Religious Studies
All 364 specification statements from the official Cambridge International specification, as printed.
1. Worship in the church
2. Key features of church buildings in different Christian communities; the meaning and importance
3. Artefacts used in worship in different Christian communities; the use, meaning and importance of
4. Public/communal and private/individual worship in different Christian communities and in the
5. The roles and significance of leaders in the church and in different Christian communities
1. Christian beliefs about God
2. Christian beliefs about Jesus
3. Christian beliefs about the Holy Spirit
4. Christian beliefs about the Bible; different ways in which Christians understand and interpret the
1. The importance of going on pilgrimage for some Christians
2. Places of pilgrimage for Christians
1. Easter and Holy Week
2. Christmas
3. Epiphany
4. Ascension
5. Pentecost
6. Lent
7. Advent
8. Changes to festivals and fasts
1. Baptism: key features of different types of baptism, and their importance in different Christian
2. Coming of age: key features of different coming of age ceremonies, and their importance in
3. Marriage ceremonies: key features of marriage ceremonies, and their importance in different
4. Funeral rites: key features of funeral rites, and their importance in different Christian communities
5. Christian beliefs about family life in different Christian communities
6. Tradition and change
1. Christianity as a religion that shows concern for others
2. Christian stewardship of the environment
3. Christian organisations that relieve poverty
1. Worship in the mosque
2. Key features of a mosque in different Muslim communities; the meaning and importance of these
3. Artefacts used in worship in different Muslim communities; the use, meaning and importance of
4. Public/communal and private/individual worship in different Muslim communities
5. The roles and significance of leaders in the mosque and in different Muslim communities
1. The Six Articles of Faith
2. The five roots of Usul ad-Din
3. The Five Pillars of Islam
4. Prophet Muhammad (pbuh)
5. The development of Islam; origins of Sunni and Shi ʿ ah
6. The Qur ʾ an; different ways in which Muslims understand and interpret it
1. The importance of going on Hajj
2. Performance of Hajj: the meaning and importance of places, actions and stages in the Hajj
3. ʿ Umrah
4. Makkah and Madinah as places of historic importance for Muslims.
1. ʿ Id al-Adha (feast of sacrifice)
2. The observance of the fast of Ramadan
3. ʿ Id al-Fitr (the end of Ramadan)
4. Changes to festivals and fasts (I4.4)
1. Birth rites: the key features and importance of birth rites in Islam
2. Marriage ceremonies: the key features and importance of marriage ceremonies in Islam
3. Funeral rites: the key features and importance of funeral rites in Islam
4. Muslim beliefs about family life in different Muslim communities
5. Tradition and change (I5.5)
1. The ummah
2. Shari ʿ ah (‘straight path’) as a code of behaviour and ethics for Muslims; as a legal system
3. Islam as a religion that shows concern for others in the home and the community
4. Khalifahs of the environment
5. Muslim organisations that relieve poverty
1. Worship in the synagogue
2. Key features of a synagogue in different Jewish communities; the meaning and importance of
3. Artefacts used in worship in different Jewish communities; the use, meaning and importance of
4. Ritual dress: the importance and symbolism of Jewish ritual dress
5. Public/communal and private/individual worship in different Jewish communities
6. Celebration of Shabbat (the Sabbath) in the synagogue and the home; the meaning and
7. The role and significance of leaders in the synagogue and in different Jewish communities
1. Jewish beliefs about G-d’s nature
2. G-d’s establishment of covenants (agreements) with G-d’s people
3. Jewish beliefs about the Torah; different ways in which Jews understand and interpret the Torah
1. The importance of going on pilgrimage for some Jews
2. Places of pilgrimage for Jews: the historic sites of Jerusalem
The Western Wall
Yad Vashem (Holocaust Memorial)
3. Ways in which the memory of the Temple is kept alive in Judaism in the modern world
1. Rosh Hashanah (‘Head of’/New Year)
2. Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement)
3. Pesach (Passover)
4. Sukkot (Booths/Tabernacles)
5. Changes to festivals and fasts (J4.5)
1. Birth rites: the key features and importance of birth rites in different Jewish communities
2. Coming of age ceremonies: the key features and importance of coming of age ceremonies in
3. Marriage ceremonies: the key features and importance of marriage ceremonies in Judaism
4. Funeral rites: the key features and importance of funeral rites in Judaism
5. Kashrut (the laws of kosher/‘fit’) and treyfah (‘forbidden’)
6. Jewish beliefs about family life in different Jewish communities
7. Tradition and change (J5.7)
1. Judaism as a religion that shows concern for others
2. Jewish stewardship of the environment
3. Jewish organisations that relieve poverty