AQA GCSE Religious Studies A (8062)
Exam structure at a glance for AQA GCSE Religious Studies A: every paper with its time, marks and weighting, plus tiers, practicals and the links you need.
- Board
- AQA
- Specification code
- 8062
- Tiers
- No tiers (one paper set for all)
- Exam papers
- 2 · 3 h 30 min in total
- Last checked
- 2026-10-20
RE is required at every key stage but follows a locally agreed syllabus, not the national curriculum.
Papers and weightings
| Paper | Time | Marks | Weight | What it is (our summary) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Component 1: The study of religions: beliefs, teachings and practices | 1 h 45 min | 96 +6 SPaG | 50% | Two religions from Buddhism, Christianity, Catholic Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, Judaism, Sikhism (not Christianity with Catholic Christianity). Each religion: two five-part questions (1, 1, 4, 6, 12 marks). |
| Component 2: Thematic studies | 1 h 45 min | 96 +3 SPaG | 50% | Four religious, philosophical and ethical themes, or two themes plus two St Mark's Gospel textual studies. Each theme: one five-part question (1, 1, 4, 6, 12 marks). |
Times are exam lengths; weightings are shares of the whole GCSE. Summaries are in our own words.
Good to know
Nothing else to flag. See the specification for full details.
Not yet confirmed by us: first teaching year not shown on page read (expected 2016); marks 96 plus SPaG: check whether the 96 already excludes SPaG (page said '96 marks, plus 6 SPaG marks'). Check the specification.
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.
Specification, past papers and grade boundaries
- AQA: Specification at a glance (board website)
- AQA: Past papers and mark schemes (board website)
- AQA: Grade boundaries (board website)
Facts checked against: aqa.org.uk.
More packs
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 long are the AQA GCSE Religious Studies A exams?
Component 1: 1 h 45 min; Component 2: 1 h 45 min.