Edexcel GCSE Religious Studies Paper 1 practice questions

What is on Paper 1?

• Paper 1 covers religion and ethics.
• It is a written paper of 1 hour 50 minutes, worth 102 marks — 50% of the GCSE.
• Each question builds from short answers up to a 12-mark evaluation.
• Always check the latest specification on your exam board's website, as details can change between exam years.

Paper 1 practice questions with answers

10 original questions across the 5 Paper 1 topics. Try each one before reading the answer.

1. Edexcel Religious Studies: papers and exam technique

   1. Why is it important to check exactly which religions and themes you have studied before an exam?

   Answer: Because different centres study different combinations, and revision resources may cover options you haven't done

   Confirming your exact options with your teacher avoids wasted revision and confusion in the exam.

2. Edexcel Religious Studies: papers and exam technique

   2. What is a source of wisdom and authority?

   • • A student's personal opinion
   • • A scripture, teaching or authoritative statement
   • • A made-up example
   • • A definition of a key term only

   Answer: A scripture, teaching or authoritative statement

   These sources are used to support and strengthen explanations of religious beliefs.

3. Christianity: beliefs and teachings

   3. What does 'omnipotent' mean?

   • • All-loving
   • • All-powerful
   • • All-knowing
   • • Ever-present

   Answer: All-powerful

   Omnipotent means all-powerful, one of the traditional attributes of God.

4. Christianity: beliefs and teachings

   4. The Trinity refers to God as:

   • • Three separate gods
   • • Three persons in one God
   • • God and two angels
   • • The Father only

   Answer: Three persons in one God

   The Trinity is the belief in one God existing as three persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

5. Christianity: practices

   5. What is liturgical worship?

   • • Informal, spontaneous worship
   • • Worship following a fixed, structured order
   • • Worship done only at home
   • • Worship without any prayers

   Answer: Worship following a fixed, structured order

   Liturgical worship follows a set order of service, common in Catholic and Orthodox traditions.

6. Christianity: practices

   6. Which is an example of non-liturgical worship?

   • • A set Catholic Mass
   • • Informal, spontaneous prayer meetings
   • • A fixed Orthodox liturgy
   • • A scripted, unchanging service

   Answer: Informal, spontaneous prayer meetings

   Non-liturgical worship is less formally structured and often more spontaneous.

7. Relationships and families

   7. What term describes a couple living together without being married?

   • • Cohabitation
   • • Annulment
   • • Nikah
   • • Talaq

   Answer: Cohabitation

   Cohabitation is living together as a couple without marrying.

8. Relationships and families

   8. What is the Islamic term for the marriage contract?

   • • Talaq
   • • Nikah
   • • Zakat
   • • Salah

   Answer: Nikah

   Nikah is the Islamic marriage contract and ceremony.

9. Life, death and the existence of God

   9. The design argument claims that the order in the universe suggests what?

   • • An intelligent designer
   • • Random chance only
   • • No creator
   • • Evolution alone

   Answer: An intelligent designer

   The design argument infers a designer from apparent order and purpose.

10. Life, death and the existence of God

    10. Explain the basic idea of the cosmological argument.

    Answer: Everything that exists has a cause, and since the universe cannot have caused itself, there must be a first, uncaused cause, often identified as God.

    This is a classic philosophical argument for God's existence.

Where Paper 1 marks are usually lost

• Stating a belief without naming a source of authority or teaching to support it.
• Giving only one religious view when the question asks for contrasting views.
• Forgetting a clear, justified conclusion in the 12-mark evaluation answer.
• Describing practices without explaining why believers carry them out.
• Losing spelling, punctuation and grammar marks on the questions that award them.

How to pick up the extended-answer marks

• Underline the command word and the focus of the question before writing — most dropped marks come from answering a different question.
• Plan for one or two minutes: three or four points, each backed by evidence and explained.
• Keep linking back to the question in every paragraph, not just the conclusion.
• For 'evaluate' or 'how far do you agree' questions, weigh both sides and finish with a clear judgement.

Timing that works under pressure

• Check the marks per question and give each one time in proportion, keeping spare minutes for checking at the end.
• Bank the short questions first, then return to the longer answers with your remaining time.
• If a question stalls for more than two minutes, write down what you know and move on — partial marks still count.
• Leave five minutes to check spelling of key terms, units and whether any question part was skipped over a page break.

Revise each Paper 1 topic

• Edexcel Religious Studies: papers and exam technique (56 questions)
• Christianity: beliefs and teachings (83 questions)
• Christianity: practices (70 questions)
• Relationships and families (70 questions)
• Life, death and the existence of God (83 questions)

Edexcel Religious Studies Paper 1 FAQs

What topics are on Edexcel GCSE Religious Studies Paper 1?

Paper 1 assesses beliefs, marriage and the family, living the religious life and matters of life and death.

How long is Edexcel GCSE Religious Studies Paper 1?

It is a 1 hour 50 minutes written exam worth 102 marks, which is 50% of the GCSE. Check your board's latest specification for any changes.

How should I revise for Religious Studies Paper 1?

Practise answering questions rather than rereading notes. Short daily sets of five questions per topic, marked straight away, expose weak areas faster than a long passive revision session.