t he explanat ions

asked for by t he quest ions.


Examiners’ Report

Summer 2006


Examiners’ Report

Summer 2006

Principal Examiner’s Report on Unit P - 5591 (100%), 5592

(80%)

Unit P has cont inued it s pleasing growt h in ent ry. Performance by candidat es was

at a similar st andard t o t hat of previous years. Alt hough t here are many candidat es

who have a good knowledge of t he t ext , t here are st i l l a number who use st ories

and incident s f rom t he ot her gospels t o i l lust rat e t heir answers. Such mat erial is

not credit ed.

Section 1

In Q1(b), when candidat es wrot e about t he right incident , t hey t ended t o get level

3. But a sizeable minorit y wrot e about t he cal l of t he disciples. Q1(c) was of t en not

answered wel l . Candidat es of t en knew about James and John asking t o sit at Jesus’

r ight hand, but didn’ t know t he ensuing conversat ion wit h Jesus. Q2(b) t ended

eit her t o be answered very wel l , or misunderst ood. There were some good answers

t o Q2(c), but many did not draw out t he problems caused t o t he disciples. Whilst

Q1(d) produced some wel l t hought answers, Q2(d) seemed only t o be underst ood

by a few candidat es.

Section 2

In Q3(b) many t old t he st ory about t he cleansing of t he Temple, but fai led t o relat e

t he argument about aut horit y t hat fol lowed. Q4(b) was sl ight ly bet t er answered.

There were some good answers produced for bot h Q3(c) and Q4(c) and some

t hought ful answers were produced t o t he t wo evaluat ion quest ions.

Section 3

The sect ion in general was wel l answered. Quest ions Q5(b) and Q6(b) were

general ly wel l done wit h many get t ing level 3. Q5(c) and Q6(c) were also wel l

answered wit h many good explanat ions in bot h quest ions. Q5(d) produced some

good answers whereas Q6(d) was somewhat disappoint ing. Whilst many were able

t o show t hat t he Communion/ Mass showed t hat it was st i l l import ant , t hey were

unable t o give an alt ernat ive view.

Section 4

As is of t en t he case wit h t his sect ion, many candidat es underperformed. In

part icular, t hey were of t en unclear about t he t i t les Son of God and Son of Man.

Q7(b) was of t en confused wit h t he heal ing of t he bl ind man (Mark 8). Q8(b)

however produced many level 3 answers. Many candidat es failed t o show t he

import ance of Caesarea Phil ippi and many candidat es relat ed t he word ‘ confession’

in t he quest ion t o Pet er’ s denial . Some t hought ful answers were given t o bot h (d)

quest ions.

Section 5

Q9(a) was general ly answered bet t er t han Q10(a) where candidat es eit her didn’ t

pick up on t he fact t hat it should be a cont emporary Christ ian or didn’ t relat e t heir

fait h t o t he persecut ion. Q10(b) was answered bet t er t han Q9(b) where candidat es

of t en fai led t o underst and t he import ance of t he Kingdom of God as an idea in

Mark’ s Gospel. Bot h evaluat ion quest ions produced some good, t hought ful answers.

Principal Moderator’s Report

The performance of candidat es in t he coursework t asks was of a similar st andard t o t hat

of last year. Most cent res submit t ed candidat e work on schedule, correct ly annot at ed

wit h correct ly scored coursework record sheet s. Overal l , i t was a successful moderat ion

process t hat highl ight ed t he obvious ent husiasm of most of t he ent rant s for t aking t he

coursework opt ion.

However, a worrying number of cent res st i l l do not fol low t he inst ruct ions in t he

specif icat ion relat ing t o t he marking of candidat es work and t he complet ion of

coursework record sheet s, consequent ly awarding t he wrong marks t o t heir candidat es.

Some cent res incorrect ly appl ied t he guidel ines for Qual it y of Writ t en Communicat ion

(QWC) clearly set out in t he specif icat ion. A number of cent res did not forward t he work

of t he highest and lowest scoring candidat es. Al l t hese cent res have been informed in

t heir cent re report s and would be wel l advised t o at t end t he coursework feedback Inset .

As t he vast maj orit y of cent res select ed Rel igion and The Media for Module 1 and A Place

of Worship for Module 2, t his report wil l only give specif ic feedback on t hese quest ions.

Religion and the Media

Ai Weaker candidat es l ist ed programmes f rom t he t elevision schedule and

wrongly included programmes such as The Vicar of Dibley and Fat her Ted as being

specif ical ly rel igious wit h no descript ion of t he programme cont ent . More able candidat es

were able t o give good descript ions of t he range and variet y of rel igious broadcast s and

t he impact t hey had on dif ferent audiences.

Aii Most candidat es referred t o East enders, t he most f requent t hemes being

abort ion, adult ery and murder. Weaker candidat es gave a descript ion of t he st ory l ine

wit hout explaining t he impl icat ions of t he charact er’ s act ions in regard t o moral or

rel igious issues. More able candidat es were able t o analyse t he t hemes in t he cont ext of

rel igious t eachings concerning t aking l i fe and deceiving ot hers.

Aii i The candidat es used a wide variet y of f i lms and t elevision dramas t o i l lust rat e

t he way in which rel igious t hemes are deal t wit h. Those who use ‘ The Green Mile’

produced some analysis of t he conf l ict wit h rel igious t eachings and a much more det ailed

descript ion of t he f i lm wit h some quot es f rom sacred t ext s. Some candidat es who

select ed ‘ Bend it Like Beckham’ fai led t o recognize t hat t he main charact er was Sikh.

Less able candidat es for al l f i lms t ended t o writ e solely about t he st ory l ine.

B This was signif icant ly weaker as candidat es t ended t o give less developed

reasons t han would be expect ed on t he Opt ions Sect ion of t he exam. Those candidat es

who did approach t he t ask as a piece of coursework gave developed and comprehensive

reasoning wit h t wo viewpoint s being evaluat ed. They gave excel lent examples of

programmes support ing each viewpoint , concluding wit h opinions support ing, disagreeing

or seeing t he val idit y of each argument concerning t he st imulus st at ement .


Examiners’ Report

Summer 2006

A Place of Worship

Candidat es at t empt ing t hese t asks general ly performed very wel l . Most candidat es were

clear in t heir descript ions of t he feat ures of a part icular rel igion’ s place of worship.

Unfort unat ely, wit h t he except ion of candidat es at t empt ing Unit K, a signif icant number

of responses t o Ai) fai led t o ment ion a specif ic place of worship. Candidat es gave generic

descript ions t hat could be found in most places of worship connect ed t o a part icular

rel igion.

Most candidat es also gave high level explanat ions and descript ions of t he leader’ s

funct ion in each place of worship. The role and funct ion of each rel igion’ s place of

worship in t he communit y was clearly and comprehensively explained in t he maj orit y of

cases. As wit h ot her opt ions, weaker candidat es t ended t o describe rat her t han give

explanat ions or reasons when required.

Part B of t he opt ion was part icularly wel l answered as most candidat es had st rong

opinions whet her t he requirement of col lect ive worship is more import ant t han individual

bel iefs. However, weaker candidat es of t en gave only one viewpoint t o t he st imulus

st at ement .


Examiners’ Report

Summer 2006

Statistics

5575 (Unit H) Religion and Society: Christianity and one other religion (22073

candidates)

5577 (Unit I) Christianity (2026 candidates)

5579 (Unit J) Catholic Christianity (17565 candidates)

5581 (Unit K) Islam (3130 candidates)

5583 (Unit L) Judaism (553 candidates)

5585 (Unit M) Hinduism (242 candidates)

5587 (Unit N) Sikhism (207 candidates)

5589 (Unit O) Buddhism (742 candidates)

5591. (Unit P) Mark’s Gospel (8419 candidates)

Grade

Max.

Mark

A*

A

B

C

D

E

F

G Raw boundary mark 103 79 66 53 40 32 24 17 10

Uniform boundary mark 100 90 80 70 60 50 40 30 20

5576 (Unit H) Religion and Society: Christianity and one other religion (7012 candidates)

5578 (Unit I) Christianity (893 candidates)

5580 (Unit J) Catholic Christianity (2476 candidates)

5582 (Unit K) Islam (1295 candidate)

5584 (Unit L) Judaism (354 candidates)

5586 (Unit M) Hinduism (149 candidates)

5588 (Unit N) Sikhism (211 candidates)

5590 (Unit O) Buddhism (50 candidates)

5592 (Unit P) Mark’s Gospel (2773 candidates)

Grade

Max.

Mark

A*

A

B

C

D

E

F

G Raw boundary mark 120 98 83 68 53 43 34 25 16

Uniform boundary mark 100 90 80 70 60 50 40 30 20

Raw mark boundary for writ t en 80 63 52 42 31 25 20 15 10

Raw mark boundary for coursework 69 65 58 51 45 36 28 20 12

For units 5576, 5578, 5580, 5582, 5584, 5586, 5588, 5590, 5592 (80% Written & 20%

Coursework)

The t ot al number of subj ect marks awarded t o t he unit as a whole is 120.

The writ t en paper (01) cont ribut es 80% of t hese 120 subj ect marks, ie 96 marks.

The raw marks available for t his paper are 80. Therefore each raw paper mark is

wort h 1.2 subj ect marks. The raw mark awarded t o t he candidat e is mult ipl ied by

1.2 t o give a subj ect mark.

The coursework paper (02) cont ribut es 20% of t he 120 subj ect marks, ie 24. The

raw marks available for t his paper are 69. Therefore each raw paper mark is

wort h 0.348 subj ect marks. The raw mark awarded t o t he candidat e is mult ipl ied

by 0.348 t o give a subj ect mark.


Examiners’ Report

Summer 2006

To t hen calculat e t he subj ect mark t he t wo weight ed paper marks are added

t oget her t o give a subj ect mark out of 120, and t he mark is rounded t o t he

nearest whole number.

An example:

A candidat e achieves t he fol lowing raw marks for t heir papers:

Raw Mark Mult ipl ier Subj ect Mark

Paper 01 30 1.2 36

Paper 02 51 0.348 17.748

This gives a subj ect mark of 53.748, which rounds t o 54.

UMS grade boundaries

Max.

Mark

A*

A

B

C

D

E

F

G

3481 100 90 80 70 60 50 40 30 20

2481/ 2483 200 180 160 140 120 100 80 60 40

Boundary mark: t he minimum mark required by a candidat e t o qual ify for a given grade.


Examiners’ Report

Summer 2006


Examiners’ Report

Summer 2006

Furt her copies of t his publ icat ion are available f rom Edexcel Publ icat ions, Adamsway, Mansf ield, Not t s, NG18 4FN Telephone 01623 467467 Fax 01623 450481

Email publ icat ions@linneydirect .com

Order Code UG 018231 Summer 2006 For more informat ion on Edexcel qual if icat ions, please visit www.edexcel.org.uk/ qual if icat ionsAlt ernat ively, you can cont act Customer Services at www.edexcel.org.uk/ ask or on 0870 240 9800 Edexcel Limit ed. Regist ered in England and Wales no.4496750 Regist ered Of f ice: One90 High Holborn, London, WC1V 7BH

Documents

GCSE Religious Studies - XtremePapers