GCSE Religious studies: Exam Structure by Board
Your Teacher Information Pack for GCSE Religious studies: how the exams are built for each board, the key dates for summer 2027, and links to specifications, past papers and grade boundaries.
- Qualification
- GCSE (9 to 1)
- Years
- Year 10 and Year 11 (KS4)
- Boards covered
- AQA, Pearson Edexcel, OCR, WJEC Eduqas
- Entries 2026 (England)
- 240,945 (no. 7 by entries)
- Last checked
- 2026-10-20
Entries: Ofqual provisional entries, summer 2026 (rounded).
RE is required at every key stage but follows a locally agreed syllabus, not the national curriculum.
Exam structure by board
Pick your board to see every paper with its length, marks and weighting, plus practicals, tiers and links.
AQA GCSE Religious Studies A (8062)
Tiers: No tiers (one paper set for all)
| Paper | Time | Marks | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Component 1: The study of religions: beliefs, teachings and practices | 1 h 45 min | 96 +6 SPaG | 50% |
| Component 2: Thematic studies | 1 h 45 min | 96 +3 SPaG | 50% |
AQA GCSE Religious Studies B (8063)
Tiers: No tiers (one paper set for all)
| Paper | Time | Marks | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Component 1: Catholic Christianity | 1 h 45 min | 96 +3 SPaG | 50% |
| Component 2: Perspectives on faith | 1 h 45 min | 96 +6 SPaG | 50% |
Pearson Edexcel GCSE (9-1) Religious Studies A (1RA0)
Tiers: No tiers (one paper set for all) · first taught 2016
| Paper | Time | Marks | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paper 1: Area of Study 1: Study of Religion | 1 h 45 min | 102 | 50% |
| Paper 2: Area of Study 2: Study of Second Religion | 50 min | 51 | 25% |
| Paper 3: Area of Study 3: Philosophy and Ethics (option) | 50 min | 51 | 25% |
| Paper 4: Area of Study 4: Textual Studies (option) | 50 min | 51 | 25% |
Full Pearson Edexcel pack · specification on the Pearson Edexcel website
Pearson Edexcel GCSE (9-1) Religious Studies B (1RB0)
Tiers: No tiers (one paper set for all) · first taught 2016
| Paper | Time | Marks | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paper 1: Area of Study 1: Religion and Ethics (option) | 1 h 45 min | 102 | 50% |
| Paper 2: Area of Study 2: Religion, Peace and Conflict (option) | 1 h 45 min | 102 | 50% |
| Paper 3: Area of Study 3: Religion, Philosophy and Social Justice (option) | 1 h 45 min | 102 | 50% |
Full Pearson Edexcel pack · specification on the Pearson Edexcel website
OCR GCSE (9-1) Religious Studies (J625)
Tiers: No tiers (one paper set for all) · first taught 2016
| Paper | Time | Marks | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Component group 1 (take two): Beliefs and teachings & practices (Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Buddhism or Hinduism) | 1 h | 63 +3 SPaG | 25% |
| Component group 2 (take one): Religion, philosophy and ethics in the modern world | 2 h | 126 +6 SPaG | 50% |
Eduqas GCSE (9-1) Religious Studies (Route A / Route B) (C120QS)
Tiers: No tiers (one paper set for all) · first taught 2016
| Paper | Time | Marks | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Route A Component 1: Religious, Philosophical and Ethical Studies in the Modern World | 2 h | 120 +6 SPaG | 50% |
| Route A Component 2: Study of Christianity | 1 h | 60 +6 SPaG | 25% |
| Route A Component 3: Study of a World Faith | 1 h | 60 | 25% |
| Route B Component 1: Foundational Catholic Theology | 1 h 30 min | 90 +6 SPaG | 37.5% |
| Route B Component 2: Applied Catholic Theology | 1 h 30 min | 90 +6 SPaG | 37.5% |
| Route B Component 3: Study of a World Faith (Judaism) | 1 h | – | 25% |
Full WJEC Eduqas pack · specification on the WJEC Eduqas website
Key dates
Summer 2027 exam series
- Entries deadline: Sun, 21 February 2027
- First exam: Mon, 10 May 2027
- Last GCSE exam: Fri, 18 June 2027
- Contingency day: Wed, 23 June 2027
- GCSE results day: Thu, 19 August 2027 (from a provisional board timetable)
Sources: JCQ key dates June 2027 (final (JCQ key dates)); JCQ key dates and timetables; JCQ timetable commentary. Check each board's final timetable for paper dates. Last checked 2026-10-20.
Official documents
- Ofqual subject-level conditions and requirements (GOV.UK)
- Grade boundaries: AQA
- Grade boundaries: Pearson Edexcel
- Grade boundaries: OCR
- Grade boundaries: WJEC Eduqas
- JCQ access arrangements
More packs
Other GCSEs: GCSE Combined science, GCSE Mathematics, GCSE English language, GCSE English literature, GCSE History, GCSE Geography, GCSE Art and design, GCSE Biology, GCSE Chemistry, GCSE Physics. Find another TIP
Exam facts (paper names, times, marks, weightings, tiers, codes) are taken from each exam board's own specification pages and summarised in our own words; no specification text, papers or mark schemes are reproduced. Exam details checked against the board's specification on 2026-10-20. Always check the current specification on the board's website.
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0 (Ofqual and DfE pages on GOV.UK). Classfern is not affiliated with or endorsed by the Department for Education, Ofqual, JCQ, AQA, Pearson Edexcel, OCR or WJEC Eduqas.
Questions teachers ask
How many papers are there in GCSE Religious studies?
AQA 8062: 2 exam papers; AQA 8063: 2 exam papers; Pearson Edexcel 1RA0: 4 exam papers (3 sat by each student); Pearson Edexcel 1RB0: 3 exam papers (2 sat by each student); OCR J625: 2 exam papers (3 sat by each student); WJEC Eduqas C120QS: 6 exam papers. Check the board's specification for options and routes.
Is GCSE Religious studies tiered?
No. All students sit the same papers.