IGCSE Religious Studies Topics by Exam Board: Full List

Published

11 February 2025

Last updated

11 February 2025

Contents

As an IGCSE Religious Studies student, it's crucial to have a clear understanding of the specific topics covered by your exam board so you can maximise your revision efforts.

This article provides a detailed breakdown of the GCSE Religious Studies courses offered by the Cambridge and Edexcel exam boards, outlining their structures and content to help you focus your studies effectively.

Cambridge CIE IGCSE Religious Studies Topics

Studying the Cambridge IGCSE Religious Studies topics will help you develop your knowledge and understanding of religion in a social context. You’ll explore and reflect upon religious beliefs, values and teachings, and examine their role in society.

The Cambridge CIE IGCSE course is divided into six sections, each focusing on different aspects of religious studies. All students have to study two major world religions from the following three for each section:

Christianity
Islam
Judaism

The six sections you will study are:

1. Worship

2. Beliefs and Scriptures

3. Sacred Places

4. Festivals and Fasts

5. Rites of Passage & Family Life

6. Religion and Social Action

1. Worship

In this unit, you’ll study the main features and uses of places of worship in your chosen world religions, including the role these centres play within the faith community. You’ll also explore the role and significance of religious leaders.

The key areas covered are:

The church/mosque/synagogue as a place of worship and community
Features of the places of worship and their significance
Public and private worship, including prayer and rituals
Leadership roles in religious communities.

2. Beliefs and Scriptures

This unit of study will give you the opportunity to explore the key beliefs of your chosen world religions and some of the key teachings contained in their holy books.

The key areas covered are:

Key religious teachings from the Bible, Qur’an, or Torah.
Core theological beliefs, such as the nature of God, salvation and the afterlife.
The role of scripture in religious life.

3. Sacred Places

This topic will give you the chance to explore the nature and significance of some of the world’s most famous religious and pilgrimage sites.

The key areas covered are:

The significance of pilgrimage and places of religious importance
Religious traditions and experiences of pilgrimage sites such as Lourdes, Makkah, and Jerusalem

4. Festivals and Fasts

In this unit, you’ll look at the most significant times of both solemnity and celebration in the religious calendar for the world religions you’re studying.

The key areas covered are:

Major religious festivals such as Easter, Ramadan, and Yom Kippur, and their significance
The role of fasting and its spiritual importance

5. Rites of Passage & Family Life

Every world religion commemorates significant rites of passage in its members’ lives. In this unit, you’ll study these rites and significant ceremonies.

The key areas covered are:

Religious ceremonies including birth, marriage, and funeral rites
The role of family and religious teachings on relationships and marriage
Family roles and traditions and how these are preserved or changed to suit modern life

6. Religion and Social Action

This important unit considers how religious teachings are enacted in response to important social issues facing the world.

The key areas covered are:

Religious moral and ethical codes
Teachings about love, compassion, charity, and social responsibility
Stewardship of the environment and the role of religious organisations in social welfare

What is Covered in Cambridge IGCSE Religious Studies Paper 1?

Cambridge IGCSE Paper 1 covers the content of the first three units of study in this course: Worship, Beliefs and Scriptures, and Sacred Places

The paper contains three sections: A (Christianity), B (Islam), and C (Judaism). You’ll answer two of these sections, depending on which religions you studied.

Each section contains three structured questions worth 20 marks each
You will have 1 hour 45 minutes to complete Paper 1
Paper 1 is worth 50% of your total marks.

What is Covered in Cambridge IGCSE Religious Studies Paper 2?

Cambridge IGCSE Paper 2 covers the content of units of study 4-6 on this course: Festivals and Fasts, Rites of Passage & Family Life, and Religion and Social Action.

The paper contains three sections: A (Christianity), B (Islam), C (Judaism). You’ll answer two of these sections, depending on which religions you studied.

Each section contains three structured questions worth 20 marks each
You will have 1 hour 45 minutes to complete Paper 2
Paper 2 is worth 50% of your total marks.

Revision Resources for Cambridge IGCSE Religious Studies

You’ll find revision resources for this course at Save My Exams, including past papers and mark schemes.

Cambridge IGCSE Religious Studies Past Papers

Edexcel IGCSE Religious Studies Topics

Studying the Edexcel IGCSE Religious Studies course will enable you to develop your knowledge and understanding of beliefs and values and how they are put into practice within the religious community.

The Edexcel IGCSE course is divided into seven sections, each focusing on different aspects of religious studies. All students study one or more major world religions for each section from the list below. You will also have the opportunity to consider differing attitudes and the views of non-religious people.

You will study at least one religion from this list:

Buddhism
Christianity
Hinduism
Islam
Judaism
Sikhism

The seven sections you will study are:

1. The Universe, Creation and the Place of Human Beings

2. Life and Death

3. Peace and Conflict

4. Rights, Equality and Social Justice

5. Origins and Impact of Religion on the Community

6. Celebration and Pilgrimage

7. Worship and Practice

1. The Universe, Creation and the Place of Human Beings

This unit involves studying a range of religious and non-religious beliefs about the universe, creation, and the place of humans in the world. You’ll consider some of the biggest ideas humans can think about: who are we, where do we come from, and is there a god or gods behind everything?

The key areas covered are:

Origins of the universe and the place of human beings
The nature of human beings, immortality and the existence of a soul
Questions of ultimate reality: evidence for the existence of a god or gods. The problem of evil and suffering

2. Life and Death

In this unit, you have the chance to explore a range of religious and non-religious beliefs relating to life, death and family relationships.

The key areas covered are:

Death and the afterlife and the meaning and purpose of life
The sanctity of life, abortion and euthanasia
Human relationships including marriage, divorce, and family relationships

3. Peace and Conflict

In this unit, you will study a range of religious and non-religious beliefs relating to peace and conflict on a personal, local, and international level.

The key areas covered are:

Conflict and war and efforts to bring peace and reconciliation
Crime and punishment
Issues relating to capital punishment and attitudes towards the death penalty

4. Rights, Equality and Social Justice

The final unit you study for Paper 1 is all about human rights, equality and social justice. You’ll be considering some of the most important issues facing modern society and how people relate to one another in a multi-ethnic, multi-faith society.

The key areas covered are:

Human rights and equal opportunities
Racial harmony in a multi-ethnic society and interfaith relationships in a multi-faith society
Relationships between rich and poor

5. Origins and Impact of Religion on the Community

In this unit you will study the origins of your chosen religion and how this impacts the religious community today.

The key areas covered are:

Religious texts and sources of authority in your chosen religion, and how these are used by the religious community
The founders and leaders of the religion and their significance for members of the faith

6. Celebration and Pilgrimage

This unit is a chance to explore the festivals, celebrations and places of pilgrimage in your chosen religion. You will study two specific areas of pilgrimage.

The key areas covered are:

Festivals and celebration: their significance and how they are observed by believers
Places of pilgrimage: their significance and the traditions and observances of believers at these places

7. Worship and Practice

The final unity is a study of places and forms of worship in your chosen religion, and how these are significant to believers. There is a great diversity of practice and perspective within religions on this topic, and as part of your study you will explore this diversity

The key areas covered are:

Places and worship, their design and purpose and their use and significance for believers
Forms of worship and their significance in the lives of believers

What is Covered in Edexcel IGCSE Religious Studies Paper 1?

Edexcel IGCSE Paper 1 is called Beliefs and Values.

This paper tests your knowledge and understanding of the first four units of study on this course:

The Universe, Creation and the Place of Human Beings
Life and Death
Peace and Conflict
Rights, Equality and Social Justice.

The paper contains four questions, one for each unit of study. You will need to answer all of these questions for your chosen religion.

Each question is worth 25 marks, with a range of short-answer section questions and one synoptic assessment question worth 12 marks within each part.

You will have 1 hour 45 minutes to complete Paper 1.

Paper 1 is worth 60% of your total marks.

What is Covered in Edexcel IGCSE Religious Studies Paper 2?

Edexcel IGCSE Paper 2 is called The Religious Community.

This paper tests your knowledge and understanding of the final three units of study on this course:

Origins and Impact of Religion on the Community
Celebration and Pilgrimage
Worship and Practice

The paper contains three questions, one for each unit of study. You will need to answer all of these questions for your chosen religion.

Each question is worth 20 marks, with a range of short-answer section questions and one synoptic assessment question worth 10 marks within each part.

You will have 1 hour 30 minutes to complete Paper 2.

Paper 2 is worth 40% of your total marks.

Revision Resources for Edexcel IGCSE Religious Studies

You’ll find revision resources for this course at Save My Exams, including past papers and mark schemes.

Edexcel IGCSE Religious Studies Past Papers

Improve Your Grades with Save My Exams

To support your preparation for the Cambridge or Edexcel IGCSE Religious Studies exams and all your exam courses, Save My Exams offers a range of resources tailored to your specific needs. These materials are crafted by experienced educators and examiners to help you achieve the best possible grade.

Religious Studies IGCSE Resources